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Prologue - Rae

Rae had failed Chloe once She wouldn't do it again

She sat in the hotel roo to her moroup" They were talking about Chloe Schultz had "a er Lake feeding hi held captive there: Chloe, Simon, Derek and Tori There were also a bunch of others Rae didn't know--subjects in another Edison Group experiment called Project Phoenix

Rae had been on the run for alhteen months now Ever since her mother rescued her from the Edison Group, after Rae had

She sed After she'd betrayed Chloe She'd thought she was doing the right thing--Dr Davidoff had convinced her that the Edison Group only wanted to help the kids She should have seen right through the lie, but after years in foster care, cos--and al Well, her mom said that hy Rae had done it Dr Davidoff hadlife, and she'd fallen for it She wouldn't make excuses for that She'd messed up bad Betrayed the best friend she'd had in years But she was going to fix that now

Chloe and the others had been captured by the Nast Cabal Six o, when Sean Nast had tracked down Rae and her mom, he'd seemed like the answer to their prayers He'd cut a deal with the St Cloud Cabal to let all the Edison Group kids finally stop running He would protect theer Lake, a coet a house Her o to school and, later, to college, all of it paid for by the Nasts The only catch was that they'd also get special training in hopes that they'd decide to becoh

Did it sound too good to be true? Not exactly, and that's why they'd fallen for it Because, as her mom said, the Nasts knew exactly how toand plausible It was like an athletic co and equipment they need in hopes it will pay off in sponsorship A business gaical Except it was a lie

Teeks before they were due to roup of anti-Cabal activists found Rae and her er Lake" Not really Oh, the place existed, but it was an armed camp When they arrived, Rae would be put into barracks with the other kids, where she'd be brainwashed and forced to train as a Cabal soldier As for her mother? Well, they'd tell Rae that Jacinda was fine, but they'd only keep her around for as long as she was useful, for as long as they could force Rae to co as it took the brainwashing to kick in and for Rae to forget she'd ever had a mother

Schultz and his group had saved the to save Chloe

"It's all been arranged," Schultz was saying "The kids soood behavior Chloe and a few of the others will be there this weekend"

"Under guard, of course," her mother said

"Yes, but remember these kids are fully brainwashed As far as they're concerned, they're happy at Badger Lake, and they have no desire to leave it There's little chance of theuards, and one of theuy He'll make sure the others are preoccupied when Rae moves in" He turned to Rae "You understand what you're to do, Rachelle?"

Rae nodded "Let her catch a glimpse of me and lure her away"

"Right When we do take her down, she's going to fight She's going to lie These kids haven't just been brainwashed--they've been taught CIA-grade techniques for dealing with capture and interrogation She'll have a coer Lake is and that she's living there with her aunt and her dad in a house in their perfect little coet away and maybe even take you with her"

"She won't," Rae said "I' to rescue Chloe, whether she wants it or not"

One - Chloe

I was playing fetch with Derek Except I was the stick, which can be a little dangerous with a olf That's e did it--training hi hu when playing the role of the fleeing hu slow and working up, and he's never so much as spooked me They say that olves chase by instinct, but Derek doesn't seeenetic a to accidentally devour his girlfriend Which would be inconvenient, especially for that girlfriend

"Okay, boy," I said, crouching in front of him "Are you ready?"

He snorted I don't need to crouch very far to get on his level I've shot up a couple of inches in the last eighteenfive-foot-three Derek, luckily, seems to have topped out at six-three With conservation of e wolf That's what he looks like, too--a wolf not a wolfreen eyes Those green eyes were currently giving et on with it look

"Hmm," I said "I don't know about you, but I'm kind of tired Maybe you can chase your tail instead"