Literally. I bounce off him and fall. “Where’s the fire?” he says. The fire…the fire! I see it then, I see the house burning. But is it in the past, or the future? I can’t tell. “What’s the matter with you?” he asks, crouching over me. “He went crazy,” I say. “In the garden. He’s destroying it. You didn’t take care of it while he was away.” Jeff shrugs. “It’s hard to remember everything he wants us to do.” “You don’t understand. He’s out of control!” “He gets like that.” Jeff pulls me to my feet. “Then he sort of shuts down for a while and disappears into the woods. That’s the good part. I think he’s afraid he’ll hurt us.” “But what if he does?” His face hardens. “I’m not afraid of him.” “Why don’t we all just jump him? Take that swipe card—I saw it in his pocket. We can get to the boat—” “Shut up,” he says. “We can get out of here!” “Shut up,” he says. His gaze is flat and hard. “Shut your mouth and keep it shut and follow the rules.
