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"And Rhode Island," the other refugee says, "but their pack is pretty small"

"Doesn’t reeing

"Most, if not all of the," Harry announces

"How can they get here so fast?" Adria says

"They have their ways," Xavier speaks up from the other end of the table

"Yeah, like an airplane?" Alexandrait worse on yourself," Xavier says to her grinning a lopsided grin He pulls his legs up and props his feet upon the table, crossing them at the ankles below

"Yeah?" Alexandra says, "How’s that exactly?"

"Playing hard to get," Xavier says He interlaces his fingers and rests the back of his head in his locked hands

Alexandra ignores hioing?" I say, holding onto the tips of her fingers

She looks down atso hard not to appear depressed or troubled by what happened with Ara to hide

"I’et up froe of my mouth "You worry too much--I’ently guides me back into the wooden chair "Stay here and do what you have to do"

I sigh deeply and let her go

I notice Alexandra start to go after her, but she stops when her gaze meets mine My eyes alone tell her that her sister just needs ti is over and we’ve established what needs to be done, I leave everyone to find Adria where I knew she would be, alone in the room where Arahout the space, giving off just enough orange light to see her lying on one side of the bed

She’s been crying I notice her covertly wipe the tears away from her eyes

All of the is one All that is left is the stone slab that iant pillow that had been used as thewith the old wooden desk that I split in half and into a hundred pieces when I brought Adria here with ht Funny how my father would have the remnants of an old desk cleaned out of Aramei’s room, but leaves the corpse of the man he killed out in the wide open for all to see

"I’m proud of what you did," I say as I make my way across the die of the e and co flame cast upon the wall next to her; the candle it comes from is nearby on the floor

I reach out and brush a lock of hair away from her face

"I know it had to be done," she says, her voice distant "And I feel that even though she’s gone, she’s grateful"

Finally, she turns her gaze on ht of the candle flits across her irises olden She sniffles away a few lingering tears "It’s just soh And I will In tith in h so th, like it’s son to er than I could ever be

I crawl over and move around to lie behind her, my knees fitted into the backs of hers, ers between hers to hold her hand against her side Her free hand coertips

"If we die," she says and my eyes creep open, "do you think we’ll still know each other in the afterlife…if there is an afterlife?"

I nestle my face into her neck and squeeze her hand "I believe that no o, or if there’s an afterlife, that we’ll always be connected Not even death can et that I love you"

I feel her smile I don’t have to see it

A quiet few seconds pass between us and then she turns her body just enough to see my face

"Promise me that if we die, you’ll look for me," she says and kisses my lips

Her words wrenchinto her eyes "I promise"

I take her into my arms and kiss her And then I make love to her as if it were the last time

Half of us leave the cave by midday Alexandra, Rachel, all four of irls were offended, mainly Rachel and Alexandra who didn’t hold back their opinions about how ‘leaving all the girls in the safe cave’ was ‘totally sexist’ and us guys should ‘really pull our os out of our asses’ But Daisy spoke up to diffuse the situation:

"You really think my brother feels that way about you?"

"Umm, yes?" Rachel said with a venomous sneer "We’re the ones told to hide in the stupid cave while they--" her hand shot out beside her to point at us, "--get to go out into the danger zone It’s bullshit"

Daisy smirked and rolled her eyes "Think about it for a second: Isaac would never leave Adria with the weakest of the pack"

Adria s?"

Rachel’s sneer rin