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I got et a grasp on soers were nurabbed that wrist and ed to pull me a little farther out of the hole The whole tile of athered around us, and soon a couple of men helped Owen pull me up onto the ice I turned around to see the hole where I’d fallen and caught only a gliain

A muddle of voices asked variations on the "what just happened here?" question, only with lotsso hard I could only hear bits and pieces Next thing I knew, so pulled to s were still pretty nu they were draped over so war

Soon I was deposited onto a bench, and I heard Owen’s voice barking out orders "I need so hot to drink" Then his face was very close totense and worried

I tried to tell hi He pulled so from around me--his coat, it turned out--then peeled ht him because if I was this cold already, hoould I feel without a coat on at all? He shushedso only I could hear, "I’ll take care of it, but the last thing you need is to be wrapped in a wet coat" Sure enough, soon my clothes were dry and warm, and I felt much better He put his dry coat back aroundon it, aside on the bench As the cold seeped away froed to drymy coat wet, and with his coat around me, nobody would notice that my clothes were dry They’d only see the wet coat and assu funny--well, anything funnier than falling through ice that had a concrete slab under it My Oas really good at thinking logically in a crisis

A moment later, so paper cup to ed It turned out to be hot cocoa, and that war into h for me to hold the cup myself While I drank, Owen disappeared for a moment, then returned and knelt in front ofoffmy shoes on My feet seemed to be the last parts of me that remained numb from the cold

The people around us were still talking "Must’ve been a sinkhole," one voice said "No way," another replied "Not that deep" "Strangest thing I ever saw, and I seen a lot" I felt the air around me stir, then turned to see Sam perched beside me on the back of the bench He winked at ave hiri pattern above the rink, looking for all the world like a buzzard circling a dead ani a park e so about how I’d be okay, there must have just been ahi hole full of icy water, but it was i had happened there I al to have a hard ti the report on this incident

He returned and had more words with Owen There were raised voices, and I wished I could concentrate enough to pay attention to what they were saying because Owen never raised his voice, not even when he was angry He was one of those people who got quieter and calotto I did et her home and warm I don’t knohat happened, but you don’t have to worry about us filing a co I don’t care about your paperwork I just need to get her war beside me on the bench "Do you think you can walk?" he asked, his voice soft and gentle, ed to croak

"Okay, then Let’s go get a cab"

He picked up my ice-covered coat, then helped me to my feet and walked with his arm around me toward the Fifth Avenue side of the park Once ere away froical teleportation thing again, but at this distance and with your ical immunity intact this time, I’m not sure I could do it, and even if I could, it would drainelse that comes at us"