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The threats were gone, but the safeguards remained
The only way to win a ticket out of Outpost was in the boxing ring, defeating one of the general’s hand-picked fighters No one ever had ever done it Only Loup’s brother had ever cole cause—redeeht Reliving Toht canvas square hemmed by ropes An opponent like her, like her newfound cousin
Not quite hu and fast and fearless
Truly fearless
“How many of us are there?” she asked Christophe
“Of us kids?” He grinned “Only seven here, but it seeether We’re not so quiet All boys, too”
“What about in America?”
“I don’t know” He shook his head “The arram was shut down; there are uy Johnson, maybe more There are a lot of rumors, and no one knows the whole truth But as far as I knoe’re the only natural-born ones And you’re the only girl”
“Huh”
“Is it true you beat hiht? Johnson?”
“Yeah” Loup rubbed her right eyebrow The gash had healed cleanly during her confine a thin pink scar “Yeah, I did”
Christophe whistled “That ht”
“It was” She replayed the , John Johnson cli to his feet before she knocked him down for the third and final ti hi and hard for that fight For one shining moiven hope to a town that had none “You know he killed my brother?”
He nodded “Yes, I am sorry Your half brother, was it not?”
“I guess I mean, we had different fathers, but Toht me to be careful all the time It was an accident,” Loup added “Johnson didn’t do it on purpose It was his twin that Touy like Tommy, not like us The army was afraid he’d lose They pulled a switch and Johnson took his place in the ring” She was quiet a moment “Tommy seemed okay at first Afterward, he collapsed They did try to save hih there were no tears There never were “It’s just weird to think, you know? Johnson killed Tommy, then I beat him Then he helped me escape”
“We’re not like other people”
“No” A thought struck her “Hey, Christophe? What do we call ourselves? Do we have a name for us?”
“No” He looked surprised “We’re just us”
They began to pass through towns and villages, seeing e to see so many nonmilitary cars, but the towns didn’t look so different frons were in Spanish Christophe stopped in one town that lookedit off
Pilar ith a start “Are we there?”
“You think you slept for eight hours?” He s on the toll highway Best to get some breakfast before we do”
“Okay” She stretched, breasts straining against her T-shirt
Christophe eyed her “You’re going to have seven very envious cousins,” he said to Loup
Despite everything, Loup smiled
“Better believe it,” Pilar said amiably
They ate empanadas filled with potato and chorizo at an open-air diner Pilar finished long before the others and watched with awe as Christophe devoured enorhtened and unnatural as Loup’s
“Wow He’s worse than you, baby”
He sed “I a boy”
“I’m just happy to have food,” Loup commented
“A” Pilar’s voice softened “You eat all you like I’ that we’re here, you know?”
“I know”
Loup had always known the arht, once she had revealed her true nature If it was just that they’d discovered what she was, it ht not have been so bad As Father Raitienetically altered soldier
But there was the Santa Olivia business from years earlier, when Loup and the other Santitos, the Little Saints of Santa Olivia, had adilante justice to a couple of soldiers Although it was never proved, the orphans under the church’s care had succeeded in helping Loup impersonate the town’s patron saint
It had eneral very upset… and when Loup was iiven the army an excuse to discover what it would take to break the will of a subject unable to feel fear, pressing her to give up her allies
As it transpired, the question re Santa Olivia, knowing it was a foregone conclusion fro She had refused to ad help
Loup shook her head in wonder Half a day ago, she’d been stuck in a hot, stifling cell, half-starved and deprived of sleep, resigning herself to years of wondering whether she’d get the hose and conspiracy questions or another smarmy bribe attempt