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Chapter Five

PEONY’S SHRIEKS FILLED THE JUNKYARD, SEEPING INTO THE cracks of broken machinery and outdated computers Cinder’s auditory interface couldn’t protect her from the shrill memory, even as Peony’s voice cracked and she dissolved into hysteria

Cinder stood tre to run away

Hoas this possible?

Peony was young, healthy She couldn’t be sick

Peony cried, brushing repeatedly at her skin, the spots

Cinder’s netlink took over, as it did in , connecting, feeding information to her she didn’t want

Letumosis The blue fever Worldwide pandemic Hundreds of thousands dead Unknown cause, unknown cure

"Peony--"

She tentatively reached forward, but Peony stu at her wet cheeks and nose "Don’t coet it"

Cinder retracted her hand She heard Iko at her side, fan whirring Saw the blue light darting over Peony, around the junkyard, flickering She was scared

"I said, get back!" Peony collapsed to her knees, hunching over her sto Peony rock herself back and forth in Iko’s spotlight

"I…I need to call an eency hover To--"

To come and take you away

Peony didn’t respond Her whole body was rattling Cinder could hear her teeth chattering in between the wails

Cinder shivered She rubbed at her ar thelove with distrust, not wanting to reain The junkyard shadows looarbage How long did it take for the first sy Sacha at thefrom her booth The blare of the sirens

Her stoue ho at invisible bugs that crawled over her skin Stu her

A red warning flashed across her retina display, infor elevated levels of adrenaline She blinked it away, then called up her coe before she could question it

EMERGENCY, TAIHANG DISTRICT JUNKYARD

LETUMOSIS

She clenched her jaw, feeling the painful dryness of her eyes A throbbing headache told her that she should be crying, that her sobs should"What did I do?"

"You didn’t do anything," said Cinder "This isn’t your fault"

But it ht be mine

"What should I do?" Iko asked, almost too quiet to be heard

"I don’t know," said Cinder "A hover is on its way"

Peony rubbed her nose with her forearo You’ll catch it"

Feeling dizzy, Cinder realized she’d been breathing too shallowly She took another step away before filling her lungs "Maybe I already have it Maybe it’s ht it The outbreak at the h, but…Peony, I’ain Her brown hair was a ainst her pale skin A hiccup, followed by another sob "I don’t want to go"

"I know"

It was all Cinder could think to say Don’t be scared? It will be all right? She couldn’t lie, not when it would be so obvious

"I wish there was so…" She stopped herself She heard the sirens before Peony did "I’m so sorry"

Peony swiped at her nose with her sleeve, leaving a trail ofShe didn’t respond until the wails of the sirens reached her ears and her head snapped up She stared into the distance, the entrance of the junkyard so Face blotchy red

Cinder’s heart shriveled in on itself

She couldn’t help herself If she was going to catch it, she already had

She fell to her knees, wrapping Peony up in both arnored it as Peony grasped at her T-shirt, sobs renewed

"I’m so sorry"

"What will you tell Mom and Pearl?"

Cinder bit her lips "I don’t know" Then, "The truth, I guess"

Bile rose in her n Maybe stomach sickness was a sy Peony to her Still no spots