Chapter 25

• A hand grabbed the edges of her skirt and tugged hard.
• She looked down to see a small boy of about three-year-old smiling widely at her. The boy spread his little arms wide and pipped, "Up, up, up, up,"
• Instinctively, she knew the boy was asking to be picked up. Ismena can safely say that she avoids children because they cry a lot and she doesn't understand them. She's almost a stranger to them because she hasn't been around much of them in years.