MasekMay 1999 Hard Shell Word FactoryNOTICE: This work is copyrighted. It is licensed only for use by the original purchaser. Making copies of this work or distributing it to any unauthorized person by any means, including without limit email, floppy disk, file transfer, paper print out, or any other method constitutes a violation of International copyright law and subjects the violator to severe fines or imprisonment. AcknowledgmentsTo Cynthia and Nanette, the best critique partners around, everyone in Nancy Grossman's writers group, and Ted, who read an early draft of the book and ran it by his students, Chi-hunt Wong and Chris Cruz: Thank you for getting me out of the yard and into the alley. To my children: Thank you for your patience and laughter. A special thanks to Catie for reminding me what it's like to grow from a girl into a young woman. To my parents: Thank you for reading all my stories and liking them—even when they take too long to get started. And especially to Paul: Thank you for everything.PrologueHE HAD TO find her.
