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before, and I always had trouble going on after that. The others were still staring at me, their eyes so

unmoving they could have been glass.

"Why're you all looking at me like that?" I

snapped. Jade smirked.

"She's fine," she said and sat back. "She can go

on and on," she added.

"It's not that easy," Misty said. "Just because I

did it yesterday, doesn't mean it was simple and it will

be simple for you or for her or for Cat:'

"Don't tell me how it's going to be for me," Jade

fired back at her.

"I'm just trying to be . . ."

"What? Another Doctor Marlowe? One's

enough," Jade quipped and turned away.

"Well. At least we're not boring each other;'

Doctor Marlowe said. Jade made some sound under

her breath. Cat looked from one of us to the other, her

eyes still full of terror.

"Try to go on, Star," Doctor Marlowe urged.

"Tell them the rest of it," she urged as if it was more

important for them to hear it than for me to get it out. Jade turned her head slowly toward me to see

what I was going to do. Almost for spite, I continued. "I just saw him once after that time. I didn't

speak to him. I was on my way home from school. It

was just starting to rain and I saw him come out of our

apartment building carrying some of his things and

walking quickly toward his truck. I sped up and called

to him. I know he heard me because I saw him slow

down even though he didn't turn his head. He looked

down at the sidewalk and then sped up again until he

reached his truck.