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Noah stepped back "You’re lying I saw the way you looked at hiaze down the sidewalk, where Dante was disappearing into a crowd "I can feel hiht, though Noah never finished his sentence Instead, he turned to me "It’s him, isn’t it," he said in disbelief "Your boyfriend is an Undead"

"No," I said, shaking my head "He’s just a friend"

Noah backed away fro secret?"

"No--" I started to say, but he cut me off

"How could you not tell id "It’s not your life, it’sClementine into this," he said, his voice so firm it was unfamiliar

"Why not? You’re with me every day Does she know? Is that why she’s so rude to me?"

"I know you don’t like her, but Cle to be a Monitor It’s not right," he said, his voice low

I stepped away from him in disbelief "So now Clementine is my moral standard? What does she know about love? About loss? What do you know about it?"

Noah seeuilty for hurting him "She had to bury her brother last summer He was an Undead Her father made her do it She hasn’t told anyone for the sauessing Though her decision was far different than yours"

July thirtieth, I thought, re what Anya had said to Clementine in the hallway earlier this year That’s what she’d been referring to My eyes wandered from the waterfront to Noah, but when I looked up at hiht it was all I could do to lie in bed with the blankets off and s open, letting the cold air seep in, as if it were Dante’s presence wrapping itself aroundI called Eleanor

"You sound depressed," she said, after I had told her everything "Maybe you should see a doctor"

Eleanor’s suggestion caught uard "What? I’m not depressed," I said, as I curled up in an ar the streetlaht fell over the courtyard

"You’ve been having visions Hallucinations And you’re seeing another guy? What about Dante? He’s your soul mate"

"Noah is just a friend" I whispered so Cle for a long ti, her tone angry Maybe she was on the phone with Noah

"I’ve been going to therapy, and it’s really helpingmyself helps me control myself"

"Therapy?" I said "But you’re fine the way you are You don’t need to see a doctor"

Eleanor lowered her voice "I’ve been having a lot of thoughts lately Bad thoughts"

I frowned "What do you mean?"

"About life and death About s I want"

I waited for her to go on

"I’h the receiver "I don’t want to die"

"You won’t," I said auto to even think about it

Eleanor let out a cold laugh "Renée, you know I’et twenty-one more years That ed"

"No," I said "We’re going to find a way out The Nine Sisters The visions The riddles When I find the last one, you’ll--"

But Eleanor cut me off, her voice firmer than I had ever heard it before "There is no answer, Renée You’re in denial I’ to die"

I sed "No," I said "You’re just upset There’s a solution, I know it"