Page 14 (1/2)

He had blue eyes With the 7 ah them, they looked silvery, like crystals

“I’ru I was thinking about how totally a breakfast was, I ht about food abstractly anyh so fast, it didn’t really seery after I frowned at the fine-dispensing uy—adults just lived in this other world, this forbidden world, and in that world I only looked like a problem Not his fault Notin the other, that’s all

But he didn’t shove me off at the next station Nobody else was in the car, and the sun glea on the chrome like little supernovas I settled back intodown so anyone who did coot on, hauling a stiff rider ofwind She dropped into a heap in a seat on the far side of the car and I was pretty sure she didn’t have a ticket either Her clothes were thrift-ed coat with a furry, matted hood As the train pulled up to speed, her head dipped back and she started to snore The hood slid off

It was Maria

I nized her But I have a memory for faces Everyone, all the time If I’ve seen you, I’ve seen you forever And it was Maria, but she wasshards, one eye swollen up like she’d been hit Her skin was half-sunburned, half-clammy, and she had hacked all her hair off, shaved her head It had grown back a fuzzy, uneven half inch, a thin black cloud She had sores on her arms, her lips cracked and bled

“Hey,” I whispered She stirred sleepily I felt awake all of the sudden, sharp “Maria?”

I went to the girl and slid into the plastic seat beside her Her eyes slitted up at me

“Leotta ticket,” she mumbled

“Maria, it’s enes, remember?”

Her eyes rolled, unfocused I cold see the bones in her sternu’s a stupid name,” she slurred

“Yeah,” I said “It is”

I didn’t ask her what happened to her, why she didn’t just go hoot shallow and she fell asleep again Maria smelled—kind of sweet, and kind of rotten, and kind of sour She sluooey strands streaked with pink Not coughing blood like so number left in her, but just about as bad

“Hey, hey,” I tried to push her upright “Wake up, Maria Come on Don’t put this on me I can’t take it Wake up”

But she didn’t Her heart was racing, but her skin was cold She just fell into od, have a seizure, whatever, just don’t die on s don’t happen on the train What did you take, what did you do, as so bad you couldn’t dreaic anymore? “Maria, sweetie,” I said, and held her I kissed her forehead “Baby girl, just open your eyes Like in the story Just open your eyes and wake up” She moaned a

little, and put out her hand to finddevelophed again, greenish, and specks of dark, ugly blood in it this time