Dancing Tides (198 page)

“
W
h
y? Why
a
r
e
y
ou
a
l
w
a
y
s so
w
illing
to
g
ive
m
e
up, l
e
t me
wa
lk
a
w
a
y
just like
th
a
t
?
”

H
e
re
st
e
d his
h
ea
d on h
er
s.
“
I
t
’
s
a
n
y
thi
n
g
but
ea
s
y
.
B
ut
I
don
’
t
w
a
nt to d
r
a
g
y
o
u do
w
n.
I
’
m no
p
r
i
z
e
.”

“
Stop s
a
y
i
n
g
th
a
t
!
”
She
shout
e
d.
“Y
ou
’
r
e
the
most
a
m
a
z
ing
p
er
son
I
’
ve
e
v
e
r
m
e
t.”

“
Come
on—”

“Y
ou
’
ve
b
ee
n th
r
o
u
g
h
a
lot in
y
our
li
f
e
a
nd
y
ou
’
r
e
so st
r
ong
a
nd s
w
ee
t.”
S
h
e
slump
e
d
a
g
a
inst him.
“
I
don
’
t
wa
n
t to
wa
lk thou
g
h.
I
’
m no
quitt
er
.”

“T
h
a
nk
G
od.
I
t
’
s tou
g
h,
I
kno
w
.”
H
e
r
ubb
e
d h
e
r
b
ac
k.
“T
h
er
e
’
s no qui
c
k
f
ix
. I
w
ish th
er
e
wa
s.”

“
I
’
m not looking
f
o
r
th
a
t.
I
just
wa
nt to h
e
lp
a
nd
I
don
’
t know
ho
w
.”

“Y
ou s
a
id it
y
o
u
r
s
e
l
f
.
I
t
’
s
up to m
e
. Most d
a
y
s, it
’
s
just up to m
e
.”

T
h
a
t ni
g
ht sn
u
g
g
l
e
d
up
i
n b
e
d,
Ke
e
g
a
n
w
oke
to
a
noise
c
oming
f
r
om som
e
w
h
er
e
inside the
hous
e
.
G
l
a
n
c
i
n
g
a
t t
h
e
c
lo
c
k on the
n
i
g
htst
a
n
d
, the
di
g
it
a
l
a
l
a
r
m
c
lo
c
k
t
old h
e
r
the
time
wa
s
f
ive
minut
e
s
af
t
e
r
t
w
o.
For
s
e
v
e
r
a
l long
minut
e
s
s
he
l
a
y
th
er
e
not movi
n
g
,
list
e
nin
g
. M
a
y
be
sh
e
’
d im
a
g
in
e
d the
nois
e
.
Af
t
e
r
a
ll, this
wa
s h
e
r
f
i
r
st time
sp
e
ndi
n
g
the
ni
g
ht in h
i
s hous
e
, a
st
ra
n
g
e pl
ace
, a
st
r
a
n
g
e
b
e
d.

W
h
e
n she
h
ear
d
w
h
a
t s
o
und
e
d like
the
c
losing
o
f
a
doo
r
, she
j
a
b
b
e
d Co
r
d in the
r
ibs
a
nd
w
hisp
ere
d,
“
Co
r
d, Co
r
d,
wa
ke
up.
I
h
ear
d so
m
e
thin
g
.
I
think th
e
r
e’
s som
e
o
ne
in the
hous
e
.”

W
ith his
e
y
e
s still
c
los
e
d
, he
mumbl
e
d,
“
I
t
’
s p
r
o
b
a
b
l
y
nothi
n
g
, just
a
n old hous
e
.
G
o b
ac
k to sl
ee
p.”

“N
o!
Co
r
d,
w
a
ke
up.”
S
h
e
shook him h
ar
d
er
.

T
his time
the
unmist
a
k
a
ble
sound of
a
door
c
losing
f
r
om some
oth
e
r
r
oom
wa
s mo
r
e p
r
onoun
ce
d.

Co
r
d
’
s
e
y
e
s
f
lutt
e
r
e
d op
e
n.
H
e
bolt
e
d up
r
i
g
ht
a
nd
in one
f
luid motion
reac
h
e
d
f
or
his j
ea
ns. St
a
gg
er
i
n
g
a
bit to
pull on his p
a
nts, he
hopp
e
d on one
f
oot b
e
f
o
r
e
g
r
oping
in the
d
ar
k
f
or the
b
a
s
e
b
a
ll b
a
t he
k
e
pt
h
idd
e
n und
e
r
the
b
e
d.