CHAPTER FIFTY

It was crisp and cold out as Tegwen reached her usual haunt at the Audubon Bay Bridge. Late autumn leaves of red and gold had blown all over the street in the gusty winds that had greeted St. Canard in its early morning hours. Every so often a gust would come along, blowing Tegwen's short hair into her eyes. Wind had never really been her friend but at the moment, she found comfort in it. The air was fresh for once, the wind blowing all the smog out to sea somewhere leaving the sky a pristine blue. Tegwen seldom saw days like that after leaving Duckburg.

"So this is where you live," Megavolt stated quietly.

Tegwen ran her fingers along the metal rail on the bridge, carefully watching the concrete of the sidewalk pass below her feet as she walked. "I wouldn't say I live here, but this is where I usually spend my time."

Megavolt snorted. "Not much of a house. Nice view, though." He nodded toward the city at the opposite end of the bridge from St. Canard.

Tegwen sighed, glancing up for a moment. "Nice view," she echoed after a moment. "Yeah."

"You okay?" Megavolt asked, glancing at Tegwen briefly.

"I will be, in a moment." Tegwen stopped abruptly and crouched down, tracing over something in the concrete sidewalk. It was a heart with sloppy symbols scribbled inside of it; obviously done when the concrete was still wet. Suddenly, she turned away from it and leaned against a small piece of concrete that made a decorative addition to the bridge. It slowly slid across the sidewalk, revealing a two foot wide hole in the barrier that kept any wayward cars and pedestrians on the bridge from going straight into the water below. She reached about a foot into the hole and pulled out a piece of cloth, dusting it off. "This is where I keep everything," she muttered, standing up. The cloth she picked up turned out to be a jacket, something that looked rather old but seemed to be in mint condition. Tegwen slipped her arms into it and pulled it up to her shoulders, holding it closed at her neck. It was too large for her

"Nice jacket," Megavolt said slowly.

Tegwen smiled crookedly. "Thanks. It's one of the last things I still own. One of my last articles of decent clothing. It's . . . Special."

"Um . . ." Megavolt stuttered. "I . . . Um . . . "

Tegwen glanced at him quizzically. "What?"

"If you don't have a place to stay, you can stay with me . . ." He offered slowly.

Stay with a homicidal maniac? She mused, content in making assumptions and casting proverbial stones. "I don't know . . ."

"It's got a roof and everything . . . And you don't have to pay rent . . ." He smiled hopefully for a fleeting moment.

"I hardly think you're doing this without hoping that you'll get something in return," Tegwen replied suspiciously. Something I have no interest in letting you have.



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