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Restless, Peri spun the stool, her disjointed attention landing on the oddest of things: one of the bulbs in the lotto kiosk was out, three of the tables had claw feet while the rest did not, and the wall-size ga an almost unheard squeal of faulty electronics Her attention went to the clock on the microwave behind the bar, and at exactly noon, the at-table menus all reset--just as she knew they would Why do I know this stuff?
A thump from the back room made her jump, but it was just Allen, and he shouted he’d found a footstool Silas stood dejectedly before his defunct fire, his hands on his narrow hips as he waited for so to happen "Peri, you’re better at this than ers on his jeans "You want to take a go at it?"
"Sure" Peri slid fro her coat at the bar, she halted when she realized she’d not only drifted fro her eyes to the dance floor
Frowning, she forced herself to look at her feet, heart pounding as she inched them out farther But her attention wandered… A dark presence at her shoulder became Jack, insufferably confident as he looked at the sa to be rid ofto haunt you until you accept that You’re bad, just like "
"Liar," she breathed Wavering, she stared at the floor Her head throbbed, and Jack chuckled So had happened here She knew this She would re outward in shock Allen and Silas both looked at her in concern Her hands were in fists, and she shook her fingers free "Did I draft?" she asked, not re back in, and Silas shook his head, clearly worried Allen’s weak s his beer, snickered, brushing by her with arrogant confidence
"You’ll never lose o ahead and try You’re , he sat on the raised hearth, patting the stone beside hi to break the loop," Silas said as he put a log on the fire--which proet this done, the better"
"You think?" Anxious, Peri took the brown plastic footstool froht-back chair pulled before the fireplace Jack snickered when she sat on the low stool, her knees almost up to her elbows
The silver threads in Jack’s black shirt glinted as he crouched beside her, whispering in her ear "Soto be here, babe," he said, tapping his tele one of the to let it go? Never Not ht You’re the best, and you don’t let your best go Ever"
Allen sat down behind her and tucked close Shifting aardly, Silas edged toward the bar "Ah, I’ll just be over here"
"No one needs you, piano ressive He’d vanish for good if they did this right, and the illusion see about who she was It’s a lie It has to be
Peri bowed her head as Allen’s fingers landed on her shoulders, pushing deep into exactly the right places It was hard to relax with Jack staring at her I don’t need you anyan to relax
"Little whore," Jackit, Allen sent his fingers to scrub at her scalp "I’ you need is more holes in your memories, but the only way to be rid of hiet the straight story, but any directwith Jack"
"Never …," Jack whispered, and she shivered
"You’re fighting," Allen complained "Let me do this, or Silas will never let ht a smile to her True, Silas was e of what to remove, and she leaned back into hi him into her head She’d shot at him, beaten him, left him for dead, berated hiain," Allen said wearily "I don’t hold you to actions done in the na Opti down It was your job We all volunteered for it"
Crouched with his breath tickling her ear, Jack whispered, "But you hold yourself to them, don’t you, babe Because you enjoyed it Even Africa Admit it," he whispered "You liked who you were--or it wouldn’t have taken three years to figure out Don’t let them steal that from you You’re alive when you’re bad Don’t let them kill your soul"
Peri’s pulse quickened She hadn’t enjoyed the ugly things she’d done while at Opti The people she’d hurt or killed were real The wrongs she’d done were real To have enjoyed it would make her foul She hadn’t
"You did," Jack whispered, and her eye twitched
"I’ers eased her into a light trance, a flash of Jack lying on a yellow floor, a blood-soaked scarf pressed to his le" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true">