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The voice was English That was a useless deduction, because I was surrounded by bloody English people, and it wasn’t his real voice, anyway

"Actually," I said, hoping to keep theer, Hadrian"

I was pretty sure it wasn’t Hadrian in the car with me, but it orth a shot Who else would have a fleet of black cars and bother kidnapping me to make their point?

(That said, I’d noticed that the Holmeses had at least one of these black cars, and a driver who took them around town So did Milo I wondered if a black car appeared in your garage theafter you ca chauffeurs instead of coachod to h at you now"

"Go ahead?"

The voicesounds, but the voice spoke again before they finished

"I won’t give you my identity It’s not important Know that I a your travel back home You have no particular skills You know this You’re a fairly standard teenage boy You have no use but to be used"

"I know it’s fun to be cryptic, but that last thing , because as I wiggled ht as it needed to be

"Think of yourself as a package It’s Christmas, so picture a nicely wrapped present Charlotte carries it around It’s heavy in her are talks It’s witty It’s flattering ItAnd one day Charlotte leaves it somewhere in public, and poof, it is taken from her Charlotte is sad Then furious Charlotte will do anything to get her present back Horrible things Things that will end in her death, or is"

"So in this weird children’s story you’re telling e" I’d put my wrists between my knees, and slowly, slowly, I worked one curled hand out of its binding "That’s a pretty stupid extended lish class? You were more of a math person, weren’t you?"

A pause "Go ho"