Base Nature (18 page)

G
a
rre
t
t s
t
oo
d
at
the
o
p
e
ning
bu
t
d
i
d
n
’
t st
e
p
in.
He
d
i
d
n
’
t
e
nt
e
r
and
he
d
i
d
n
’
t q
ue
sti
o
n
h
er
.
He
wait
ed
.
I
f
a
nything, he
t
o
o
k a
st
e
p
b
ack
in
t
o
the
sha
d
o
ws.
“
I
t
was n
o
t n
e
a
r
ly
as
b
ad as
y
o
u t
h
o
u
ght.
I
t
was
j
u
st
a
sc
r
atch,”
he sai
d
,
his
v
o
ice
s
o
ft
like
s
he
was s
o
me
wild
thing
e
asily sta
r
tl
ed
.

M
ay
b
e
she
was.

“
Ar
e
y
o
u
a
v
ampi
re
?”
s
he
b
l
ur
t
ed
.
H
e
r
face
c
o
l
o
re
d
h
o
tly
and
she
act
u
ally
g
iggl
ed
.
I
t
was
a
high,
s
o
r
t
o
f
i
nsane
s
o
u
n
d
.
Bu
t
the
d
am
had
br
o
k
e
n
and
the
n
ight
be
f
o
r
e
and the
wh
o
le
e
nti
r
e
shitty
d
ay came
c
r
ashing
d
o
w
n
a
r
o
u
nd
h
e
r
like
a stack
o
f
g
lass
d
i
s
h
e
s shatt
er
ing
a
r
o
u
nd
h
er
.
L
iv
sta
r
t
e
d
to
la
u
gh.
Be
f
o
r
e
she
c
o
u
ld
c
o
ll
e
ct
h
er
s
e
lf,
she
was la
u
ghing
s
o
ha
r
d
that t
e
a
r
s
st
re
am
e
d
d
o
wn h
e
r
fac
e
.

He
ch
u
ckl
e
d
d
a
r
kly f
r
o
m the
do
o
r
.
“C
a
n I
c
o
me
in?
Ar
e
y
o
u
o
kay?”

“
Y
o
u
a
re
!
Y
o
u
a
r
e
a vampi
re
,”
she
manag
ed
.
“
Y
o
u
can
’
t
c
o
me
in with
o
u
t p
er
missi
o
n.”
T
h
is
t
o
o
st
ru
ck
h
e
r
as
wil
d
ly
f
u
n
n
y
and
a
n
o
th
e
r
wave
o
f
la
u
ght
e
r
wa
s
h
e
d
o
v
e
r
h
er
.
O
ne
mi
g
ht
call it
h
yst
er
ical
bu
t
G
a
rre
tt
G
u
stafs
o
n s
ee
m
e
d
to
find
it am
u
sing.

He
p
u
sh
e
d
h
e
r
do
o
r
o
p
e
n
with
l
o
ng
t
e
nt
e
d
fing
er
s.
She
t
h
o
u
ght
h
o
w
th
e
y
l
oo
k
e
d like
a pianist
’
s
fi
n
g
er
s.
St
r
o
n
g
bu
t
s
o
m
e
h
o
w
e
l
e
gant.
He
p
u
t
a
f
oo
t
o
n the
tile
th
re
sh
o
ld and
s
t
oo
d
i
n
si
d
e
the
d
oo
r
.
“I
can.
Bu
t
I
w
o
n
’
t.
T
h
at
w
o
u
ld
b
e
w
r
o
ng.
I
t
w
o
u
ld
b
e
e
xactly what y
o
ur
…g
e
ntl
e
man
call
e
r
d
id
e
a
r
li
e
r
.
A
nd
that was w
ro
ng.”

I
n
the
wa
r
m
y
e
ll
o
w
l
ight
o
f
h
e
r living
ro
o
m
lamp
he was
d
amn
n
e
ar
be
a
u
tif
u
l.
L
iv st
o
pp
e
d
la
u
ghing
l
o
n
g
e
n
o
u
gh to
sta
r
e
at him.
T
he
fin
e
,
h
igh ch
ee
k
b
o
n
e
s,
the
d
a
r
k, t
o
o
l
o
n
g
hai
r
,
the st
o
r
m-g
r
ay
c
o
l
o
r
o
f
his
e
y
e
s
and the
wash
ed
-
o
u
t
r
o
se
c
o
l
o
r
o
f
h
is
lips. He
l
o
o
k
e
d
like a
painting
o
r a
p
o
e
t
bu
t
be
tt
e
r
.
“
I
t
was
w
ro
ng,”
she sai
d
,
swall
o
wi
n
g
a l
u
mp
i
n h
e
r
th
r
o
at.

“I
k
n
o
w. N
o
w may
I
c
o
me
in?” He
st
o
o
d
th
ere
,
o
n the
d
a
r
k
re
d
tile
o
f
h
e
r
e
nt
r
yway and
wait
ed
.

She
wa
s
n
’
t
s
ur
e
what
t
o
d
o
with
a man who
d
id
n
o
t
b
a
r
g
e
,
de
mand
and
bu
lly.
“Y
e
s, y
o
u
may.”
H
o
w
f
o
r
mal
th
e
y w
ere
.
“H
o
w
is
y
o
u
r
a
r
m?”

He
p
u
sh
e
d
his
sl
ee
ve
u
p
re
v
e
aling
a
mild
tan
o
n
his
fair
f
re
ckl
e
d
skin.
T
hat
skin was
n
o
t
m
e
ant
to
b
e
tan.
I
t
was
m
e
ant
t
o
b
e
pale
as
c
re
am
s
o
that
the
f
r
agile skin
u
n
de
r his
e
y
e
s
l
o
o
k
e
d
bru
is
e
d
al
m
o
st.
He
re
ally
was
be
a
u
tif
u
l.
She
s
h
o
o
k
h
e
r
h
e
a
d
,
sta
r
i
n
g
at the
b
l
u
sh
pink
ma
r
k
o
n
his
s
kin.
“Fin
e
.
S
ee
.
I
t
o
ld y
o
u
.”
He p
u
sh
e
d
the
do
o
r
s
h
u
t
and l
o
o
k
e
d
a
r
o
u
n
d
.
A
lm
o
st s
ee
m
e
d
to
r
aise
h
i
s h
e
ad
as if
t
o
sm
e
ll
the
ai
r
.

“
Bu
t
I
st
u
ck it in y
o
u!
”
L
iv h
e
a
r
d
h
e
r
o
w
n w
o
rd
s
a h
e
a
r
t
be
at
aft
e
r
s
he
said
th
e
m and t
u
ck
e
d
h
e
r
h
e
ad
d
o
wn,
la
u
gh
i
ng.
H
e
r
face
h
o
tt
e
r
than
h
o
t
bu
t
all the
re
st
o
f
h
e
r pl
e
asantly
wa
r
m.
She
f
e
lt
n
o
f
e
ar
o
f
him as
b
ig
as he
was.
A
s
o
d
d
as his
e
y
e
s
app
e
a
r
ed
. D
e
spite
h
o
w
u
n
u
s
u
al his n
i
ghttime
app
e
a
r
ance
s
ee
m
e
d
j
u
st
a
s she
h
ad
bee
n
gi
v
ing
in
t
o the
f
e
ar
and
the st
re
ss
o
f
the
d
ay
and l
e
tting
h
er
s
e
lf
have
a
g
oo
d
wal
l
o
wing
c
r
y.
She inhal
e
d
dee
ply,
cl
e
a
re
d
h
e
r
th
r
o
at.
“
W
hat
I
m
e
an is,
y
o
u
w
er
e
b
l
eed
ing.”

“
I’
m
a
fast
h
e
al
er
.
I
a
lways
h
ave
bee
n.
M
ind
if
I
l
o
o
k
a
r
o
u
n
d
?
S
e
c
ur
e
the
p
er
im
e
t
e
r as
it
w
ere
?”
He
m
o
v
e
d
t
o
wa
r
d
the
li
v
ing
r
oo
m
bu
t
still
e
d
u
ntil
s
he
gave
h
i
m
a
sh
o
r
t n
o
d
.