Don't Poke the Bear!

Chapter 30

"EVERYONE HAS A purpose in life," Rose says.

"What's mine?"

"To live awhile longer."

"Why?"

"That I can't-"

"Right. You can't tell me."

She says, "I have a purpose, too."

"Can you tell me that?"

"I can tell you some."

"Go ahead, then."

She moves to the bed Shrug had been recuperatin' in, and sits on the side. Then brushes a strand of hair from her eyes and tucks it behind her ear to hold it in place. She says, "I've lived a lot of years, and I'll live a lot more. And while I'm alive, I'm tied to a certain lineage of humanity."

"I don't have any idea what you're sayin'."

"I know."

I sigh. "Am I just stupid?"

She smiles. "Not at all. It's my fault, not yours. I'm a protector. I protect a certain line of people."

"Go on."

"Pretend I age one year for every ten that other people age."

"What?"

"Just pretend. It'll make it easier for me to explain."

"If you explain much more, I might have to put you in a crazy home."

"You'll put me in no such place!"

"I was joshin'. But I don't approve of the tone you just used."

"You'll get that tone again if you talk about putting me away. You have no idea what being locked away is like."

"I once spent three days and nights in a leaky jail hole in January!"

"The suffering you've experienced in life is like eating a sugar cookie."

I frown at her. "A sugar cookie."

"That's right."

"Fine. Forget I said it then. I'm still peeved about this business with Bose Rennick."

"Fine," Rose says. "Now pay attention, because I don't think I can say this twice."

"Okay."

"Don't try to believe me, or argue with me, just hear me out."

"Okay."

"If Bose Rennick dies, you die."

"What? That's ridiculous."

"Emmett?"

"Sorry. Go on."

"I can't allow you to die, and can't allow Bose to die."

"Then why ain't you followin' him?"

"Because I didn't realize who your link was until last fall."

"When he ambushed us on the trail?"

"That's right."

"And somehow you knew he and I were tied up together."

"Yes."

"And you're protectin' us."

"Yes."

"But you ain't been here since October. And you ain't been followin' Bose around, as far as I can tell."

She's quiet, waitin' to see if I can figure it out. I think on it a minute and say, "Are you tellin' me the only way Bose and I are gonna die is if one of us kills the other?"

"Yes."

"So if Bose ain't around, I've got nothin' to worry about?"

"That's generally true."

"Generally?"

"You could die at any time."

"But if I do, Bose dies?"

"That's right."

"Then I don't understand. If you're protectin' us, why ain't you protectin' us?"

"Because I have a life, too. And my vision is that one of you kills the other."

"But you could be wrong?"

"I could be."

"Which of us kills the other?"

"In my vision?"

"Uh huh."

"I can't tell you."

"Just say if it's me. I hate that silky-voiced bastard."

"We're getting off track here."

I frown again. "I guess there's some satisfaction that if he kills me, he has to die too."

She nods.

"How long do I have?"

"What do you mean?"

"After I lynch Bose, how long before I die?"

She pats my leg. "You're not going to lynch Bose."

"Oh, really?"

"Really."

"And why's that?"

"Because you're going to help him escape."