Page 148 (1/2)

Thorne stepped back

She grih in her own delusions to stop paying attention

"What I can’t understand," Cinder said, easing her tone, "is how you could have done that to me I was just a kid, and you…" Her heart twisted "I know those are burn scars you have I have the sa what it’s like, living with that--how could you do it to someone else?"

"You weren’t supposed to survive," Levana snapped, as if that made it better "At least I would have had the mercy to kill you, to be done with it"

"But I didn’t die"

"Yes, I’ve noticed It is notIt is not my fault they turned you into … into that" She cast a halfhearted gesture toward Cinder

Cinder clenched her teeth, wanting to argue the point, but she bit her tongue Levana had been living with her excuses for a long ti on his teeth and staring up at the ceiling He looked bored

Cinder tried taking a step backward, like a show of peace, but Thorne stayed where he was

"Who did it to you, anyway?" she asked, aientle "Who hurt you like that?"

Levana sniffed and, finally, dared to look at Cinder There was all the beauty glistening on the surface, but now that Cinder had seen beneath it, she couldn’t unsee the truth Whether it was her cyborg progra or Levana’s oeakness, she could see her as she was now Scarred and defore of sye

"You don’t know?" Levana asked

"Why should I?"

"You stupid child" A lock of hair fell over Levana’s face "Because it was your n to Cinder’s ear Mother A woiven birth to her, but that was all She had notales that said Queen Channary was n had been much shorter

"My oeet sister," Levana purred "Would you like to hear how it happened?"

No

But Cinder couldn’t form the word

"She was thirteen and I was six She was learning how to use her gift, taking great ah I was always her favorite target She was very good As I am As you are It is in our blood"