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MARIE DOYLE: Great! You’ll come when I’m dead then? Fantastic! Good people likeCarriers should be behind bars I watch the news That’s where they’re headed

911 DISPATCHER 3026: I understand, ilant If she makes the smallest threat, pleasecall us back

SEVEN

MITCHELL FINDS ME IN MY ROOM I’M STILL IN MY bathrobe, ot hoht of Brockuess I understood nohy Nathan left her aloneand why Gil thinks I need an ally

He catches htly to s "Hey" He drops down ona pillow under his head "Hoas it?"

I setI haven’t stopped shaking since I ran to o back"

"C’ood with the Agency if you finished out the year at schoolShow them that you can function in the real world--"

I just look at him I knowin the real world I was better than functioning But now I have to prove it?

"You knohat I learned today? That they don’t want anyone with HTS to function in the real world" I air quote the word function "They keep us isolated I’e with a bunch of other carriers and some pervy teacher"

He sits up "What do you " If I tell hiht hours, I’ve discovered just how little influenceto the

He stares at , "You’re better than this, Davy I know you can handle it"

Shaking roan in frustration "Why are you so sure?"

"Because you’re you You can do anything When you were three years old you sat down at the piano and played like you’ve been doing it all your life And as if being a h, when you were four years old you walked intomy ass for the past week"

I smile "I don’t remember that"

"Yeah Well It pisseda little sister who’s better at everything than you are"

My smile slips "Sorry"

He drops a fist on the bed "Don’t apologize for being sot over it Basically, I’e that It doesn’t change you"

My phone chie My stomach dips "It’s Zac"

"Told you he’d come around"

"He’s outside"

He hesitates for a et dressed I’ll let hie into jeans and a T-shirt I’ my hair with my brush when there’s a knock on the door

"Come in"

Zac sticks his head in first He’s never done that before Usually, he breezes in like he owns the place "Hey"

I wave him inside

He steps in "How are you?"

"Okay," I say because I’ to burden him with the kind of day I had Even if I wasn’t embarrassed--which I am--I wouldn’t want him to know just how different I’ve become Just how far apart we suddenly are

He sits on the corner of htens and I finally feel like myself for the first time in days This isin ht, but I keep it in

He moves, drops onto the carpet, and crouches on his knees before me "I’m sorry I was such a jerk" He slides his arms around my waist and looks up at me "I shouldn’t have run off--"

"No" I hold his face in my hands "Anybody would have been freaked out"

"I shouldn’t have been I mean, it’s youI know you’re not some killer No matter what others--"