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"It’s different now," Noah said, staring at the pipes on the ceiling His eyes were melancholy "We’re different"

"No we’re not," I said, but my voice fell flat Should I have pulled him toward me in the farmhouse? Should I have kissed him back? Part of me wanted to, but the rest ofburied deep within reat about hi But what could I say? I didn’t knohere love came from or why it attached itself to so that had happened with Dante, I couldn’t bring myself to leave him behind

"Do you believe in soul mates?" I whispered

"You mean a human who has the soul of an Undead?"

"No The idea of a soul ht for you in this world"

I could hear Noah breathing as he thought "No"

"Why?"

"Because it gives us no choice It means that some cosmic force has already chosen the person I’m supposed to love But that’s not hoorks I don’t want to be with someone who completes my soul; I want someone ill open it I want to be able to choose"

I closed my eyes "What if the choice isn’t that easy?"

"Choices are always easy," Noah said, a hint of spite in his voice "It’s our heads that get us confused"

"What do youforward, he reached into his pocket and took out a penny "If it lands on heads, he’s your soul mate" His voice hardened on the last words "If it lands on tails, soul ave me a level look "Okay?"

Confused, I shook my head "It doesn’t work like that--"

"Give me a chance," he said, and then looked away, e round with three clinks Bending over, Noah picked it up My shoulders went taut as I waited, surprised at how involved I was in soless as a coin toss

Noah opened his hand As he said, "Heads," I felt tears prick my eyes

"Now be honest," he said "Do you wish it had fallen a different way? It could have, you know"

I hesitated, too ashamed to admit that I didn’t think it could

"See?" Noah said, his lids growing heavy as he watched me "You already made your decision You just haven’t accepted it yet"

I couldn’t sleep that night I had night at the s, of the tall shadowy figure lowering his face to ainst er woke us up by banging on the door The white winter sky was bright as I rolled off the plastic chairs and let hi at the e that the Undead atching us

"I’m sorry," I said to Noah as aited for the boat to leave

"You don’t have to apologize," he said, and gave h I kneasn’t

When we arrived on caates as real Monitors We had killed an Undead in the farmhouse; I had watched him writhe on the basement floor But as I made my ith Noah down the snowy path, I couldn’t help but feel like I was taking steps backward The more I learned aboutback, trying to reread the past and see where it had gone wrong

"Where are you going?" Noah said as I walked toward the girls’ dormitory at the fork in the path

"Back to o to the headmaster’s office We have to tell him that we found a house full of the Undead and maybe a Brother of the Liberum"

"No," I said quickly "We can’t"

"What? Why not?"

"Because they’ll ask us hoe found the farmhouse, and I’ll have to tell them about my visions, and then…"