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Dread settled in Cinder’s stoed to pull his attention away froulped Neither of thelained Levana probably wouldn’t have had any trouble …

Before she could speak, soled in the corner of her eye

"Will this cover it?" said Thorne, holding out a gold-plated digital portscreen watch Cinder recognized it as the one Alak had been wearing, the

"Thorne!" she hissed

"This isn’t a pawn shop," said the boy, dropping the scanner gun on the counter "Can you pay or not?"

Cinder glared at Thorne, but then spotted the strangeout of the aisle near the back of the shop Strolling toward them, he whistled a chirpy tune, then pulled a pair of thick work gloves out of one pocket andone onto his left hand

Heart ha, Cinder turned back to the kid "You want the watch," she said "It’s a fine trade for this power cell and you’re not going to report us for taking it"

The kid’s eyes glazed over He’d just started to nod when Thorne deposited the watch into his palrabbed the power cell off the counter Theyof fake bells behind

"No !" she said as Thorne fell into step beside her

"Hey, that watch saved us in there"

"No, I saved us in there and in case you already forgot, that is exactly the kind of mental trick that I don’t want to pull on people"

"Even if it saves your skin?"

"Yes!"

A light flashed in Cinder’s eye, indicating an inco across her vision

WE’VE BEEN DETECTED--POLICE WILL KEEP THEM OUT AS LONG AS POSSIBLE

She stumbled in the middle of the street

"What?" said Thorne

"It’s Iko The police have found the ship"

Thorne paled "No time to shop for new clothes then"

"Or an android body Co step, until they spun around the corner and both skidded to a halt

Two police the ship’sbeeped on the other officer’s belt As he reached for it, Cinder and Thorne backed away, ducking around the building

Pulse racing, Cinder glanced up at Thorne, but he was scanning the nearestRIEUX TAVERN was painted off center on the glass

"Here," he said, dragging her around trought-iron tables and through the door

The tavern stank of booze and fried fat, and was thruhter

Cinder took two steps inside, her breath caught, and she spun around to leave Thorne blocked her path with an outstretched ar?"

"There are too many people We’ll have better luck with the police" She pushed hi onto the cobblestones outside, the emblem of the Eastern Commonwealth military painted on its side "Thorne"

His arm stiffened and then the tavern seeers, gaping at her

A cyborg

"Stars," she whispered "I need to find a new pair of gloves"

"No, you need to cal"

Cinder drew closer to Thorne and sed her growing panic "We belong here," shedown her spine "We’re not suspicious You don’t recognize us You have no interest or curiosity or…" She trailed off as the attention of people around the rooan to drift back to their food and drinks and the netscreens behind the bar Cinder continued thehere, we are not suspicious, until the stateether into a sensation of invisibility

They weren’t suspicious They did belong there

She forced herself to believe it

Scanning the crowd, she saw that only one set of eyes was still on her--vibrant blue and filled with laughter He was aon his aze held his, he sat back and lifted his attention to the screens