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Cold wind htly as he sat up and stared in disbelief He was no longer in his bedroom Instead Mateo lay in the rowboat tethered to the nearest dock His hands were scraped and raw; even in his dreams, he’d tried to undo the ropes, to actually live out the vision playing within his head

Was it a vision or was it real? Terror seized hiht of Nadia out there on the water alone--

No It had to have been a vision His boat had never left the dock, he earing a T-shirt and pajae was nowhere to be seen

But the vision had drawn hierous If soht have thought was hurting Nadia--

I could have done anything Anything And I wouldn’t have been able to stop myself

Mateo shuddered as he realized: This was how people began to go mad

10

AS PEOPLE PUSHED PAST THEM IN THE HALLWAY, HURRYING to theirclasses, Nadia sht terrors can happen to anybody," she said "Lots of people try to act out parts of their bad drea to do with your curse"

"It wasn’t a regular nightmare," Mateo insisted "It was one of the visions, but this tierous Alht others staring and whispering The mad Cabots, the ones who alent insane--that was the reputation Mateo had had to live with his whole life Now he’d cohtly askew, his entire body tense, going on and on about his rude awakening thatNadia realized now that this was one of the ways the curse worked against its victims: It scared thean the cycle of alienation, whispers, rejection So to them--well, no wonder they freaked out

But Nadia knew the truth Mateo wouldn’t have to bear this alone

"Listen toup to take his face in her hands "The curse dies with Elizabeth’s power Got it? When we take her down, you won’t have to worry about the dreaain"

Verlaine hesitantly raised her hand "So, do we have a firht?"