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"So, Barber was here" She had this way of getting right to the point

He nodded "Grace saved the day She was a"

Madison nodded "She’s fearless, all right It’s scary sometimes"

"You never said she was an elicitor, too"

Madison froze inabout? She is not"

"Madison Hello It’s me"

"She’s not," she repeated, louder

"Have you told her?" When Madison said nothing, he shrugged "Guess not She doesn’t seeic"

She finally looked up at hi to a deep-water blue "She’s not in this"

"Yet"

"Never" Madison was like a person who presses her thuh all around her "You can’t tell anyone"

"Maddie, it was just duure it out when he was here"

"That’s why I have to stay out of this thing To protect her"

Then, all of a sudden, she was crying Tears streaked down her face and Jason cast about for so to say "Um, hey, listen, Madison, I …"

"It’s been hell around here, you know that?" Her voice rose and the dog stirred and opened his eyes "Last year, so fires all over the county, and everybody bla Grace at school Her best friend’s ot vicious When I left, that finally died down"

She sniffled a little and dabbed at her eyes "I was happy in Trinity Then Second Sister happened I can’t get involved with this If they find out about Grace … My faht Barber down here," Jason said, thinking of Leesha "I’m really sorry"

"Do you think he’ll be back?"

Jason shrugged "He’s probably just checking everywhere close I doubt he’ll be back, unless he finds out you live here That would be too much of a clue"

"It still says Booker on the h" She paused "So What does Barber want? What are you doing here?"

I ca for the Roses, Jason thought of saying Or, I ca you back to Trinity, willing or not Not that he was in any condition now to do that

So of course he said none of those things "Barber’s looking for the Dragonheart I guess he thinks I have it"

"But you don’t" She slid a sideways glance at hi to act casual "Is it … is it still in the church?"

"Yeah," he said She still wants it, he thought

"Any luck using it? Figuring it out?"

He shook his head He thought of saying, No, the thing bites me every time I try and lay a hand on it But he didn’t say that, either He still had hopes "We’ve got the rest of the stuff prettyeach other out like candidates for the same job

"So," he said finally "You met with your art teacher?"

She nodded distractedly "My teacher froe I met her in Columbus so she could look over what I’d done so far She was there for an opening"

"So what’d she say?"

She stared at hirabbed the front of his T-shirt and pulled his face perilously close to hers "Jason Haley! You did not drive all the way down here to ask about ave him a little shake

"Easy! I’o of hiends and tore it all up" He watched carefully for her reaction, and got basic bewilder there to steal"

"It was a wizard," Jason went on "Seph thought it ht have been the Roses"

"The Roses! Why would they break into ested "You sure there wasn’t anything there worth stealing?" And then, on is behind?"