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"Of course we did" Toni gave her a hug "We’ve been worried about you" "You’re looking good, ed her, then sat across from her at the table Toni sat next to her "How have you been?" "I’m okay" Bri held up her arot

prolad not to be yellow any with yellow?" Toni asked "It’s for suicidal patients" Bri selected a green crayon from the bin "Not that I was suicidal" Toni sed hard "That’s good," she whispered "They just put everyone on suicide watch when they first get here," Bri explained "I wonder why," Carlos lanced around the bleak room "I was so lonely," Bri continued "I had to eat all my meals alone, and I had to sit here by y into the room He cricked his head to the side "You have visitors?" "Teddy!" Bradley marched toward him "How many times do I have to tell you to stay in the

men’s rec room?" "Okay" Teddy wandered back down the hall "Crazy moron," Bradley muttered as he followed

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"I’ as if everything was normal "I met Teddy at lunch today I think he’s lonesome No one ever colad you calad, too" "Teddy’s not crazy," Bri whispered "He’s just very sad He was in a car accident with his

girlfriend, and she died He was driving, so he feels guilty"

Toni nodded "It’s terrible to feel like you’ve failed so to fail Sabrina if she didn’t get her out of this place "We want to get you back ho delusions" "You’re not delusional," Toni insisted "I have to adet better That’s what my therapist says Anyway, lots of

people here are delusional" Bri sht, they said there was a giant black cat running around the courtyard"

Toni glanced at Carlos, but his face remained blank Bri took a purple crayon from the bin "I have to color Jasmine’s hair purple They took all the black crayons away ’cause they were too depressing"

Toni stifled an urge to screaet depressed? "Bri, I did what you asked I went to Central Park to see if any vampires would come and attack me"

Bri shook her head while she colored "Vaht," Carlos said quickly, then gave Toni a pointed look when she started to interrupt "You should tell your uncle that you made a mistake You were simply traumatized by the attack But you’re all better now, and he should let you out of here"

Toni knew that strategy wouldn’t work Bri would need her uncle’s okay in order to be released,

and he would never give it Bri dropped the purple crayon back into the bin "Uncle Joe wants ht coht take a feeeks"

Or forever, Toni thought wryly As long as Uncle Joe was in charge of Bri’s future, she would

have none Toni had wanted to help Bri by proving the existence of vampires, but so far, she’d failed to come up with any proof And now she doubted Uncle Joe would acknowledge any proof It simply wasn’t in his best interest to ever let Bri out of this hospital

A sense of panic grew in Toni as the minutes ticked by Carlos asked mundane questions like what they’d eaten for supper Toni was finding it hard to even breathe "Would you like to have this picture?" Bri asked as she finished coloring "Yes" Toni forced a s hours are over," he announced

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"To up a tree" Bri handed the picture to

Toni "Can you come back?" "Of course I mean, I’ll try" Toni was afraid Uncle Joe would deny her access once he saw her nao" Bradley motioned impatiently

The couple in the corner separated The husband headed down the hall The woan to cry "This way, please" Bradley glared at theed her friend, then quickly walked away before Bri could see the tears in her eyes She

followed Carlos back into the foyer and winced when the heavy metal door shut with a final click

They slowly put on their coats and gathered their belongings, so the visiting husband would leave before them A few minutes after he exited, they started across the courtyard The cold air slapped Toni’s face, bringing her a sense of urgency "We have to get her out," she

whispered "I know," Carlos replied "I’ve been trying to co" "Her uncle will never release her" Toni’s voice rose in panic "We’ll have to--" "Shhh," Carlos warned her He motioned to the oak tree and its massive branch that extended over

the wall "I could try to get her up that tree, but there’s still the proble her out of the ward The dahter than a nun in a chastity belt" "We have to do sorabbed Carlos’s arot to be a way" They just needed to get past the guards and the locked doors "Oh osh, I kno to do it"

"How?" Carlos asked "We teleport her out" "We can’t do that" "But we know so to ask that vampire, Ian?" Carlos asked "Are you sure he can be trusted?" "I think so I hope so" He’d offered to help her And the ht about it, the more she

kneas the only way

Toni insisted Carlos drive her straight back to Rouard at the entrance gate recognized her and waved theh

Carlos stopped the car by the front door "I know you want to talk to Ian alone, but leave "

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"Okay" She pulled her knit cap off and fluffed up her hair She wanted to look decent for her talk