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She ducks into the cavern ahead of me When ere children, ere just barely able to stand if we kept our heads bowed, but noe have little room to do more than sit across fro her hands together so they for And I’ll know if you’re holding back"

"You won’t believeinthe blood on Judas’s hand

"Look at you, all red" Her eyes are suddenly serious "Is it soan, it would mean a lot of trouble--"

"No!" The tips of et me whisked away to an attraction caht I’d feel safer here than in the closet, but I keep i that the rocks will cave in on us

"That boy you saw"--I take a deep breath, lower my voice--"that was Judas Hensley"

I can feel Pen staring at o by in silence, and then she bursts into laughter

In answer, I uilty san Please tellwe say leaves here, right?"

She drags her finger over her heart in an X, sealing the pro, and as I say the words out loud, I realize how little there is to tell, how I’ve been obsessing over so that lasted for a handful of minutes I don’t tell her about the taste of his blood or the tantalizing sense of weightlessness I don’t tell her that in e of our floating city, and that the thing that calledme

"You’re sure it was him?" she says breathlessly

"I’m certain"

"Then--why hasn’t there been a broadcast? Why did they just let us go to the acade free?"

"I don’t know" I shake my head "I didn’t ask many questions He said he’d kill ," Pen says "We’ll kill him first if he tries"

"I didn’t believe him I don’t think he killed Daphne," I say "I know it doesn’t make much sense, but I’d ht in front of me"

"Well, we’d all like to think that," she says She leans back against the rock wall, s"

"It wasn’t a tryst!" My heated cheeks only fuel her delight "And I don’t think he did it He was so … unassu"

"He had you pinned to a tree"

"For a few seconds"

"Maybe he’s still here," she says excitedly "Maybe he’s watching us"

I know it’s absurd, but I’ve felt as though he’s been watching ht "Of course he isn’t," I say

Pen grabs a pebble froer rocks, spelling out the words: "Are you a murderer?"

"There," she says "When he coht answer us" She sets the pebble in the dirt with finality

"Assu he returns"

"He’ll return," she says "Intern to hide, you have to circle the saain"

I wonder what

Myby the hen I co on her sa to worry," she says, squinting as she pokes the needle through the fabric "You’re honment she lost at the academy," I say "We missed the shuttle and walked hoat me anyway Instead she asksin the oven The loaf, stuffed with roasted vegetables, is enough to feed a dozen Half of it will probably go upstairs to Alice and Lex My mother feeds them so often that Alice hardly bothers to cook anyets dark earlier now," my mother says "Maybe it would be best if you didn’t dawdle sothe tea and bringing it to her She sets down her needlework She works fro froht I runthe strip of yellow

I envy her talent for inventing strange and beautiful things the rest of us can’t see But I don’t ask her about it; I thinkfrustrates her She has one like- declared irrational Maybe he would have been by now, if Alice weren’t so patient

"The bread looks done," I say

"Bring half upstairs for your brother and Alice Tell her to be sure he eats so too thin"

I don’t kno she knows this; ht upstairs, but they never visit each other The sight of hier, and es are simply food

Dutifully, I wrap half of the bread in a cloth

My brother’s door is locked again, and when I knock, it takes a long time for Alice to answer She’s still in her work clothes and her shoulders are drooping with exhaustion She sees the bundle in ives a weary smile "Coht and today isn’t very much better"