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He means he doesn’t want to watch the ain look at each other with love

I walk out, knowing Theo will follow, and I don’t allow ain

Once Theo and I are alone in the corridor, acco within office doors, he says, "Look on the bright side, chica We’ve got the Firebird We’ve got a good cover story in place This is progress"

I s the luht find out we didn’t really sabotage theested the plan, I knew that was a risk That risk loo its shadow over ht But we couldlike that And if this world’s Conley never learns the truth, we et aith it completely"

"He has to learn eventually, doesn’t he?"

"Eventually could be a long tilances over his shoulder, in the direction we came from "This Paul’s kind of a hard-ass, isn’t he?

"No Just hurt" I think of the way he looked atin love--and I feel even ht about one thing We have the Firebirds So far as Conley knoe completed half the job One more dimension, one o to the ho the last splinter of Paul’s soul

"At least we have so to when this trip began--that I’d find a way to under, I’d turn his own plan against hih di to happen"

Slowly, Theo s spirit Now, do we knohere we’re headed?"

Quickly I double-check my Firebird around my neck; the second set of coordinates have been unlocked "Yeah, sending you the data now Mission one-half accoo"

Theo pauses "A whole other world" When I give him a look, he shakes his head "I know that’s the idea But it’s like I only just started believing this place was real"

"Soon it’s going to seem like a bad dream," I reassure him

"I don’t know," Theo says as he takes his Firebird in hand "This place had its benefits"

Our eyesthe way he kissed ht

But it’s over in an instant, as the Firebird rips us out of these bodies, this world, forever

13

WHEN I SLAM INTO MYSELF, I’M WALKING ALONG A CROWDED sidewalk, and I nearly trip over uy in a Yankees jersey bu Got it?"