Base Nature (15 page)

“A h
u
man,
I p
re
s
u
m
e
?”
K
e
lly
a
sk
ed
.
T
h
er
e
was
a
s
mile
and
a
f
r
o
wn
in
h
e
r v
o
ice all at
o
nc
e
.
H
e’
d
s
ee
n
h
e
r
p
u
ll
o
ff this
c
o
mplicat
e
d
e
xp
re
ssi
o
n
o
n
m
a
ny
o
ccasi
o
ns. His l
o
ve f
o
r
K
e
lly
was
n
e
a
r
ly
o
v
er
wh
e
lming.
I
t
h
ur
t
him
t
o
h
e
ar
the
pain
i
n
h
e
r
v
o
ic
e
.
P
ain
he had
ca
u
s
ed
.

“W
h
y w
o
u
ld
y
o
u
p
re
s
u
m
e
?”

“
Be
ca
u
se
I
d
o
n
’
t
k
n
o
w
o
f
any
o
th
e
r
o
f
o
u
r
kind
re
ckl
e
ssly
l
iving
o
ff
o
n
th
e
ir
o
wn away f
r
o
m th
e
ir
k
in
d
.
Bu
t that
’
s
j
u
st m
e
.”

He
h
e
a
r
d
the
s
o
ft la
u
ght
e
r
i
n
h
e
r
v
o
ice
bu
t
the
c
o
mm
e
nt
st
i
ll
c
u
t.
“
H
o
w
’
s
Ch
e
s?” K
e
lly
’
s
h
u
s
b
and
Ch
e
st
e
r
was
a fath
er
-
fig
ur
e
to
h
im.
K
e
lly was,
f
o
r
all
i
nt
e
nts
and p
ur
p
o
s
e
s,
G
a
rre
tt
’
s
m
o
th
er
,
h
a
ving
r
ais
e
d
him
f
ro
m
th
re
e
y
e
a
r
s
o
ld wh
e
n
his
o
w
n m
o
th
e
r
d
i
e
d
o
f l
eu
k
e
mia.
A
r
a
r
ity
f
o
r
w
o
lv
e
s.

“Ch
e
st
e
r
is as
de
man
d
ing, cantank
er
o
u
s
a
nd
w
o
n
der
f
u
l
a
s
e
v
er
.
H
e’
s p
re
s
e
ntly
r
ipping
d
o
wn
the
o
ld
b
a
r
n
to
bu
ild
a
p
e
n
f
o
r a
n
e
w
h
o
r
s
e
.
H
is
h
o
r
s
e
.
C
o
rre
cti
o
n,
h
i
s
b
a
b
y,
M
athil
de
.”

G
a
rre
t
t
l
a
u
gh
ed
.
He
h
e
a
r
d
the
small, sha
r
p
p
r
o
t
e
st
o
f the
swing
sp
r
ings ac
r
o
ss
the st
ree
t.
H
e
a
r
d
the
s
o
ft
snick and
ji
n
gle
o
f
L
iv
g
o
ing insi
d
e
and
s
h
u
tting
h
e
r
do
o
r
f
o
r
the night. H
e’
d
g
e
t h
e
r
a
d
o
g. H
e’
d
re
sc
u
e
a st
r
ay
aft
e
r
s
o
me
s
e
a
r
ching.
S
o
m
e
thing
with s
e
ns
e
s
l
ike
h
is
to
live
u
n
de
r
the same
r
oo
f
with
h
er
.
“
I
t
’
s
always
g
oo
d
to
h
ave s
o
m
e
thing
t
o
ca
r
e
f
o
r
.”

G
a
rre
t
t
h
a
d
n
’
t
m
e
ant it
that
way
bu
t
th
er
e
it
was.
A
ll
th
e
se
last
y
e
a
r
s
w
r
app
e
d
u
p
in a
single s
e
nt
e
nc
e
.
He
h
e
a
r
d
K
e
lly
s
u
ck
in
a
small
bre
ath
and
b
l
o
w
o
u
t
a
s
o
ft
s
igh. “
G
a
rre
tt…
I k
n
o
w
h
o
w
b
a
d
ly y
o
u’
ve
bee
n
h
ur
t.
I k
n
o
w
h
o
w
a
n
g
r
y
y
o
u a
r
e with
m
e
. With
u
s.
A
ll
o
f
u
s.
Bu
t
wh
e
n it c
o
m
e
s to
th
e
se
thi
n
gs, we
h
a
ve
to
c
o
nsi
der
—”