Page 40 - SAMPLE Running Out of Time

realises I’ve noticed. I see the shadow under the bright eyes and the prominence of the bones in her face.
“Are you unwell?” I ask, but she scowls.
“Do not use it on me!” she snaps.
“I thought you wanted me to practise.”
She holds my gaze for a moment, then laughs
a little but there is a sadness in it. She comes back from the window. “Give me a hug,” she says, waiting until I go to her. She is small in my embrace and I feel uncomfortable but she holds me for what seems like an age. Her hair is almost white under my eyes, but her arms are still strong.
“We are not all like your mother,” she says quietly. “And we are not all scared of things we don’t understand.”
I don’t reply and eventually she sighs. “Yes, I am not so well,” she says. “So we must make the most of our time.”
“Will you go to hospital?” I ask, but she shakes her head.
“They are busy with the soldiers,” she says. “And I don’t want to be there.” She sighs and gestures to the TV. “Everything is turning to dust,” she says. “And you must be careful.”
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