"You're not giving her credit for persistence. And I wish you wouldn't call her that. It's mean."

"But she is a cripple. Her leg is no good... She's so slow now that 'er ankle were ruined, init?If she were any tougher 'er leg would be better and she wouldn't be a cripple." Questa explained.

"It doesn't matter if it's what she is, it's just a mean way to refer to her. And it's not because she's soft or weak, her bone didn't knit properly I reckon. Anyway, it doesn't matter. I'm not allowed to be around her, so we need to find a spot we can call our own that she won't know about."

"A ladder or any stairs would put the mockers on 'er." Questa said. "She 'ad a fancy 'ealer, why didn't 'er poxy ankle 'eal?"

"Sometimes it's simply because of the way the bone breaks. It wouldn't surprise me if Andy crushed part of her ankle bone."

Questa pondered it. "I fink she were too soft ter recover from it."

"No, I blame the seriousness of the injury itself. He really did a job on her."

"Andy 'urt yer worse. But yor not even limpin'." Questa said.

"He didn't stomp on my ankle. And we don't know that I'm truly healed. I mean, yes, I kissed Larrigan and loved him with all my heart, but that doesn't mean I would ever have been able to be intimate with him. It could have been I would freeze up or freak out or something."

"Wulfsen wants ter snog yer... I fink if yer asked 'im 'e'd be willin' ter help yer find out if yer can ever be intimate." Questa suggested. "Not like yor a virgin or 'ave ter worry about getting preggers."

"It's just...it's not how I want my real first time to be. I don't know, maybe Lia's right. Maybe I am a danger to everyone. Hell, it's my fault that Max died. Maybe I should just be one of those crazy old ladies living in a cottage in the woods. I'm not good enough for Wulfsen. He deserves someone who knows how to be a lady, that everyone doesn't talk about because she's not a virgin. That can give him children. I don't think it's meant for me to be happy."

She glanced at Questa. "There are quite a few moments that I wish the raiders had killed me so I could be with Larrigan."

"Yer never 'ad a roll in the hay wiv Larry, isit?" Questa gave a sad whistle. "But it's not like Wulfsen's never been 'round uvver girls. Yer know men like 'im probably visit broffels and 'ave girls all over the bloomin' place."

"No, we never had a roll in the hay." Sileas sighed. "it's different for men. They're not frowned upon for having women on the side. I'm thinking it might be better for everyone that after we take care of the mermen, I just disappear forever. I'll miss Mama and Papa but I'll just be a weight they will never be rid of." Sileas wiped at her eyes, feeling a little moisture forming. "Let's go see what's under the kitchen."

"So yor plannin' on runnin' oray!" Questa said. "Yer kept sayin' yer wouldn't, right, but now yor sayin' so... I knew it! Blimey!"

"I wasn't going to before, not until it was made perfectly clear to me that I'm a horrible person and a danger to everyone I come near. My only other choice is convincing my parents to go with me to Grandmama and Grandpapa. I had already told them I was going there."

"Yor runnin' oray because of that crazy ole bint. Yer know yer could take 'er." Questa said.

"I'm running away from pain and misery. Too many dreams have been shattered, my heart's been broken too many times. I can't live my life ducking someone who is like a sister to me because her mother has decided she hates me. I'm going to do nothing but cause a huge rift in the family. But then Galina said I was created for the purpose of destroying the family. I guess I have."

"Yer've always put too much stock in family... All yer need is a good strong gang and a piece of right good territory." Questa said.

"It would have been better if it had just been me, Mama, Papa and my sisters. If we'd gone to Grandmama and Grandpapa once Papa was healed and we had just stayed there."

Questa thought a moment. "There's a bit of a gang in Portside we could probably join... I weren't in the chuffin' gang but I ran wiv them sometimes."

"I would only bring them problems." Sileas shook her head. "Remember what happened when I tried to pick a pocket during that one trip to Farthington. No, that life just isn't in me any longer."

"Yor just out of practice... Try pickin' a couple pockets and yer'll get good again." Questa said.

"If I don't get  murdered or caught first," Sileas reminded her. "I nearly lost my life in Farthington over that."

"Just practice on these blokes yer call family. Right. They won't murder yer over a couple nicked coins, right, will they?" Questa suggested.

"No, of course not. But they're going to want to know why I'm picking their pockets," Sileas pointed out.