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I glance over at Sarah It’s so hard to believe this is the sah school with What really throwsa conversation about artillery training

"Been co in here a lot, actually," she continues "John doesn’t sleepAnd then he slips out of bed in the o brood on the roof He thinks I don’t notice, but I do"

I s a bed, huh?"

She kicks at me playfully "Whatever, Sam There are only so h There’s so from murderous alien invaders, you know? Not toin or so" She squints at me "Even so, don’t tell my parents"

"Your secret’s safe with ether"

I finish reconnecting the wires and so hu the wall suddenly juts out like a piston, then retracts

"What’s that for?" Sarah asks

"It’s like couess Nine told me his Cêpan had all kind of obstacles and traps set up in here"

Sarah knocks on the floor in front of her So metallic rattles beneath her hand and she jerks back "Maybe I should watch where I’ to wait forto accidentally trigger soently touches , Sa the scars on my wrists "I had a lot of time to think when I was a prisoner," I tell her

"I knohat youSarah and I have in co about John and the others About how I could help the Sarah what I ca

"Oh," she says "Well, there’s always the crossbow"

"I’m worried I won’t be able to help Like sooner or later I’ll end up captured again, or worse, and that’ll just screw things up for the others Then I hear a story like Eight told tonight and I wonder if maybe it wouldn’t have been better if John had left ht left those soldiers Liketo worry about

"I didn’t mean that," I say hurriedly

"It’s okay," Sarah says, touching , Sas we can do"

I nod, wanting to believe her, but then I look down at the scars on my wrists and reinia I fall silent Sarah hops to her feet, holding her hand out

"For starters," she says, "we could go make some breakfast They probably won’t make us honorary Loriens for it, but it’s a start"

I force a so ofat the dark purple scars on my wrists

"Whatever happened to you, Saaze, "it’s over now You’re safe"

Before I can respond, a piercing shriek erupts from one of the bedrooms

CHAPTER NINETEEN

I JOLT AWAKE AS SOON AS ELLA STARTS SCREAMING It was one by peacefully We’d stayed up late talking about the new arrivals and what Malcolm Goode had told us about Pittacus Lore and the possibility of helpful Mogadorians Ella had finally fallen asleep and I’d hoped thather since New Mexico were finally gone for good She hadn’t had one since reading Crayton’s letter Maybe it was all stress related after all Now that she’d gotten over the anxiety of that unopened letter, things could get back to normal

I should’ve known better

"Ella Ella, wake up!" I shout, trying to decide if I should shake her I’ a little panicked, especially when she doesn’t iers, kicking her heels into theout steadily hoarser screa about so much that she almost falls out of the bed I reach out to steady her

As soon as I touch Ella’s shoulder, an ie pops into my mind I’m not sure where it comes from It feels like when Ella talks to o along with her o, the saht and I wandered around just the other day There are bodies strewn everywhere Human bodies The sky is filled with columns of smoke from nearby fires The surface of the lake is covered in so viscous and black, like oil I can hear screa Hear explosions in the distance

I pull away froone I’ queasy

Ella has stopped screa up at lance over at the clock and realize less than a

"You saw it too?" she whispers

I nod, not sure how to answer, much less describe what I just sa is it possible that I just found myself in Ella’s drea for an answer, Sarah pokes her head in I can see Sa behind her in the hallway They both look concerned

"Is everything all--?"