Base Nature (7 page)

“He
u
s
e
d
it
as
st
re
ss
re
l
e
as
e
,”
L
iv
said to
the
b
ath
ro
o
m
c
e
iling
and
th
e
n
she la
u
gh
ed
.
T
he
la
u
gh
was
h
igh
and t
e
ns
e
.
T
he
la
u
gh
o
f
a
c
r
azy
p
er
s
o
n.
A
ll
this
tim
e
,
this w
o
rr
y
s
h
o
u
ld
b
e
g
o
n
e
.
T
his f
e
ar
s
h
o
u
ld
b
e
g
o
n
e
.
B
y
n
o
w
f
e
ar
sh
o
u
ld
b
e
h
e
r
f
r
i
e
n
d
, inst
e
ad
it was h
e
r
t
o
r
m
e
nt
o
r
.
L
iv was ti
re
d
o
f the
f
e
a
r
.

Bu
t
s
he
d
i
d
n
’
t
k
n
o
w
h
o
w to
fix it.

S
o
m
e
thing
b
ang
e
d
in the
bedr
oo
m.
A
sha
r
p
s
o
u
nd
f
r
o
m
the
far
s
i
d
e
o
f
the
wall, a
ud
i
b
le
e
v
e
n
o
v
e
r
the
s
h
o
w
er’
s
hi
s
s.
L
iv f
r
o
z
e
,
t
r
ying
t
o
fig
ur
e
what
it c
o
u
ld
be
.
T
he win
d
o
ws w
er
e
cl
o
s
e
d
to
the
O
ct
o
be
r
chill.
She
d
i
d
n
’
t
have
a p
e
t.
H
e
r
nippl
e
s
w
e
nt
ta
u
t with
a s
udde
n
chill
de
spite
the
h
o
t
b
last
o
f wa
ter
.
G
o
o
se
bu
mps
sp
r
ang
u
p
o
n
h
e
r
s
kin and
with
o
u
t thinki
n
g
L
iv
s
ai
d
,
“
H
e
ll
o
?”

N
o
w
w
h
o
e
v
e
r
o
r what
e
v
e
r
it
m
ight
b
e
was
awa
r
e
that
s
he
kn
e
w
o
f
its
p
re
s
e
n
c
e
.
She l
e
ft
the
wa
te
r
ru
nning
bu
t
slid the
c
ur
tain
b
ack.
T
he
sta
r
k
white
b
ath
r
o
o
m
assa
u
lt
e
d
h
e
r
e
y
e
s.
T
he
o
v
er
h
e
ad
l
a
mp
b
laz
ed
,
the h
e
ating
e
l
e
m
e
nt
g
l
o
w
e
d
am
be
r
in
the c
e
iling.
T
he win
d
o
w was c
r
ack
e
d
o
p
e
n and
s
he
c
o
u
ld
s
e
e
a slip
o
f h
e
r
b
ackya
r
d
th
r
o
u
gh the
spac
e
.

L
iv
p
u
ll
e
d
h
e
r
h
e
avy
re
d
r
o
b
e
o
n
and
ti
e
d
it.
H
e
r
hair
s
h
e
d
dr
o
pl
e
ts
o
f
wa
ter
,
al
re
a
d
y c
o
o
ling as it
r
an
d
o
wn h
e
r
n
e
ck.

J
e
s
u
s,
I’
m
hav
i
ng a h
e
a
r
t
attack…

She
g
lanc
e
d
a
r
o
u
nd
the
ro
o
m, h
e
r
h
e
a
r
t
b
anging
painf
u
lly
ha
rd
.
T
h
er
e
was n
o
t
h
ing she c
o
u
ld
u
se as
a
w
e
ap
o
n.
N
o
th
i
ng
h
e
avy
o
r
l
o
ng
e
n
o
u
gh
t
o
h
o
ld
a
p
er
s
o
n
o
ff.
T
h
er
e was no
p
h
o
ne
in the
b
ath
ro
o
m and
h
e
r
c
e
ll
was
d
o
wn
o
n the
d
ining
ro
o
m ta
b
l
e
.
A
n
o
th
e
r
sma
l
l
b
ang
cam
e
.
A
lm
o
st
as
if
the p
er
s
o
n
was
playing
with
h
er
.
“H
e
ll
o
,”
L
iv whisp
ere
d
bu
t
n
o
o
ne
c
o
u
ld
h
e
a
r
.
Fin
a
lly,
s
he
sh
u
t
o
ff
the
wa
te
r
s
o
she
c
o
u
ld
h
e
ar
be
t
t
er
.

T
h
er
e
w
a
s a c
re
ak
and
a
s
h
u
ffle
that
d
id
n
o
t
be
l
o
ng
in h
e
r
s
o
lita
r
y
h
o
m
e
.
L
iv
b
it h
e
r lip, f
o
r
cing h
er
s
e
lf
to
st
a
y calm and
n
o
t to
c
r
y. A
dr
y
r
aspy s
o
u
nd
came
f
r
o
m the
do
o
r
.
I
t was
u
p
j
u
st a
b
it,
s
he
ha
d
n
’
t l
o
ck
e
d
it.

“
L
ivvi
e
?” came
K
e
vin
’
s v
o
ic
e
.

L
iv f
o
u
nd
h
e
r
face
in
the
st
e
am
ed
-
o
v
e
r
m
i
rr
o
r
.
B
ig
e
y
e
s,
pale
ch
ee
ks.
F
e
a
r
.
She p
u
sh
e
d
h
e
r
s
h
o
u
l
der
s
b
ack,
de
t
er
mi
n
e
d
n
o
t
to
l
e
t
him
h
e
a
r
.
N
o
w
was
n
o
t
the
time to
bre
ak.
“
G
e
t
ou
t
o
f h
ere
,
K
e
vin
!
”
she
y
e
ll
ed
.

I
t s
o
u
n
de
d
w
e
ak
bu
t
she
had
m
a
nag
ed
.

“
L
ivvi
e
,”
he said
a
gain,
his
v
o
ice
pla
i
ntive
bu
t
d
a
r
k.
A
m
a
n
p
re
t
e
n
d
ing
t
o
b
e
s
o
rr
y.
Pre
t
e
n
d
ing
to
b
e
a
p
o
l
o
g
e
tic.

“
N
o
w,
K
e
vin
!
”
She
o
p
e
n
e
d
the m
ed
icine
ca
b
in
e
t
a
s
q
u
i
e
tly
as
she c
o
u
l
d
.
I
t
b
a
re
ly ma
d
e
a
s
o
u
nd and
that
s
mall
s
o
u
nd
was
p
r
o
b
a
b
ly
i
na
ud
i
b
le
to
any
o
ne
bu
t
h
er
.
A
nd
L
iv was s
h
o
ck
e
d
she
c
o
u
ld
h
e
ar
anything at all
o
v
e
r
the
wild
k
n
o
ck
i
ng
o
f h
e
r
h
e
a
r
t.

“
I’
m s
o
rr
y y
o
u
f
ee
l
that way,
L
iv.”

L
iv
h
e
a
r
d
him
si
g
h
the
way
he
d
id
wh
e
n
he
f
e
lt
she
h
ad
bee
n
sil
l
y
o
r st
u
pid
o
r ang
ere
d
him. H
e’
d
o
ft
e
n
sigh
e
d
that
w
a
y
be
f
o
r
e
he
h
it
h
er
.
She
g
r
a
bbe
d
a
pair
o
f tw
ee
z
er
s
f
r
o
m
the
s
e
c
o
nd
sh
e
lf
o
f
h
e
r
m
ed
icine
ca
b
in
e
t.
W
o
r
st-case
sc
e
na
r
i
o
,
if
she c
o
u
ld
m
a
nage
it,
s
h
e’
d
g
o
st
r
aight
f
o
r
the
e
y
e
s.
“
G
o
n
o
w, K
e
vin
!
”