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Dante ran his hand alongup the crests of rew distant When his fingers grazed the space between h asped

"What was that?" Dante said, stopping abruptly His hand fell to his side

Just as quickly as the pain had started, it ended Dante’s face was furrowed into a frown Had he felt it too? "I don’t know," I said, trying to co me a skeptical look, he slowly placed his palain I couldn’t help but wince as the sah an and pulled down the back ofthe lines ofhave you had this?"

"I didn’t know I had one," I said, his gazeaway fro I have the same ones Look," he said, and led ers across his spine until I felt the all the way up his back They were as shallow as creasein the sheets; so subtle that I wasn’t surprised I had never noticed them before Unable to help myself, I pulled my hand away "What are they?"

Dante touched a freckle on e spots"

"I don’t understand"

"I’ve been getting one every year, on the exact same day The anniversary ofyou’ve been dead?"

Dante averted his eyes, as if apologizing for what he was

Grasping the botto his shoulder muscles roll under his skin as he let his arers up his back, counting each mark like a knot in a lifeline They stopped in the middle of his shoulder blades, one vertebra short of where my mark was

"There are only sixteen--" I said, and then stopped I had just turned seventeen, whichet one this year"

"What happens when you run out of space?" I asked, placing ers fit perfectly

Dante gazed out at the gravestones peeking out through the grass

Stunned, I pulled away and stared at the space left on Dante’s back, counting how many marks could fit Suddenly I felt weak Five years That’s how much time he had left

How do you measure someone’s life? By the scope of their accomplishments, or the number of people they’ve touched, or by the width of a hand? None of it seeh

"But it doesn’t make sense," I said "Why didn’t they just disappear? You becaave it back toUndead Doesn’t that ain, and have another twenty-one years?"

Dante shook his head "All I know is that I was never fully alive even after you gave me your soul And you--"

"I’ "But I don’t understand Why?"

"We were underground when you gave me your soul; ere both already buried, which made the transfer incomplete"

"Which means what?" I asked, but he didn’t reply "Tell ," I pleaded "Just because we have the sa on in your head I’m not inside you You have to tell h I think you are"

"What?"

He closed his fingers aroundmy fist in his It fit perfectly "I think a part of your soul is in me now"