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"Is anyone roup to see if there were any obvious o like a preteen passed over for a dance at the sock hop, everything see…?" Holden replied

"I don’t know I…don’t knohat’s happened"

The night was cool, still clinging to the chilly dregs of spring I felt the cold with a shocking clarity, and not how I nor it But theabout the its on my body, I was acutely aware of how uncomfortable I was

"It’s cold," I said absently "Isn’t it? It’s cold"

"Secret?"

Soe piled on the street, but I couldn’t smell the woodsy moss of Desmond’s fur or the scent of Holden’s skin I could hear the thrum of traffic a block away, but I couldn’t hear the snatches of conversation fros around us or the throb of Kellen’s pulse

Des hisup at ray eyeson my temples

"Holden?" I looked at the vaht ht as I collapsed

I woke up in my own bed, or at least it felt likein theme, but the colowed on the opposite nightstand, telling ht thirty How had I slept so late? I ate if I’d been out for such a long time

Come to think of it, I didn’t knoe’d passed back into our own reality The tione or if time was different here than it had been there In Calliope’s realone all the way to the other side, and I had no idea if it we’d come back to the sale of pants on the floor and landed on my knees

"Fuck"

Okay, awesome My one this long without face planting, and now onon the floor?

How had I not seen the ainst the ar hold of the handle So had happened to throwit was just a bad case of interdi sleep fro in the doorway, I felt a strange warmth on ht Too bright

I turned to faceroom, my heart leapt intobehind the wall and keeping ry swath through the tiny space

Sunlight poured intoht reflectors I’d escaped it in my bedroom because of the brickedintended to keepthem for blisters or burns, butenough to feel the war signs of dae

My heart pounded harder

Motes of dust swirled in the colu likeout, I putmy pale skin look much whiter than I’d seen it appear before

And I wasn’t burning