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Shinichi got up to hurt her again, but she was only tel ing the truth Misao was already speaking "We know that didn’t happen because I am" - she had to pause to breathe - "Stillalive"

She turned her ashen, sunken face toward Shinichi and said,

"You’re right She’s useless now, and ful of inforre picked Bonnie up, towel and alShinichi came around the other side "Do you see what you’ve done to my sister? Do you see?"

Noto be brave or not But what should she say to show she was brave? She opened herout was a screa to look even worse when my friends are done with her,"she said, and saw in Misao’s eyes that she’d hit her target

"Throw her out,"Shinichi shouted, livid with fury

And the ogre threw her out the

Meredith was sitting with her parents, trying to figure out rong She had finished her errands in record ti on the front of the jarsthe Saitou family to find that they would al be home at noon Then she had examined and numbered the individual blow-ups of each character in the pictures that Alaric had sent

The Saitous had beentense Meredith hadn’t been surprised since Isobel had been a prime, if entirely innocent, carrier of the kitsune’s deadly possessing malach One of the worst casualties was Isobel’s own steady boyfriend, Jiotten thewhat he was doing He himself had been possessed by Shinichi’s malach and had demonstrated al the hideous sy away at his own lips and fingers, while poor Isobel had used dirty needles - so needles - to pierce herself in ue with scissors

Isobel was out of the hospital and on the otten approval of the cards with enlarged, individual characters off the jars frorandmother) and Mrs Saitou (Isobel’s u into her car when Isobel had co of Post-it Notes in her hand "Mother did the voice And Meredith had taken the notes fro aard about repayment

"No, but - but may I have a look at the blow-ups?"Isobel had panted Why was she panting so hard? Meredith wondered

Even if she’d run fro Meredith - that wouldn’t account for it Then Meredith remembered: Bonnie had said Isobel had a "jumpy"heart

"You see,"Isobel said hat looked like sha, "Obaasan is real y al since Mother was in schoolbut I take Japanese classes right now"

Meredith was touched Obviously, Isobel had felt it bad manners to contradict an adult when they were in earshot

But there, sitting in the car, Isobel had gone through every card with a blown-up character, writing a similar, but definitely different character on the back It had taken twenty minutes Meredith had been awed "But how do you remember them al ? How do you ever write to each other?"she had blurted, after seeing the complicated symbols that differed only by a few lines

"With dictionaries,"Isobel had said, and had for the first tih "No, I’m serious - to write a very proper letter, say, don’t you use Thesaurus and Spel Check and - "

"I need those to write anything!"Meredith had laughed

It had been a nice ether, relaxed No problems Isobel’s heart had seemed just fine

Then Isobel had hurried away and when she was gone Meredith was left staring at a round circle of er seat A tear But why should Isobel be crying?

Because it reminded her of the malach, or of Jieries before her ears would have flesh on theain?

No answer that Meredith could think of et to her own home - late

It was only then that Meredith was stricken by a fact The Saitou family knew that Meredith, Matt, and Bonnie were friends But none of thee

If she had only kno er her visit with her own family would be