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Oker’s confirotten ahead of myself," Oker says "I haven’t yet told you the way a virus works You’ve figured some of it out for yourself But the best way to explain it," and his tone is dry, "is to refer to a story One of the Hundred, in fact Number Three Do you remember it?"

"Yes," I say, and I actually do I’ve always reirl’s name--Xanthe--sounds a little like my own

"Tell it to me," Oker says

The last tio well at all I wish I’d done better for her But I’ll try again now, because Oker asked ure out the cure I have to try to keep fro to do it

"The story is about a girl named Xanthe," I say "One day she decided she didn’t want to eat her own food When the meal delivery came she snatched her father’s oat Xanthe felt sick and feverish The next day she stole her mother’s oatmeal, but it was too cold, and Xanthe shook with chills On the third day she ate her own ht She felt fine" I stop It’s a pretty stupid story, oes on and on like that," I tell Oker "She ends up with three citations for improper behavior before she realizes the Society knohat’s right for her"

To h," he says "The only part you forgot was the part about her hair"

"Right," I say "It was gold That’s what the name Xanthe means"

"Doesn’tis the idea that soht That’s what you need to re I think of as the Xanthe strategy A virus doesn’t want to run out of targets too quickly It kills the organism it infects, but it can’t kill too fast It needs to be able to transfer to another organis too quickly," I say, "it’s too hot"

"And if it doesn’t h, it dies," Oker says "Too cold"

"But soht"

Oker nods "This ht And not only because of the Society and the Rising and what they each did They contributed to some of the conditions, yes But the virus mutated on its own, as viruses have done for years There have been Plagues all through history and that won’t end with this one"

"So we’re never really safe," I say

"Oh no, ht be the Society’s greatest triumph--that so many of us ever believed that ere"

CHAPTER 31

CASSIA

I should go to see Ky

I should stay here and work on the cure

When I let myself really think, I am torn between two places and beco no one So I don’t think, not that way I think about plants and cures and nu that will bring back the still

Co the lists isn’t as sis that the villagers and the farmers ate, but also the frequency hich the foodstuffs were consuround where they were cultivated, if they were plant or anioods, and a myriad of other information that needs to be taken into account Just because so was eaten often doesn’teaten only once is unlikely to produce i patients and returning to report, Oker and Xander doing their work, the sorters taking breaks, Leyna checking in to see our progress I becos and eventually I don’t even look up when I hear the wooden door opening, closing; I barely notice when the mountain breeze slips in and rustles my hair

A woht of a few s," she says "I want to make certain we included them all on our list"

"Of course," Rebecca says

Solance up

She looks older than her voice sounds, her hair coray and twisted in coh on her head She has weathered skin and a gentle way ofup a list on a piece of paper Even from here, I can tell that it’s handwritten, not printed

"Anna," I say out loud

She turns to look at me "Have we met?" she asks

"No," I say "I’e, and I know Hunter and Eli" I want to see Eli But because I’ve been visiting Ky and working on the cure, I haven’t taken the tih I know it’s not far froh I don’t know if Leyna and others would let o, even if I asked I am here to work on the cure

"You must be Cassia," Anna says "Eli has always talked about you"

"I am," I say "Tell Eli that Ky is here, too" Has Eli told Anna about Ky? Fronition in Anna’s eyes, I think that Eli has "But Ky is one of the patients"