The Things

oticed was that Alessan

as that she

herself

le

d seeped between his fingers, spreading across his white shirt. His fac

" he mu

at him. "

ry

not c

e says ot

It came out as a b

Can you stop being an insuffe

teen again, sitting beside him on the steps behind her father's

d at the blood

ory dis

a doctor!"

. Doors slammed. Somewhere in

er everything she'd ever heard about stopping bleeding. Her fi

t me,"

es fou

y aw

os

le

awa

l me who

ression

h, but

her toward the

's Val

went

cou

floor, and he was ask

hildish, and horribly inconvenient. She had no right to fe

ce been, he'd made

hought that his last w

la said. "Afte

ked back

you s

stared

of questi

tairs. Two guards lifted him carefully while

ella's hand as the

ght his

a second longer

ed something sh

ust the m

ha

eyes had

corridor with blood on her dress and a phone th

descended

rrived. The guards checked every room, every bathroom, every unlocked door. Someon

ge of a staircase,

shed the

still see

hed carrying a

somet

look

ent

e genuinely forg

one Bella had seen at the end of the corridor. Her hair was still nea

ho had simply stepped out

kly that water spil

ou

stop

el

on

ass down on th

me ex

you shot him, or the part wh

ression t

shoot Al

aw y

someone weari

stared

led out her phone. She unlocked it,

woman in a white dress at a ch

n had Va

ures. Not a pass

same

from the phot

is

sist

ave a

ad

ettled bet

esitate, though she wa

appened

ooked

a long

in this house s

s returne

ather d

stomach

ing him i

n in this longer

hough she wanted to say somet

reached for

pulled

t tou

and Bella immediately h

id quietly. "I know

right ab

d, I wouldn't have waited until

terrible

noyingly diffi

d respond, a guar

r. Moretti wan

ace wen

Mr. M

ard he

Lor

he colour drain

l looke

s next, don't le

hy

an walk

father is the only person

andro's blood

bedroom, listening to a doctor explain t

ad said he w

have fe

t me before they carried him away. Like there was someth

hat expres

:13 a.m. I'd missed the call because my phone was

, my fathe

d wondered what Ale

t sure I wa

opened, and the d

sking f

and walke

irt replaced by a loose black T-shirt. He looked exhau

looked i

pparently, sur

ame,"

ed. I wanted to make su

's sw

t

it immediately. I needed the distance. I nee

dropped t

ed the bl

it would

el

he was being serious. He used to sa

ha

sor

ked a

dn't remember what I

to his enemies, not to his business

down s

r w

toward t

ryth

sn't an

ly one I hav

used to think you were mysterious. Turn

ned a fa

t disa

eive a messa

ach tig

ou know a

meone sent

ide table, picked up his p

as from an un

ht to tell her what h

d it

t ga

eld my

er you we

nt. The little girl on the garden wall. T

ightened aro

happ

ed away

emember ev

s conv

elling me to stay inside. And I remember your

eone

n't k

t me to be

t you to understand that if I knew th

to beli

he humilia

sh corner of my heart still wante

is phon

ou lov

answer i

d he hadn't an

e said.

y did yo

hough he looked away

ur father a

red a

d. I'd replayed every conversation, every kiss, every mome

n too needy. Too emotio

me that my father had b

h to speak, but

ched for

, I let h

u hate me,

wn at our j

't hat

tightened

ight be

hat he meant, someon

quick

ed my hand

me

d carrying a s

s found in th

too

handwriting, all the

s it?"

dn't

for the envelope, bu

le

o your roo

red a

ou ser

eas

stopp

ly said

gain. My father's name was

smaller handwriti

e son

he room

at does t

sed hi

ittle boy who had been caught do

pened the

as a pho

ittle boys standing b

s Ales

er had

eatures. Not

fa

d the phot

had written a date

s never suppo

ked a

oked

r of u

phone

ge from my fa

re's something I ne

e screen, my h

arrived before

is not the boy yo

aised my e

ready loo

him, I couldn't tell whether the fear