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Bonnie decided, with seconds precious and seeoing to happen no matter what she did And there was a matter of pride here She knew that there were people ould laugh at that, but it was true Despite Elena’s neers, Bonnie was the onestark darkness She was somehow alive after al that And very soon she would not be And the way she as the only thing left up to her

She heard a glissando of screams and then she heard them come to a halt Well, that was al she could do for the o out, unbroken, defiant - and silent

The esture and the ogre who had hold of her stopped carrying her to the

She’d known it He was a bul y Bul ies wanted to hear that things hurt or that people were re lifted her so her face was level with Shinichi’s "Excited about your one-way trip?"

"Thril ed,"she said expressionlessly Hey, she thought, I’ inside her was shaking at double time in order to make up for her stony face

Shinichi opened the"Stillthril ed?"

Now that had done so to be slass until she broke it with her face and went sailing through the jagged bits There wasn’t going to be pain until she hit the ground and nobody would know about that, not even her

Just do it and get it over with, Bonnie thought The warm breeze fro place - where custoh the slaves until they found just the right one - was too highly air-conditioned

I’l be warht

When a door near there’s ared open, she nearly jued wildly through her I’m saved! It only took a little of that brave stuff and now

But it was Shinichi’s sister, Misao Misao, looking gravely il , her skin ashen, holding on to the door to hold herself up The only thing about her that wasn’t grayed-out was her bril iant black hair, tipped with scarlet at the ends, just like Shinichi’s

"Wait!"she said to Shinichi "You never even asked about - "

"You think a little airhead like her would know? But have it your oay"Shinichi seated Misao on the couch, rubbing her shoulders coly "I’l ask"

So she was the one inside the taybad

"What happened to my sister’s star bal ?"Shinichi de for, and how, understanding this, she could die with true dignity

"It was my fault,"she said, with a faint se opened it up the first time to open the Gate back on Earth And then"She told them the story, as if it were one she’d never heard before, putting an eiven Damon the clues to find Misao’s star bal , and it was Damon who then had used it to enter the top level of the Dark Dimensions

"It’s al a circle,"she explained "What you do cole

In two strides, Shinichi was across the roo her She didn’t kno asp and stop her giggling Afterward her cheeks felt as swol en as if she had a very painful case of theto wipe it on her shoulder, but it wouldn’t stop

At last Misao said, "Ugh Unfasten her hands and give her a towel or soiven the order

Shinichi hi to her softly, as if he were speaking to a baby or a beloved pet But Misao’s eyes, with their tiny flicker of fire in them, were clear and adult as she looked at Bonnie

"Where is ray intensity

Bonnie, iping her nose, feeling the bliss of not being handcuffed behind her back, wondered why she wasn’t even trying to think of a lie Like, let me free and I’l lead you to it Then she remembered Shinichi and his daical y "I was just trying to pul Damon away from the Gate e both fel in

It didn’t coot kicked in the dust and al the liquid spil ed out"