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I look down at her, surprised she hasn’t moved, because in my brief moment of distraction, soh to knock unand ready for rets No attempts to save her own life Nora Kessler has accepted her fate

"I trust your judgood judge of character"

I feel like I’ un and the back of Nora’s head

"How important is honesty to you?" I ask her

"I have no reason to lie," she says, "unless it’s noring her inquiry, "turn around and face me so I can see your eyes, and tell anization"

After a moment, Nora turns around, still on her knees, to face me She looks up at me with curiosity

Then she smiles with disbelief and shakes her head

"Before you make a fool of yourself, Izabel," she says, "if you wantaround to train you just because you want to keep Victor, you un toward her threateningly

"Just answer the question," I demand

Her curious eyes study my face, my reactions, and then she says, "I went to a lot of trouble to prove myself to Victor Faust--to all of you I could’ve hurt or killed the people you love, but I didn’t and had no intention in doing so I may have forced you all to expose at least one of your darkest secrets, and I e than intended, but none of you can blas that you have done, the secrets you’ve kept frorihtly "But to answer your question, I want to be a part of this Order because I lost the only place I ever belonged when I left the SC-4 I can’t just go out into the world, find a job and meet friends and fall in love and act like a nor Because I’o back to the Sect because they’ll killSolis" Finally, she sits fully on her bottoer "I was born--literally--to do this It’s all I know And that’s all I have to say"

I believe her Regardless of how manipulative she is, facts don’t lie, either

"Then why don’t you just kill yourself?" I ask "If you’re not afraid of death, and you can’t live any other hy not end it?"

"Because suicide is the coward’s way out"

I nod and leave it at that

"But what’s to stop you frohtfully, looking down at her with challenge "Since you seem to have no conscience"