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"We’ll want to get that as soon as possible," John says

Five nods eagerly "Yeah, of course I remember exactly where I put it"

"The Chests are ie of his nose, which I’ve noticed he’s started doing whenever he’s struggling to re--I’m not sure exactly what, or hoorks--but there are items in those Chests that will help you reconnect with Lorien when the ti raptly at him now

"How do you know that?" John asks

"I--I just remembered," my dad replies

Nine looks over at me, then back to my dad "Uh, what?"

"I suppose it’s ti at all the expectant faces "I should warn you that there are gaps into s are co back to me now, in pieces I’ll tell you what I can"

"But how did you find that out in the first place?" Eight asks "We don’t even really understand what’s in our Chests"

My dad pauses, looking around at the group

"I know because Pittacus Lore told me"

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

YOU COULD HEAR A PIN DROP

John is the first to speak "How did he tell you? What do you mean?"

"He toldus you met Pittacus Lore?" exclaims a skeptical Nine

"How is that possible?" Marina asks

"We found a skeleton in your workshop wearing a Loric pendant" John ss hard before continuing "Was that hiaze "I’rievous that there was nothing I could do for him"

Now the questions come on in a rush

"What did he tell you?"

"How did he get to Earth?"

"Why did he pick you?"

"Did you know Johnny thinks he’s Pittacus resurrected?"

My dad motions doith his hands, like a conductor would when he’s trying to quiet a noisy orchestra He looks exhilarated by all the questions, and si to remember the answers

"I don’t knohy I was chosen out of all of Earth’s population," my dad explains "I was an astronomer My particular area of interest was in deep space, specifically with trying to make contact with alien life forns here on Earth of visitation from aliens, which didn’t exactly ues"

"You were right, though," says Eight "The Loralite is here Those cave paintings we found in India"

"Exactly," continues my dad "Most of my peers in the scientific community dismissedon about extraterrestrial visitors" He glances around "And yet, here you are"

"Thanks for the résuet to the Pittacus part?"

My dad s co radio waves I believed I was on to so This was on my own time I’d been--ah, dismissed, I suppose, from my position at the university"

"I kinda remember that," I say "Mo from my experiments A response, certainly Perhaps a burst of alienhis head at how unprepared he was "I got ht, a --at first I rant And then, before rew"

"Taller?" Six asks, an eyebrow raised

My dad chuckles "Indeed It doesn’t see all I’ve seen, but it was the first tiacy at work I wish I could say that I reacted with proper scientific curiosity, but instead I think I did a fair bit of screa"

I nod Sounds like the Goode way

"A Garde on Earth," breathes Marina "Who was he?"