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i did say that i wanted only this one thing from you , did n't i ? '' bad feeling bad feeling bad feeling . `` i do n't think that will be possible after all , '' eamon said , and smiled just a bit . just enough to keep me from killing him . `` this is the start of a beautiful and very profitable relationship , jo . after i marry your sister- '' `` after you what ? '' `` time-out ! nobody 's getting married . especially not to you . '' sarah did n't even look up to meet my fierce stare . haggard and strung out , but my sister , dammit . `` you ca n't tell me what to do , '' she said . `` sarah , wake up ! he 's a criminal ! and he 's a murderer ! '' `` yeah , well , what about you ? '' `` you think you 're not guilty of things ? you think you are n't just as bad ? do n't you dare lecture me ! '' you 'll call the cops ? go right ahead , jo ; they 're right over there ! '' sure enough , two uniformed cops standing next to their cruiser were looking in our direction . i swallowed and tried to moderate my own voice to something in the range of reasonable . `` sarah , you do not want to jump into this . you do n't know what he 's capable of doing . '' eamon took her hand . his long , lovely fingers curled around hers , and then he kissed her fingers , staring at me with bright , challenging eyes the whole time . `` she 's not jumping into anything , '' he murmured . `` and really , joanne , you 're making far too big an issue out of this . i only want to make her happy . '' `` you want to use her , '' i said . `` you want to threaten her to get me to do whatever you want . trust you to find a way to make money off of disaster . '' `` construction companies , insurance companies , cleanup crews , police , fire , ambulance , paramedics , hospitals , doctors , funeral parlors , coffin makers ... all those people make money off of disaster . and thousands more . i 'm merely a novice . '' `` you want to cause them ! '' `` do n't be so negative , '' he said . `` freak accidents happen . no reason not to arrange them to our benefit once in a while . '' she continued sitting on the wall , neat and prim , kicking her black patent-leather shoes like a kid , watching the emergency crews with every evidence of total fascination . `` it 's human stuff . i ca n't , '' she said serenely . `` besides , they ca n't see or hear me . i 'm a figment of your imagination , joanne . '' my imagination would have conjured up a hunky , half-naked guy djinn , preferably one who looked like david . venna asked , and met my eyes . it was a shock , seeing the complete flat disinterest in them . i can kill anyone i want . any human , anyway . then you do n't have to worry about him anymore . i could make it fast . he would n't even feel it . '' i stared at her for a long , silent second , and then shook my head . no , i was n't prepared to do that . not even to eamon . venna sighed again , jumped down off the wall , and looked up into my face . `` it 's been long enough , '' she said . `` we should think about going now . do you want their memories before we go ? '' `` do i ... what ? '' i was aware it looked to eamon and sarah like i was talking to empty child-sized space , because they were exchanging a look . the she's-lost-her-mind kind of look . `` like what you did before , although you did n't do it very well , '' venna said . `` i can take their memories and give them to you . but you may not like it . decide now , because we ca n't stay here much longer . '' sarah was the key to a lot of my childhood , was n't she ? who else would i get that kind of thing from ? `` oh , you do n't want hers , '' venna said . `` hers wo n't be very good for you . you want his . '' venna did n't even bother touching me . she just turned those incandescent blue eyes on eamon , and i was sucked into a different world . ten eamon was thinking about murder , in an abstract kind of way . he had no real objection to killing , but he did dislike complications , and he was , at that moment , royally pissed about just how complicated a perfectly simple scheme had become . `` all you had to do was pay her off , '' he said , staring at his business associate . thomas orenthal quinn-orry to his less than savory friends-shrugged .
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they were sitting at a cafe near the las vegas strip , surrounded by noise and color , an island of calm in a sea of frantic activity . eamon was sipping tea . whatever orry was drinking , it was n't quite that english . `` look at it this way , '' orry said , and stirred the thick , dark drink in front of him . `` she was badass enough to kill poor old chaz . you should 've seen what was left of him ; christ , it was disgusting . i could n't take the chance she might come back for more . dead is simple , right ? '' `` generally , '' eamon agreed . `` dead wardens , not so simple . i do n't want them finding any link to you , forensically or otherwise . '' he glanced around-habit-although he was certain nobody was within earshot . amazing what people would ignore . `` you 're sure she 's out of the picture ? '' orry gave him a tight , unpleasant smile . he was a nondescript man , and few who met him seemed to understand what lay underneath that unremarkable exterior . eamon knew , and respected it . he might have been insane , but he was definitely not insane enough to cross thomas quinn without cause . `` unless she can breathe underwater , she 's not bothering us again . '' `` you need to be sure . '' orry shrugged . i felt that slippery fast-forward sensation , and fought to hold on to the memory . eamon 's filthy , cold mind made me shiver , but at the same time it was real , it was life , and i wanted more . even though i felt a sick sensation of dread at what he was heading toward on this particular trip down memory lane . i watched as eamon and orry drove into the desert , taking unfamiliar roads deeper into the wilderness . when orry finally pulled the car off the road , eamon was bored , thirsty , and regretting the idea , but he followed orry up the hill and into the darkness of a cave . it stank , but it was n't the stink of decomposition . orry switched on a flashlight and led him through a series of narrow passages . boxes stacked against the wall-product , eamon thought , and made a mental note to move it when this was done . it was a filthy place to store anything . he heard a cold chatter of bats overhead , and thought again about murder . orry , dead , would solve so many of his issues . `` fuck , '' orry said tonelessly . his flashlight played over a milky pool of water , its surface placid and undisturbed . `` she was right here . eamon hated being right . `` and you were certain she was dead . '' christ , i strangled her before i drowned her . what is she , a goddamn superhero ? '' if she was , eamon thought , they were in for a great deal of trouble . orry was poker-faced , but eamon knew his weaknesses too well . `` have a little fun before you did her in ? or tried ? '' orry did n't answer , which was answer enough . perfect , eamon thought in disgust . probably dna evidence as well . `` did she see you ? see your face ? '' `` you 're certain . '' `` yes , dammit , i 'm sure . she ca n't identify me . '' `` even if that 's so , we have very little time , '' eamon said . `` we need to clear everything out and clean up as much of the forensic evidence as possible , in case she 's able to lead them back here . '' `` eamon ... '' orry turned toward him , looking at him oddly . it took eamon a second to realize that it was an expression of apology . `` i really thought she was dead . '' murder would be such an easy answer . but in all his travels , eamon had met only two other people in the world who could match him for ferocity and ruthlessness , and it would be a shame to lose a partner over something so essentially trivial . if she could n't identify him , they could simply avoid the entire issue . killing orry sounded very tempting , and for an unblinking moment eamon imagined how he 'd do it . the knife concealed in his jacket , most likely , driven up under the ribs and twisted . fast , relatively painless , not a huge amount of blood . or he could snap his neck , though orry was a wiry bastard and , as a cop , fully trained to prevent harm to himself . no , the knife was better , far better . `` you going to stare at me or move the fucking boxes ? '' orry snapped . eamon smiled slightly . `` let 's move boxes . it 's easier than moving bodies . '' this time we jumped years . eamon , in a car , parked outside of an apartment building . watching someone with field glasses . as with cherise , i could feel what he was feeling . unlike cherise , what eamon was feeling was completely alien to me .
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i did n't know people could feel that way . dark , cold , detached . mildly annoyed at the inconveniences . he was thinking about ways to hurt the woman he was watching . i did n't want to see any of that , but venna was n't discriminating ; if it was in eamon 's head , it spread into mine like a sick , fatal virus . eamon was not a normal man . the woman he was watching , visible through the open sliding door of her apartment balcony , turned , sipping a glass of wine . pretty enough , he was thinking . she 'd do , for a while . he liked fair skin . fair skin showed bruises better . it took me a breathless moment to realize that however sick i might feel about what he was thinking , eamon did n't plan to carry out any of his fantasies . they were just entertainment for him , a cold way to amuse himself during a boring job . `` you 're sure she 's the one , '' he said , and i realized there was someone sitting in the passenger seat of the car next to him . a matronly woman , middle-aged , with a nice face and quick , friendly smile . `` she 's the one who killed quinn in las vegas . '' does n't look too likely to me ; just look at her . not exactly quinn 's level , is she ? '' `` looks can be deceptive , '' eamon said , and lowered the glasses . `` you 're sure quinn 's dead . '' `` as sure as i can be , '' the woman said . `` cops found his suv blown all to hell out in the middle of nowhere , no sign of quinn 's body , but they found a lot of blood . too much for him to have survived . they figure coyotes scavenged his corpse , or else the flood got it . there was a storm around that time , a real gully-washer . could have carried his body for miles if he fell into the arroyo . anyway , he 's dead for sure if he did n't contact me by now . i 'm holding some stuff for him . '' eamon asked , and looked through the field glasses again . not-me looked polished and glossy , tanned and toned . contemplative , as she gazed out over the horizon . she had an ocean view , apparently . `` a package from our friend mr. velez . nothing too unusual this time . i was thinking of moving it through the east coast channels , unless you had a better idea . '' `` no , cynthia , that 's fine . you do as you think best . '' eamon stretched , sighed , and put the glasses down . `` she 's one of them , though . you 're certain . '' `` she 's one of them , '' the unknown cynthia said . `` i 'd stake my life on it . '' eamon started the car . `` you are staking your life on it , love . '' joanne baldwin was , eamon knew , the one quinn had failed to kill all those years ago in the cave . how very interesting that it would come to this . blood would tell . eamon with my sister . eamon gaining my trust and betraying it in the most shocking way . i could n't possibly have hated anyone more after i saw what he was up to , but the betrayals just kept on coming . mine , as well as his . eamon trading me sarah for what he supposed was a djinn bottle-which it was , just a booby-trapped one that let loose an insane djinn who could n't be controlled . eamon fighting his way through a terrifying hurricane to cut me and sarah loose from a tree , where the wind and debris would have killed us in a matter of minutes . eamon running away with my sister . and sarah wanted to go . eamon coming back to me afterward , threatening sarah again , but realizing that he 'd lost his leverage . not giving up , though . imara was in the memories , too . guarding me . terrified for me , as eamon calculated how far he could push me-and her-to get what he wanted . that memory was crystal clear in eamon 's mind . david had come out of nowhere , nowhere , picked up a fallen knife , and-the second you disappoint me , little man , the instant i think that you 're mocking me or even thinking about harm to my family , that ends . we 'd left him , the three of us-mother , father , child . we 'd been a family once . and david had loved us both with such intensity that it burned through to even a self-absorbed predator like eamon . eamon respected him . and he liked me-in the same way he 'd once liked thomas orenthal quinn . that turned my stomach .
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544], ["fair", 549], ["fairs", 549], ["skin", 554], ["show", 573], ["showed", 573], ["bruise", 581], ["bruises", 581], ["well", 588], ["wells", 588], ["better", 588], ["take", 598], ["took", 598], ["breathless", 614], ["moment", 621], ["realize", 632], ["however", 645], ["may", 658], ["mays", 658], ["plan", 711], ["planning", 711], ["carry", 720], ["fantasy", 745], ["fantasies", 745], ["entertainment", 776], ["amuse", 806], ["amusing", 806], ["job", 834], ["jobbing", 834], ["sure", 852], ["say", 880], ["said", 880], ["realize", 897], ["realized", 897], ["sat", 923], ["sit", 923], ["sitting", 923], ["passenger", 940], ["seat", 945], ["car", 956], ["next", 961], ["matronly", 981], ["middle", 996], ["middles", 996], ["middling", 996], ["aged", 1001], ["nice", 1015], ["nicer", 1015], ["face", 1020], ["quick", 1030], ["friendly", 1041], ["smile", 1047], ["kill", 1078], ["killed", 1078], ["quinn", 1084], ["vegas", 1097], ["look", 1116], ["exactly", 1166], ["level", 1181], ["leveling", 1181], ["levelling", 1181], ["look", 1204], ["looks", 1204], ["deceptive", 1221], ["lower", 1251], ["lowers", 1251], ["lowerest", 1251], ["lowered", 1251], ["glass", 1263], ["glasses", 1263], ["dead", 1295], ["deadest", 1295], ["cop", 1353], ["copest", 1353], ["copped", 1353], ["cops", 1353], ["find", 1359], ["found", 1359], ["suv", 1367], ["blow", 1373], ["blew", 1373], ["blowest", 1373], ["blown", 1373], ["hell", 1385], ["hells", 1385], ["nowhere", 1414], ["sign", 1424], ["body", 1441], ["bodied", 1441], ["lot", 1464], ["blood", 1473], ["bloods", 1473], ["much", 1484], ["survive", 1509], ["survived", 1509], ["figure", 1523], ["coyote", 1531], ["coyotes", 1531], ["scavenge", 1541], ["scavenged", 1541], ["corpse", 1552], ["else", 1562], ["flood", 1572], ["flooding", 1572], ["get", 1576], ["got", 1576], ["storm", 1599], ["around", 1606], ["time", 1616], ["timing", 1616], ["real", 1625], ["gully", 1631], ["washer", 1638], ["carry", 1659], ["carried", 1659], ["mile", 1678], ["miles", 1678], ["fall", 1689], ["falls", 1689], ["fell", 1689], ["arroyo", 1705], ["anyway", 1714], ["contact", 1758], ["hold", 1783], ["holding", 1783], ["stuff", 1794], ["ask", 1819], ["asked", 1819], ["look", 1832], ["looked", 1832], ["field", 1850], ["fielding", 1850], ["polished", 1889], ["glossy", 1900], ["tan", 1909], ["tanned", 1909], ["toned", 1919], ["contemplative", 1935], ["contemplatives", 1935], ["gaze", 1950], ["gazes", 1950], ["gazed", 1950], ["horizon", 1971], ["ocean", 1990], ["oceans", 1990], ["view", 1995], ["apparently", 2008], ["package", 2023], ["friend", 2039], ["mr", 2042], ["mrs", 2042], ["nothing", 2059], ["unusual", 2071], ["move", 2108], ["moving", 2108], ["east", 2128], ["coast", 2134], ["channel", 2143], ["channelest", 2143], ["channels", 2143], ["unless", 2152], ["idea", 2174], ["cynthia", 2195], ["fine", 2210], ["finer", 2210], ["think", 2232], ["thinkest", 2232], ["good", 2237], ["best", 2237], ["stretch", 2258], ["stretched", 2258], ["sigh", 2267], ["sighed", 2267], ["put", 2277], ["though", 2327], ["certain", 2345], ["unknown", 2389], ["unknowns", 2389], ["stake", 2418], ["life", 2426], ["lifes", 2426], ["start", 2451], ["started", 2451], ["stake", 2480], ["staking", 2480], ["love", 2503], ["joanne", 2515], ["joannes", 2515], ["baldwin", 2523], ["know", 2540], ["knew", 2540], ["fail", 2567], ["failed", 2567], ["kill", 2575], ["year", 2591], ["years", 2591], ["ago", 2595], ["cave", 2607], ["interesting", 2630], ["come", 2649], ["tell", 2676], ["sister", 2699], ["gain", 2715], ["gaining", 2715], ["trust", 2724], ["betray", 2738], ["betrayed", 2738], ["betraying", 2738], ["hate", 2800], ["hated", 2800], ["anyone", 2807], ["see", 2824], ["saw", 2824], ["betrayal", 2862], ["betrayals", 2862], ["keep", 2872], ["keepest", 2872], ["kept", 2872], ["come", 2882], ["coming", 2882], ["well", 2899], ["wells", 2899], ["trade", 2922], ["sarah", 2931], ["suppose", 2952], ["supposed", 2952], ["djinn", 2964], ["bottle", 2971], ["booby", 2999], ["trap", 3007], ["trapping", 3007], ["trapped", 3007], ["let", 3020], ["lets", 3020], ["loose", 3026], ["looser", 3026], ["insane", 3036], ["control", 3070], ["controling", 3070], ["controlled", 3070], ["fight", 3087], ["fightest", 3087], ["fighting", 3087], ["hurricane", 3126], ["cut", 3133], ["tree", 3164], ["treeing", 3164], ["wind", 3181], ["debris", 3192], ["matter", 3225], ["mattering", 3225], ["minute", 3236], ["minutes", 3236], ["run", 3252], ["running", 3252], ["away", 3257], ["go", 3297], ["goest", 3297], ["back", 3317], ["afterward", 3333], ["threaten", 3347], ["threatening", 3347], ["realize", 3375], ["realizing", 3375], ["lose", 3391], ["lost", 3391], ["leverage", 3404], ["give", 3417], ["giving", 3417], ["memory", 3457], ["memories", 3457], ["guard", 3474], ["guarding", 3474], ["terrify", 3489], ["terrified", 3489], ["calculate", 3518], ["calculated", 3518], ["far", 3526], ["push", 3540], ["get", 3558], ["memory", 3587], ["memories", 3587], ["crystal", 3599], ["clear", 3605], ["clearest", 3605], ["clearing", 3605], ["mind", 3622], ["minding", 3622], ["david", 3630], ["davids", 3630], ["pick", 3673], ["picked", 3673], ["fall", 3685], ["falls", 3685], ["fallen", 3685], ["knife", 3691], ["knifes", 3691], ["second", 3708], ["seconded", 3708], ["disappoint", 3723], ["disappointing", 3723], ["little", 3735], ["instant", 3753], ["mock", 3782], ["mocking", 3782], ["even", 3793], ["evens", 3793], ["harm", 3813], ["family", 3826], ["end", 3838], ["ends", 3838], ["endest", 3838], ["left", 3851], ["leave", 3851], ["three", 3867], ["mother", 3880], ["mothered", 3880], ["mothering", 3880], ["father", 3889], ["fathered", 3889], ["child", 3897], ["childs", 3897], ["love", 3946], ["loved", 3946], ["intensity", 3974], ["burn", 3989], ["burns", 3989], ["burned", 3989], ["self", 4012], ["absorb", 4021], ["absorbed", 4021], ["predator", 4030], ["respect", 4059], ["respected", 4059], ["stomach", 4161], ["stomachs", 4161], ["stomaching", 4161]]
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what was worse , far worse , was that even as sick and horrifying as eamon was , as far from human as i thought he was , when i looked at him with that dizzying rush of power , when his body dissolved into multilayered lights and networks of flowing energy , he was beautiful . unique and beautiful and impossible not to somehow love for his damage and his brilliance and his fierce , unflinching intelligence ... i could n't help but go back for more . so many memories , every color , every flavor filling my empty spaces . his memories were n't like marion 's ; hers had been astringent , like dry white wine . eamon 's were red , bloodred , thick and salty and choking in their intensity . horrors and wonders . things that even in that state i tried not to see . venna yanked me out with her hand on the back of my neck , and her eyes were wide and very strange . the world lurched around me , tilted , and eamon slid bonelessly off of the wall to collapse in a heap . sarah cried out and knelt beside him . `` oh , '' venna whispered . she did n't spare any attention for eamon , but she stared holes through me . you should n't have , you know . '' when venna let me go i staggered off , fighting nausea , not fighting tears . i needed a shower , a wire scrub brush , and bleach to feel clean again . i found myself sitting limply in the sand , tinted with flashing red and blue lights . it was sarah , looking so much older and harder than in the memories . he 'd had her for only a few months , right ? and already she was destroying herself . `` eamon passed out . i think he 's sick , but he 's breathing , would you please- '' i reached out to her and grabbed hold and hugged her . i dragged her down to a kneeling position . `` i had a daughter , '' i said . my voice did n't sound at all right . `` i had a daughter and she 's gone , sarah , she 's gone ... '' more than anything else in eamon 's memories , seeing imara had hurt me . a sound welled up out of me , a helpless tearing sound , and i could n't stop shaking . sarah held on somehow . selfish , shallow , willfully deluded ... but deep inside , still my sister . `` oh , jo , '' she said , and kissed my hair . you mean imara ? something happened to imara ? '' `` something ... '' i did n't even know the details . i hoped i would n't . sarah hugged me again , harder . she was n't ... well , she was n't human , but she was sweet . like the best parts of you . she ... she tried to keep me safe , like you told her , but i was n't ... i did n't want to be safe . i felt her hitch a damp , unsteady breath . was it because i did that ? did she get hurt because of that ? '' `` i ... do n't know , '' i said slowly . that somehow my own sister had been a part of ... no . i could n't think that way . `` sarah , '' i said , and pulled back to stare into her eyes . `` eamon will hurt you , '' i said . `` he 's toxic . maybe he does n't mean to hurt you , i do n't know , but he wo n't be able to help it . he ca n't do anything else . you need to walk away from him , and stay away . find out who you are without him or me or anyone else . '' she tried to pull away , but i held her where she was . `` i know all that 's true . `` he used you to get me to do this , '' i said , and nodded at the wrecked building . `` nobody got hurt this time . what happens next time ? what happens when he has cash sunk into some hotel or resort or something , and he wants a nice big tsunami to wash it away ? how many people do you think he 'll kill who stand between him and a payday ? you say you love him , sarah , but do you love him that much ? '' `` i want you to go , '' i said . `` get in the car and go . it does n't matter where , just away , and do n't call him . do n't contact him . there were more tears where the first ones came from . `` there 's a suitcase in the trunk , '' she said . `` it has cash in it . he does n't think i know about it . '' i 'd expected that . eamon would n't go anywhere without an emergency flight kit . he was too good a criminal . `` are there drugs in it ? '' she did n't answer , which was as good as a yes . `` sarah , i want you to promise me that you 'll stop . take the drugs and pills and flush them . i played the only card i had , the guilt card . `` for imara , if you wo n't do it for yourself ? ''
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1501], ["months", 1501], ["right", 1509], ["already", 1523], ["destroy", 1542], ["destroys", 1542], ["destroying", 1542], ["pass", 1568], ["passed", 1568], ["think", 1582], ["thinkest", 1582], ["breathes", 1615], ["breathing", 1615], ["reach", 1648], ["reached", 1648], ["grab", 1671], ["grabbed", 1671], ["hold", 1676], ["hug", 1687], ["hugged", 1687], ["drag", 1703], ["dragged", 1703], ["position", 1735], ["daughter", 1757], ["say", 1769], ["said", 1769], ["voice", 1780], ["sound", 1794], ["go", 1845], ["goest", 1845], ["gone", 1845], ["anything", 1893], ["else", 1898], ["see", 1928], ["seeing", 1928], ["hurt", 1943], ["hurts", 1943], ["hurting", 1943], ["well", 1963], ["wells", 1963], ["helpless", 1989], ["stop", 2026], ["shake", 2034], ["shaking", 2034], ["hold", 2047], ["held", 2047], ["selfish", 2068], ["selfishest", 2068], ["shallow", 2078], ["willfully", 2090], ["delude", 2098], ["deluding", 2098], ["deluded", 2098], ["deep", 2111], ["deeply", 2111], ["inside", 2118], ["still", 2126], ["stilling", 2126], ["sister", 2136], ["jo", 2149], ["kiss", 2176], ["kisses", 2176], ["kissest", 2176], ["kissed", 2176], ["hair", 2184], ["mean", 2195], ["meanest", 2195], ["meaning", 2195], ["happen", 2222], ["happened", 2222], ["detail", 2288], ["details", 2288], ["hope", 2298], ["hoped", 2298], ["well", 2366], ["wells", 2366], ["sweet", 2406], ["good", 2422], ["best", 2422], ["part", 2428], ["parting", 2428], ["parts", 2428], ["keep", 2463], ["keepest", 2463], ["safe", 2471], ["safed", 2471], ["safes", 2471], ["tell", 2487], ["told", 2487], ["feel", 2546], ["felt", 2546], ["hitch", 2556], ["hitched", 2556], ["hitches", 2556], ["damp", 2563], ["damps", 2563], ["damped", 2563], ["unsteady", 2574], ["breath", 2581], ["breathest", 2581], ["get", 2623], ["slowly", 2689], ["part", 2734], ["parting", 2734], ["way", 2773], ["ways", 2773], ["pull", 2809], ["pulled", 2809], ["stare", 2823], ["stared", 2823], ["toxic", 2891], ["maybe", 2899], ["wo", 2956], ["able", 2968], ["abled", 2968], ["ca", 2987], ["need", 3019], ["walk", 3027], ["away", 3032], ["stay", 3052], ["find", 3064], ["without", 3088], ["anyone", 3108], ["pull", 3136], ["true", 3201], ["use", 3214], ["used", 3214], ["nod", 3264], ["nodding", 3264], ["nodded", 3264], ["wreck", 3279], ["wrecking", 3279], ["wrecked", 3279], ["building", 3288], ["nobody", 3300], ["get", 3304], ["got", 3304], ["time", 3319], ["timing", 3319], ["happen", 3334], ["happens", 3334], ["next", 3339], ["cash", 3376], ["cashed", 3376], ["sink", 3381], ["sank", 3381], ["sunk", 3381], ["hotel", 3397], ["resort", 3407], ["resorted", 3407], ["nice", 3442], ["nicer", 3442], ["big", 3446], ["bigs", 3446], ["tsunami", 3454], ["wash", 3462], ["washing", 3462], ["people", 3488], ["kill", 3513], ["stand", 3523], ["stood", 3523], ["standest", 3523], ["payday", 3548], ["say", 3558], ["car", 3668], ["matter", 3696], ["mattering", 3696], ["call", 3732], ["contact", 3753], ["first", 3797], ["come", 3807], ["came", 3807], ["suitcase", 3837], 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she just stared at me , face gone blank and lifeless with fear and uncertainty . and then she said , `` he 'll come after me . jo , i ca n't say no to him . `` but- '' `` just go . '' venna turned and watched my sister staggering away . she put her hands primly behind her back and rocked back and forth . `` do you still want her memories ? '' an image of something from eamon 's filthy , diseased brain rose up in my head , and i almost gagged . i did n't want to live that nightmare from my sister 's point of view , too . i 've seen enough for now . '' venna shrugged and turned toward eamon , who was stirring where he sat slumped against the rock wall . he looked like a nice enough man , attractive if you went in for the lean and hungry look with a bit of scruff thrown in . he 'd taken in my sister . he 'd even taken me in , for a while , until he wanted me to know his real self . he was waking up , and i did n't know if i could face him again . `` venna , '' i said in a normal tone of voice , and set my feet in the sand . `` does he have the keys to the car ? '' `` can you get them ? '' she extended her hand , and a set of keys appeared in her tiny palm . `` can you give them to sarah ? '' she did n't even have to move to do it , just shrugged and the keys faded out and disappeared . a few seconds later i heard the black car start up with a rumble . i did n't turn to watch . i did n't take my eyes off of eamon as he moaned , clutched his head , and staggered to his feet . he looked quite mad . his eyes were fiercely bloodshot , and there were trickles of blood coming from his nostrils . the sound of the car faded into the distance before he managed to straighten up . now it was just the three of us . well , two of us , because without warning venna skipped away , kicking at the sand in her patent-leather shoes , just like a regular kid . i was n't dumb enough to think it made any difference in the amount of concentration she had on the situation . eamon sniffed , wiped at the blood on his face , and glared at me . i had no idea if he would or not , actually , but right at the moment if his brain exploded like a pumpkin in a microwave , i could n't really care . he took a couple of steps in my direction . his body language was attack-dog stiff . he spit at me , all cockney edges and sharp angles , and i held out my hand toward him , palm out . a wall of wind hit him and shoved him back , hard . knocked him on his ass . he got up and lunged . i knocked him back again , and this time he took out a knife . `` oh , come on , eamon , look around ! '' i said , and jerked my head at the police cars , the firefighters , the onlookers all still staring at the wrecked building . the news crews . `` you really want to do this ? he yelled , and paced from side to side . his eyes were almost crimson from the burst blood vessels , and the expression in them was just one breath away from complete insanity . he held the knife concealed at his side , but he was clearly on the verge of violence . `` you stupid , interfering bitch . do you think you 're saving her ? she 'll kill herself ! she 's already tried ! i 'm trying to save her ! '' `` you 're the reason she 's dying inside , '' i said . `` and damned if i 'm going to let you do that to her . sarah 's strong . for christ 's sake , woman , who do you think your sister is , exactly ? she 's not some helpless , stupid waif ! her ex-husband did n't get wealthy by keeping his hands clean , and she was neck-deep in it , too . taking up with me was n't a sign of her weakness ; it was a sign she recognized an opportunity , that 's all . you think i do n't know that 's wrong ? i know what i am ! '' i did n't want to buy it , but there was an undeniable desperation to what he was saying . `` i did this for her ! '' i had n't gotten that far in his memories before venna had yanked me out . eamon made a raw sound of frustration . `` the building , you twit ! sarah owns it ! she 'll be making a fortune from the insurance . this was her idea , you bloody fool . '' not ... not that . `` you 're a lying , crazy bastard . '' `` no , i 'm a fool . she used you . '' sarah had nothing to do with any of it . ''
|
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1061], ["keys", 1061], ["car", 1072], ["get", 1092], ["extend", 1115], ["extended", 1115], ["hand", 1124], ["handing", 1124], ["appear", 1153], ["appeared", 1153], ["tiny", 1165], ["palm", 1170], ["palms", 1170], ["palmed", 1170], ["give", 1188], ["sarah", 1202], ["move", 1237], ["fade", 1281], ["faded", 1281], ["disappear", 1301], ["disappeared", 1301], ["second", 1317], ["seconded", 1317], ["seconds", 1317], ["later", 1323], ["hear", 1331], ["hears", 1331], ["heard", 1331], ["black", 1341], ["start", 1351], ["rumble", 1368], ["rumbles", 1368], ["turn", 1385], ["watch", 1394], ["take", 1411], ["eye", 1419], ["eyes", 1419], ["moan", 1445], ["moans", 1445], ["moanest", 1445], ["moaned", 1445], ["clutch", 1456], ["stagger", 1481], ["staggered", 1481], ["quite", 1511], ["mad", 1515], ["mads", 1515], ["fiercely", 1540], ["bloodshot", 1550], ["trickle", 1576], ["trickles", 1576], ["blood", 1585], ["bloods", 1585], ["come", 1592], ["coming", 1592], ["nostril", 1610], ["nostrils", 1610], ["sound", 1622], ["distance", 1657], ["distancing", 1657], ["manage", 1675], ["managed", 1675], ["straighten", 1689], ["straightened", 1689], ["three", 1720], ["well", 1733], ["wells", 1733], ["two", 1739], ["twos", 1739], ["without", 1763], ["warn", 1771], ["warning", 1771], ["skip", 1785], ["skips", 1785], ["skipped", 1785], ["kick", 1800], ["kicking", 1800], ["patent", 1826], ["leather", 1834], ["shoe", 1840], ["shoed", 1840], ["shoes", 1840], ["regular", 1862], ["regulars", 1862], ["kid", 1866], ["dumb", 1883], ["think", 1899], ["thinkest", 1899], ["difference", 1922], ["amount", 1936], ["concentration", 1953], ["situation", 1978], ["wipe", 2002], ["wiped", 2002], ["glare", 2040], ["glared", 2040], ["idea", 2062], ["right", 2104], ["moment", 2118], ["explode", 2140], ["exploded", 2140], ["pumpkin", 2155], ["microwave", 2170], ["really", 2191], ["take", 2206], ["took", 2206], ["couple", 2215], ["step", 2224], ["steps", 2224], ["direction", 2240], ["body", 2251], ["bodied", 2251], ["language", 2260], ["languaged", 2260], ["attack", 2271], ["dog", 2275], ["stiff", 2281], ["spit", 2291], ["spitting", 2291], ["cockney", 2311], ["edge", 2317], ["edges", 2317], ["sharp", 2327], ["angle", 2334], ["angles", 2334], ["hold", 2347], ["held", 2347], ["wind", 2398], ["hit", 2402], ["shove", 2417], ["shoved", 2417], ["hard", 2433], ["knock", 2443], ["knocks", 2443], ["knocked", 2443], ["ass", 2458], ["get", 2467], ["got", 2467], ["lunge", 2481], ["lunges", 2481], ["time", 2524], ["timing", 2524], ["knife", 2544], ["knifes", 2544], ["oh", 2552], ["around", 2584], ["jerk", 2609], ["jerks", 2609], ["jerked", 2609], ["police", 2631], ["car", 2636], ["cars", 2636], ["firefighter", 2655], ["firefighters", 2655], ["onlooker", 2671], ["onlookers", 2671], ["stare", 2689], ["stared", 2689], ["staring", 2689], ["wreck", 2704], ["wrecking", 2704], ["wrecked", 2704], ["building", 2713], ["news", 2724], ["crew", 2730], ["crews", 2730], ["yell", 2774], ["yelled", 2774], ["pace", 2786], ["pacing", 2786], ["paced", 2786], ["side", 2796], ["crimson", 2835], ["burst", 2850], ["bursted", 2850], ["vessel", 2864], ["vessels", 2864], ["expression", 2885], ["breath", 2913], ["breathest", 2913], ["complete", 2932], ["insanity", 2941], ["conceal", 2971], ["concealest", 2971], ["concealed", 2971], ["clearly", 3004], ["verge", 3017], ["violence", 3029], ["stupid", 3045], ["interfere", 3059], ["interfering", 3059], ["bitch", 3065], ["bitching", 3065], ["save", 3095], ["saving", 3095], ["kill", 3114], ["already", 3139], ["try", 3145], ["tryed", 3145], ["tried", 3145], ["try", 3159], ["tryed", 3159], ["trying", 3159], ["save", 3167], ["reason", 3198], ["reasonest", 3198], ["die", 3211], ["dying", 3211], ["inside", 3218], ["damn", 3246], ["damned", 3246], ["go", 3260], ["goest", 3260], ["going", 3260], ["let", 3267], ["lets", 3267], ["strong", 3304], ["christ", 3317], ["sake", 3325], ["sakes", 3325], ["woman", 3333], ["womans", 3333], ["exactly", 3377], ["helpless", 3404], ["waif", 3418], ["waifs", 3418], ["ex", 3427], ["husband", 3435], ["husbanding", 3435], ["wealthy", 3455], ["keep", 3466], ["keepest", 3466], ["keeping", 3466], ["clean", 3482], ["cleans", 3482], ["neck", 3501], ["necked", 3501], ["deep", 3506], ["deeply", 3506], ["take", 3527], ["taking", 3527], ["sign", 3553], ["weakness", 3569], ["recognize", 3600], ["recognized", 3600], ["opportunity", 3615], ["wrong", 3669], ["buy", 3715], ["buyed", 3715], ["undeniable", 3748], ["desperation", 3760], ["say", 3782], ["saying", 3782], ["get", 3828], ["gotten", 3828], ["far", 3837], ["yank", 3877], ["yanks", 3877], ["yanked", 3877], ["raw", 3903], ["frustration", 3924], ["twit", 3953], ["fortune", 3999], ["insurance", 4018], ["bloody", 4051], ["bloodies", 4051], ["bloodying", 4051], ["fool", 4056], ["fooling", 4056], ["lay", 4099], ["lie", 4099], ["lying", 4099], ["crazy", 4107], ["bastard", 4115], ["use", 4151], ["used", 4151], ["nothing", 4178]]
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`` i told her to go ahead and spend your suitcase full of money . that 's for being an asshole , eamon . '' something flashed in his expression , and i braced myself . `` just one problem , love , '' he said . `` i do n't have a suitcase of money . sarah does , and she got it by selling you far , far down the river . she 's driving off with cash and a car , and leaving the two of us to finish each other . not bad for a helpless little drug-addled waif , eh ? '' i felt stunned , and a little sick . the hit man , i thought . the hit man who 'd been waiting outside the jail . would she really sell my life like that ? eamon took another step toward me , and i snapped my attention back to the present . `` put down the knife , eamon . '' he looked at it , turning it in his long , sensitive fingers like he 'd never seen it before . `` but that would mean i would n't have any fun at all . and i 'd so hate to disappoint dear sarah by not living down to her expectations . she does need to understand that there are limits to my patience , and you 're just the way to show her . '' and he lunged for me , knife out . i blew him backward , and i did n't even know how i 'd done it , except that i 'd reached for something , and something had responded . i did n't blow him far , and he snarled , and he came back for me , and i knew if he came within slashing distance my ass was dead . so i made the sand melt under his feet , like the wardens had done to me when they 'd been trying to trap me , and eamon plunged without a sound below the surface . venna , who 'd been ignoring me through all this , whirled around , lips parted , eyes blazing . i had no idea what she was talking about , because i was trying to figure out what i 'd done . i 'd meant to trap eamon 's legs , the way i 'd been restrained , but instead ... where the hell was he ? i asked , and took a step forward . `` eamon , are you all right ? '' the sand eroded under my feet . i yelped and jumped back . whatever i 'd done , it was still spreading . the sand sagged where i was standing , and i continued a slow , uncertain retreat . `` um ... venna ? she was still staring at me , with a light in her eyes that was creepily close to rapture . `` you 're happening . '' i tried to figure out how to make sand sticky again . that seemed to be not quite as instinctual as making it slippery and talcum powdery . `` let him die , '' she said . `` it 's the best thing , really . '' and she skipped away . i had bigger issues : namely , i was killing a guy , probably , and whatever chain reaction i 'd set in motion looked likely to collapse the entire beach , the cliff , maybe the whole california coastline before i could get it under control . and i had no idea what i was doing . i circled around the spreading pit of quicksand and vaulted over the low rocks . jamie rae and stan , my friendly neighborhood warden cops , were stretched out on the sand , carefully arranged to look like they were napping . jamie rae murmured something in her sleep and burrowed closer to stan . i said , and grabbed stan 's arm , hauling him up . his eyes tried to open , then fluttered shut . he was n't quite deadweight , but damn close . `` stan , wake up . warden emergency ! that made his eyelids flutter some more , and when i went to hit him again he clumsily parried . my third attempt was met with a fairly precise interception , and stan finally focused on me . `` you , '' he mumbled . he sounded drugged and loopy . `` thought you were going to kill us . `` yeah , well , you 're right about the dangerous part , '' i said . i dragged him to his feet , leaving jamie rae to whimper in dreamy frustration at the loss of his warm , solid body , and pulled him around the rocks . it had been less than a minute , but the sinkhole was growing . it was already at least ten feet in diameter , and as i watched , part of the rock wall sagged with a groaning sound . `` oh , crap , '' stan said . i could feel the surges of energy radiating out of him , plunging deep into the earth . trying to reinforce the erosion . trying to stop what was spreading like some virulent plague through the beach . `` there 's a guy in there ! '' i said , and pointed at the center of the depression .
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["waiting", 560], ["outside", 568], ["jail", 577], ["jails", 577], ["jailing", 577], ["jailest", 577], ["really", 596], ["sell", 601], ["sells", 601], ["life", 609], ["lifes", 609], ["like", 614], ["take", 632], ["took", 632], ["another", 640], ["step", 645], ["toward", 652], ["snap", 671], ["snapping", 671], ["snapped", 671], ["attention", 684], ["back", 689], ["present", 704], ["presentest", 704], ["put", 713], ["knife", 728], ["knifes", 728], ["look", 751], ["looked", 751], ["turn", 767], ["turning", 767], ["long", 782], ["longs", 782], ["longing", 782], ["sensitive", 794], ["finger", 802], ["fingers", 802], ["never", 819], ["see", 824], ["seen", 824], ["mean", 859], ["meanest", 859], ["meaning", 859], ["fun", 884], ["hate", 910], ["disappoint", 924], ["disappointing", 924], ["dear", 929], ["dearest", 929], ["live", 949], ["life", 949], ["living", 949], ["expectation", 974], ["expectations", 974], ["need", 990], ["understand", 1004], ["limit", 1026], ["limits", 1026], ["patience", 1041], ["way", 1068], ["ways", 1068], ["show", 1076], ["lunge", 1099], ["lunges", 1099], ["blow", 1127], ["blew", 1127], ["blowest", 1127], ["backward", 1140], ["even", 1161], ["evens", 1161], ["know", 1166], ["except", 1192], ["reach", 1210], ["reached", 1210], ["respond", 1254], ["respondest", 1254], ["responded", 1254], ["blow", 1271], ["blew", 1271], ["blowest", 1271], ["snarl", 1296], ["snarls", 1296], ["snarled", 1296], ["come", 1310], ["came", 1310], ["know", 1335], ["knew", 1335], ["within", 1353], ["slash", 1362], ["slashing", 1362], ["distance", 1371], ["distancing", 1371], ["ass", 1378], ["dead", 1387], ["deadest", 1387], ["sand", 1408], ["melt", 1413], ["foot", 1428], ["feet", 1428], ["warden", 1447], ["try", 1487], ["tryed", 1487], ["trying", 1487], ["trap", 1495], ["trapping", 1495], ["plunge", 1518], ["plunged", 1518], ["without", 1526], ["sound", 1534], ["surface", 1552], ["ignore", 1583], ["ignoring", 1583], ["whirl", 1613], ["whirls", 1613], ["whirled", 1613], ["around", 1620], ["lip", 1627], ["lipped", 1627], ["lips", 1627], ["part", 1634], ["parting", 1634], ["eye", 1641], ["eyes", 1641], ["blaze", 1649], ["blazed", 1649], ["blazing", 1649], ["idea", 1665], ["talk", 1686], ["talking", 1686], ["figure", 1725], ["mean", 1757], ["meanest", 1757], ["meaning", 1757], ["meant", 1757], ["leg", 1779], ["legs", 1779], ["restrain", 1810], ["restrains", 1810], ["restrained", 1810], ["instead", 1824], ["hell", 1843], ["hells", 1843], ["ask", 1860], ["asked", 1860], ["forward", 1886], ["forwarding", 1886], ["right", 1917], ["erode", 1938], ["eroded", 1938], ["yelp", 1963], ["yelps", 1963], ["yelped", 1963], ["yelping", 1963], ["jump", 1974], ["jumps", 1974], ["jumped", 1974], ["whatever", 1990], ["still", 2015], ["stilling", 2015], ["spread", 2025], ["spreading", 2025], ["sag", 2043], ["sagged", 2043], ["stand", 2064], ["stood", 2064], ["standest", 2064], ["standing", 2064], ["continue", 2082], ["continued", 2082], ["slow", 2089], ["uncertain", 2101], ["retreat", 2109], ["retreatest", 2109], ["um", 2117], ["stare", 2151], ["stared", 2151], ["staring", 2151], ["lit", 2172], ["light", 2172], ["lighting", 2172], ["creepily", 2202], ["close", 2208], ["closing", 2208], ["rapture", 2219], ["raptured", 2219], ["happen", 2242], ["happening", 2242], ["try", 2255], ["tryed", 2255], ["tried", 2255], ["sticky", 2293], ["seem", 2313], ["seeming", 2313], ["seemest", 2313], ["seemed", 2313], ["quite", 2329], ["instinctual", 2344], ["slippery", 2366], ["talcum", 2377], ["powdery", 2385], ["let", 2394], ["lets", 2394], ["die", 2402], ["good", 2436], ["best", 2436], ["thing", 2442], ["skip", 2472], ["skips", 2472], ["skipped", 2472], ["away", 2477], ["big", 2492], ["bigs", 2492], ["bigger", 2492], ["issue", 2499], ["issues", 2499], ["namely", 2508], ["kill", 2524], ["killing", 2524], ["guy", 2530], ["probably", 2541], ["chain", 2562], ["reaction", 2571], ["set", 2580], ["motion", 2590], ["motioning", 2590], ["collapse", 2616], ["entire", 2627], ["beach", 2633], ["cliff", 2645], ["cliffs", 2645], ["maybe", 2653], ["whole", 2663], ["wholes", 2663], ["california", 2674], ["coastline", 2684], ["get", 2703], ["control", 2720], ["controling", 2720], ["circle", 2769], ["circled", 2769], ["pit", 2794], ["quicksand", 2807], ["vault", 2819], ["vaults", 2819], ["vaulted", 2819], ["low", 2832], ["lowed", 2832], ["rock", 2838], ["rocks", 2838], ["jamie", 2846], ["rae", 2850], ["stan", 2859], ["stans", 2859], ["friendly", 2873], ["neighborhood", 2886], ["warden", 2893], ["cop", 2898], ["copest", 2898], ["copped", 2898], ["cops", 2898], ["stretch", 2915], ["stretched", 2915], ["carefully", 2943], ["arrange", 2952], ["arranging", 2952], ["arranged", 2952], ["look", 2960], ["nap", 2983], ["naps", 2983], ["napped", 2983], ["napping", 2983], ["murmur", 3004], ["murmurest", 3004], ["murmured", 3004], ["slept", 3027], ["sleep", 3027], ["sleeps", 3027], ["sleepest", 3027], ["burrow", 3040], ["burrowing", 3040], ["burrowed", 3040], ["close", 3047], ["closing", 3047], ["closer", 3047], ["grab", 3078], ["grabbed", 3078], ["arm", 3090], ["haul", 3100], ["hauls", 3100], ["hauling", 3100], ["open", 3132], ["opening", 3132], ["flutter", 3149], ["fluttering", 3149], ["fluttered", 3149], ["shut", 3154], ["deadweight", 3184], ["damn", 3195], ["damned", 3195], ["wake", 3218], ["woken", 3218], ["wakes", 3218], ["emergency", 3240], ["eyelid", 3264], ["eyelids", 3264], ["flutter", 3272], ["fluttering", 3272], ["go", 3300], ["goest", 3300], ["went", 3300], ["clumsily", 3329], ["parry", 3337], ["parries", 3337], ["third", 3348], ["attempt", 3356], ["meet", 3364], ["meeted", 3364], ["meeting", 3364], ["met", 3364], ["fairly", 3378], ["precise", 3386], ["interception", 3399], ["finally", 3418], ["foci", 3426], ["focus", 3426], ["focused", 3426], ["mumble", 3457], ["mumbles", 3457], ["mumbled", 3457], ["sound", 3470], ["sounded", 3470], ["loopy", 3488], ["go", 3516], ["goest", 3516], ["going", 3516], ["kill", 3524], ["yeah", 3537], ["well", 3544], ["wells", 3544], ["dangerous", 3580], ["part", 3585], ["parting", 3585], ["drag", 3609], ["dragged", 3609], ["whimper", 3656], ["dreamy", 3666], ["frustration", 3678], ["loss", 3690], ["warm", 3702], ["solid", 3710], ["body", 3715], ["bodied", 3715], ["pull", 3728], ["pulled", 3728], ["less", 3768], ["minute", 3782], ["sinkhole", 3801], ["grow", 3813], ["growest", 3813], ["growing", 3813], ["already", 3830], ["least", 3839], ["ten", 3843], ["diameter", 3860], ["watch", 3879], ["watched", 3879], ["rock", 3898], ["wall", 3903], ["groanings", 3926], ["oh", 3940], ["crap", 3947], ["crapped", 3947], ["feel", 3977], ["surge", 3988], ["surges", 3988], ["energy", 3998], ["radiate", 4008], ["radiates", 4008], ["radiatest", 4008], ["radiating", 4008], ["plunge", 4030], ["plunging", 4030], ["deep", 4035], ["deeply", 4035], ["earth", 4050], ["earths", 4050], ["reinforce", 4072], ["erosion", 4084], ["stop", 4101], ["virulent", 4139], ["plague", 4146], ["plagued", 4146], ["point", 4219], ["pointed", 4219], ["center", 4233], ["centerest", 4233], ["depression", 4251]]
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stan cast me a wordless look of horror . i asked , because even if it was eamon , there was something far too horrible about choking to death in a pit of talcum powder . no , i 'd been in his head-i knew he deserved it-but i did n't want to be the one dispensing justice . `` i 'll need your help , '' he said . he put a hand on the back of my neck , and through the connection i felt something warm moving through my body . i remembered what it had felt like when lewis had healed me-not too different . i held still for it , tried to relax as instructed , and concentrated all my energy on the idea of saving eamon 's life . the pit of sand rolled , as if a miniature fault line had shifted beneath it , and began to fill in , or rise up-it was hard to identify what was happening . but it was happening quietly . nobody on the beach , not even the news crews , had paid any attention to us so far . that changed when eamon emerged from the sand , a limp body lying curled in on himself and flour white with fine dust . i exchanged a quick glance with stan ; he let go of me and nodded , as if he understood what i intended to do . i stepped out onto the treacherous sand . it shifted-more than it should have-more like tiny balls of slick ice than gritty grains . i fought for balance , windmilling my arms like a tightrope walker , and slowly moved forward . my shoes kept sinking-not enough to stop me , but enough to make me sweat . stan had n't fixed things so much as temporarily stopped their disintegration , and i was n't at all sure how long he could hold on . a look over my shoulder told me that he was sweating bullets and trembling-not exactly a vote of confidence . he not quite begged . i took a deep breath and crossed in four quick , sinking steps to eamon , grabbed him by the shoulders , and started dragging . with every backward step my feet went deeper into the sand . i took a firmer grip under eamon 's limp arms and heaved hard , fighting my way through the rapidly softening sand . `` hold it together ! '' which was n't really fair . it was n't his fault in the first place ; he was just trying to clean up my mess . but right at the moment the price of failure would be a little out of my budget . the news crews were paying attention now , running toward us with lights and cameras , shouting questions . that drew the attention of some firefighters and cops . the term media circus does n't really do justice to that moment when the clowns start rolling out of the tiny little car , does it ? eleven luckily i did n't have to decide whether or not i had the ethical strength to give eamon the kiss of life . after the firefighters formed a human chain and pulled us out of the mysteriously formed pit of dry quicksand , the paramedics pounced , did some paramedic-y things , and got him breathing , choking , and swearing again . he looked like he 'd taken a bath in flour-dusty white except for his bloodshot , furious eyes and the blood caking his mouth and nose . he started raving , but he shut up quickly enough when he realized our little feud was no longer private . stan was sweating bullets . i stood next to him , shaking a little myself , as the cops formed a cordon around the sinkhole and the news crews swarmed in frustration near the barrier , camera lenses and microphones pointed our way . `` oh , man , this is bad , '' stan whispered . `` you 've got some kind of system for handling these things , right ? this ca n't be the first time in the history of the wardens that people saw something happen ... '' `` well , it 's the first time for me ! '' `` jesus , i 'm not even allowed out on my own yet . i 'm still on probation ! i 'm not equipped to handle this ! '' `` well ... you 're the most senior , right ? '' he looked puppy-dog hopeful . we did n't have time to do any more plotting ; one of the cops-a detective in civilian clothes with a badge hung on his shirt pocket-came over and herded us away , behind a crime scene van parked a little way down the beach . he looked more stressed than me and stan put together . i was supposed to be out on bail in nevada , and i was pretty sure it was a violation to be out here in california ... and maybe there was more that i did n't remember that could jump up and bite me when he entered my name in the system . so i gave him my best , shiniest smile and said , `` jo monaghan . '' where it came from , i have no idea .
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532], ["tried", 532], ["relax", 541], ["instruct", 555], ["instructest", 555], ["instructed", 555], ["concentrate", 574], ["concentrates", 574], ["concentrated", 574], ["energy", 588], ["idea", 600], ["save", 610], ["saving", 610], ["life", 624], ["lifes", 624], ["sand", 642], ["roll", 649], ["rolled", 649], ["miniature", 669], ["fault", 675], ["faulting", 675], ["line", 680], ["shift", 692], ["shifted", 692], ["beneath", 700], ["begin", 715], ["began", 715], ["fill", 723], ["fills", 723], ["rise", 736], ["risen", 736], ["hard", 751], ["identify", 763], ["happen", 782], ["happening", 782], ["quietly", 813], ["nobody", 822], ["beach", 835], ["news", 855], ["crew", 861], ["crews", 861], ["pay", 872], ["pays", 872], ["payest", 872], ["paid", 872], ["attention", 886], ["change", 914], ["changed", 914], ["emerge", 933], ["emerged", 933], ["limp", 956], ["limps", 956], ["limping", 956], ["lay", 967], ["lie", 967], ["lying", 967], ["curl", 974], ["curls", 974], ["curled", 974], ["flour", 998], ["white", 1004], ["fine", 1014], ["finer", 1014], ["dust", 1019], ["dusting", 1019], ["exchange", 1033], ["exchanged", 1033], ["quick", 1041], ["glance", 1048], ["let", 1067], ["lets", 1067], ["go", 1070], ["goest", 1070], ["nod", 1087], ["nodding", 1087], ["nodded", 1087], ["understand", 1109], ["understood", 1109], ["intend", 1125], ["intendest", 1125], ["intended", 1125], ["step", 1143], ["stepped", 1143], ["onto", 1152], ["treacherous", 1168], ["tiny", 1226], ["ball", 1232], ["balls", 1232], ["slick", 1241], ["ice", 1245], ["iced", 1245], ["gritty", 1257], ["grain", 1264], ["grains", 1264], ["fight", 1275], ["fightest", 1275], ["fighting", 1275], ["fought", 1275], ["balance", 1287], ["windmilled", 1301], ["windmilling", 1301], ["arm", 1309], ["arms", 1309], ["tightrope", 1326], ["walker", 1333], ["slowly", 1346], ["move", 1352], ["moved", 1352], ["forward", 1360], ["forwarding", 1360], ["shoe", 1371], ["shoed", 1371], ["shoes", 1371], ["keep", 1376], ["keepest", 1376], ["kept", 1376], ["sink", 1384], ["sank", 1384], ["sinking", 1384], ["enough", 1395], ["stop", 1403], ["sweat", 1436], ["fix", 1457], ["fixes", 1457], ["fixed", 1457], ["thing", 1464], ["things", 1464], ["much", 1472], ["temporarily", 1487], ["stop", 1495], ["stopped", 1495], ["disintegration", 1516], ["sure", 1544], ["long", 1553], ["longs", 1553], ["longing", 1553], ["hold", 1567], ["shoulder", 1596], ["shouldered", 1596], ["shoulderest", 1596], ["tell", 1601], ["told", 1601], ["sweat", 1625], ["sweating", 1625], ["bullet", 1633], ["bullets", 1633], ["tremble", 1647], ["trembles", 1647], ["trembling", 1647], ["exactly", 1659], ["vote", 1666], ["voting", 1666], ["confidence", 1680], ["quite", 1695], ["take", 1711], ["took", 1711], ["deep", 1718], ["deeply", 1718], ["breath", 1725], ["breathest", 1725], ["cross", 1737], ["crossing", 1737], ["crossed", 1737], ["four", 1745], ["step", 1767], ["steps", 1767], ["grab", 1786], ["grabbed", 1786], ["shoulder", 1807], ["shouldered", 1807], ["shoulderest", 1807], ["shoulders", 1807], ["start", 1821], ["started", 1821], ["drag", 1830], ["dragging", 1830], ["every", 1843], ["backward", 1852], ["step", 1857], ["foot", 1865], ["feet", 1865], ["go", 1870], ["goest", 1870], ["went", 1870], ["deep", 1877], ["deeply", 1877], ["firm", 1909], ["grip", 1914], ["heave", 1950], ["heaves", 1950], ["heaved", 1950], ["fight", 1966], ["fightest", 1966], ["fighting", 1966], ["way", 1973], ["ways", 1973], ["rapidly", 1993], ["soften", 2003], ["softens", 2003], ["softening", 2003], ["together", 2030], ["really", 2056], ["fair", 2061], ["fairs", 2061], ["first", 2097], ["place", 2103], ["try", 2124], ["tryed", 2124], ["trying", 2124], ["clean", 2133], ["cleans", 2133], ["mess", 2144], ["messed", 2144], ["messing", 2144], ["right", 2156], ["moment", 2170], ["price", 2180], ["failure", 2191], ["little", 2209], ["budget", 2226], ["budgeting", 2226], ["pay", 2255], ["pays", 2255], ["payest", 2255], ["paying", 2255], ["run", 2279], ["running", 2279], ["toward", 2286], ["lit", 2301], ["light", 2301], ["lighting", 2301], ["lights", 2301], ["camera", 2313], ["cameras", 2313], ["shout", 2324], ["shouting", 2324], ["question", 2334], ["questions", 2334], ["draw", 2346], ["draws", 2346], ["drawn", 2346], ["drew", 2346], ["firefighter", 2381], ["firefighters", 2381], ["cop", 2390], ["copest", 2390], ["copped", 2390], ["cops", 2390], ["term", 2401], ["terming", 2401], ["medium", 2407], ["mediums", 2407], ["media", 2407], ["circus", 2414], ["clown", 2472], ["clowns", 2472], ["start", 2478], ["roll", 2486], ["rolling", 2486], ["car", 2513], ["eleven", 2532], ["luckily", 2540], ["decide", 2565], ["whether", 2573], ["ethical", 2598], ["strength", 2607], ["give", 2615], ["kiss", 2630], ["kisses", 2630], ["kissest", 2630], ["form", 2670], ["formest", 2670], ["formed", 2670], ["human", 2678], ["chain", 2684], ["pull", 2695], ["pulled", 2695], ["mysteriously", 2722], ["dry", 2740], ["drying", 2740], ["quicksand", 2750], ["paramedic", 2767], ["paramedics", 2767], ["pounce", 2775], ["pounced", 2775], ["paramedic", 2796], ["get", 2815], ["got", 2815], ["breathes", 2829], ["breathing", 2829], ["swear", 2854], ["sweared", 2854], ["swearing", 2854], ["look", 2872], ["looked", 2872], ["take", 2889], ["taken", 2889], ["bath", 2896], ["bathest", 2896], ["dusty", 2911], ["except", 2924], ["bloodshot", 2942], ["furious", 2952], ["eye", 2957], ["eyes", 2957], ["blood", 2971], ["bloods", 2971], ["cake", 2978], ["caking", 2978], ["mouth", 2988], ["mouthed", 2988], ["nose", 2997], ["nosing", 2997], ["rave", 3017], ["raving", 3017], ["shut", 3031], ["quickly", 3042], ["realize", 3066], ["realized", 3066], ["feud", 3082], ["long", 3096], ["longs", 3096], ["longing", 3096], ["private", 3104], ["stand", 3142], ["stood", 3142], ["standest", 3142], ["next", 3147], ["shake", 3164], ["shaking", 3164], ["cordon", 3210], ["around", 3217], ["sinkhole", 3230], ["swarm", 3257], ["swarmed", 3257], ["frustration", 3272], ["near", 3277], ["barrier", 3289], ["camera", 3298], ["cameras", 3298], ["lense", 3305], ["lenses", 3305], ["microphone", 3321], ["microphones", 3321], ["point", 3329], ["pointed", 3329], ["oh", 3345], ["man", 3351], ["mans", 3351], ["manned", 3351], ["bad", 3365], ["whisper", 3385], ["whispered", 3385], ["kind", 3412], ["system", 3422], ["handle", 3435], ["handling", 3435], ["ca", 3466], ["time", 3488], ["timing", 3488], ["history", 3503], ["warden", 3518], ["people", 3530], ["see", 3534], ["saw", 3534], ["happen", 3551], ["well", 3566], ["wells", 3566], ["jesus", 3610], ["allow", 3634], ["allowed", 3634], ["yet", 3652], ["probation", 3678], ["equip", 3698], ["equipped", 3698], ["handle", 3708], ["senior", 3754], ["puppy", 3783], ["dog", 3787], ["hopeful", 3795], ["detective", 3872], ["civilian", 3884], ["civilians", 3884], ["clad", 3892], ["clothe", 3892], ["clothes", 3892], ["badge", 3905], ["hang", 3910], ["hung", 3910], ["hangs", 3910], ["shirt", 3923], ["pocket", 3930], ["pocketing", 3930], ["come", 3935], ["came", 3935], ["herd", 3951], ["herding", 3951], ["herded", 3951], ["away", 3959], ["behind", 3968], ["crime", 3976], ["scene", 3982], ["van", 3986], ["park", 3993], ["parks", 3993], ["parkes", 3993], ["parked", 3993], ["suppose", 4094], ["supposed", 4094], ["bail", 4112], ["bails", 4112], ["bailing", 4112], ["nevada", 4122], ["pretty", 4141], ["violation", 4165], ["california", 4194], ["maybe", 4208], ["remember", 4247], ["rememberest", 4247], ["jump", 4263], ["jumps", 4263], ["bite", 4275], ["enter", 4294], ["entered", 4294], ["name", 4302], ["give", 4328], ["gave", 4328], ["good", 4340], ["best", 4340], ["shiny", 4351], ["smile", 4357], ["jo", 4374], ["monaghan", 4383]]
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he wrote it down and pointed a pen at stan , who said , `` stanley waterman . '' waterman ? for an earth warden ? `` id , '' the cop demanded . i was about to fumble around for an excuse when i felt a tug on my sleeve and looked down to see venna . kind of venna , anyway . not blond alice in wonderland anymore ; she 'd ditched the telltale blue dress and pinafore in favor of blue jeans and a cute pink shirt with kittens on the front . she said , and held up a purse . `` you dropped it . '' i blinked at her , trying to take it all in , and smiled . `` thank you , honey , '' i said , and accepted the purse as naturally as i could , under the circumstances . i glanced at the cop ; he was smiling at venna , so evidently she 'd gone with a total-reality appearance this time . the purse was kate spade , and not a knockoff , either ; venna 's little joke , i guessed . inside , there were a few random things that she must have thought i 'd need , like a travel-sized deodorant ( trying to tell me something , venna ? ) , a small bottle of hand cream , a compact black shape that it took me a few seconds to recognize ... a taser . she 'd handed me a purse with a taser in it . she kept smiling at me in sunny innocence . the wallet was red faux alligator . i opened it , and there was a california driver 's license in the name of jo monaghan , with my wide-eyed mug shot picture next to it . unflatteringly realistic . i passed the plastic-coated card over , and the cop inspected it for a few seconds , noted down the address that appeared on the card-i wondered whose address it was-and then gave it back . stan had produced his own id . the cop followed the same process . not a chatterbox , this guy . he had n't even offered his name . `` okay , '' he finally said , and looked at each of us in turn . `` somebody start talking . '' stan looked at me with mute desperation on his face . i controlled the urge to thwack him on the back of the head , and summoned as much charm as i could . ( not a lot . it had been a long day . ) `` i do n't know what we can tell you , sir . my daughter and i were just walking on the beach-we saw the lights and sirens , and we thought we 'd take a look . '' `` your address is n't anywhere near the beach . '' venna looked chagrined . of course , a djinn would n't think about things like that . `` we were out sightseeing , and i did n't realize how late it had gotten . we were still driving around when the storm hit . some storm , huh ? '' `` so after that you decided to come looky-loo ? '' i pointed at the rock wall , dangerously sagging now . `` we were sitting there on the rock wall , with a couple of other people-i did n't know them . there was a british man ; i think he might have been a little ... '' i made the international symbol for crazy at my temple . `` he was rambling , you know ? and he sounded really angry . i was going to take my daughter home when he got up and ran out there and started yelling . he started to come back at us , and he started sinking . '' the knife , i remembered , just as the detective turned his chilly x-ray eyes on me and said , `` somebody said he had a knife . '' `` any reason this man might want to hurt you ? '' venna shook hers , too . `` so when he started sinking , you ... what ? tried to save him ? '' it did n't take a lot of work to look guilty . `` not right at first . i was afraid , '' i said . `` i ran for help . i found this guy '' -i nodded at stan- '' and he came with me . we managed to pull the other man out , but- '' `` yeah , yeah , i know the rest , '' the cop said . `` so you , waterman , you never saw miz monaghan before ? '' `` never saw her before today , '' stan said . he sounded utterly confident on that score . `` she saved his life , though . '' the detective was looking faintly disappointed with the whole thing . `` either of you here when the building came down ? see anything either before or after i should know about ? '' `` was n't it an earthquake ? '' i asked , and tried to sound anxious about it . `` the building collapsing , i mean ? it was n't bombs or anything ? '' `` we 're still looking , but yeah , so far it looks like bad luck and bad weather . still , we like to ask . '' he demanded phone numbers .
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[["write", 8], ["writing", 8], ["wrote", 8], ["point", 28], ["pointed", 28], ["pen", 34], ["stan", 42], ["stans", 42], ["say", 53], ["said", 53], ["stanley", 66], ["watermen", 75], ["waterman", 75], ["earth", 104], ["earths", 104], ["warden", 111], ["cop", 132], ["copest", 132], ["copped", 132], ["demand", 141], ["demandest", 141], ["demanded", 141], ["fumble", 165], ["around", 172], ["excuse", 186], ["feel", 198], ["felt", 198], ["tug", 204], ["tugging", 204], ["sleeve", 217], ["sleeving", 217], ["look", 228], ["looked", 228], ["see", 240], ["kind", 253], ["anyway", 271], ["blond", 283], ["alice", 289], ["wonderland", 303], ["anymore", 311], ["ditch", 328], ["ditched", 328], ["telltale", 341], ["blue", 346], ["dress", 352], ["dressest", 352], ["pinafore", 365], ["favor", 374], ["favorest", 374], ["jean", 388], ["jeans", 388], ["cute", 399], ["pink", 404], ["shirt", 410], ["kitten", 423], ["kittens", 423], ["kittening", 423], ["front", 436], ["hold", 458], ["held", 458], ["purse", 469], ["drop", 486], ["dropped", 486], ["blink", 504], ["blinked", 504], ["try", 520], ["tryed", 520], ["trying", 520], ["take", 528], ["smile", 551], ["smiled", 551], ["thank", 562], ["thanks", 562], ["thankest", 562], ["honey", 574], ["honeys", 574], ["accept", 601], ["accepted", 601], ["naturally", 624], ["circumstance", 661], ["circumstances", 661], ["glance", 673], ["smile", 701], ["smiling", 701], ["evidently", 725], ["go", 737], ["goest", 737], ["gone", 737], ["total", 750], ["reality", 758], ["appearance", 769], ["time", 779], ["timing", 779], ["kate", 800], ["spade", 806], ["knockoff", 827], ["knockoffs", 827], ["either", 836], ["little", 854], ["joke", 859], ["jokes", 859], ["guess", 871], ["guessed", 871], ["inside", 880], ["random", 906], ["thing", 913], ["things", 913], ["must", 927], ["musts", 927], ["think", 940], ["thinkest", 940], ["thought", 940], ["need", 950], ["like", 957], ["travel", 966], ["sized", 972], ["deodorant", 982], ["tell", 999], ["small", 1034], 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["inspected", 1487], ["note", 1516], ["noted", 1516], ["address", 1533], ["appear", 1547], ["appeared", 1547], ["wonder", 1570], ["wonderest", 1570], ["wondered", 1570], ["whose", 1576], ["give", 1605], ["gave", 1605], ["back", 1613], ["produce", 1633], ["produced", 1633], ["follow", 1663], ["followed", 1663], ["process", 1680], ["processing", 1680], ["chatterbox", 1699], ["chatterboxes", 1699], ["guy", 1710], ["even", 1728], ["evens", 1728], ["offer", 1736], ["offering", 1736], ["offered", 1736], ["okay", 1755], ["okays", 1755], ["finally", 1771], ["turn", 1811], ["start", 1831], ["talk", 1839], ["talking", 1839], ["mute", 1872], ["muted", 1872], ["mutes", 1872], ["desperation", 1884], ["face", 1896], ["control", 1911], ["controling", 1911], ["controlled", 1911], ["urge", 1920], ["thwack", 1930], ["thwacking", 1930], ["head", 1958], ["summon", 1973], ["summoned", 1973], ["much", 1981], ["charm", 1987], ["charmest", 1987], ["lot", 2012], ["long", 2033], ["longs", 2033], ["longing", 2033], ["day", 2037], ["know", 2058], ["sir", 2085], ["sirs", 2085], ["daughter", 2099], ["walk", 2123], ["walking", 2123], ["beach", 2136], ["see", 2143], ["saw", 2143], ["lit", 2154], ["light", 2154], ["lighting", 2154], ["lights", 2154], ["siren", 2165], ["sirens", 2165], ["look", 2200], ["anywhere", 2237], ["near", 2242], ["chagrin", 2280], ["chagrined", 2280], ["course", 2292], ["djinn", 2302], ["think", 2318], ["thinkest", 2318], ["sightseeing", 2370], ["realize", 2394], ["late", 2403], ["lates", 2403], ["get", 2417], ["gotten", 2417], ["still", 2433], ["stilling", 2433], ["drive", 2441], ["driving", 2441], ["storm", 2463], ["hit", 2467], ["huh", 2486], ["decide", 2520], ["decided", 2520], ["come", 2528], ["looky", 2534], ["loo", 2538], ["loos", 2538], ["rock", 2565], ["wall", 2570], ["dangerously", 2584], ["sag", 2592], ["sagging", 2592], ["sat", 2617], ["sit", 2617], ["sitting", 2617], ["couple", 2656], ["people", 2672], ["british", 2714], ["britishest", 2714], ["man", 2718], ["mans", 2718], ["manned", 2718], ["may", 2737], ["mays", 2737], ["international", 2788], ["symbol", 2795], ["crazy", 2805], ["temple", 2818], ["ramble", 2839], ["rambling", 2839], ["sound", 2867], ["sounded", 2867], ["really", 2874], ["angry", 2880], ["go", 2894], ["goest", 2894], ["going", 2894], ["home", 2919], ["homing", 2919], ["get", 2931], ["got", 2931], ["run", 2942], ["ran", 2942], ["start", 2964], ["started", 2964], ["yell", 2972], ["yelling", 2972], ["sink", 3029], ["sank", 3029], ["sinking", 3029], ["knife", 3044], ["knifes", 3044], ["remember", 3059], ["rememberest", 3059], ["remembered", 3059], ["detective", 3083], ["turn", 3090], ["turned", 3090], ["chilly", 3101], ["x", 3103], ["ray", 3107], ["eye", 3112], ["eyes", 3112], ["reason", 3180], ["reasonest", 3180], ["hurt", 3208], ["hurts", 3208], ["hurting", 3208], ["shake", 3229], ["shook", 3229], ["try", 3295], ["tryed", 3295], ["tried", 3295], ["save", 3303], ["work", 3342], ["wrought", 3342], ["guilty", 3357], ["right", 3372], ["first", 3381], ["afraid", 3396], ["help", 3428], ["find", 3438], ["found", 3438], ["nod", 3460], ["nodding", 3460], ["nodded", 3460], ["come", 3484], ["came", 3484], ["manage", 3505], ["managed", 3505], ["pull", 3513], ["yeah", 3549], ["rest", 3574], ["never", 3627], ["miz", 3635], ["today", 3686], ["utterly", 3722], ["confident", 3732], ["score", 3746], ["save", 3761], ["saved", 3761], ["life", 3770], ["lifes", 3770], ["though", 3779], ["look", 3810], ["looking", 3810], ["faintly", 3818], ["disappointed", 3831], ["whole", 3846], ["wholes", 3846], ["thing", 3852], ["building", 3894], ["anything", 3919], ["earthquake", 3995], ["ask", 4008], ["asked", 4008], ["sound", 4029], ["anxious", 4037], ["anxiousest", 4037], ["collapse", 4075], ["collapsing", 4075], ["mean", 4084], ["meanest", 4084], ["meaning", 4084], ["bomb", 4103], ["bombest", 4103], ["bombs", 4103], ["far", 4164], ["look", 4173], ["looks", 4173], ["bad", 4182], ["luck", 4187], ["weather", 4203], ["ask", 4228], ["phone", 4251], ["number", 4259], ["numbering", 4259], ["numbers", 4259]]
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i made stan go first , then made mine up , hoping that his area code would work for mine as well . it must have , because the detective snapped his notebook shut . `` okay , i 've got your statements . if anything comes up that i need clarification about , i 'll call . '' he unbent enough to give venna another smile . `` better get the kid home , '' he told me . venna looked up with a grave expression , and i wondered just how funny she was finding all this . hilarious , i was willing to bet . the djinn seemed to have a very strange sense of humor . i had no car . i was about to say something to stan about that , but venna shook her head minutely , pulled on my hand , and led me across the sand in the opposite direction from where all the crazy news media was gathered . stan trotted to keep up . `` bet i can , '' i said . `` bet you ca n't stop me , stanley . in fact , i 'll bet you do n't even want to try . '' `` what about jamie rae ? '' he challenged , and got in my way . venna looked like she might be tempted to say or do something ; i squeezed her hand in warning . `` what am i supposed to tell the wardens ? '' `` tell them you were overmatched , '' venna said sweetly . `` they 'll believe that . '' i was glad i was n't on the receiving end of that particular expression . `` your friend is waking up , '' she said . `` you 'd better go get her and leave now . '' `` but ... the sinkhole ... '' `` you stopped it from growing , '' she said . `` someone else will fix it . `` but ... the newspeople-they 'll have tape ! '' `` then i suppose the wardens will have to handle that , '' venna said serenely . `` i ca n't be bothered . he did , skipping out of her way as she advanced . i trailed along , shrugging to indicate that i did n't have much choice , either ; i was pretty sure stan believed it . there was a hill beyond him , and we trudged up , avoiding the scrub brush and sharp-edged grasses . stan did n't follow . he stood there , hands on his hips , looking lost , and then he turned and went back to get jamie rae and , i presumed , make a full report to the wardens . venna was right : we needed to get the hell out of here . `` i hope you have a bus schedule in your bag of tricks , '' i said , and glanced back down the hill . some of the news crews had spotted us , and a couple of athletic emmy-seeking types were pounding sand next to the road , curving around the cordoned-off area and heading our way . she tugged my hand harder , and we climbed faster . the poststorm air felt clean and soft , the sand under our feet damp and firm . it would have been a nice day , except for all the chaos and mayhem . i asked , as we achieved the top of the hill . `` oh , yes , '' venna said . i suppose that makes you happy . '' she sounded mystified about it . well , i was a little mystified about it , too . `` it was good you told them he was crazy . that 'll take time for him to convince them he 's not , but then they 'll be looking for you . '' `` so , bus ? '' a well-dressed anchorwoman-well dressed from the waist up , anyway , wearing blue jeans and sneakers below-was sprinting up the road , with her heavyset cameraman puffing behind her . `` anytime would be good . '' `` you do n't need a bus . '' `` that 's your car . '' parked next to the side of the road sat ... a gleaming , midnight blue dream of a car . `` it 's a camaro , '' she said . `` nineteen sixty-nine . v-eight with an all-aluminum zl-one four twenty-seven . '' she said it as if she were reciting it out of a book . `` lewis gave it to you . '' `` lewis gave me this . lewis gave me a car . '' `` and ... i took it ? '' `` you needed a car , '' she said . `` he just thought you should have a nice one . '' `` just before- '' she stopped herself , frowned , and edited . `` before you lost your memory . you drove it on the east coast . you took a plane from there to arizona , so it 's been sitting in a parking lot , waiting for you . '' `` and you ... had it driven here ? '' we were at the car now , and i ran my hand lightly over the immaculate , polished finish . not so much as a bug splatter on its surface anywhere .
|
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2702], ["yes", 2708], ["happy", 2757], ["sound", 2774], ["sounded", 2774], ["little", 2817], ["good", 2859], ["take", 2902], ["time", 2907], ["timing", 2907], ["convince", 2927], ["convinced", 2927], ["convincing", 2927], ["dress", 3018], ["dressest", 3018], ["dressed", 3018], ["anchorwomen", 3030], ["anchorwoman", 3030], ["waist", 3058], ["anyway", 3070], ["wear", 3080], ["wearing", 3080], ["blue", 3085], ["jean", 3091], ["jeans", 3091], ["sneaker", 3104], ["sneakers", 3104], ["sprint", 3124], ["sprinted", 3124], ["sprinting", 3124], ["heavyset", 3156], ["cameramen", 3166], ["cameraman", 3166], ["puff", 3174], ["puffs", 3174], ["puffed", 3174], ["puffing", 3174], ["behind", 3181], ["anytime", 3198], ["park", 3279], ["parks", 3279], ["parkes", 3279], ["parked", 3279], ["side", 3296], ["sat", 3312], ["sit", 3312], ["gleaming", 3327], ["midnight", 3338], ["midnights", 3338], ["dream", 3349], ["dreamt", 3349], ["dreamest", 3349], ["camaro", 3378], ["nineteen", 3406], ["nineteens", 3406], ["sixty", 3412], ["nine", 3417], ["v", 3421], ["eight", 3427], ["aluminum", 3448], ["four", 3460], ["twenty", 3467], ["seven", 3473], ["recite", 3514], ["reciting", 3514], ["book", 3531], ["lewis", 3542], ["give", 3547], ["gave", 3547], ["take", 3629], ["took", 3629], ["think", 3692], ["thinkest", 3692], ["thought", 3692], ["frown", 3773], ["frowns", 3773], ["edit", 3786], ["editing", 3786], ["editest", 3786], ["edited", 3786], ["memory", 3819], ["memories", 3819], ["drive", 3831], ["drove", 3831], ["east", 3846], ["coast", 3852], ["plane", 3871], ["arizona", 3893], ["sat", 3917], ["sit", 3917], ["sitting", 3917], ["parking", 3930], ["lot", 3934], ["wait", 3944], ["waitest", 3944], ["waiting", 3944], ["drive", 3986], ["driven", 3986], ["run", 4031], ["ran", 4031], ["lightly", 4047], ["immaculate", 4067], ["polished", 4078], ["finish", 4085], ["bug", 4108], ["bugged", 4108], ["splatter", 4117], ["surface", 4132], ["anywhere", 4141]]
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`` you get it detailed , too ? '' venna shrugged and opened the passenger-side door to climb in . she looked more little-girl than ever once she was inside , with her feet dangling off the floor . somebody had installed after-market seat belts ; she gravely hooked hers , although i figured there was little chance of a djinn being injured in a collision . still playing the daughter role , evidently . i wondered if my real daughter had ever been in this car . i could almost imagine her sitting there ... `` better hurry , '' venna said . i blinked , looked back , and saw that the newsanchor was hauling ass toward the car , already shouting breathless questions . i got in and turned the key that was already in the ignition . peeling out and spraying gravel was n't a skill i 'd lost with my memory . it did n't give me much comfort when i looked in my rearview mirror and found a white van pulling out of a parking lot and quietly , tenaciously following . `` i need a plan , '' i said to venna . she stared out the window , kicking her feet , and did n't respond . `` venna , i need to get my memory back . tell me how i can do that . '' `` you ca n't , '' she said simply . `` your memory belongs to her now . and you do n't want to try to get it back . the only way to make this right is to get ashan to go back to the oracle . '' we were about fifteen minutes out from the beach , and i was just driving , with no clear idea of where we were heading . the steady rumble of the car gave me a feeling of being in control at last , and i thought that i might be happy if i could just drive forever . or at least , until my problems went away . the white van , for instance . it did n't seem inclined to vanish on my say-so , however . it kept a steady three-car distance from me , not really hiding , but not really making itself known , either . too far back for me to catch sight of the driver . `` ashan has my memories . '' he ... '' venna searched for words for a second . `` he tore them from you . threw them away , made them excess energy . it put you adrift in the universe , and when the demon found your memories , it knocked things out of balance . i think only ashan can fix that . '' `` but ashan ... he 's not a djinn , right ? '' for a brief second venna 's expression revealed something that physically hurt , a kind of anguish that i could barely comprehend . `` he was one of the first , you know . but he just could n't understand that the mother loves you , too . '' maybe not as much as she loves us , because she understands us a little better . but she 's fond of you , too , in a way . '' `` he blames you . you made her understand that humans were n't intending to hurt her . '' `` and by mother , you mean ... '' `` earth , '' she said . `` mother earth , of course . '' i decided to stick to driving . `` if we 're heading for ashan ? '' `` i have him safe . '' venna took a map out of the glove compartment , unfolded it , and traced a line with her fingertip . where she touched it , a route lit up . we were going to take i-8 to arizona , apparently . `` it 's about eight hours . well , the way you drive , six . '' apparently it was an expectation . `` what do we do when we get there ? '' `` i 'm not killing anybody , venna . '' `` i would n't let you , '' she said . `` although if you knew ashan , you 'd probably want to ... what do you want me to do about the man following us ? '' she gave a little snort of agreement . i supposed it was n't exactly beyond her capabilities . she waited right back . which was just a little bit hilarious , admittedly ; i was giving her a hard look ? as far as i could tell , venna could pretty much destroy me any day of the week , and twice at matinees . `` i do n't have to , '' she said . `` you 'll have to stop soon . when you do , you 'll find out . '' she seemed smug about it . i gave her another completely ineffective glare , and checked my gas gauge . still nearly full . why in the world would i have to stop ... ? the back left tire blew out with a jolt and a sound like a brick slapping the undercarriage of the car , and i cursed , fought the wheel , and limped the camaro over to the shoulder of the road . the uneven thump thump thump made it clear that we were n't going to do any quick getaways .
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2814], ["decided", 2814], ["stick", 2823], ["safe", 2891], ["safed", 2891], ["safes", 2891], ["take", 2907], ["took", 2907], ["map", 2913], ["mapped", 2913], ["glove", 2930], ["gloved", 2930], ["compartment", 2942], ["unfold", 2953], ["unfolded", 2953], ["unfoldest", 2953], ["trace", 2969], ["traced", 2969], ["line", 2976], ["fingertip", 2995], ["touch", 3015], ["touching", 3015], ["touched", 3015], ["route", 3028], ["routed", 3028], ["routeing", 3028], ["lit", 3032], ["light", 3032], ["lighting", 3032], ["go", 3051], ["goest", 3051], ["going", 3051], ["take", 3059], ["arizona", 3074], ["apparently", 3087], ["eight", 3110], ["hour", 3116], ["hours", 3116], ["well", 3123], ["wells", 3123], ["six", 3149], ["expectation", 3187], ["kill", 3249], ["killing", 3249], ["anybody", 3257], ["let", 3289], ["lets", 3289], ["know", 3333], ["knew", 3333], ["probably", 3357], ["man", 3409], ["mans", 3409], ["manned", 3409], ["snort", 3451], ["snortest", 3451], ["agreement", 3464], ["suppose", 3477], ["supposed", 3477], ["exactly", 3496], ["beyond", 3503], ["capability", 3520], ["capabilities", 3520], ["wait", 3533], ["waitest", 3533], ["waited", 3533], ["bit", 3574], ["bits", 3574], ["bitting", 3574], ["hilarious", 3584], ["admittedly", 3597], ["give", 3612], ["giving", 3612], ["hard", 3623], ["look", 3628], ["pretty", 3674], ["destroy", 3687], ["destroys", 3687], ["day", 3698], ["week", 3710], ["twice", 3722], ["matinee", 3734], ["matinees", 3734], ["stop", 3796], ["soon", 3801], ["find", 3830], ["seem", 3850], ["seeming", 3850], ["seemest", 3850], ["seemed", 3850], ["smug", 3855], ["another", 3885], ["completely", 3896], ["ineffective", 3908], ["glare", 3914], ["check", 3928], ["checked", 3928], ["gas", 3935], ["gassing", 3935], ["gauge", 3941], ["nearly", 3956], ["full", 3961], ["world", 3980], ["left", 4021], ["leave", 4021], ["tire", 4026], ["blow", 4031], ["blew", 4031], ["blowest", 4031], ["jolt", 4047], ["jolted", 4047], ["sound", 4059], ["like", 4064], ["brick", 4072], ["slap", 4081], ["slaps", 4081], ["slapped", 4081], ["slapping", 4081], ["undercarriage", 4099], ["curse", 4125], ["cursed", 4125], ["fight", 4134], ["fightest", 4134], ["fighting", 4134], ["fought", 4134], ["wheel", 4144], ["wheeled", 4144], ["limp", 4157], ["limps", 4157], ["limping", 4157], ["limped", 4157], ["camaro", 4168], ["shoulder", 4189], ["shouldered", 4189], ["shoulderest", 4189], ["road", 4201], ["uneven", 4214], ["thump", 4220], ["thumps", 4220], ["quick", 4285], ["getaway", 4294], ["getaways", 4294]]
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`` fix it , '' i said to venna . she smoothed her palms over her blue jeans . was there a way to be beyond smug ? `` come on , venna . be a pal . '' `` you have a spare tire , '' she said . i cursed under my breath , opened the door , popped the trunk , and unloaded the jack , spare tire , and other various roadside disaster tools . i was evidently no stranger to mechanical work , but i was n't in the mood , dammit . i had the lug nuts loosened in record time , but as i was jacking up the car with vicious jerks of the handle , i saw a sparkle of glass behind us , and the white van glided over the hill ... slowing down . `` hey , venna ? '' she looked out of the window at me . i went back to cranking the jack , grimly focused on the job at hand but keeping at least half of my attention-the paranoid half-on the van as it crawled and crunched its way slowly toward me . the brakes squealed slightly as it stopped . i could n't see a damn thing through the tinted windows , and i was suddenly very glad of the tire iron in my hand . and then the doors on both sides of the van opened at once , and people got out . the woman was young , toned , and well coiffed . she had a microphone . behind her , in a flying wedge , came a fat guy with a camera and a skinny guy with a boom microphone . `` you 've got to be kidding me , '' i said , and stared , paralyzed , while they moved purposefully in my direction . the reporter got out in front , framed the two-shot , and made sure her best side was to the camera . `` my name is sylvia simons , and i 'm an investigative reporter for- '' my paralysis snapped , replaced by a quivering all-over tremor . `` i do n't care who you 're with , '' i interrupted , and started pumping the jack again . the tire crept upward , cleared the asphalt , and i repurposed the jack to start removing the lugs . `` ma'am , do you have any comment about what happened back there on the beach ? '' `` and i do n't know any joanne baldwin . you 've got the wrong- '' `` i interviewed your sister a few weeks ago . she gave us a photo , '' sylvia simons interrupted , and held out a picture of me and sarah , which had been removed from its frame . we looked happy and stupid . i still felt stupid , but i certainly was n't very happy . `` she told us that you 're a member of an organization called the wardens . can you tell me something about that ? '' four lug nuts off . i kept moving , careless of the grease and grime on my hands or what was getting on my clothes . `` my understanding is that you have some kind of responsibility for protecting the general public from natural disasters , '' simons continued . lug nut five came off , then six , and i slid the tire free with a screech of metal and let it thump down on the road between us . i wiped sweat from my forehead and ignored her as she leaned closer . `` she claimed it was magic . care to tell us exactly what that means ? we 'll get the information some other way if you do n't , but this is your chance to tell your side of the story ... '' crap . i put the other tire on and began replacing lug nuts . `` i do n't have a side , '' i said , `` and there is n't any story . i could tell they were n't going to . they 'd been digging , and struck gold . sarah had dropped the dime and taken the money after ensuring that the white van and the reporters knew to keep on my trail . and maybe she 'd called somebody else , too . somebody who 'd dispatched a killer to silence me before i could talk . that way she 'd have the money from the reporters free and clear , and no wardens after her . `` tell you what , '' i said , spinning lug nuts down with both hands . i did n't look at the reporter directly , wary of being even more on-camera . `` if you turn around and leave now , nothing 's going to happen to your nice digital equipment . '' simons made a surprised face , and looked at the camera as if she wanted to be sure it caught her amazement . `` are you threatening us , ms . i finished finger-tightening the nuts , and released the jack to let the car settle back on four tires . i began applying the tire iron to finish the job of making the wheel road ready . `` but things do happen . '' and right then , things did happen . the camera guy said , `` what the ... ? '' and a whisper of smoke suddenly oozed out of three or four places in his equipment .
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[["fix", 6], ["fixes", 6], ["say", 21], ["said", 21], ["smooth", 45], ["smoothed", 45], ["palm", 55], ["palms", 55], ["palmed", 55], ["blue", 69], ["jean", 75], ["jeans", 75], ["way", 93], ["ways", 93], ["beyond", 106], ["smug", 111], ["come", 121], ["pal", 143], ["palling", 143], ["spare", 168], ["tire", 173], ["curse", 198], ["cursed", 198], ["breath", 214], ["breathest", 214], ["open", 223], ["opening", 223], ["opened", 223], ["door", 232], ["pop", 241], ["popped", 241], ["trunk", 251], ["unload", 266], ["unloaded", 266], ["unloadest", 266], ["jack", 275], ["jacks", 275], ["jacked", 275], ["various", 308], ["roadside", 317], ["disaster", 326], ["tool", 332], ["tools", 332], ["evidently", 350], ["stranger", 362], ["mechanical", 376], ["work", 381], ["wrought", 381], ["mood", 409], ["dammit", 418], ["lug", 434], ["lugs", 434], ["lugged", 434], ["nut", 439], ["nuts", 439], ["nutting", 439], ["loosen", 448], ["loosening", 448], ["loosenest", 448], ["loosened", 448], ["record", 458], ["time", 463], ["timing", 463], ["jack", 486], ["jacks", 486], ["jacked", 486], ["jacking", 486], ["car", 497], ["vicious", 510], ["jerk", 516], ["jerks", 516], ["jerked", 516], ["handle", 530], ["see", 538], ["saw", 538], ["sparkle", 548], ["glass", 557], ["behind", 564], ["white", 583], ["van", 587], ["glide", 594], ["glided", 594], ["hill", 608], ["slow", 620], ["slowing", 620], ["hey", 634], ["look", 658], ["looked", 658], ["window", 676], ["windows", 676], ["go", 691], ["goest", 691], ["went", 691], ["back", 696], ["crank", 708], ["cranks", 708], ["cranked", 708], ["cranking", 708], ["grimly", 726], ["job", 745], ["jobbing", 745], ["hand", 753], ["handing", 753], ["keep", 765], ["keepest", 765], ["keeping", 765], ["least", 774], ["half", 779], ["attention", 795], ["paranoid", 808], ["crawl", 838], ["crawled", 838], ["crunch", 851], ["slowly", 866], ["toward", 873], ["brake", 889], ["braked", 889], ["brakes", 889], ["squeal", 898], ["squealed", 898], ["slightly", 907], ["stop", 921], ["stopped", 921], ["see", 939], ["damn", 946], ["damned", 946], ["thing", 952], ["tint", 971], ["tinting", 971], ["tinted", 971], ["window", 979], ["windows", 979], ["suddenly", 1000], ["glad", 1010], ["iron", 1027], ["door", 1059], ["doors", 1059], ["side", 1073], ["sides", 1073], ["people", 1112], ["get", 1116], ["got", 1116], ["woman", 1132], ["womans", 1132], ["young", 1142], ["youngest", 1142], ["toned", 1150], ["well", 1161], ["wells", 1161], ["microphone", 1192], ["microphones", 1192], ["wedge", 1225], ["wedged", 1225], ["come", 1232], ["came", 1232], ["fat", 1238], ["fattest", 1238], ["guy", 1242], ["camera", 1256], ["cameras", 1256], ["skinny", 1269], ["boom", 1285], ["boomed", 1285], ["kid", 1327], ["kidding", 1327], ["stare", 1355], ["stared", 1355], ["paralyzed", 1367], ["move", 1386], ["moved", 1386], ["purposefully", 1399], ["direction", 1415], ["reporter", 1430], ["front", 1447], ["frame", 1456], ["framed", 1456], ["two", 1464], ["twos", 1464], ["shot", 1469], ["sure", 1485], ["good", 1494], ["best", 1494], ["side", 1499], ["name", 1530], ["sylvia", 1540], ["simon", 1547], ["simons", 1547], ["investigative", 1575], ["paralysis", 1605], ["snap", 1613], ["snapping", 1613], ["snapped", 1613], ["replace", 1624], ["replaced", 1624], ["tremor", 1655], ["interrupt", 1710], ["interrupted", 1710], ["start", 1724], ["started", 1724], ["pump", 1732], ["pumpest", 1732], ["pumping", 1732], ["creep", 1764], ["creeps", 1764], ["creeped", 1764], ["crept", 1764], ["upward", 1771], ["clear", 1781], ["clearest", 1781], ["clearing", 1781], ["cleared", 1781], ["asphalt", 1793], ["repurpose", 1812], ["start", 1830], ["remove", 1839], ["removing", 1839], ["lug", 1848], ["lugs", 1848], ["lugged", 1848], ["madam", 1859], ["madams", 1859], ["comment", 1885], ["happen", 1905], ["happened", 1905], ["beach", 1929], ["know", 1955], ["joanne", 1966], ["joannes", 1966], ["baldwin", 1974], ["interview", 2019], ["interviewed", 2019], ["sister", 2031], ["week", 2043], ["weeks", 2043], ["ago", 2047], ["give", 2058], ["gave", 2058], ["photo", 2069], ["hold", 2111], ["held", 2111], ["picture", 2125], ["sarah", 2141], ["remove", 2166], ["removed", 2166], ["frame", 2181], ["happy", 2199], ["stupid", 2210], ["still", 2220], ["stilling", 2220], ["feel", 2225], ["felt", 2225], ["certainly", 2250], ["tell", 2283], ["told", 2283], ["member", 2308], ["organization", 2327], ["call", 2334], ["called", 2334], ["warden", 2346], ["tell", 2361], ["four", 2395], ["keep", 2417], ["keepest", 2417], ["kept", 2417], ["move", 2424], ["moving", 2424], ["careless", 2435], ["grease", 2449], ["grime", 2459], ["hand", 2471], ["handing", 2471], ["hands", 2471], ["get", 2491], ["getting", 2491], ["clad", 2505], ["clothe", 2505], ["clothes", 2505], ["understanding", 2527], ["kind", 2554], ["responsibility", 2572], ["protect", 2587], ["protectest", 2587], ["protecting", 2587], ["general", 2599], ["public", 2606], ["natural", 2619], ["disaster", 2629], ["disasters", 2629], ["continue", 2651], ["continued", 2651], ["nut", 2661], ["nuts", 2661], ["nutting", 2661], ["five", 2666], ["fived", 2666], ["six", 2686], ["slid", 2699], ["free", 2713], ["screech", 2728], ["metal", 2737], ["let", 2745], ["lets", 2745], ["thump", 2754], ["thumps", 2754], ["road", 2771], ["wipe", 2792], ["wiped", 2792], ["sweat", 2798], ["forehead", 2815], ["ignore", 2827], ["ignored", 2827], ["lean", 2845], ["leans", 2845], ["leaned", 2845], ["close", 2852], ["closing", 2852], ["closer", 2852], ["claim", 2869], ["claimest", 2869], ["claimed", 2869], ["magic", 2882], ["exactly", 2908], ["mean", 2924], ["meanest", 2924], ["meaning", 2924], ["means", 2924], ["get", 2937], ["information", 2953], ["chance", 3008], ["chanced", 3008], ["chancing", 3008], ["story", 3039], ["crap", 3051], ["crapped", 3051], ["put", 3059], ["begin", 3087], ["began", 3087], ["replace", 3097], ["replacing", 3097], ["go", 3211], ["goest", 3211], ["going", 3211], ["dig", 3237], ["dug", 3237], ["digs", 3237], ["digging", 3237], ["strike", 3250], ["struck", 3250], ["gold", 3255], ["golds", 3255], ["drop", 3275], ["dropped", 3275], ["dime", 3284], ["take", 3294], ["taken", 3294], ["money", 3304], ["moneys", 3304], ["ensure", 3319], ["ensuring", 3319], ["reporter", 3356], ["reporters", 3356], ["know", 3361], ["knew", 3361], ["keep", 3369], ["keepest", 3369], ["trail", 3381], ["maybe", 3393], ["else", 3421], ["dispatch", 3456], ["dispatched", 3456], ["killer", 3465], ["killers", 3465], ["silence", 3476], ["talk", 3499], ["clear", 3566], ["clearest", 3566], ["clearing", 3566], ["spun", 3635], ["spin", 3635], ["spinning", 3635], ["look", 3682], ["directly", 3707], ["wary", 3714], ["even", 3728], ["evens", 3728], ["turn", 3760], ["around", 3767], ["left", 3777], ["leave", 3777], ["nothing", 3791], ["happen", 3810], ["nice", 3823], ["nicer", 3823], ["digital", 3831], ["equipment", 3841], ["surprised", 3870], ["face", 3875], ["catch", 3940], ["catched", 3940], ["catches", 3940], ["caught", 3940], ["amazement", 3954], ["threaten", 3979], ["threatening", 3979], ["ms", 3987], ["finish", 4000], ["finished", 4000], ["finger", 4007], ["tighten", 4018], ["tightens", 4018], ["tightening", 4018], ["release", 4042], ["released", 4042], ["settle", 4073], ["tire", 4092], ["tires", 4092], ["apply", 4111], ["applyed", 4111], ["applying", 4111], ["finish", 4135], ["wheel", 4163], ["wheeled", 4163], ["ready", 4174], ["thing", 4190], ["things", 4190], ["right", 4215], ["whisper", 4299], ["smoke", 4308], ["smoking", 4308], ["ooze", 4323], ["oozing", 4323], ["oozed", 4323], ["three", 4336], ["place", 4351], ["places", 4351]]
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i heard a cooking sound from inside the electronics . i sure did enjoy some things about being a fire warden . simons asked , and moved toward him . together , with the sound guy craning in for a look , they reviewed the damage . which , i could have told them , was catastrophic . i shoved the old flat tire and all the equipment in the trunk , slammed it , and said , `` i think the phrase i 'm searching for here is 'no comment . ' '' simons stared at me with a grim , set expression as i got in the camaro and headed off down the road . when the van tried to follow , its engine blew in a spectacular white cloud of steam . `` i should be ashamed . that , '' i said to venna , `` was really low . then again , blowing out my tire was pretty low in the first place , venna . `` but you needed to know . so you wo n't trust your sister again . '' `` no , '' i said grimly . driving is therapy for me . interesting thing to discover about yourself ... there was something hypnotic about the road , the freedom , the feeling of being in control and having a direction . i drove fast , but not recklessly , and if venna had anything to say , she said it to herself . i had a lot of time to think . after a couple of hours of that , i said , `` venna . why have n't you given me your memories ? '' pint-sized haughtiness . she was still wearing the blue jeans and pink shirt ; i was getting used to the less formal look , but i did n't let it fool me . there was nothing informal about venna . `` you could n't handle it , '' she said . `` djinn memory is n't the same as human . we see things differently . we see time differently . it would n't make sense to you , the way human memories do . '' `` but ... you can become human , right ? '' `` we can take human form . that does n't mean we become human . so even though david had fathered a child with me , he had n't been ... human . i edged a bit more speed out of the accelerator . `` you said david would be on her side , not mine . are you guessing , or do you know that ? '' in a way , i supposed , that was answer enough . the countryside began feeling weirdly familiar . if i 'd put together the pieces properly , sedona had been the last place i 'd been seen before my absence from the world , followed by my appearance , naked and memory-free , in the forest . i felt like i ought to remember it . i was , quite simply , too tired . sedona had motels , and i had cash , and although venna was contemptuous of the whole idea , i checked myself in for the day , took a long , hot bath , and crawled into a clean bed for eight blissful hours . when i got up , the sun had already set . venna was watching a game show , something loud that seemed to involve people shouting at briefcases . she was cross-legged on the end of the bed , her chin resting on her fists , and she was absolutely enraptured . `` well , '' i said as i zipped up my black jeans , `` i guess now i know who the target audience is for reality tv . '' if i had n't known better , i 'd have thought she was embarrassed . she slid off the bed , and the tv flicked off without her hand coming anywhere near a remote control . `` are you done sleeping ? '' it 's such a waste of good time . '' she moved the curtain aside and looked out . we pulled out of the parking lot and cruised slowly through town . venna navigated , my very own supernatural gps , pointing me through the streets until i was thoroughly lost . sedona looked pretty much like any other town-maybe a little funkier , with more new age shops and southwest architecture , but mcdonald 's looked the same . so did starbucks . i was still tired , but it was a pleasant kind of tired , and for the first time in a long time i felt like i was going into trouble with a clear mind . the road vibration was almost as good as a massage . venna pointed . i did n't ask questions . we made turns , crawled along a road that led into the hills , and eventually stopped in a parking lot at the foot of a bluff whose definitions were lost in the growing darkness . the sign said , chapel of the holy cross . venna said , very quietly , `` we 're here . '' `` where 's ashan ? '' `` safe , '' she said . `` i 'll bring him here when we 're ready . if he panics , he can be hard to control . '' a djinn-well , former djinn-who had panic attacks .
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[["hear", 7], ["hears", 7], ["heard", 7], ["sound", 23], ["inside", 35], ["electronic", 51], ["electronics", 51], ["sure", 60], ["enjoy", 70], ["enjoyed", 70], ["thing", 82], ["things", 82], ["fire", 101], ["warden", 108], ["simon", 117], ["simons", 117], ["ask", 123], ["asked", 123], ["move", 135], ["moved", 135], ["toward", 142], ["together", 157], ["guy", 178], ["crane", 186], ["craning", 186], ["look", 200], ["review", 216], ["reviewed", 216], ["damage", 227], ["damaging", 227], ["tell", 255], ["told", 255], ["catastrophic", 279], ["shove", 290], ["shoved", 290], ["old", 298], ["flat", 303], ["tire", 308], ["equipment", 330], ["trunk", 343], ["slam", 353], ["slammed", 353], ["say", 367], ["said", 367], ["think", 380], ["thinkest", 380], ["phrase", 391], ["phrasing", 391], ["search", 406], ["searching", 406], ["comment", 430], ["stare", 451], ["stared", 451], ["grim", 469], ["grims", 469], ["set", 475], ["expression", 486], ["get", 495], ["got", 495], ["camaro", 509], ["head", 520], ["headed", 520], ["road", 538], ["van", 553], ["try", 559], ["tryed", 559], ["tried", 559], ["follow", 569], ["engine", 582], ["blow", 587], ["blew", 587], ["blowest", 587], ["spectacular", 604], ["spectaculars", 604], ["white", 610], ["cloud", 616], ["clouded", 616], ["steam", 625], ["steams", 625], ["steamest", 625], ["ashamed", 650], ["really", 694], ["low", 698], ["lowed", 698], ["blow", 721], ["blew", 721], ["blowest", 721], ["blowing", 721], ["pretty", 744], ["first", 761], ["place", 767], ["need", 795], ["needed", 795], ["know", 803], ["wo", 815], ["trust", 825], ["sister", 837], ["grimly", 873], ["driving", 883], ["therapy", 894], ["interesting", 915], ["thing", 921], ["discover", 933], ["hypnotic", 981], ["freedom", 1010], ["feel", 1024], ["feeling", 1024], ["control", 1044], ["controling", 1044], ["direction", 1067], ["drive", 1077], ["drove", 1077], ["fast", 1082], ["recklessly", 1103], ["anything", 1131], ["say", 1138], ["lot", 1177], ["time", 1185], ["timing", 1185], ["couple", 1211], ["hour", 1220], ["hours", 1220], ["give", 1273], ["given", 1273], ["memory", 1290], ["memories", 1290], ["pint", 1300], ["sized", 1306], ["haughtiness", 1318], ["still", 1334], ["stilling", 1334], ["wear", 1342], ["wearing", 1342], ["blue", 1351], ["jean", 1357], ["jeans", 1357], ["pink", 1366], ["shirt", 1372], ["get", 1388], ["getting", 1388], ["use", 1393], ["used", 1393], ["less", 1405], ["formal", 1412], ["let", 1437], ["lets", 1437], ["fool", 1445], ["fooling", 1445], ["nothing", 1468], ["informal", 1477], ["handle", 1515], ["djinn", 1543], ["memory", 1550], ["memories", 1550], ["human", 1575], ["see", 1584], ["differently", 1603], ["sense", 1655], ["way", 1672], ["ways", 1672], ["become", 1721], ["right", 1735], ["take", 1755], ["form", 1766], ["formest", 1766], ["mean", 1787], ["meanest", 1787], ["meaning", 1787], ["even", 1813], ["evens", 1813], ["though", 1820], ["david", 1826], ["davids", 1826], ["father", 1839], ["fathered", 1839], ["child", 1847], ["childs", 1847], ["edge", 1893], ["edges", 1893], ["edged", 1893], ["bit", 1899], ["bits", 1899], ["bitting", 1899], ["speed", 1910], ["speeding", 1910], ["accelerator", 1933], ["side", 1974], ["guess", 2004], ["guessing", 2004], ["suppose", 2053], ["supposed", 2053], ["answer", 2071], ["answeres", 2071], ["answerest", 2071], ["enough", 2078], ["countryside", 2096], ["begin", 2102], ["began", 2102], ["weirdly", 2118], ["familiar", 2127], ["put", 2141], ["piece", 2161], ["pieced", 2161], ["pieces", 2161], ["properly", 2170], ["last", 2197], ["see", 2218], ["seen", 2218], ["absence", 2236], ["world", 2251], ["follow", 2262], ["followed", 2262], ["appearance", 2279], ["naked", 2287], ["free", 2303], ["forest", 2319], ["feel", 2328], ["felt", 2328], ["like", 2333], ["ought", 2341], ["remember", 2353], ["rememberest", 2353], ["quite", 2372], ["simply", 2379], ["tired", 2391], ["motel", 2411], ["motels", 2411], ["cash", 2428], ["cashed", 2428], ["although", 2443], ["contemptuous", 2466], ["whole", 2479], ["wholes", 2479], ["idea", 2484], ["check", 2496], ["checked", 2496], ["day", 2518], ["take", 2525], ["took", 2525], ["long", 2532], ["longs", 2532], ["longing", 2532], ["hot", 2538], ["bath", 2543], ["bathest", 2543], ["crawl", 2557], ["crawled", 2557], ["clean", 2570], ["cleans", 2570], ["bed", 2574], ["eight", 2584], ["blissful", 2593], ["sun", 2625], ["suns", 2625], ["sunned", 2625], ["already", 2637], ["watch", 2662], ["watching", 2662], ["game", 2669], ["show", 2674], ["loud", 2691], ["seem", 2703], ["seeming", 2703], ["seemest", 2703], ["seemed", 2703], ["involve", 2714], ["people", 2721], ["shout", 2730], ["shouting", 2730], ["briefcase", 2744], ["briefcases", 2744], ["legged", 2767], ["end", 2778], ["ends", 2778], ["endest", 2778], ["chin", 2800], ["rest", 2808], ["resting", 2808], ["fist", 2821], ["fists", 2821], ["absolutely", 2846], ["enrapture", 2857], ["enraptured", 2857], ["enrapturing", 2857], ["well", 2867], ["wells", 2867], ["zip", 2891], ["zips", 2891], ["zipped", 2891], ["black", 2903], ["guess", 2922], ["target", 2948], ["audience", 2957], ["reality", 2972], ["tv", 2975], ["know", 2999], ["known", 2999], ["well", 3006], ["wells", 3006], ["better", 3006], ["think", 3026], ["thinkest", 3026], ["thought", 3026], ["embarrassed", 3046], ["slid", 3057], ["flick", 3090], ["flickest", 3090], ["flicking", 3090], ["flicked", 3090], ["without", 3102], ["hand", 3111], ["handing", 3111], ["come", 3118], ["coming", 3118], ["anywhere", 3127], ["near", 3132], ["remote", 3141], ["remoted", 3141], ["slept", 3176], ["sleep", 3176], ["sleeps", 3176], ["sleepest", 3176], ["sleeping", 3176], ["waste", 3200], ["good", 3208], ["curtain", 3240], ["curtaining", 3240], ["aside", 3246], ["look", 3257], ["looked", 3257], ["pull", 3273], ["pulled", 3273], ["parking", 3292], ["cruise", 3308], ["cruised", 3308], ["slowly", 3315], ["town", 3328], ["navigate", 3346], ["navigates", 3346], ["navigated", 3346], ["supernatural", 3373], ["gps", 3377], ["point", 3388], ["pointing", 3388], ["street", 3411], ["streets", 3411], ["thoroughly", 3434], ["lose", 3439], ["lost", 3439], ["much", 3467], ["maybe", 3493], ["little", 3502], ["new", 3526], ["age", 3530], ["shop", 3536], ["shopping", 3536], ["shops", 3536], ["southwest", 3550], ["architecture", 3563], ["mcdonald", 3578], ["mcdonalds", 3578], ["pleasant", 3660], ["kind", 3665], ["go", 3738], ["goest", 3738], ["going", 3738], ["trouble", 3751], ["troubling", 3751], ["clear", 3764], ["clearest", 3764], ["clearing", 3764], ["mind", 3769], ["minding", 3769], ["vibration", 3790], ["almost", 3801], ["massage", 3822], ["massaged", 3822], ["point", 3838], ["pointed", 3838], ["ask", 3854], ["question", 3864], ["questions", 3864], ["turn", 3880], ["turns", 3880], ["along", 3896], ["lead", 3912], ["leaded", 3912], ["led", 3912], ["hill", 3927], ["hills", 3927], ["eventually", 3944], ["stop", 3952], ["stopped", 3952], ["foot", 3981], ["bluff", 3992], ["bluffs", 3992], ["bluffed", 3992], ["bluffing", 3992], ["whose", 3998], ["definition", 4010], ["definitions", 4010], ["grow", 4035], ["growest", 4035], ["growing", 4035], ["darkness", 4044], ["sign", 4055], ["chapel", 4069], ["holy", 4081], ["cross", 4087], ["crossing", 4087], ["quietly", 4115], ["safe", 4168], ["safed", 4168], ["safes", 4168], ["bring", 4199], ["ready", 4226], ["panic", 4241], ["panics", 4241], ["hard", 4258], ["panic", 4316], ["attack", 4324], ["attacks", 4324]]
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i parked the camaro in a convenient spot , killed the engine , and sat listening to the metal tick as it cooled . outside , there was a living silence that pressed heavily against the car windows . i did n't like it here . `` this is hard for you , '' venna said . she turned those blue , blue eyes on me and said , `` do you know why ? '' i silently shook my head . we got out of the car and walked to a steep set of concrete stairs leading up into the dark . motion-sensitive lights bathed the steps dusty white , a startling contrast to the reddish rocks . i put my foot on the first one , and suddenly i could n't breathe . venna took my hand . `` this place remembers . it remembers everything . '' she put her head down , as if there were things she did n't want to see . i could feel it brushing at the edges of my consciousness , and without meaning to i drifted up into the aetheric ... and i saw chaos . raw fury . an abiding , keening grief that had reduced this place , on the aetheric level , to a black hole of emotion . `` my god , '' i whispered numbly . venna glanced up at me , then back down . `` david did . when she died- '' she shut up , fast , but not before i put the pieces together . `` imara died here . '' she was part human , and that part could n't be saved . he tried , after you were ... after you disappeared . '' `` david tried to save her . '' venna bit her lip and nodded . she looked genuinely distressed . no wonder there was so much pain here , so much grief . david 's agony , staining this place like ink . maybe mine , too . `` we 'd better go , '' she said , and took my hand . hers felt warm , childlike , human . `` it 'll be better at the top . '' it was n't exactly easy ascending those stairs ; i felt as if i were moving through the same quicksand i 'd fought through back on the beach . the handrail felt sticky . i looked at my hand , almost sure i 'd see bloodstains , but no ... nothing . up above , stars were twinkling in the dark blue sky ; there was still a band of pale blue toward the horizon , shot through with threads of red and gold . there seemed to be a thousand steps , and every one of them a sacrifice . when we made it to the landing i was gasping for breath and shaking ; venna let go of my hand and moved to the door of the chapel , which was closed and had a sign on the front that gave the hours it was open-which did n't include the hour of now . that did n't seem to matter to venna , who simply pulled , and the door opened with a faint snick . the puff of air from the darkened interior smelled of incense and cedar , a timeless scent that carried none of the horror present outside . except for the flicker of a couple of red candles here and there , it was quite dark inside ; the dim , fading sunset showed a small chamber , inked in shadow at the corners , with a few plain wood pews facing the huge expanse of glass windows . it was breathtaking , and it was , without a doubt , a holy kind of place . venna held the door for me , and locked it once we were inside . `` i thought you said- '' `` i said i 'd bring him , '' she said , and i felt a massive energy surge sweep over my body , staggering me , and i almost saw the golden arc of it blow past . it seemed to outline a human body , glowing hot , and then the glow vanished and there was only a man standing there , unsteady and pale as a dead man . he pitched forward to the floor , retching . i knew exactly how that felt , actually . i 'd felt it when i 'd flown air venna from the great northwest to las vegas , nonstop . `` i thought you said teleporting could kill people , '' i said . even though i knew it was a mistake , i took a step toward them and heard that he was gasping for breath in helpless , hopeless sobs . he looked up , and the dim light gilded a pale face , pale hair . `` i ca n't be here- '' and then he just ... stopped , staring at me . he should have rung some recognition bells , i knew that , but ... nothing . a frustrating lack of context . he licked pale lips and wiped away his tears with shaking hands . `` you 're gone , '' he said . i killed both of you . '' he lunged at me , and slammed the heel of his hand into my shoulder . he seemed as surprised as i was-apparently , he 'd been expecting a ghost , not flesh and blood . and i had n't expected him to move quite that fast . i said , and skipped back out of reach .
|
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1003], ["levelling", 1003], ["black", 1016], ["hole", 1021], ["emotion", 1032], ["god", 1044], ["whisper", 1061], ["whispered", 1061], ["numbly", 1068], ["glance", 1084], ["back", 1105], ["david", 1121], ["davids", 1121], ["shut", 1154], ["fast", 1164], ["piece", 1198], ["pieced", 1198], ["pieces", 1198], ["together", 1207], ["die", 1223], ["died", 1223], ["part", 1246], ["parting", 1246], ["human", 1252], ["save", 1287], ["saved", 1287], ["try", 1298], ["tryed", 1298], ["tried", 1298], ["disappear", 1341], ["disappeared", 1341], ["save", 1369], ["bite", 1388], ["lip", 1396], ["lipped", 1396], ["nod", 1407], ["nodding", 1407], ["nodded", 1407], ["look", 1420], ["looked", 1420], ["genuinely", 1430], ["distressed", 1441], ["wonder", 1453], ["wonderest", 1453], ["much", 1471], ["pain", 1476], ["agony", 1514], ["stain", 1525], ["stainest", 1525], ["staining", 1525], ["ink", 1545], ["inkest", 1545], ["maybe", 1553], ["well", 1582], ["wells", 1582], ["better", 1582], ["go", 1585], ["goest", 1585], ["feel", 1630], ["felt", 1630], ["warm", 1635], ["childlike", 1647], ["top", 1688], ["exactly", 1712], ["easy", 1717], ["ascend", 1727], ["ascending", 1727], ["move", 1769], ["moving", 1769], ["quicksand", 1796], ["fight", 1808], ["fightest", 1808], ["fighting", 1808], ["fought", 1808], ["beach", 1834], ["handrail", 1849], ["sticky", 1861], ["almost", 1892], ["sure", 1897], ["bloodstain", 1918], ["bloodstains", 1918], ["nothing", 1939], ["star", 1958], ["starred", 1958], ["stars", 1958], ["twinkle", 1973], ["twinkling", 1973], ["sky", 1994], ["still", 2012], ["stilling", 2012], ["band", 2019], ["pale", 2027], ["toward", 2039], ["horizon", 2051], ["shoot", 2058], ["shooted", 2058], ["shot", 2058], ["thread", 2079], ["threads", 2079], ["red", 2086], ["gold", 2095], ["golds", 2095], ["seem", 2110], ["seeming", 2110], ["seemest", 2110], ["seemed", 2110], ["thousand", 2127], ["every", 2145], ["sacrifice", 2169], ["landing", 2202], ["gasp", 2216], ["gasps", 2216], ["gasping", 2216], ["breath", 2227], ["breathest", 2227], ["shake", 2239], ["shaking", 2239], ["let", 2251], ["lets", 2251], ["move", 2275], ["moved", 2275], ["door", 2287], ["chapel", 2301], ["close", 2320], ["closing", 2320], ["closed", 2320], ["sign", 2335], ["front", 2348], ["give", 2358], ["gave", 2358], ["hour", 2368], ["hours", 2368], ["open", 2380], ["opening", 2380], ["include", 2402], ["hour", 2411], ["seem", 2438], ["seeming", 2438], ["seemest", 2438], ["matter", 2448], ["mattering", 2448], ["simply", 2470], ["pull", 2477], ["pulled", 2477], ["open", 2499], ["opening", 2499], ["opened", 2499], ["faint", 2512], ["snick", 2518], ["puff", 2529], ["puffs", 2529], ["puffed", 2529], ["air", 2536], ["airs", 2536], ["airing", 2536], ["darken", 2554], ["darkened", 2554], ["interior", 2563], ["smell", 2571], ["smelt", 2571], ["smellest", 2571], ["smelled", 2571], ["incense", 2582], ["cedar", 2592], ["cedars", 2592], ["timeless", 2605], ["scent", 2611], ["scentest", 2611], ["carry", 2624], ["carried", 2624], ["none", 2629], ["horror", 2643], ["present", 2651], ["presentest", 2651], ["except", 2668], ["flicker", 2684], ["flickering", 2684], ["couple", 2696], ["candle", 2711], ["candles", 2711], ["quite", 2741], ["inside", 2753], ["dim", 2763], ["dimmed", 2763], ["fade", 2772], ["fading", 2772], ["sunset", 2779], ["sunsets", 2779], ["show", 2786], ["showed", 2786], ["small", 2794], ["chamber", 2802], ["chamberest", 2802], ["ink", 2810], ["inkest", 2810], ["inked", 2810], ["shadow", 2820], ["shadowed", 2820], ["corner", 2835], ["corners", 2835], ["plain", 2854], ["plains", 2854], ["wood", 2859], ["pew", 2864], ["pews", 2864], ["face", 2871], ["facing", 2871], ["huge", 2880], ["expanse", 2888], ["glass", 2897], ["doubt", 2958], ["holy", 2967], ["kind", 2972], ["hold", 2994], ["held", 2994], ["lock", 3023], ["locked", 3023], ["think", 3061], ["thinkest", 3061], ["thought", 3061], ["bring", 3095], ["massive", 3136], ["energy", 3143], ["surge", 3149], ["sweep", 3155], ["body", 3168], ["bodied", 3168], ["stagger", 3181], ["golden", 3214], ["arc", 3218], ["arcs", 3218], ["blow", 3229], ["blew", 3229], ["blowest", 3229], ["past", 3234], ["pastest", 3234], ["outline", 3257], ["outlines", 3257], ["glow", 3280], ["glowest", 3280], ["glowing", 3280], ["hot", 3284], ["glow", 3304], ["glowest", 3304], ["vanish", 3313], ["vanished", 3313], ["man", 3338], ["mans", 3338], ["manned", 3338], ["stand", 3347], ["stood", 3347], ["standest", 3347], ["standing", 3347], ["unsteady", 3364], ["dead", 3383], ["deadest", 3383], ["pitch", 3400], ["pitched", 3400], ["forward", 3408], ["forwarding", 3408], ["floor", 3421], ["flooring", 3421], ["retch", 3432], ["retching", 3432], ["know", 3441], ["knew", 3441], ["fly", 3505], ["flys", 3505], ["flown", 3505], ["great", 3530], ["northwest", 3540], ["vegas", 3553], ["nonstop", 3563], ["nonstops", 3563], ["kill", 3610], ["people", 3617], ["even", 3636], ["evens", 3636], ["though", 3643], ["mistake", 3667], ["step", 3683], ["hear", 3705], ["hears", 3705], ["heard", 3705], ["helpless", 3748], ["hopeless", 3759], ["sob", 3764], ["sobs", 3764], ["sobbed", 3764], ["lit", 3799], ["light", 3799], ["lighting", 3799], ["gilt", 3806], ["gild", 3806], ["gilded", 3806], ["face", 3818], ["hair", 3830], ["ca", 3840], ["stop", 3885], ["stopped", 3885], ["stared", 3895], ["staring", 3895], ["rang", 3923], ["ring", 3923], ["recognition", 3940], ["bell", 3946], ["belling", 3946], ["bells", 3946], ["frustrating", 3994], ["lack", 3999], ["context", 4010], ["contexts", 4010], ["lick", 4022], ["licked", 4022], ["lip", 4032], ["lipped", 4032], ["lips", 4032], ["wipe", 4042], ["wiped", 4042], ["away", 4047], ["tear", 4057], ["teared", 4057], ["tears", 4057], ["hand", 4076], ["handing", 4076], ["hands", 4076], ["go", 4094], ["goest", 4094], ["gone", 4094], ["lunge", 4145], ["lunges", 4145], ["slam", 4165], ["slammed", 4165], ["heel", 4174], ["heeled", 4174], ["heeling", 4174], ["shoulder", 4203], ["shouldered", 4203], ["shoulderest", 4203], ["surprised", 4228], ["apparently", 4248], ["expect", 4271], ["expecting", 4271], ["ghost", 4279], ["flesh", 4291], ["blood", 4301], ["bloods", 4301], ["expect", 4326], ["expected", 4326], ["move", 4338], ["skip", 4377], ["skips", 4377], ["skipped", 4377], ["reach", 4395]]
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`` watch the hands ! '' ashan did n't exactly look well . he was wearing some kind of a gray suit , but it was dirty , smudged , and torn , and he smelled . i mean , really smelled . his hair was greasy , and all in all , he looked like somebody who 'd never discovered the basics of hygiene . which i suppose would follow , if he 'd been busted from near-angelic status to the merely human . venna clearly had n't taken the time to clean him up , or maybe she had n't been able to convince him to even try . he kept looking at me like he was n't sure he was sane . well ... actually , he looked like he 'd blown past the borders of actual sanity some time ago . venna was still there , watching with unnervingly bright eyes . `` you have to be dead , '' he said . i felt you die . and i paid the price . '' you get to make amends and help me get my life back . '' faster than he ought to have been , and i had n't moved far enough . he crossed the space , grabbed me by the throat , and slammed me down to the floor with such violence that i could barely comprehend it , much less react . upside down , venna 's face was still inscrutable . my instincts reached for power ... and failed . there was no access to the powers i 'd started to get accustomed to , not here . this was like a bubble , cut off from the outside . i squeaked , and twisted , trying to throw ashan 's weight to one side . he was n't heavy , but he was wiry , and he had an unholy amount of strength . i had no leverage . i grabbed a handful of his greasy hair and yanked , and he howled and used his free hand to grab my wrist . i bucked , got him off balance , and we rolled down the aisle of the chapel , spitting curses , and this time i ended up on top , my hands on his throat . holding him down . `` go on , '' he spat at me . `` break my neck . kill me like i killed your child . put me out of my misery , you pathetic bag of meat ! '' i went very still . i must have looked like a crazy woman , my hair sticking to my sweaty face , my eyes wide , my lips parted on a truth i did n't want to speak . he 'd killed my child . that was what venna had n't wanted to tell me . i was facing imara 's murderer , with his life in my hands . this time , venna did react . she stepped forward and said , very quietly , `` you ca n't . oh , i was pretty sure i could . and should . did n't the daughter i could n't remember , whose pain had soaked into the very stones outside of this place , demand that much ? twelve it was n't so much the moral quandary that stopped me as the fact that something changed in the room , right at that moment . not ashan-he was a stinky , horrifying excuse for a human being , and right at that moment i had no reason in the world not to hurt him as badly as he 'd hurt my daughter . i did n't figure that venna would really be able to stop me . what changed was that the three of us were no longer alone . venna took in a deep , gasping breath-more reaction than i 'd ever heard from her-and moved slowly back , until her shoulders fetched up against the polished wood of the side of a pew . and then she slipped down to her knees , put her hands in her lap , and bowed her head . i should n't have brought them here . '' and there was someone sitting in the blackest shadows of the room , an outline of a person , nothing more , but a sense of presence and power sent little shocks up and down my spine . i hesitated , staring at that dark shape , and then i sat up , grabbed ashan by his filthy collar , and yanked him to a sitting position . i asked venna . whoever it was , ashan looked destroyed . the expression on his face was horrifying in its vulnerability . his eyes filled with tears , and his whole body trembled with the force of something like grief , something like rage , more toxic than either one of those . i let go , because he did n't even know i was there , and he crawled away from me , crawled , to kneel at the end of the pew where the shadow figure sat . `` you ca n't be here , '' he said . but whatever the shape was , it did n't move , did n't speak , and did n't seem to notice him at all . i got slowly to my feet and watched ashan tremble , and suddenly killing him did n't seem like a priority . he was suffering , all right .
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["evens", 502], ["try", 506], ["tryed", 506], ["keep", 516], ["keepest", 516], ["kept", 516], ["look", 524], ["looking", 524], ["sure", 551], ["sane", 563], ["blow", 612], ["blew", 612], ["blowest", 612], ["blown", 612], ["past", 617], ["pastest", 617], ["border", 629], ["bordering", 629], ["borders", 629], ["actual", 639], ["sanity", 646], ["ago", 660], ["still", 678], ["stilling", 678], ["watch", 695], ["watching", 695], ["unnervingly", 712], ["bright", 719], ["brights", 719], ["eye", 724], ["eyes", 724], ["dead", 749], ["deadest", 749], ["say", 762], ["said", 762], ["feel", 771], ["felt", 771], ["die", 779], ["pay", 792], ["pays", 792], ["payest", 792], ["paid", 792], ["price", 802], ["get", 815], ["amend", 830], ["amends", 830], ["help", 839], ["life", 854], ["lifes", 854], ["back", 859], ["fast", 871], ["ought", 885], ["move", 920], ["moved", 920], ["far", 924], ["enough", 931], ["cross", 944], ["crossing", 944], ["crossed", 944], ["space", 954], ["spaced", 954], ["spacing", 954], ["grab", 964], ["grabbed", 964], ["throat", 981], ["slam", 995], ["slammed", 995], ["floor", 1016], ["flooring", 1016], ["violence", 1035], ["barely", 1055], ["comprehend", 1066], ["much", 1076], ["less", 1081], ["react", 1087], ["upside", 1096], ["face", 1117], ["inscrutable", 1139], ["instinct", 1154], ["instincts", 1154], ["reach", 1162], ["reached", 1162], ["power", 1172], ["fail", 1187], ["failed", 1187], ["access", 1209], ["power", 1223], ["powers", 1223], ["start", 1236], ["started", 1236], ["bubble", 1293], ["cut", 1299], ["outside", 1320], ["squeak", 1333], ["squeaks", 1333], ["squeaked", 1333], ["twist", 1347], ["twisted", 1347], ["twisting", 1347], ["try", 1356], ["tryed", 1356], ["trying", 1356], ["throw", 1365], ["weight", 1381], ["weighted", 1381], ["side", 1393], ["heavy", 1412], ["heavies", 1412], ["heavier", 1412], ["wiry", 1430], ["unholy", 1453], ["amount", 1460], ["strength", 1472], ["leverage", 1492], ["handful", 1514], ["handfuls", 1514], ["howl", 1560], ["howls", 1560], ["howlest", 1560], ["use", 1569], ["used", 1569], ["free", 1578], ["hand", 1583], ["handing", 1583], ["grab", 1591], ["wrist", 1600], ["buck", 1611], ["bucking", 1611], ["bucked", 1611], ["get", 1617], ["got", 1617], ["balance", 1633], ["roll", 1649], ["rolled", 1649], ["aisle", 1664], ["aisles", 1664], ["chapel", 1678], ["curse", 1696], ["cursed", 1696], ["curses", 1696], ["end", 1720], ["ends", 1720], ["endest", 1720], ["ended", 1720], ["top", 1730], ["hold", 1765], ["holding", 1765], ["go", 1782], ["goest", 1782], ["spit", 1798], ["spitting", 1798], ["break", 1815], ["broke", 1815], ["neck", 1823], ["necked", 1823], ["kill", 1830], ["kill", 1847], ["killed", 1847], ["child", 1858], ["childs", 1858], ["put", 1864], ["misery", 1884], ["pathetic", 1899], ["bag", 1903], ["bagged", 1903], ["bagging", 1903], ["meat", 1911], ["go", 1923], ["goest", 1923], ["went", 1923], ["must", 1943], ["musts", 1943], ["crazy", 1968], ["woman", 1974], ["womans", 1974], ["stick", 1993], ["sticking", 1993], ["sweaty", 2006], ["wide", 2026], ["lip", 2036], ["lipped", 2036], ["lips", 2036], ["part", 2043], ["parting", 2043], ["truth", 2054], ["speak", 2078], ["spoken", 2078], ["tell", 2147], ["face", 2165], ["facing", 2165], ["murderer", 2183], ["step", 2255], ["stepped", 2255], ["forward", 2263], ["forwarding", 2263], ["quietly", 2287], ["ca", 2299], ["oh", 2308], ["pretty", 2323], ["daughter", 2372], ["remember", 2393], ["rememberest", 2393], ["whose", 2401], ["pain", 2406], ["soak", 2417], ["soaks", 2417], ["soaked", 2417], ["stone", 2438], ["stoning", 2438], ["stones", 2438], ["place", 2460], ["demand", 2469], ["demandest", 2469], ["twelve", 2488], ["twelves", 2488], ["moral", 2517], ["quandary", 2526], ["stop", 2539], ["stopped", 2539], ["fact", 2554], ["change", 2577], ["changed", 2577], ["room", 2589], ["roomed", 2589], ["right", 2597], ["moment", 2612], ["stinky", 2640], ["excuse", 2660], ["reason", 2721], ["reasonest", 2721], ["world", 2734], ["hurt", 2746], ["hurts", 2746], ["hurting", 2746], ["badly", 2759], ["figure", 2804], ["stop", 2844], ["three", 2881], ["long", 2902], ["longs", 2902], ["longing", 2902], ["alone", 2908], ["take", 2921], ["took", 2921], ["deep", 2931], ["deeply", 2931], ["gasp", 2941], ["gasps", 2941], ["gasping", 2941], ["breath", 2948], ["breathest", 2948], ["reaction", 2962], ["ever", 2977], ["hear", 2983], ["hears", 2983], ["heard", 2983], ["slowly", 3009], ["shoulder", 3036], ["shouldered", 3036], ["shoulderest", 3036], ["shoulders", 3036], ["fetch", 3044], ["fetched", 3044], ["polished", 3068], ["wood", 3073], ["pew", 3094], ["pews", 3094], ["slip", 3117], ["slipped", 3117], ["knee", 3135], ["knees", 3135], ["lap", 3162], ["laps", 3162], ["lapping", 3162], ["bow", 3174], ["bowed", 3174], ["head", 3183], ["bring", 3211], ["brought", 3211], ["sat", 3256], ["sit", 3256], ["sitting", 3256], ["black", 3272], ["blackest", 3272], ["shadow", 3280], ["shadowed", 3280], ["shadows", 3280], ["outline", 3305], ["outlines", 3305], ["person", 3317], ["nothing", 3327], ["sense", 3346], ["presence", 3358], ["send", 3373], ["sent", 3373], ["little", 3380], ["shock", 3387], ["shocking", 3387], ["shocks", 3387], ["spine", 3408], ["hesitate", 3422], ["hesitating", 3422], ["hesitated", 3422], ["stare", 3432], ["stared", 3432], ["staring", 3432], ["dark", 3445], ["darkest", 3445], ["shape", 3451], ["shapes", 3451], ["sat", 3468], ["sit", 3468], ["filthy", 3501], ["collar", 3508], ["collared", 3508], ["yank", 3521], ["yanks", 3521], ["yanked", 3521], ["position", 3547], ["ask", 3557], ["asked", 3557], ["whoever", 3573], ["destroy", 3605], ["destroys", 3605], ["destroyed", 3605], ["expression", 3622], ["horrify", 3649], ["horrifying", 3649], ["vulnerability", 3670], ["fill", 3688], ["fills", 3688], ["filled", 3688], ["tear", 3699], ["teared", 3699], ["tears", 3699], ["whole", 3715], ["wholes", 3715], ["body", 3720], ["bodied", 3720], ["tremble", 3729], ["trembles", 3729], ["trembled", 3729], ["force", 3744], ["grief", 3768], ["rage", 3790], ["toxic", 3803], ["either", 3815], ["let", 3836], ["lets", 3836], ["know", 3870], ["crawl", 3899], ["crawled", 3899], ["away", 3904], ["knelt", 3933], ["kneel", 3933], ["kneels", 3933], ["kneeled", 3933], ["end", 3944], ["ends", 3944], ["endest", 3944], ["shadow", 3972], ["shadowed", 3972], ["whatever", 4035], ["move", 4067], ["seem", 4102], ["seeming", 4102], ["seemest", 4102], ["notice", 4112], ["foot", 4149], ["feet", 4149], ["watch", 4161], ["watched", 4161], ["tremble", 4175], ["trembles", 4175], ["suddenly", 4190], ["kill", 4198], ["killing", 4198], ["priority", 4231], ["suffer", 4250], ["suffering", 4250]]
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suffering in ways i could n't begin to understand . all around the chapel , candles came alight-one after another , a racing circle of warm flame . and i saw who was sitting in the pew . i guess i should have known , from venna 's reaction , and from ashan 's , but i still was n't prepared . she looked human , but there was no way she was anything like it ; she had a stillness to her that not even tibetan monks could attain . she was wearing a full brickred dress , shifting and sheer in some places , solid in others ; it fluttered in a breeze i could n't feel , and her full lips were parted on what looked like a gasp of delight , as if she 'd seen something truly wonderful that none of the rest of us could grasp . and then her eyes , a brilliant shade of hot gold , shifted to fix on me . ashan pressed himself down on the floor , totally abasing himself , and i thought , no , this ca n't be true . because it was my daughter . my imara , the imara of the memories i 'd gotten from cherise and eamon . and yet ... not her at all . not until she smiled , and shattered my heart into a million pieces . `` oh , '' i whispered , and felt my knees go weak . `` oh , my god ... '' i did n't know what to say , how to feel . there was this storm of emotion inside of me , overwhelming in its pressure , and i wanted to laugh and cry and scream and , like ashan , get down on my knees in gratitude and supplication . but i was n't ashan , and i did n't . i braced myself with both hands on the back of a pew and stared at her until my eyes burned . my throat felt raw , and i could barely recognize my own voice . i did n't even know what to ask . venna said , `` the old oracle was dying after the demon wounded her . the mother made a new oracle in her place from the energy that was lost . i did n't know it would be imara . '' venna sounded very quiet , very small . my daughter was there , smiling at me . how could it not help ? `` can she ... can she hear me ? '' she hears who you are , though . and she knows . '' i felt a bizarre mixture of pain and grief and anger fizzing up inside , overwhelming the relief . `` everything , '' venna said soberly . `` she knows you still love her . '' there was something about imara that kept me from rushing to her , touching her , babbling out everything i felt . but that look , that smile ... those were pure love . `` it 's why you could do what you did on the beach , when you made the earth obey you , '' venna said . `` and how you can touch people 's memories . because through her , you touch the earth . you 've got all three channels now . earth , fire , weather . you 're like lewis . '' she did n't look particularly happy about it . imara 's smile faded , and she looked down at ashan , cowering near her feet . her eyes shifted color to a molten bronze . i did n't need words to understand that look , and it chilled me . if venna noticed , she did n't mention it . she was frowning now , looking as disturbed as i 'd ever seen her . for a terrifying second i thought she was talking about imara , that there was something wrong , but no ; venna looked too calm , too still . `` she 's new , '' venna said , and rested her hands , palm down , on her thighs . `` she has n't come into her full power yet . and that means she ca n't help ashan-even if she wants to . '' i doubted sincerely that what imara had on her mind for ashan could go by the description of help . `` we just give up ? '' venna threw me an all-too-human look of exasperation . `` we take him to another oracle , that 's all . i'll-take him out of here . '' i did n't watch how she did it , but i heard ashan scrambling , and heard him cry out , once . then they were gone , and the door shut behind them . i did n't take my eyes off my daughter , the oracle . her eyes slowly swirled back to that lovely shade of gold , but she did n't smile this time . i waited , but the candles began to dim , slowly winking out one by one . while i could still see her , i said , `` please say something . she was just a dim shadow against the deeper shadows , a glimmer of gold eyes in the dark , when she whispered , `` hang in there , mom .
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["fluttering", 536], ["fluttered", 536], ["breeze", 548], ["breezing", 548], ["feel", 565], ["lip", 585], ["lipped", 585], ["lips", 585], ["part", 597], ["parting", 597], ["gasp", 624], ["gasps", 624], ["gasping", 624], ["delight", 635], ["delighted", 635], ["see", 655], ["seen", 655], ["truly", 671], ["wonderful", 681], ["none", 691], ["rest", 703], ["grasp", 721], ["grasps", 721], ["grasped", 721], ["grasping", 721], ["eye", 741], ["eyes", 741], ["brilliant", 755], ["shade", 761], ["shaded", 761], ["hot", 768], ["gold", 773], ["golds", 773], ["shift", 783], ["shifted", 783], ["fix", 790], ["fixes", 790], ["press", 812], ["pressed", 812], ["floor", 838], ["flooring", 838], ["totally", 848], ["abase", 856], ["abasing", 856], ["think", 880], ["thinkest", 880], ["thought", 880], ["ca", 895], ["true", 907], ["daughter", 936], ["memory", 975], ["memories", 975], ["get", 987], ["gotten", 987], ["eamon", 1010], ["yet", 1020], ["smile", 1062], ["smiled", 1062], ["shatter", 1078], ["shattered", 1078], ["heart", 1087], ["million", 1102], ["piece", 1109], ["pieced", 1109], ["pieces", 1109], ["oh", 1117], ["whisper", 1134], ["whispered", 1134], ["feel", 1145], ["felt", 1145], ["knee", 1154], ["knees", 1154], ["go", 1157], ["goest", 1157], ["weak", 1162], ["god", 1179], ["know", 1201], ["say", 1213], ["storm", 1250], ["emotion", 1261], ["inside", 1268], ["pressure", 1305], ["pressured", 1305], ["laugh", 1329], ["cry", 1337], ["scream", 1348], ["screams", 1348], ["get", 1371], ["gratitude", 1401], ["supplication", 1418], ["brace", 1467], ["braced", 1467], ["hand", 1490], ["handing", 1490], ["hands", 1490], ["back", 1502], ["stare", 1522], ["stared", 1522], ["burn", 1550], ["burns", 1550], ["burned", 1550], ["throat", 1562], ["raw", 1571], ["barely", 1592], ["recognize", 1602], ["voice", 1615], ["ask", 1649], ["say", 1662], ["said", 1662], ["old", 1675], ["oracle", 1682], ["oracles", 1682], ["die", 1692], ["dying", 1692], ["demon", 1708], ["wind", 1716], ["wound", 1716], ["wounding", 1716], ["wounded", 1716], ["mother", 1733], ["mothered", 1733], ["mothering", 1733], ["new", 1744], ["place", 1764], ["energy", 1780], ["lose", 1794], ["lost", 1794], ["sound", 1848], ["sounded", 1848], ["quiet", 1859], ["small", 1872], ["smile", 1906], ["smiling", 1906], ["help", 1936], ["hear", 1966], ["hears", 1966], ["hear", 1984], ["hears", 1984], ["though", 2005], ["know", 2021], ["knows", 2021], ["bizarre", 2043], ["mixture", 2051], ["pain", 2059], ["grief", 2069], ["anger", 2079], ["fizz", 2087], ["fizzing", 2087], ["overwhelm", 2112], ["overwhelms", 2112], ["overwhelming", 2112], ["relief", 2123], ["reliefs", 2123], ["everything", 2139], ["soberly", 2163], ["love", 2193], ["keep", 2244], ["keepest", 2244], ["kept", 2244], ["rush", 2260], ["rushing", 2260], ["touch", 2278], ["touching", 2278], ["babble", 2293], ["babbling", 2293], ["look", 2331], ["smile", 2344], ["pure", 2364], ["pured", 2364], ["beach", 2423], ["earth", 2449], ["earths", 2449], ["obey", 2454], ["obeyed", 2454], ["touch", 2501], ["touching", 2501], ["people", 2508], ["get", 2578], ["got", 2578], ["three", 2588], ["channel", 2597], ["channelest", 2597], ["channels", 2597], ["fire", 2616], ["weather", 2626], ["lewis", 2647], ["particularly", 2682], ["happy", 2688], ["fade", 2720], ["faded", 2720], ["cower", 2762], ["cowered", 2762], ["cowerest", 2762], ["cowering", 2762], ["near", 2767], ["foot", 2776], ["feet", 2776], ["color", 2801], ["molten", 2813], ["bronze", 2820], ["bronzing", 2820], ["need", 2837], ["word", 2843], ["wording", 2843], ["words", 2843], ["chill", 2884], ["chills", 2884], ["chilling", 2884], ["chilled", 2884], ["notice", 2906], ["noticed", 2906], ["mention", 2928], ["frown", 2950], ["frowns", 2950], ["frowning", 2950], ["look", 2964], ["looking", 2964], ["ever", 2990], ["second", 3025], ["seconded", 3025], ["talk", 3051], ["talking", 3051], ["wrong", 3096], ["calm", 3129], ["calms", 3129], ["rest", 3186], ["rested", 3186], ["palm", 3203], ["palms", 3203], ["palmed", 3203], ["thigh", 3224], ["thighs", 3224], ["come", 3246], ["power", 3266], ["mean", 3287], ["meanest", 3287], ["meaning", 3287], ["means", 3287], ["doubt", 3345], ["sincerely", 3355], ["mind", 3387], ["minding", 3387], ["description", 3425], ["give", 3451], ["throw", 3471], ["threw", 3471], ["exasperation", 3512], ["take", 3525], ["watch", 3610], ["hear", 3639], ["hears", 3639], ["heard", 3639], ["scramble", 3656], ["scrambling", 3656], ["go", 3709], ["goest", 3709], ["gone", 3709], ["door", 3724], ["shut", 3729], ["behind", 3736], ["slowly", 3813], ["swirl", 3821], ["swirls", 3821], ["swirled", 3821], ["lovely", 3841], ["time", 3889], ["timing", 3889], ["wait", 3900], ["waitest", 3900], ["waited", 3900], ["begin", 3924], ["began", 3924], ["dim", 3931], ["dimmed", 3931], ["wink", 3948], ["winks", 3948], ["winkest", 3948], ["winking", 3948], ["see", 3989], ["please", 4014], ["pleasing", 4014], ["shadow", 4056], ["shadowed", 4056], ["deep", 4075], ["deeply", 4075], ["shadow", 4083], ["shadowed", 4083], ["shadows", 4083], ["glimmer", 4095], ["glimmering", 4095], ["dark", 4120], ["darkest", 4120], ["hang", 4151], ["hung", 4151], ["hangs", 4151], ["mom", 4166], ["moms", 4166]]
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