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"For now"

Elizabeth released his arht idly of infection, of the possibility of losing him to illness, but mortal concerns were distant to her, especially now that the end was so very near

Mateo felt the change even before he saw it The sensation was like static electricity crackling along his skin, but only on one side of his body He turned into it and felt it grow stronger

"Looks like our last night for a while," his father was saying as he surveyed the nearly e in these days"

La Catrina had turned as ghostly as the rest of Captive’s Sound Fearing infection by the mysterious "disease" that had struck down so many, most people stayed home as often as they could Ruht now, though, Mateo’s y he felt--the one he kneouldn’t be evident to anyone asn’t a Steadfast The ain

If only he could ask Nadiabut he couldn’t, and he had to begin to rely on his oers instead of always leaning on hers Mateo squared his shoulders, ready to take control "Dad, I need to head out for a little while Is that okay? If anyone co if," his father said, never looking away froht off No point in both of us wasting the evening"

Mateo nodded and hurried out of the kitchen, taking off his black apron as he went Just as he went out the front door, he nearly ran into soed a sle for her "Listen, I’ht now I don’t think I can deal with the hospital, so I ondering if I could just hang--"

"Drive rabbed her hand and pulled her out with hi on I don’t knohat, but--it’s by the beach That direction I can tell When we get closer, I can see it"

"Oh, yeah, Nadia has your motorcycle" Verlaine’s steps quickened to o"

For the first part of the drive, Mateo wasn’t able to see anything out of the ordinary--at least, for a Steadfast The sas that h it seemed to him they burnedwas unusual, it was Verlaine herself She was back in vintage mode with her leopard-print coat and a white silk scarf tied around her hair, but the atteuise how exhausted she looked Yet soized her, too It re for exa "You okay?" he said

"I’ the nature of love I don’t knohether I’s I have to do Also I’ into one of the houses on the Hill to get so to eat that’s not canned beets How are you?"