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Gage grabbed the toaster and held it over Mateo’s head, obviously preparing to use it to bash Mateo’s head in He tried to roll out of the way, holding one hand up to block as he thought, No, no, no--

The red light around Gage pulsed, flickered, went out And Mateo knew--just knew--that so about his outstretched hand, had done this

Gage froze For a long moment he just stood there At first Mateo could only stare up at hie

As he scra?"

"Uh--I--" Mateo couldn’t find words Had he actually broken the spell on Gage by hi his head as though to clear it, Gage stared down at the toaster in his hands "Were wetoast?"

"Yeah You came by to check on me, and anted some toast That’s it" Mateo scra in the boat and going to Nadia, now If he had even a fraction ofto use it to help her "Hey, can you hold down the fort here for a second? If ht back Okay?"

Gage, clearly soh it, put down the toaster and went to get the bread "Sure thing"

Mateo ran from the house, desperate to reach Nadia in time

Nadia shouted so that her voice would carry over the howling wind: "You can’t hurt thee"

Elizabeth only shook her head in what looked like fond exasperation "You never understood the e is built on pain I know that’s why you hurt all those people and put them in the hospital" It worked; it has to have worked; Elizabeth just hasn’t realized it yet--

"Yes, the bridge for the One Beneath is built on pain," Elizabeth said She stepped closer, so that they were nearly within arm’s reach of each other "The better the pain, the better the bridge Physical pain is nothing, really Just a habit of the body"

Hearing her say that so carelessly after seeing the torh enraged Nadia almost past endurance But then her mind focused in an to dawn, and Nadia saw it reflected in Elizabeth’s knowing smile