Blood, Ring and Fire

pte

min

off. I turned

stopped right in front of me. I threw myse

aid. "Go,

ry

oked out the back window and saw two

following

ee t

stayed behind us. He took us out onto the main road, the big one with four lanes,

en

" he said. "No light

tside the window was a blur of yellow street lamps and water. I he

on the big dark glasses that I kept in my bag for when I

lost them,

he sh

in the road. A small shape, rig

nd, a scream maybe, or maybe it was the brakes. The car sli

. My voice was very high.

breathing hard. He stopped the car f

e brake lights, I could see a girl on the ground near the side

od. Tha

" I said.

the rep

ack,

re next to her. I rolled the w

ugly gray sweater with a hole in it. She was holding something brok

rson would have gotten out of the car and helped

getting closer. If I got out, they would take my picture. If they took my picture, t

o. The thing my father taught me. When

ry coin from the café, plus the last of what I got from selling my mother's old watch.

trouble,

ys came out cold when I was sca

o drive. We st

my window. Banging so hard that

the

e did. I rolled the window down, and the g

e from the cold. There was blood o

oney," she said. "Yo

hat. I k

cine on that road," she sa

her I was sorry. I wanted to tell her I would find her more me

ights again behind h

t came out

uy anot

ere wasn't

t's not m

talked to the maids when she was in a bad mood. I sounded like every r

at you people

Then she called me a monster. She said

ed. Oh, honey.

ck. And then th

ters had

Miss Laurent,

Henry to drive. He drove. I didn't

small streets near the old market. Henry finally turned the

," Henry said at last. He di

kno

uld have said t

ow, H

ghed.