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She threw the switch-and froze

The charge never happened The crystal was there, all right, huge and deforrotesque as she res-in front of it

Kaitlyn’s eyes opened wide as she saw the open, not for a battle yell, but for a scream A scream of perfect terror

At first all Kaitlyn was able to take in was her feeling of disgust and horror It was soust she’d felt at hoarden-and reveal so underneath

A little like that, but uessed these two things were human Or had started out that way But they looked so defor she’d gotten when she first saw a potato bug, that huge, unnatural, se insect Or when she’d seen her first picture by Hieronymus Bosch, the artist who did scenes from hell, with people who had lobsters’ claws or s in their bodies

The other thing she knew iuard dogs, put here to protect the crystal

Sasha and Parte King

She knew theination Sasha had skin that was chalky white, unnaturally white, like so that had never seen the sun Alh His eyes were like the red eyes of albino mice, or the blind eyes of cave fish

He did have blond hair, as Bri had said Hair that was not just unkee and paper like the rubbish that covered the floor

He looked like a slug: white, flaccid, i-whatever that weird naht mean Bri had said he was skinny Noas skeletally thin, wasted away like someone about to die Skin stretched across his bones-al His brown hair was falling out in clu naked skull

He looked like some kind of cricket, as if he would rattle if you shook hih they looked like nothing that could survive long Kaitlyn realized with a qualm of pure horror that they lived down here, alone and insane, chained to the floor Biting at people’s ankles, grinning face-splitting grins

She thought she was going to vo His teeth etness spilled onto his chin He made a worht dispassionately Her thought sees She stood still and watched the swollen white grub thing inching across the floor toward her It was like a hu

They weren’t going to let her get to the crystal She could feel the power of theirit al all her senses The touch of their s, pus

Parte King washi position They both wore canvas jackets which held their arms behind their backs with e bags Kaitlyn couldn’t make sense of that until she realized: diapers

Run, you stupid girl Please run now

Parte King fell over backward, his stick legs waving slowly in the air

"Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch" He was still grinning

So this is what happens to Mr Z’s old students It could happen to you, too A little too much time near the crystal and

Hey, but they’re still terrific psychics!

Please, run

At last she see pleas She turned around to run She saw the open door of the office, took a wavering step toward it

And ran into a sort of invisible wall, a thickening of the air Cold air Orwith the air, and it was just her muscles

She couldn’t move a step closer to the door They had her, they were draining her volition, her will to run

She couldn’t get away, and hed bubbles, like a baby

"You poor things," Kaitlyn whispered Pitying the for the Hurt worse than Marisol in her coma

Even if they would let her approach them with the crystal shard, even if she were a healer like Rob, it wouldn’t help Kaitlyn knew

Her knees were giving out She let it happen, sitting on the floor and watching the creatures who shared it with her crawl closer There was nothing to do

Nothing except wait for Mr Zetes to co that to me," Mr Zetes said "Thank you, my dear"

He held his hand out for the shard Kaitlyn looked at the long fingers with their square, perfectly manicured nails She tried to stab him

It was stupid There were the huesture into slow motion, and there were the psycho psychics behind Mr Z They’d all co

He took the shard froht

"In a way, it’s too bad you decided to come out of the closet now," Mr Z said "I wish you’d kept the pretense up for just a fewthe Diaz family"

His handsome old face was absolutely diabolical

"I like your old students," Kaitlyn choked out "The ones with very good minds What a waste"

"Muh-lanced at him almost fondly "They’re still useful" he said "The crystal has made them more powerful than ever; in a way, it’s allowed them to achieve their true potential I’htly, speaking over his shoulder

"John, please put this in Joyce’s rooet her ready Paul, watch theht whimsically Jackal Mac took the shard and disappeared, presu for Mr Z’s car Frost and Bri stepped forward and each took her by an ar her out of the office Renny followed

Joyce and Lydia were standing in the hallway by the hidden panel Frost and Bri marched Kaitlyn by them

As they reached the second floor, Kait spoke "What’s going to happen to ave her a push and Kaitlyn stumbled into the roo with malicious triuel with hair lossy it reflected light

"Bri? You going to tell ry instead of triumphant "You sneak You dirty spy" Her deep boyish voice was rough with anger and revulsion "You get what you deserve"

Renny stood just outside Bri’s door, arms folded, his clean-cut narrow features severe He looked like an executioner

Frost was groping through a pile of clothes on the floor "Here Put this on"

It was a bathing suit, one piece, black-and-white striped

Kaitlyn thought of saying "Why?" but there

wasn’t any point She said, "I’ to undress in front of him"

"Mr Z told ot better things to worry about," Bri said, her voice harsh

Kaitlyn decided not to argue Bri was right; what difference did it make at this point? She turned her back to the door and stripped, ignoring Renny like a piece of furniture She tried to hold her head high, al and indifferent Even so, by the ti, her eyes full of tears

Frost tittered and snapped the elastic on Kaitlyn’s back But Bri said nothing and kept her head down

Even Renny seeain

"I’m ready"

They marched her downstairs

Not back to the crystal room Into the front lab The door to the back lab was open

And then Kaitlyn knew

I will not scream, she told herself I won’t whimper and I won’t scream They’ll just enjoy it

But she was afraid she would screa ready?" Mr Z asked Joyce Joyce was standing in the doorway to the back lab She nodded

Jackal Mac was staring at Kaitlyn as if he wanted to drink her face through his eyes His evil jackal eyes

His

Loving this Loving it

"You’re going to end up like the ones downstairs," Kaitlyn told hiesture, a foresture that reminded Kaitlyn of the first time she’d heard him speak

When he’d welco theo

"Now," Mr Z said, addressing the whole group, "I think you all know the situation We’ve discovered a spy I’, but I decided to give her a chance" He looked at Joyce, who looked back with a blank face "However, there’s no longer any doubt about why she cainal one"