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Another circus, huh? Kaitlyn asked She didn’t kno she felt about the outside world any at her was definitely appalling

"I’ll be with you," Gabriel said

As the night had gone on, she’d gottenthat ran beneath the thoughts they were sharing, that he was keeping away fronized it as pain

Gabriel, are you all right? I feel-are you hurt, somehow?

"I have a sort of headache It’s no probleain, she had the sense that he was concealing so us to come downstairs" After a moment, he said, "We’re in the lab"

Yeah, tihed silently, nervously I wonder what they’re going to think I suppose I should act crazy

"I think it’s your best chance Kait-I don’t kno I can save you right now The others don’t like what the old -I think Joyce asked him to take you out this soon-but they’re afraid of hiht one of them at a time "

Kaitlyn knew Gabriel’s destructive power operated ly when he could touch his victim, and it took time He couldn’t hold off Jackal Mac and Renny while killing Mr Z, for instance

And you’re weak, she told hie somehow-maybe they’ll just putthatin her ears Gabriel, wait, wait! Rob is cootten about the outside world All you need to do is wait until he gets here, then he can help

"It depends on what Mr Z is going to do to you, whether we can wait He’s giving a speech now On and on"

I don’t want to hear it Gabriel, you do know that Rob didn’t ’t s he said at Marisol’s house He was mad at you Hurt And he felt betrayed But that’s because he really cares about you You know that, don’t you?

Even now, Gabriel refused to say it But Kaitlyn had seen inside him too deeply to be fooled Her question was rhetorical Gabriel did know His feelings for Rob were all uilt and jealousy and resentood, and to go through life being loved But Kaitlyn thought that Rob would be pleased with the feeling Gabriel had under that He admired Rob

Respected him Would have liked to be soain, and then she realized they were opening the door of the tank

The clang was a different sort of sound than Gabriel’s ht that if she had really been in silence all yesterday afternoon and night-nized what sound was any to fake that because they couldn’t hear her

Hands pulled at her, the touch as shriekingly dissonant as the door clang Everything was so harsh Her skin was so sensitized that even the gentlest pressure would have hurt, and these hands weren’t gentle

Then light struck her eyes It both hurt and dazzled, confusing her She couldn’t really see anything, only the whiteness, with occasional shapes blocking it Squinting helped a little, but tears still ran down her face

It didn’twet everywhere She could feel the harsh hands taking off the strait-jacket and weights, rean to really see, she was turned around to face Mr Zetes

She hite and wrinkled Her mouth hurt, she had cras wouldn’t support her She was dripping all over the floor

"She can’t stand up," Joyce said crisply "Bri, get a chair"

They put her in the chair Mr Z looked at her

Nohat? Kaitlyn asked Gabriel I don’t think I can scream Should I just sort of look vacant?

Try it, he commanded Now that she could hear real voices, his telepathic voice seemed different She kneasn’t sound

"Can you understand"Do you knohere you are?"

His expression was avid and eager Like a connoisseur just about to take the first sip of wine, stopping to inhale the bouquet If he thought she was crazy enough, he’d say, "Ahhh"

Kaitlyn tried to lookher version of the human pupa stare She wondered if she should try to say, "Muh- Instead, she tried to smile the way Sasha had

She saw in an instant that it wasn’t any good Mr Z was an expert on insane people-he collected the eyes widened and then narrowed as he looked at her Kaitlyn would have sworn she could see a red spark soether over his aquiline nose and his old-headed cane on the ground and stood tall, like some patriarch from the Bible Except that he looked instead like El Diablo, El Gato, Satan

"It’s failed," he said He looked at Joyce "Why?"

"I don’t know I have no idea" Even Kaitlyn could hear the relief in the shaky voice Joyce’s hand on Kaitlyn’s back pressed gently, out of Mr Z’s sight

"This girl tried to destroy us Not once Ti, too-with repressed anger

Joyce straightened "I had nothing to do with it, Eh like this

But now that she has-"

Mr Z’s face had been undergoing a struggle-one instantas it was suppressed Alht But now he had hiht

"Now that she has, we’ll just have to try the other solution," he told Joyce "The crystal will take care of her"

Kaitlyn felt a falling in her sto with Renny and Jackal Mac and Lydia, all in a row behind Mr Z And at that instant she heard: Kaitlyn? Kaitlyn, this is Rob Ae yet?

Rob! Oh, thank God, Rob, you’re early, thank God

She felt the flash of Gabriel’s response as well Desperate relief

Rob, where are you? Kaitlyn deht be in trouble

We are! Rob, you’d better hurry

At the sa, If you can et Kait out

Then Kaitlyn snapped to the real world Frost had darted forward and grabbed her hand, wrapping her silver-nailed fingers around it

"Mr Zetes, I kno she did it!" Frost shrieked, her voice thin and sharp with spite "She’s talking to the to theht because they’re coht here!"

Kaitlyn jerked her hand away as if she’d touched a live coal Red fury exploded inside her and she kept pulling her hand back to get distance, and then she slapped Frost’s cheek as hard as she could

But Gabriel kept his head She could hear hi to Rob Stay where you are! They just found out about you! Don’t come near the house!

"Quickly," Mr Z said, and his shted than ever He rolled the words in histhem "John, Laurie, Paul-help

Kaitlyn downstairs, please Everyone else follow Hurry now This should be very interesting"

Kaitlyn tried to fight Mac and Frost and Renny, but her li liht, either-probably too ht But she didn’t understand why he see back, the last one down the stairs to the hidden rooet a look at him as they carried her down, but she couldn’t see

"I want to kill him myself!" Gabriel shouted fro of a new terror: What if the crystal had driven Gabriel crazy like the others? And it was just showing up now?

Gabriel-

He wouldn’t answer her Because Frost was touching her? She didn’t know

"Come down!" Mr Zetes shouted as he punched in the coo in there Did not She struggled with fresh strength as they carried her through the door

Then the smell and the psychic feel of the human pupae struck her and she went limp

They carried her past the crystal to the only piece of furniture in the roo thehtly Like so to fit more people into an elevator Gabriel was the last He stepped back to join the others ere lining the walls

Then Mr Zetes backed up He stood, leaning both hands on his cane, looking at the doorith anticipation

"They won’t come," Kaitlyn told him Her voice was earnest; she just wished it was steady "I warned them and they’re too s"

Mr Zetes s"

Rob? Are you in the house? Rob, listen to me-don’t do it Stay away! Stay away!

But the i now

This is my choice, Kaitlyn, Rob said And Kaitlyn heard footsteps on the stairs

Rob, go back!" Kaitlyn screamed aloud

Rob caolden lion’s ht of the sky He had run down the stairs, but he took the step into the roo his chances Looking for Kaitlyn and the way to get her out

"Leave," Kaitlyn whispered

Anna and Leere right behind Rob Stepping over the threshold and into the trap Behind theuelyyellow curls and tilted eyesof course, it was Tamsin

"A visitor froreatly honored" He actually bowed over his cane

He didn’t move to shut the door He didn’t have to Once they were all in, he nudged Parte King with his foot, not quite a kick

Kaitlyn felt poelling out to hold the new arrivals in the room As if a fence had been stretched across the open doorway Rob stared at the lolling creatures on the floor, his face going pale under his tan, the light in his eyes fading with shock