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Silence settles over our sroup, and I try to process this Ginny is a part of ’s about to topple

"But" Jesse rubs my back with his hand "No She needs to come home and oing to be full of horses and co too loud, and" Tears streaive you a--"

"She’ll wake up" I wipe both eyes with my palms and set my jaw stubbornly "You didn’t think I’d wake up, and I did" Meredith gives me a solemn nod

"Can I see her?"

Meredith takes a deep breath, sharing a glance with Gabe "Come on, I’ll take you"

I turn to A theall that" She pulls herself to her feet, passing her parents without a word

I follow Meredith as she leads h the ICU, the sterile s,my earliest memories

"She’ll have soes on her head, but otherwise she looks fine," Meredith cautions as we enter the room The machine beside Ginny beeps rhythmically The sound used to be a lullaby for me

"Visits are supposed to be kept to ten minutes, but I’ll ask them to leave you alone"

"Thanks" It sounds hollow but that’s all I canover to the chair beside Ginny’s bed

"I understand that you’re angry with us, Water But please give Jesse a chance to explain His ood place One that meant you well"

I siht now

The door closes softly

And I si there, unconscious, the luer until I can’t sithout tears springing to my eyes

The reclusive, ornery wo with life Who spent decades hiding behind dead trees and scraps of quilts and an abrasive disposition If only she had let that tree bud again,forward, I slip le escapes "Boy, will you be mad when you wake up and find yourself in here"

And then I bow ht, and I’ain

Jesse and Gabe are still in the waiting rooe, my cheeks sore fro in my stomach, I’m terrified of what this vault inside my head doesn’t want ht, and I intend to keep it

I settle eyes on Jesse "I need to know everything Everything"

The weathered tote the trees at the dead end of the road, its paint faded A shiver runs down bird that sits on top, staring down its long, pointed beak at me

Is that just a coincidence?

"When I was about twelve, a couple of teenagers from Sisters came up to Black Butte to camp They had a campfire--they weren’t supposed to, it was too dry--and it started a forest fire They died in it I remember the day the town put this up here as aup at the tote raze mine for a second before I pull it away I don’t kno I’ht now, except that there h, he drops his hand to his side and then begins a sloalk around, his gaze roa Finally, he stoops over to pick up the re it for ait away "Because this is where I found you"

"You found ain "Why did you lie?"

"It’s a long story" Jesse’s jaw tenses "But you got your wish You got to start over"

THIRTY-SEVEN

Jesse

then

Lifting her limp body up in h the snoard ainst her dead weight "It’s okayYou’re going to be fineIt’s me, JesseI won’t let him hurt you anymore" I ramble I doubt she can hear me but I talk anyway I need to hear these words as much as she does I need to believe them

How the hell did Viktor find out? And exactly what does he know?

As carefully as possible, I slide her onto the backseat, thankful for the car’s wide frao but I have to, if she has any hope of survival at all Wrapping the wool blanket around her broken body, I rush to the driver’s seat to crank the engine and blast the car’s heat If the severe beating hasn’t done her in, the winter cold certainly will

My handsI hold theloves, they’re coated in Alex’s blood The front of ray hoodie--because I bolted out of rab a coat--is also covered A quick glance in the rearview mirror confirms the crimson streaks smeared across ot a badly beaten girl with ties to Viktor in my backseat

Shit

I can’t just show up at the ER with her, can I? There’ll be too many questions that I can’t answer What if she dies? I justMy brain is a jumbled mess I know she needs helps, butI justI can’t think straight My hands tremble as I reach intoI can think of, because I’m in way over"Jesse?"

"Dad?" My voice cracks over that one syllable "I really fked up this time"

"What do you e Norh "It’s Alex She’shurt Bad"

"What? Where are you?"

"Near Black Butte I have her in ear and, pinning my cell to my ear with my shoulder, Inot to speed tooto make it"

"You shouldn’t havean aood idea"

"What the hell do you mean?" he snaps