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"Deal?" she asked God "Let’s shake on it"

She held out her hand as a whistle blasted and a train barreled past her house, shaking the walls, the floors, the ceilings, everything to the very foundation

Eleanor glanced at the clock--3:26 am She stared at the clock in confusion For seventeen years that train had rattled by the house at the same time every time--12:59, 6:16, 3:38, and 7:02 Never in all the years she’d lived in this house had the train rattled by this late at night

Never once Never ever

Turning back to the chair she lowered her hand

"Okay, then," she said "It’s a deal"

19

Eleanor

FOR THE THIRD TIME IN TWO HOURS, ELEANOR REFILLED her bucket with cold water and poured in a cup of wood soap She lugged the heavy bucket back to the sanctuary and sat it on the floor next to the center section of pews For the past three weeks, she’d been washing the ork in the church in an atteal fees Maybe her dad was right Turning tricks would be much a much easier way to make money

As she washed the wood on her hands and knees, she let herself fantasize about her future Søren had ordered her to apply to five colleges and she had Now she couldn’t stop dreae and the NYU buildings since she’d first seen therandparents Still she kneas a waste of a dreaet a scholarship Student loans would only cover a fraction of what she’d need to pay for NYU Maybe she could find a hot dean or so and trade her body for tuition money

Eleanor couldn’t believe how hot it was in the sanctuary Sweat beaded on her forehead and spilled onto the floor She’d already soaked through her shirt