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“I’ry”

“Me, too,” Maryam replied

“Scoot together,” Ree tree “You’ll keep warht”

“I have food,” Nasha said She slipped her pack off her shoulders, unzipped it, and pulled out a stale roll, two very bruised bananas, and an apple The girls split the bananas a them Remi sat down next to Nasha “What other kinds of treasures do you keep in that pack of yours?”

“My school board,” she said “And your phone”

She pulled out the phone and gave it to Remi As expected, the battery was dead Re, “You think you can hold on to this for me?”

Nasha said yes and returned it to her pack, carefully zipping the pocket

The four older girls htly next to one another Aainst a tree trunk, Nasha in her lap, the child clutching her backpack close to her chest Re The forest was anything but quiet The rustle of leaves in the canopy aboveof nocturnal creatures and insects A snap of a twig just outside the clearing broke the otherwise peaceful sounds Just as Reet her backpack—and the gun within—a leopard wandered in It looked over at the off into the night—hopefully, in search of far easier prey

Co stick Breathing a sigh of relief, she irls But in the three hours she stood watch, the leopard didn’t return She switched places with A her about it just in case

Nasha stirred, opening her eyes, as Reo find us?” Nasha whispered

“Because he’s very, very smart,” Remi said “Like you”

Nasha snuggled in closer, alseep within seconds

Not so Reht stars set in the black sky Where are you, Sam …?

Years ago, they’d hthouse Cafe in Herht, by the end of the night she kneas the one He’d walked her to her car, telling her that he’d see her again—soon

“You sound pretty sure of yourself,” she’d told him “Exactly hoill you find me?”