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Jack frowned and closed his eyes I couldn’t believe it Cole wasthat would make Jack move

Jack hesitated for just a moment and then helped me over to the bed I collapsed next to Cole, unable to keep my eyes open

"Just sleep, Becks," Jack said, running his fingers over h the whole thing I’ll be here the entire time"

I couldn’t have stayed awake if I’d tried

SOPHOMORE YEAR

The Surface Rock Garden Cli Gym

One blink That was all it took, and suddenly I was sonized It was the cavernous inside of the Rock Garden Cli, and rock-cliles for all levels of climbers

I’d been here once before, for a PE field trip sopho it I’d always had a slight fear of heights, but the fresh loss of my mother had somehow increased the terror for inner’s wall, staring up the shallow slope as if it were the face of Mount Everest

I turned toward the beginner’s wall and saw a girl in black yoga pants and a green tank top with a negative photograph of the Beatles walking across Abbey Road on the front

I knew that tank top My dad had given it toatlanced down at the hands by er These were Cole’s hands This was Cole’s memory I’d had no idea he’d been there that day, probably because I was so consumed byup at the top of the wall The harness was attached to her waist, the rope strung through the pulley Nate Pinnock, a junior, held the other end of the rope, ready to belay He watched the frozen girl in the green tank top and rolled his eyes i as he watched it all unfold He couldn’t tear his eyes away He had to find out if the frozen girl would ever gather the courage to try

Suddenly Jack appeared behind the memory-Nikki Cole took a few steps toward the

Jack placed his hands on her waist and put his lips to her ear

"Don’t look at the top, Becks You don’t have to figure out how to get way up there You only have to figure out how to get here" He placed his hand on the foothold nearest her right foot "Never focus on the end Only focus on your first step"

She took a deep breath, unable to tear her eyes off the highest platform "And then what?" the memory-Nikki whispered

From Cole’s perspective, I could see Jack’s face The way he closed his eyes as if my fears were his fears The way he heldmore precious than his own life

He leaned closer to her "Then you take the next step"

Nate waved the rope back and forth "Please, give lared at Nate Nate stopped ainst the floor

Memory-Nikki hadn’t even noticed Nate’s impatience She closed her eyes, took another deep breath, and whispered, "Just one step"

She stepped closer to the wall and placed her hands on the two nearest rocks; but when she went to lift her foot, Jack’s hands at her waist got in her way "Um, Jack?" she said

"Yes?"

"Do your little bits of wisdoo?"

He gave a wide smile and kissed her shoulder "You take the first step, and I’ll let go"

She turned her head slightly toward hio, and I’ll take the first step"

He sighed, and with a reluctant expression that he kept hidden from her, he dropped his hands She cli a heaviness in his chest that I couldn’t quite understand, but the only word that came to mind istfulness

NOW

The Surface Cole’s bedroo to hushed voices and the lingering ies from the memory Cole had shared with me I wondered if he could control what he did and didn’t share; the ht about it, the more I believed Cole couldn’t control them He’d shared memories purposely before, such as his perspective on our first ht’s memoryit showed our love Mine and Jack’s I had a feeling he wouldn’t have purposely shared it

I didn’t get h Jack’s and Cole’s voices began to cut through the sleep, and I listened in

"There could be a place for you," Cole was saying "Once she’s queen, we’ll ether forever"

Jack scoffed "You’d stand aside and let us be together Ruling the Underworld"

"Not ruling together," Cole said "She and I would rule together But there’s no reason the two of you can’t"

I opened my eyes briefly just in time to see him wave his hands in a finish-the-sentence kind of way I wasn’t awake enough to actually finish it

"I can’t believe I’ this conversation It’s all pointless," Jack said "First off, I would never beco But more importantly, when it co You may have your band, and whoever else you can recruit to your side, and irls to bulk up for battle You ht have all the other pieces in place, but Nikki will never do the Century Feed"

Never do the Century Feed My eyelids fluttered open again as that phrase triggered a memory Cole had once told me that one of the reasons he wanted to rule the Everneath was because it would ain His search for Forfeits would be over His "subjects" would do it for him The Everneath itself would provide all the sustenance he would need

An important piece of Cole’s puzzle had just popped into place in my head

"That’s part of his plan," I mumbled

Cole and Jack turned toward me Jack rushed to my side "Becks, you’re awake"

I tried to sit up, but my head felt like a balloon

"Here," Jack said, handing me a cup of water "Cole said it would be like you had an energy hangover"

He was right I htheaded, but I felt as if I could puulped the water, sla to feed is part of his plan"

Jack crinkled his eyebrows "What?"

Cole’s face was blank, but he didn’t deny it

"Because the queen doesn’t have to feed" I shook ht I had two choices Century Feed on a Forfeit or die Which would iving us a third choice If I become queen, I won’t have to Century Feed And I won’t die"

I kept my eyes on Jack’s face, and I saw it The tiniest reflection of a smile

And then I realized what I had just done I had given Jack motive to make me queen I frowned "Don’t even think it, Jack"