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I flinch, feeling sha happens I start to getwash of heat "A princess in a cage?" I cock my head "I’ve never heard of that particular fairy tale You don’t know anything about es, but I’htly, the sound low and deep "Don’t judge you? That’s funny You better get used to the world judging you You’re a carrier now That’s all there is"

"I won’t ever get used to that" I shake oing to have a hard road if you can’t accept what you are"

"Like you do?"

He nods

I press a hand to ely, allint of soaze as he looks at me For a moment, he doesn’t seem so harsh, so ruthless Which unnerves me almost more

I snatch the work sheet off the desk and storh for one day We have a week to complete the project I’ll finish the interviehen I’m less pissed Or maybe I’ll make it up Who’s to know? I doubt he’ll care

I don’t knohat the Agency hopes to accoet to know each other Maybe they hope that we’ll dislike each other so much that we’ll turn on one another Kill each other off so that the world doesn’t have to worry about carriers anymore

Only it dawns on me as I sit there that I don’t dislike hi that But a part of me admires him This boy alks around almost proudly, like he doesn’t care what the world thinks of hi beaten or cowed about his in my ears, and I’m sure he dislikes me And that, for some reason, bothers me

The female carrier should be considered no less a threat purely because of gender--or because of her small subset within HTS carrier population Her anos careful consideration In a manner, she is more co, she would likely be entirely unidentifiable Her actions are less predictable and she should, ergo, be viewed as extreerous and treated with extreht to the National Center for Analysis of Violent Crime at Quantico

NINE

LATER THAT AFTERNOON, I RISE FROM MY DESK and approach the Cage door From the left corner ofon It looks like a work sheet I could have probably turned h he would catchand mistake my interest forwell, interest He’s oblivious toup as I pass hih the door

"Davina What can I do for you?" That he insists on using rates on rown-up who doesn’t go around e Just a quick look and, sure enough, Coco is turned around in her desk, watching us, her dark eyes alert and wary

I face hime wait uncomfortably in front of him I shouldn’t have consu that if itto ask hi forward over his desk, he scribbles a pass forit off, he hands it to ," he warns Jerk

"I want to go, too!" Nathan shouts from his desk

"Shut up, Nathan," Brock , I turn and push open one of the heavyoff the narrow corridor I hurry past the workout roo inside The sound of roup in there working

The girls’ bathroom is small, just two stalls I’m in the second stall when the door creaks open I finish but hesitate inside the cramped space I don’t knohy Maybe because this tiirls down here It was just the sound of guys in the workout rooirls’ locker rooto hear so water in the faucet Or the door in the neighboring stall swinging open and shut Nor their business

Nothing

I know soine that I can hear the soft fall of their breath I lean forward a bit h the stall crack

Maybe Brockht of this doesn’t make me feel any more at ease

"I know you’re in there Co loose inside me I shouldn’t hear this person here Of all places, I should be safe froirls’ bathroom

"Come out or I’ll co through me I fumble for the lock and step out

Brockman waits with his arms crossed over his chest, his pose relaxed

"What are you doing in here?" I ht we should have a word about what you saw yesterday"

I caston the faucet, I washto do other than look hi"

He doesn’t reply and I look up in the asp to see he’s moved behindwhat I saw again--clearly, he’s not going to accept that--I shut off the water and lightly shakeno choice, I turn

"You’re in the girls’ bathrooratified to hear that my voice is steady Especially as all I can see when I look at hiers with their chewed-to-the-quick nails clenched around Coco’s se is burned into ust and the overwhele to slap him

"Girls’ PE doesn’t start until seventh period"