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“We have to work on our powers,” she said. “We have to work on our powers together. We weren’t all together before. And we won’t be till your friend wakes up and gets stronger.”
“Her name is Evie,” Ling said.
“When Evie gets stronger,” Sarah Beth said. “You said your powers were like wild horses you can’t control. I’m the reins. I can keep everything controlled. Like your mother does, right, Sam?”
What his mother did was beyond what anyone should be asked to do. Sam hoped Sarah Beth wouldn’t have to absorb the pain his mother did. “Sure. Right, kid,” Sam said.
Sarah Beth tossed her hair over her shoulder. “I am not a kid.”
“Goodness. All this talk of powers makes me feel unsettled. It isn’t good for Mr. Olson’s digestion. Why don’t we discuss something more pleasant over supper?” Mrs. Olson suggested.
But no one could think of much to say, and they passed the rest of the meal in silence.
Just before turning in, Sam went upstairs to see Evie, where he found Sarah Beth sitting on Evie’s bed, holding her hand. Sarah Beth’s eyes were closed and her lips were moving.
“Whatcha doing?” Sam asked.
Sarah Beth jumped. “Lands’ sake! You like to stop my heart!”
“I’ll bet your heart’s too strong to stop just from the sound of my voice, though it has had that effect on lots of girls older than you,” Sam said.
Sarah Beth didn’t laugh. She was a little humorless, Sam had noticed, which put him at a disadvantage in trying to make friends. “Whatcha doing with Evie?”
“Praying. Mother said I should.”
“Oh,” Sam said. “Well. That’s real nice.”
“Will she get better?” Sarah Beth asked.
“Sure. Sure, she will.”
“What’s the matter with your voice?”
“Nothing. Just, I ate some bread and, uh, it… it scratched my throat is all.”
“You sounded like you were gonna cry.”
“No. Naw. I don’t cry, kid.”
Sarah Beth bristled. “I keep telling you! I’m not a kid. I’m a lady.”
“Sure. Of course you are.” He bowed to her in a courtly way.
This made Sarah Beth smile and blush just a little, Sam saw. He felt sorry for her. Thanks to Project Buffalo, Sarah Beth Olson was still a kid in so many ways, but she clearly didn’t want to be. Like anybody, she wanted to be loved and adored, desired, even, and here she was all alone on this farm for so long she’d had to invent a different version of herself just to feel okay.
“Thank you for sitting with Evie. I’ll take over now, my lady,” Sam said. He bowed.
Sarah Beth giggled. She jumped up and half curtsied. “I hope she gets better,” she said and closed the door behind her.
Sam dragged a chair to Evie’s bedside. He checked the dressing Theta had put on Evie that afternoon. The wound was smaller, the edges no longer a bruised black. Her lips were still pale gray, though. Sam rubbed warmth into Evie’s cold hands.
“Hey. Hey, Baby Vamp. It’s Sam. You remember me? The fella who’s goofy for you? I was just thinking about that first time I saw you in Penn Station. You were looking at yourself in the shop window, making sure your hat was on straight. I could see your reflection. You weren’t sure if you looked like a city girl or some rube from Ohio. My first thought seeing you… well, my first thought was, That there is a bona fide mark, Sam Lloyd. Gonna level with you, Baby Vamp. Street smarts you did not yet have. But watching you bite your kisser and fix your hat, I thought, Why does a tomato like that doubt herself? Even then, I knew you were like the Fourth of July inside a person. And then I stole twenty bucks from you like a lousy bum. But that twenty bucks brought me back to you, so maybe I’m also a real smart bum.”
Gently, Sam brushed a curl back from Evie’s cool forehead. He was relieved that at least she was no longer feverish.
“I know I got a reputation as a cake-eater and a con. I can’t keep you in pearls, and the only joint I can afford is a hash house. I never wanted my name in lights the way you did. Me? You know I operate like a shell game, don’t see me and all that jazz. But if that’s what you wanted, well, by golly, I’d be in the front row, cheering you on.” Sam cleared his throat, but his voice stayed thick. “I’m cheering you on right now, Baby Doll. I’m in that front row telling you you can do this, you can get stronger and stronger, and then you’re gonna rise up outta that bed and show us all that Evie O’Neill moxie. You got to, okay, honey? Because I can face just about anything the King of Crows throws at us. But I can’t do it without you. Ikh hob dikh lib. I love you, Evie. I love you.”
Mrs. Olson knocked and opened the door, carrying an oil lamp that blazed the edges of her white. “Time to let her rest, young man.”
