Young Adult Fiction
Victorio nods. "And what will you pay for this boy's life?"
"Pay?" I ask in confusion.
"Would you pay your life for his?"
"I...I don't know," I stammer.
"Then you must decide, Busca. Ghost Moon wishes to kill the child, and you wish to spare him. Are you prepared to fight to save him?"
Suddenly I'm angry. Really angry. I bounce off the door frame and grab him again. He throws my hands off. With a solid crunch, he slams his shoulder into my chest and sends me flying.
Down the stairs.
"I told you. I don't need anyone..."
"Everyone needs someone. Parents, for instance; everyone needs parents."
"I've got no parents."
"Everyone's got parents." She thought for a second. "Unless you're an orphan."
"I've got work to do. So get lost."
"You're not very nice."
He scowled. "Just because I'm in a wheelchair doesn't mean I've got to be nice."
The stars are far away and the moon is touching someone else tonight. The only sound is the wind and dry leaves crunching under my feet. I wish I was alone, but I'm not. She's here, in her black dress with its long beaded train, watching me, following me. The Shadow Lady.
And I'm lost.
