i asked , pulling my gun from my jacket . who said anything about an issue ? '' after a bit , ben and i were good . son of a ... '' he glared over at me . `` oh , i forgot , he 's not here today . it was strange to think about a word in a new way as if the brain was seeing it for the first time . splinters exploding all around her head that memory crystallized her thoughts . look here out the window , below us . '' it was what my mind needed . 