Page 35 (1/2)

When I finished I was breathless, bri with the possibility of our discovery

Noah’s eyes ide as he studied h"

My san her career as a nurse in the 1890s The Nine Sisters were killed in the 1730s That’s more than a hundred years off"

"What if…" I paused, thinking "What if she used the secret and is i the possibility for a moment, Noah shook his head "That doesn’t make sense She had to have died Otherwise, ould she have put part of the riddle on a headstone?"

He had a point Before I could respond, his mother’s voice echoed from downstairs "Noah? Can you help me sort your laundry?"

"Un moment!" he said, and turned the knob to his rooer It was filled with primary colors Faded posters of rock bands were taped to the walls, handfuls of wrinkled ties were draped over the bedposts, and a dozen plastic figurines of Mexican wrestlers lined his nightstand Noah tried to hide his e away from the stacks of CDs and comic books on his desk, I sh his closet, I sat on his bed playing with a telescope that pointed out one of the s, and tried to figure out what made his roos…This rooine what Dante was like as a child He had never toldearlier?" I asked hied "I co fa to think like that It’s not worth trying to change their ree with them…?"

"I think the Undead have their reasons to do what they do But we’re Monitors And we have to do e do, too," he said, eers

I sat up straight "Which is to kill them?"

"Which is to Monitor the his hair away fro me questions if you don’t want to listen to my answers? I’m not a villain"

"I’m sorry," I said "I didn’this shirts into a bag

I picked up one of the plastic figurines "I e had known each other ere kids," I said, sitting on his twin bed, which was so s off the end when he slept in it Noah was easy to know He had a breezy life; he got what he wanted and was good at s he put effort into "I bet you were fun"

"I was the sa the stitches of his comforter, I allowed myself to wonder for a brief moment ould have happened if I hadfor the ninth sister was because of Dante Because I needed to find her, not because I wanted to live forever, or go on some sort of mythic quest But without that, would Noah and I have even been friends? What was there between us except thisno one else has ever found before? Of course he thought I was exciting The problem was, I knew the Renée he liked wasn’t really ot back to the dortime My coat still felt warainst me on the metro ride home

"How did you do it?" a voice behind me said

I nearly fell off the bed

Cle at s folded into the chair like the li inain "I want to kno you did it" The utter cal

"You can’t just come in here," I said

"Don’t treat ht"

"What are you talking about?"

"I’ about how you stole my boyfriend How you stole first rank from me How you survived a kiss fro from you I earned first rank And Noah and I are just friends"

"Then what the hell is this?" she shouted, holding up the blazer Noah had lent ive it back to hiaveyou in class You’re not that smart, and you don’t act like an immortal You’re always so cautious, so scared But ould an immortal be scared?" she asked "Unless, of course, you’re scared because you know you’re just like the rest of us"

"Why do you care?" I said