She winced as she leaned on her bed with one knee and felt down the side against the wall with her left hand. Caroline stepped forward to help and Charlie shook her head and came up with a red and white package of Marlboro cigarettes. She opened the cardboard lid and pulled out a cigarette…

Vickie turned around and her eyes met his. Those eyes. Those big, blue, cartoonishly beautiful eyes, like an animated princess. They seemed to project sadness, though he detected something else behind him. Something dark and angry and cold blooded, like a coiled black snake. It almost made him recoil, but then the smell hit him…