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"The last time I trusted a faction representative with this information, all my friends were murdered," he replies "I don’t trust anyone anymore"

I can’t help it--I lean forward so that I can see around the trunk of the tree Both Marcus and Johanna are too preoccupied to notice the , and I’ve never seen Marcus look so tired or Johanna so angry But her face softens, and she touches Marcus’s arht caress

"In order to have peace, we e your mind Remember that I have always been your friend, Marcus, even when you did not have many to speak of"

She leans in and kisses his cheek, then walks to the end of the orchard Marcus stands for a few seconds, apparently stunned, and starts toward the compound

The revelations of the past half hour buzz in ation to seize power, but she attacked them to steal information--infor stops as I re else Marcus said: Most of the leaders of this city risked their lives for it Was one of those leaders my father?

I have to know I have to find out what could possibly be iation to die for--and the Erudite to kill for

I pause before knocking on Tobias’s door, and listen to what’s going on inside

"No, not like that," Tobias says through laughter

"What do you mean, ‘not like that’? I is to Caleb

"You did not"

"Well, do it again, then"

I push open the door just as Tobias, who is sitting on the floor with one leg stretched out, hurls a butter knife at the opposite wall It sticks, handle out, froe hunk of cheese they positioned on top of the dresser Caleb, standing beside him, stares in disbelief, first at the cheese and then at y," says Caleb "Can you do this too?"

He looks better than he did earlier--his eyes aren’t red anymore and some of the old spark of curiosity is in theain His brown hair is tousled, his shirt buttons in the wrong buttonholes He is handsome in a careless way, my brother, like he has no idea what he looks like ht hand, y Can I ask why you’re throwing knives at cheese?"

Tobias’s eyes catch mine on the word "Four" Caleb doesn’t know that Tobias wears his excellence all the time in his own nickna," Tobias says, leaning his head against the wall as he looks atjust came up somehow"

"As it so often does," I say, a s its way across my face

He looks so relaxed, his head back, his ar over his knee We stare at each other for a few more seconds than is socially acceptable Caleb clears his throat

"Anyway, I should be getting back to ain "I’ this book about the water-filtration systeave it toto read it I think it’s supposed to be a repair " He pauses "Sorry You probably think I’m crazy too"

"Not at all," Tobias says with mock sincerity "Maybe you should read that repair ht like"

"I can loan it to you," Caleb says

"Maybe later," I say When Caleb closes the door behind hiive Tobias a dirty look

"Thanks for that," I say "Now he’s going to talk uess I ht prefer that to what he wants to talk to me about"

"Oh? And what’s that?" Tobias quirks his eyebrows "Aquaponics?"

"Aqua-what?"

"It’s one of the ways they grow food here You don’t want to know"

"You’re right, I don’t," I say "What did he come to talk to you about?"

"You," he says "I think it was the big-brother talk ‘Don’t ets up

"What did you tell him?"

He coether--that’s how knife-throwing ca around"

I feel warm everywhere He wraps his hands around ainst the door His lips find mine

I don’t remember why I came here in the first place

And I don’t care

I wrap ers find the he wide over the s

He kissesmy waist His breaths, my breaths, his body, my body, we are so close there is no difference

He pulls back, just a few centiet that far

"This isn’t what you came here for," he says

"No"

"What did you come for, then?"

"Who cares?"

I push ain He doesn’t resist, but after a few seconds, he ainst my cheek

"Okay, okay" I closeimportant: to tell him the conversation I overheard

We sit side by side on Tobias’s bed, and I start fro I tell him how I followed Marcus and Johanna into the orchard I tell hi of the siument that followed As I do, I watch his expression He does not look shocked or curious Instead, his mouth works its way into the bitter pucker that accompanies any mention of Marcus