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"Why did you do it?" he demands

"I don’t knohat you’re--"

"Cut the crap I saw you give that race traitor the cyanide pill"

"You did?" I say, stunned I thought I’d been so careful "The boy was in so much pain No one deserves to die like that"

"He was a race traitor, a Darkling lover He deserved everything he got," Sebastian says

"You’re one to talk"

Sebastian’s fist clenches, and I know I’ve overstepped the line

"That’s different," he says

"How?"

"No one will ever find out Will they?" he says

"Your secret’s safe with me," I reply, not that he deserves et him into trouble, no matter how badly he hurthie and not Kurt or one of the other Trackers," he says "They wouldn’t think twice about reporting you to Purian Rose"

My heart leaps intoto tell on me, are you?"

"Of course not I’d never let anyone hurt you," he says "But you have to be careful, Natalie Don’t give Purian Rose another excuse to hurt you or Polly"

Sebastian tenderly strokesthe reason I used to love hientle with me after my father died; it was exactly what I needed Then I recall the reason we broke up and slap his hand away, ignoring his wounded look

I pick up the Book of Creation froht I’d read it and see what all the fuss is about"

"You know it’s a load of insane, ra bullcrap written by Purian Rose, so why bother?" I say

He shrugs "Ita promotion if I follow the faith I don’t have to actually believe in it I just need to have read it"

Everything he does always has to benefit his career so me I toss the book on his dresser and head tothe way She’s sound asleep The medication they put her on makes her drowsy, so she sleeps a lot

Inonthe latest issue of Sentry Youth Monthly Truffles softly ht of Day with her feet kicked up in the air, ankles crossed, flicking through the fashion section of the azine, just the way Polly used to do It’s like a flashback from my past I s hard

Day sits up "You okay, Nat?"

"You just reminded ot hurt"

I press Truffles close toHe letsa beeline for the rug

"What happened to your sister?" Day asks

"She got tortured"

Day’s eyes widen "By who warns me not to tell her the whole truth

"An enemy of my father," I say "He ordered Polly’s torture to punish my father and ot hurt"

"I don’t believe that for a second"

"It’s what et it Mother loved Polly so much more than me; she thinks I’m a waste of space"

"I’ Day has no idea how my mother treats me, how she has to make every decision foron et the focus off ood days and his bad ones Thanks for the painkillers--they’ll really help"

I lightly touch her hand "I’ll get you some more whenever you need the

"Let’s change the subject to so fun," I say

Day smiles aardly "Soermwhat do we do at a sleepover, exactly?"

"Have you never been to a slulasses up her nose "I don’t really have ti"

She doesn’t look at me, and I wonder if the real reason she’s never been to a sleepover is that she doesn’t have any friends other than me I open up my bedside cabinet and pull out atory that we paint our nails, eat candy and talk about boys," I say

I choose a pretty coral pink nail varnish fro Day’s nails

"Sebastian’s quite attractive," Day says, getting into the spirit of things

"I suppose We dated for a while, but we split up a fewsex with another girl"

"That’s awful!" she says

"You don’t know the half of it," I irl, when he had you?"

I blush "Well, I’in, aren’t you?"