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"Gah! Boys are so stupid!" She yelled with her fists clenched at her sides She didn’t care if the others could hear her Paden wasn’tany sense at all How could he jerk her around like this? She had just gotten her first kiss, and then he turns around and acts like nothing had happened She thought they had hly ticked off She wanted a long shower and to be left alone

"So, is it all er version?"

Ree turned around and stared at Roland angrily He was buckling a sword and sheath around his narroaist as he walked down the hall

"Right now? I’et" Suddenly she was aching for a fight and it ht the brunt After all, he was the one that had ruined her perfectpigheaded" He gave her a soft smile "But his loyalty is admirable"

"I think it’s a little skewed" She snorted Boyfriend, yeah right "So, do you want to tell me what all of that in the kitchen was about? Why were you acting like such a jerk?"

"I’m sorry about that" He smiled at her sadly "I shouldn’t have done that"

"I know that already What I want to knohy?"

"You don’t really look like her, you know Tria was your height, but she had this lovely dark hair that reached her waist Her eyes were the softest brown"

Ree stared at hi open She wasn’t sure what she was expecting, but it wasn’t this What did this have to do with anything?

After aahtful like you are, and so very funny People were drawn to her, wanted to be around her There is soer drained out of her as she heard the heartbreak in his voice The pain was al tears to her eyes For just a moment, Ree could see the boy he had been, not the adult trapped in a teenager’s body

"I’m sorry, Roland I can tell that you really loved her" She leaned against the wall and slid down to sit in the hallway With little hesitation he joined her on the floor, leaning his head back against the wall The sword belted at his waist jutted out to the side, away from them both "I feel like my life is on fast forward, you know? I’, and I took it out on you"

"You were right to be angry I shouldn’t have behaved that way, but when I saw hiround in front of him "I wanted to rip his arms off"

"I’m not Tria, Roland" Her voice was quiet, but firm

"Would you know?" He shook his head and s up at her "It doesn’tsure you and the others are able to beat the Dark Ones"

"Roland, I’m not Tria" Ree’s voice was quiet, but her need to co She reached a hand over and laid it gently on his shoulder "I’" His eyes flashed like lightning and he briefly covered her hand with his

Ree wasn’t sure how to respond to that She didn’t think it really had anything to do with her at all, but he probably would be insulted if she said so "Well, let’s just let it go, okay?"

"I’o for now I am sorry I baited your Paden I shouldn’t have said what I did" His voice sounded like he trulyI don’t knohat’s going on with Paden And really, I’m not sure I can spare the brain power to worry about it" She braced her elbows on her knees and leaned forward "I feel like there’s so ht now"

"It is never easy Not once has an Alastriana said, ‘Oh, Okay No problery when they find out the truth I once heard a story about an Alastriana that refused to acknowledge her powers She was fro kidnapped for a ransoh to clue her in?" Ree asked

Roland chuckled in agreeht it was a ploy to brainwash her She kept asking thehed and was surprised to find herher feel at ease

"Way" He nodded "When she finally came around, she turned all of that stubbornness on the Dark Ones She died of old age many years later" He stood up and held out his hand to Ree She took it and let hi bloods should be nearing the end of their run"

"Yeah, I want to try and get soht," she said and tried to not look down at the hand he was still holding Her cheeks felt warry with hi when he touched her His thuhtly to pull away

"Sweet dreams, Ree" He bowed his head to her and then turned and left He was gone so fast she wasn’t sure what direction he had left in

Chapter 27

Sunlight streah a crack in the heavy curtains She flipped over to her other side and groaned The clock on the nightstand said it was only nine o’clock – barely five hours of sleep Nice Noticing that her , she picked it up and realized she had missed several calls The voiceShe groaned and sat up when she heard the last itated because she hadn’t heard fro her trip short to co her she was fine and hadn’t been able to charge the phone because she had lost the cord Within seconds her phone began to buzz, and she answered it, trying to sound chipper

"Hey, Moht ht"

"I’ a panic attack Don’t do that again, you hear me? Just call us from a landline I’m sure your boss has a phone in that shop" Her itated, and she sounded tired Ree would bet ret She should have known better than to not check in with her parents

"I’m sorry, Mom You didn’t cancel the rest of your trip, did you? I mean, I’m fine I didn’t want to bother you and Dad on your trip and didn’t even realize the cord was e it before I could call you" She gritted her teeth to stop ra and hoped she was a better liar over the phone than in person