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"Well, that's good to know"

We stayed there, dangling our feet over the creek, talking, until the sun was high overhead By the ti a little better Sure, my life was still intensely screwed up, but at least I had soot back to the co chores Or what the Brannicks called chores, anyway Izzy was rearranging the targets on the training field (I still called it the Ninja Backyard Izzy laughed when I told her that) Finley was set up in the converted barn just off the training field, sharpening knives "You can help her," Aislinn toldthe sheets on the cots I wondered why she bothered, but decided not to ask

"If it's all the sareat with the knives," I told her "Is there anything else I can do? Anything lessdeadly?" Shaking a pillow into its case, Aislinn shrugged and said, "You can go up to the War Room and check our files on Hecate Hall and the Casnoffs See if there's any infor, or details you can add" Ah, yes Files Books Nothing with sharp edges Perfect

"Will do Thanks"

I jogged back up the steps, stopping near the top "Oh, and, u h"

When she just looked at me, I hurried on to say, "Finley told me what happened to the other Brannicks She said it wouldn't have happened if you'd been their leader"

I stood there aardly while Aislinn studied me She had Mom's eyes, so it was doubly weird to feel myself under such intense scrutiny In the end, she just said, "You're fa really to say to that I just nodded and hurried back upstairs

The War Roo and messy as it had been yesterday, and after ten , heavy boxes on the floor, I hadn't found the files about Hecate Hall Frustrated, I let out a long sigh

"Problenored Torin and turned my attention to the stack of notebooks near the couch

"I a," he said "It was beneathtrapped thus is incredibly frustrating for ize Now, if you'd like, I can help you hat you're seeking"

Knowing I'd probably regret it, I crossed the room and yanked the canvas off theat me

"Jackass, jackass on the wall, where's the info on Hex Hall?"

Torin laughed long and loud at that, and I saw that his teeth were slightly crooked Seeing as hoas frouess he was lucky to have any teeth at all

"Oh, I do like you," he said, wiping tears from his eyes "All these bloody warrior women are so serious It's nice to have a real wit about the place again"

"Whatever Do you knohere the file on Hex Hall is, or not, Mirror Boy?"

He leaned forward and pointed under the table In the mirror I saw a box pushed back in the shadows No wonder I'd ed the box out, Torin said, "Is that all you want my help with, Sophia?" I rocked back on my heels and scowled at hi into being cryptic I'ht now"

He was quiet while I pawed through the box I pulled out two big manila envelopes with casnoff scrawled across them There were three separate folders labeled hecate hall, and I took those out, too

"You were stuck in a void space," Torin said

I was so busy flipping through the first Casnoff folder that it took a second for what he said to register Once it did, I looked up at him blankly

"What?"

"Those three weeks you lost You were stuck in a void between di in and around other diot stuck, probably because of what you are Or aren't" When I just kept staring at him, he clarified "You're not a demon anymore, not completely, but neither are you hu on his pinkie winking at est So it held you for a bit You're quite fortunate it eventually decided to spit you out"

The words "digest" and "spit" were"Okay," I finally said "That's, ued "It was nothing"

I went back to the folder, studying a picture of Mrs Casnoff and her sister, Lara, when they were young, maybe in their late teens, early twenties There was awith them who had black hair slicked back from his forehead, and a mustache every bit as elaborate as one of Mrs Casnoff's hairdos I guessed this was Mrs Casnoff's father, Alexei

"You know, I can see more than just the future or the past"

"Really?" I asked, paging through the papers in the file "Can you also see the present? Because I can do that, too Like, right now, I sense that I'm in a messy room with a total toolbox"

I didn't look up, but I could hear the scowl in his voice when he said, "No In certain cases, I can seelet us say, alternative futures"

"What does that , Sophia Every decision can lead us down a different path So, occasionally, I see more than one possible outcome