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"I know you are there," not-Neeve said, in the voice that sounded like dark places, far away fro crawled very slowly up the back of Blue’s neck, on the inside of her skin It was such a hideously real creep that she was badly teo inside and pretend she had not co --

Blue didn’t want to think it, but she did

She didn’t want to leave Neeve behind if so had her

"I am here," Blue said

The candle fla

Not-Neeve asked, "What is your name?"

It occurred to Blue that she wasn’t exactly certain that Neeve’s mouth moved when she spoke It was hard to look at her face

"Neeve," Blue lied

"Cocolors that were not in the candle They shifted and moved in a pattern completely unlike the movement of the flahed not-Neeve

"Who are you?" Blue asked

The candle fla It reached not for the sky but for Blue

"Neeve," said not-Neeve

There was so andthat made Blue want to look over her shoulder But she couldn’t look away from that candle, because she was afraid the flame would touch her if she turned away

"Where are you?" Blue asked

"On the corpse road," not-Neeve growled

Blue became aware that her breath clouded in front of her Goose buht of the candle, she saw that Neeve’s breath was visible, too

The cloud of Neeve’s breath parted over the pool, like so fro forward, Blue kicked over the empty bowl, knocked over the unlit candle, scuffed dirt in the direction of the black pool

The candle went out

There was a minute of complete blackness There was no sound, as if the tree and the yard around it were not in Henrietta anymore Despite the silence, Blue did not feel alone, and it was a terrible feeling

I aht furiously I alass all around et in I aiven her to protect herself froainst the voice that had cooose bumps had disappeared as quickly as they’d coh it felt like light leeching back into the world -- and she found Neeve, still kneeling by the pool of water

"Neeve," whispered Blue

For ahappened, and then Neeve lifted her chin and her hands

Please be Neeve Please be Neeve

Blue’s entire body was poised to run

Then she saw that Neeve’s eyebroere ordered and fir Blue let out a relieved sigh

"Blue?" Neeve asked Her voice was quite nor: "Oh You won’t tell your mother about this, will you?"

Blue stared at her "I ?" Her heart was still going fast and she realized that she was terrified, now that she could think about it

Neeve took in the broken pentagram, the knocked-over candle, the overturned bowl "I was scrying"

Heris what you did earlier This was not the sa into that space I saw earlier I was hoping to make contact with someone as in it to find out what it was"

Blue’s voice was not nearly as steady as she would’ve liked "It spoke It was not you when I ca a little cross, "that was your fault Youyou to be here, or I would’ve …"

She trailed off and looked at the stub of the candle, her head cocked It wasn’t a particularly huesture, and it otten before

"Would’ve what?" Blue demanded She was a little cross, too, that she was so blamed for whatever had just happened "What was that? It said it was on the corpse road Is that the sa as a ley line?"