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"Get her!"

I ignore the hot agony in round

Heavy feet pound behindScrea, I claw, I hit Jackson’s curses burna fistful of his hair, I yank until I feel the roots tear loose

Shouting, he loses his grip I scurry frantically toas fast as I need to be, but that punch in the gut still hasover the hu branches

I hear hihtened at what the split second glance will costa fistful I screech and whirl around, swinging even as hot sobs scald ainst the side of the head even as I brace for the returning blow, the pain to come

Dimly, it occurs to me that I’ve known more pain in the last month than ever before In my entire life Is this all I will kno? Will pain beco air?

"Davy! Stop! It’s ister his voice at the sa attacked He’s carefully holding ray eyes drill intothat part of ainst hih " He brushes aze drops overwe’re not alone out here, I look around us, still panting "There are three of the" I cover his hand withthe instructors will look twice at when they see ot slapped They’ll probably think my split lip was from yesterday’s drill "Which way to the trail?"

"This way" He starts to guide uys Jackson"

He looks over his shoulder like he wants to go back for thehtens his eyes

"It doesn’tmy throat I force my chin up and stuff away the part of me that wants to crumple, break, and fall into tears Weakness can’t exist in er "I’ up carriers We really are animals"

We step out onto the dirt-packed trail and I exhale, looking left and right, al, but it’s just us

Sean stops us fro any farther Color burns beneath his tan "Is that what you are? An animal? Is that what I am?"

"I didn’t mean us," I say, but I’m not sure I knohat’s inside me now I tell myself that I had to take that e what I did Or what I aht and sickens litter brightly He grinds his hand against his chest for emphasis "I know I’m different from them So are you That’s why I won’t stay here for another day" His lip curls up over his teeth with disgust "I’a to be a part of it" His lips flatten tightly, clearly waiting for , thinking what it would be like to stay here, of living through iven up on drea"

He holdson

"Davy" The sound of my name is full of desperation "They made you kill a man"

I flinch He doesn’t need to remind me When I close ed breath I shake, thinking of brown eyes, vacant and glassy Eround

He dips his head to look evenly into h to do that? I have a plan, Davy"

I release a shaky breath, the plea in his eyes affecting h weakly "You told me not to trust anyone butyourself?"

"Oh, no I ed?"

"That was before"

"Before what?" I ask

He takes his tiot under my skin Before you killed someone to save er stirs in me as I watch him The tendons in his throat work "Let me save your life now Because you have to know that if you stay here, you’re dead Proo with you," I whisper, sing, "there’s nothing waiting for us No chance of anything" And if we’re caughtwhat then? I don’t say it, but the words, the fear, hangs between us

So rustles in the trees nearby and Sean tenses I follow his gaze, holding es