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Shrug

"The only coo-yôn in the world who could drown hirated "And you owe me a buck knife, boy"

"Come on, JD," Selena said, "we’ll let these two crazy kids catch up I’ll bet you the other fifth I packed that I can beat you at darts"

S whiskey--for the boy nicknaazed fro unconvinced

Impulses warred inside me: my curiosity’s need to ask Matthew questions in private, and my jealousy’s need to separate Jackson froht

Curiosity won "You guys go have fun," I said "We’ll be fine I think I’ll be able to talk to hi Jackson away

"You yell if you need anything I’ll be listening," he added darkly for Matthew’s benefit Then in French he ht"

"Gawd, you are sexy," Selena cried, "when you speak French!" And then they were gone

Slore! Jackson was right--jalousie did rip at you inside

I ain "Hey, kid, you need to be a little nicer to those two Unfortunately, we’re kind of dependent on them"

He chuckled at that

"Can you hunt? Or shoot?"

"Had a slingshot once!"

"Okay, then, neither can I But they both hunt They’ll source food and protect us So, seriously, we are going to have to rely on therinned "E to be called Empress in my head, quite another in real life

Matthew truly was here With me "Thank you for the visions, kid" That was a sentence I’d never thought I would say "You saved ravely "I am a lifesaver"

"But I couldn’t have been one I ave a bark of laughter "That’s just crazy talk"

Guilt easing"Matthew, exactly how psychic are you?"

"So psychic that other psychics should be called Mattics"

I sh , his eyes going vacant "The last twoaway froan The next card is close Don’t look at this hand"

"Look at that one," I finished "I know it When you hear the voices, do they go quiet whenever you make contact?"

"Don’t want them quiet Dee-vee-oh makes them quiet for you Whenever he helps, he hurts"

"Do you want to elaborate on that?" He gave rin Apparently not "So you can send your visions to anyone? And you can spread thely over his forehead "Messages"

"Did you send them to other Arcana?"

He looked insulted As if I’d accused hi on me "You are my friend and ally"

"So why’d you send me visions of Selena? What did that one in the woods mean?"

"Mean?" he asked in a baffled tone "Is it bedtiood like us or badlike Death?"

"She’s the Moon," he said matter-of-factly

Obviously this subject was a dead end I raised a new one "Can you see randmother?"

"Tarasova," Matthew murmured

Just as she’d described herself to"We’re on our way to find her She has all the answers"

"You havequestions"

Surely he’d tellthere? "If you’re psychic, and I can control plants, what are soenetically altered or soet our powers?"

"We are born"

Okay "Does Selena have other abilities besides her archery?" Other than always looking perfect, bike racing, and cooking like Top Chef? "Does she knoe are? Is she literally the Bringer of Doubt? And how many Arcana are there? Why was that vision of Deathto any of my questions, Mattheidely, his eyes less clairvoyant-y--h I burned for answers, I sensed that pushing hi my own memories had In other words, not at all

Sos unfold But I had to know one thing "When you were knocked out earlier, I saw a vision of you today You didn’t look surprised when your mom locked you in You saw your future?"

"Not my own Never my own Hers"

He could only see others’ futures? "You didn’t want to, u tosuicide?

Had she snapped under the stress? Or had she wanted to spare hi instead? Why wouldn’t she just take him with her in the car?

Then I remembered; Matthew had already told me She’d known he wouldn’t stay in the car

"Wouldn’t haveeyes, he whispered, "I see far, Evie"

So she would have died soon after? Or maybe her fate would have been worse?

Even as I debated whether there was a fate worse than death, I wondered how Matthew handleddecisions for others

You poor boy I reached forward to smooth his hair from his forehead, as my own mother used to do to me How could I feel this much affection for him so quickly?

But then, we had known each other for months

He blinked up at me with endless trust "I believed you’dhi off--about the cutest thing I’d ever seen Will I ever see a puppy again? "Why don’t you try to go to sleep? We’ll have hours tomorrow to talk"

"Don’t leave ins with meand ends with him"

"Ends ho, Matthew?"