Page 9 (1/2)

Mateo turned to Elizabeth "What the hell are you doing?"

Elizabeth never even glanced sideways at hi cry, Mrs Purdhy clutched at her throat and passed out Nadia caught her and eased her to the floor

To hell with Elizabeth Mateo ran to Nadia’s side; somebody else had to help As he knelt beside theunk was, he saw that Nadia had pillowed Mrs Purdhy’s head on her knees--the better to take hold of her bracelet and cast some kind of spell Mateo wrapped his ar that the closer they were, the ave her as her Steadfast

But after a et at it Whatever it is--it’s too strong"

Mateo looked down at Mrs Purdhy, as beginning to convulse on the floor As he pressed down her arht for aout of her had streaked all along her face and hands Then he realized that the black streaks were beneath her skin, widening and darkening like grotesque veins

What’s happening to her? He looked at Nadia, who shook her head in despair

Then the school nurse came in, and she shooed them off, and it turned out Kendall had called 9-1-1 because the paramedics showed up about ninety seconds after that Within a fewdown the hallith Mrs Purdhy on their gurney, and in the panic nobody had thought to send in a substitute or anything else People huddled in the roo details on Facebook

Nadia curled into Mateo’s embrace "I feel so helpless"

"If anyone can help her, it’s you" He stroked his hands through Nadia’s black hair "Don’t blame yourself We knoho’s really to blalare at Elizabeth, he saw her walk through the other students to the black puddle on the floor where Mrs Purdhy had fallen Everyone else was leaving that gunk severely alone; no doubt a custodian would show up any second to rate the ood

Elizabeth went to her knees beside it and pulled her cardigan half-down, exposing her shoulders Then she dipped two fingers into the stuff Smoke rose from her nails as she raised her hand and painted two stripes on the very top of her arm The skin there burned so quickly that he could s one bad

Nobody else paid attention Nobody else could even see what Elizabeth was doing; she had willed them not to see Her poas so vast that she could do her worst right in front of people, without the

But once you knew the truth, Elizabeth’s power became easier to see Mateo and Nadia both stared, and Nadia whispered, "She’s burned"

The red streaks on Elizabeth’s are of sympathetic pain lanced across Mateo’s shoulder; his nerve endings didn’t understand that she didn’t deserve syht that shilow of it was febrile and sick Mateo understood instinctively that this was so only he could see with his Steadfast power So he stared at it long and hard, this orange halo that one Tell Nadia this Tell Nadia everything