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"Please just be good," I say, encouraging peace instead of Rachel ‘getting hers’, which I really would rather see

But I quietly take a step back inside myself to remind me that I still don’t know if she can even be trusted It wasn’t long at all and I had already fully co I can’t do this; let her manipulate me if that’s what she’s here for I have to find that balance that’ll allowover too much of my trust

I loop my hand around Alex’s elbow and ith her toward the baseo lay down the law in advance

Aside from the dirt-stained short cotton varsity shorts, I briefly notice that Alex is bare-footed and I reminisce about the beat up flip-flops she used to wear I look over at her and s, I was just thinking"

"About what?" Her eyebrows crinkle

I shake"You look terrible"

"Well, thanks," Alex scoffs, reaches up with her knuckle and frogsto hold in hter

She smirks over atin front of Alex and it seems a little unnatural His face breaks into a wide, dopey smile "I’m the only hu like that because that would seriously ruin my day"

Alex’s eyes roll over to look at me beside her as if to ask me if he’s for real, then she looks back at him "Okay…well, for the record, Harry, you’re probably the only one around here I’ to like because you’re human"

Harry blushes and buries his hands deep inside his pockets and falls back behind us as we head up the stairs

"Are you co back at hi to check out the new construction on this wall--hey, tell Daisy to coht!" I shout fro the light from the kitchen flood into the stairwell

As I ith h the kitchen and the den, it’s obvious that everyone knows about Alex because everyone is watching as we pass by the around on various pieces of furniture in the den with grins and sneers But Alex keeps her cool; just a solid, expressionless glance and I know that all of the girls see the dangerous retaliation in her eyes The only one that doesn’t stop grinning is, of course, Rachel

We shuffle up the stairs; Isaac behind us and Alex in front The chains around her ankles knock against the steps and then drag ominously across the hardwoods on the upstairs floor I can’t wait to get down the hall so I can get Alex away fro at her as if she’s a sadistic serial-killer walking Death Row

"I really don’t want to leave you alone with her," Isaac says telepathically and I open up my mind to him fully

"But you have to," I say "Harry will be around,it--I’ll be fine"

"Oh, so now you think I’m some creepy peeper," Harry says and it ht he was still in the base to have to stop doing that, Harry!"

We make it to the bathroom door and stop just outside of it; Alex looks ataboutshe’ll understand

Alex shrugs "It’s alright I guess it just depresses er have anyone to communicate with telepathically"

This comes as a mild shock to both Isaac and me

"What happened to Ashe?" I say

Isaac is just as curious

Alex’s gaze strays toward the floor She looks both dispirited and indignant "He became Alpha of his own pack and went to Nova Scotia"

"Why didn’t you go with him?" Isaac asks, more interested in the information on his enemy than her love-life

Alex narrows her eyes at hi at me

I know my sister and that reaction was definitely an embarrassed one only masked by an outer layer of animosity

Isaac looks at me briefly before I slip inside the bathroom with Alex

I run the bath water for her and leave her in there alone long enough to go across the hall to Isaac’s roo ofin the tub when I come back Her tiny shorts, underclothes and white t-shirt are ripped in half and lying on the floor

"I was going to unlock you so that you could undress" I set the clean clothes on the counter