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Thank God, Julian said We’re back

What happened while ere gone? Caleb asked Why are we outside?

Were you…fighting? Elijah demanded

"Guys," he muttered "I’ll have to explain later"

Shannon reached him, clearly concerned "W-where were you t-today? I told Dan you’d already l-left for school this , so you’re clear on that front"

"Thank you" Aden was still amazed that he and Shannon were friends They hadn’t started off that way, but they were pretty tight now And it was nice Even so, he couldn’t tell Shannon the truth Boy knew nothing about the real world and the creatures populating it, and that was for the best "Co

They headed into the bunkhouse, where the others were already washed up and in dry clothes, watching TV in the living rooood little boys

Aden waved at the He and Shannon needed to talk, but what he would say, he still didn’t know After that, he needed soh, he didn’t know

"Well, well," another familiar voice said when he entered his room "Look who’s back Me"

Freaking fantastic, Caleb gruh

Aden didn’t have to look around to know that the ghost prince had indeed returned His hands curled into fists as he wondered if he’d ever lead a noruys asked if y-you wanted to watch Sports Center with them"

At the same time, Thomas said, "Tell me what you did to me Tell me why I’m here, why my people can’t see or hear ether, ible He knew then that he wouldn’t be having a conversation with Shannon anytime soon Nor would he find that privatewhat else to do, Aden covered his ears and threw himself on his mattress to wait out the storm

SEVEN

TUCKER HARBOR HUDDLED in the corner of a dim, damp crypt, surrounded by darkness and flat-out creepiness A spider ht have just crawled over his hand, and was that ato see

He hadn’t wanted to courney, hooked to all kinds ofaway the pain Yet the voice had called to hi the tethers, rising, walking, finally running, desperate to be wherever the voice wanted hi here hadn’t been that difficult No one had tried to stop hiift" hadn’t been on the fritz Tucker had cast illusions--so he’d been able to do his entire life Whatever he envisioned in his mind, he could create around him Or rather, utter, a gutter would seem to encase him If he pictured a circus, a circus would see On his way out of the hospital, he’d pictured himself as the wall beside him Outside, he’d pictured hiown

So now, here he was In pain, again, still weak froo--or o, he didn’t know any away, but not part of his awareness anymore Maybe because he didn’t care

Which he didn’t understand He’d been tied to a table as if he were dessert, and va bloodsuckers--had been allowed to simply lean over and bite him Anywhere they had desired He’d wanted to die But then, as the blood had drained fro, he’d wanted to live So badly

Then Aden Stone and Mary Ann had cooing to turnto cause trouble anythe blood pour and hearing the screa nore the urges

Yet noithout the threat of death hovering over his, he wanted to do all of those things again And he couldn’t ignore the urges On the way here, he’d punched ainto his knuckles, and had laughed Laughed Because he’d liked inflicting pain

I’es left him hen he ith Mary Ann They’d dated for several months, and for those severalTucker, he’d ht, so he’d visited her neighbor and best friend, Penny Parks He and Penny had tossed back a few beers, had stupid unprotected sex, and now Penny was pregnant with his kid Or so she said

Part of him believed her The human part of him that hated when he acted like a es churned, didn’t want to believe her