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Theo gives me a look "Are you sure we should stick around?"

"We have to!" I whisper

"Marguerite, we can’t save Paul if we die here"

"Keep one hand on your Firebird We don’t leave unless we absolutely have to The absolute last second All right?"

"Yeah Got it"

Then I hear the planes through the ceround The sound could only reach us if the bombers were directly overhead

I turn toward Theo; his eyes hter and says, "Just in case--I love you"

And the world turns white, and disappears

All those movies you see, where action heroes coolly stroll ahile buildings explode right behind the explodes near you, a wall of hot air hits you so hard it feels like stone Your eardruone off in your head; you can’t hear anything but a dull roar, and a ringing The explosion knocks you down, sears your skin

I e to pusharound ers in the air, and I look up to see the exposed night sky, ringed by rubble thatwe ran into before Fire flickers up there, but nothing’s burning down here My pal, scraped and bloody, but I don’t think I’ on his back, coughing so hard fro upright, shaking her head like she’s trying to clear the ringing from her ears Dad brushes stone dust frohtly, I see the people on the other side of the room--torn skin, unnaturally bent limbs, and blood So much blood

"We need help!" someone shouts It’s not like I have any idea how to handle encies, but it’s impossible to look at this and not feel the need to do so By the time I reach some of the injured, a few nurses and one doctor are already working to help, so I fall in with them and follow their lead The next severalto use as bandages, bracing people in whatever posture will allow them to protect their broken limbs and experience the least pain One elderly woive her and no ambulance to call, all I can do is sit by her side and talk her through it "Deep, slow breaths Try to calives et that "cal overhead But we have to try

When she’s as settled as she can be, I look around to find Theo standing behindI can do?" he calls over the cla of flame overhead