That was when she remembered that she’d forgotten soap and shampoo. She looked into the shower stall and saw that somebody’d left a little piece there, but it was green, and she didn’t like green soap because of the way it smelled. Still, she’d have to use it because she didn’t have any choice, just like she didn’t have a choice about anything that had happened to her.

Her stomach started hurting again. It had been hurting a lot lately, mainly when she got scared about things.

The baby babbled while Lucy undressed her, and those soft, happy sounds made up for having to get up so early. While the baby crawled around, Lucy pulled off her own clothes and carefully tested the water to make sure it wasn’t too hot. She stepped inside, then knelt down and held out her arms, but her sister was scared of the running water and didn’t want to come in.

“Come here.”

“Nuh!” She puckered up her face and crawled backward.

Lucy tried not to get mad because she was just a little baby, and she didn’t know water wouldn’t hurt her. But it was hard not to be mad with her stomach hurting and everything.

“Get in here right now!”

Her bottom lip stuck out, but the baby didn’t move.

“I mean it! Get in here!”

Oh, shit. The baby’s face crumpled and her eyes filled with tears. She didn’t even make any noise, just started to shake, with her lip all quivery, and Lucy couldn’t stand it. She stepped out of the stall and, naked and cold, squatted down to hug her.

“I didn’t mean to yell at you. I’m sorry, Button. I’m really sorry.”

Button buried her face in her neck, just like she always did, and hung on because Lucy was the only person she had left in the world.

That was when Lucy started to cry, too. With goose bumps breaking out all over her skin, and Button hanging on, and her heart hammering. She started to cry until she was shaking because she didn’t know how she was going to take care of Button, and she didn’t know what Jorik would do when he found out about her grandmother.