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Adelina jogs over to them, and before I can send Sister Dora all the way down the rabs her wrist

Sister Dora rips her arm away My heart jumps into my throat with Adelina’s newfound alliance to ain," Sister Dora challenges her "You don’t even belong here, Adelina And neither does that juvenile deht with you"

Adelina sht, Sister Dora Perhaps Marina and I don’t belong here, and perhaps ill leave this very o of Ella first?" Her voice, while cordial and patient, contains a hint of venom

"How dare you!" Sister Dora scoffs "Why, you’re no more than an orphan yourself We took you in when no one else wanted you!"

"We’re all the sae as much?"

Sister Dora rabs her arm The tomen stare into each other’s eyes

"I will be talking about this with Sister Lucia You will be thrown out of here so fast you won’t have a chance to pray for forgiveness"

"I already said I’d be leaving this iveness" Adelina reaches her hand out to Ella, and she takes it Sister Dora hesitates before reluctantly letting go of Ella’s ar such a terrible guardian, but I’ll also pray that God forgives you for forgetting your purpose here"

They continue to stare into each other’s eyes for a few more seconds before Sister Dora pivots and huffs out of the nave Once she’s out of sight and Ella has her back to round

"Hi, Ella," I say

"Marina!" She lets go of Adelina’s hand, runs and hugs me "Where were you?"

"Adelina and I had to talk alone," I say, pulling away from her I look up at Adelina "We had to talk about our future"

Adelina squints, then looks down at her dirty nightgown and becos and put that Chest so very soon"

When Adelina walks away, Ella grabs ht, Marina"

"I know, I saw hi" As soon as I say it I knoill ask Adelina if we can take Ella with us

"I saw all three of theasp "There’s three of the at your bed"

A shiver runs up my spine I float the Chest back up into the nook and run to the sleeping quarters, dodging huddles of girls in the hallhispering to each other about soe

"They were right there," she says, pointing at the

"Three of them, you’re sure?"

She nods her head "Yes, and they sawthem Then they ran away"

"What did they look like?" I ask

"They were tall and had really long hair And their jackets went almost to their shoes," she says

"With ht? They had mustaches?"

"I don’t think so I don’t remember mustaches," she says

I’m confused, but I know I don’t have s she’s collected over the past eleven years I’irl, stops irl Miranda Marquez was found strangled inside the school this "

I sit down on irl who lives in the village and sits beside me in Spanish history class Our teacher, Maestra Muñoz, often confuses us for each other because Miranda is skinny and tall like th as mine It takes ht have ht have tried to kill ht

"This is reallythis is bad," I whisper

Analee says, "Plus, I heard one of the Sisters say that soht and now there are all these news vans out there doing a report on it"

This is all happening so fast The Mogadorians have found acies and witnesses saw irl froht be dead because of e in the middle of winter without a place to stay

I take the fastest hot shower of my life and wait for Adelina

Chapter Twenty-Three

"WE’RE NOT GOING TO SARAH’S," SAM SAYS, following , possibly the trans back to help Six"

I step towards hiht here I love her, Sa to see her I don’t care what you say"

Sa towards Sarah’s house Sah, John? Or are you in love with Six? Which one?"

I twist around and shine my palm in his face "You think I don’t love Sarah?"