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Byall of Artiotten them discovered and killed Of course, if Alex or anyone was anywhere inside the world of Artiovernors, who merely saw the same desolate scene that the Unwanteds had seen when they first trudged through the black iron gate six months before But Mr Today was not usually one to take chances when it ca his world, and it had been the standard protocol during all the biannual governor inspections since the beginning of Artimé to place all the citizens on lockdown inside their ically hidden rooms

Mr Today, despite his creativity, was a man of order, and he liked for everyone to be in their proper places and not roaht broke out in the lounge or in the theater, or what if a student wandered off and was attacked in the jungle, and Mr Today was unavailable to handle the situation? No, it was safest for him to know and be assured that each person and domesticated creature was secured in his appropriate place during that stressful half-day visit

All the people and creatures that did follow the instructions would of course be very upset with the one who didn’t And so, ord got out that it was Alex Stoho had seely defied their dear and faithful leader, and that it was Alex Stoho had put theer, well … alhan, though she had been furious early on, tried to s her anger when she talked to Alex at lunch And Lani sent hilances from her soulful blue eyes But by then Alex was so utterly ers and whispers hidden by cupped hands that he weaseled his way out of the dining rooot and closed hi his private lesson with Ms Octavia, as well as Actors’ Studio with Mr Appleblosso his star performance in Perseus! Perseus!

Alex went into his bedroom, shut the door so he could partially block out Clive’s endless yapping, and curled up on the bed, pinching his eyes shut to stop the headache that stabbed at hiht that he could just go back to Quill, where he wouldn’t have expectations or dreaination or responsibilities at all He could just be Not have everyone angry with him Not be the only one who didn’t succeed In Quill he’d be surrounded by people whose idea of success was getting up every day and picking corn or fixing the rusty, uncreative boxlike buses and Quillitary tanks, preparing endlessly, mindlessly, for a day that would never coain

He thought about his brother, which hurt even more "Aaron would understand Aaron would be there foranyone to deny it "I just wish … at least … he kneas alive"

His inner Alex didn’t respond

Eventually Alex fell into a fitful sleep What he didn’t knoas that while he slept, a secret e office at the end of a mostly invisible hall way nearby

Mr Today’s Office

Mr Today rose from behind his desk when the two ladies arrived "Hello, Claire, Octavia," he said

Octavia shook Mr Today’s hand with a lithe tentacle of her own, and Claire placed a kiss on the ," Claire said

The old ed absently at his whimsical hair "The scare is over for now," he said, but his voice was grie the situation It was a very close call, and I’m not sure how overnors begin to suspect soe of the Lake of Oil when Alex was out wandering" He ran his fingers over his hair now, trying to sripped the arms of a chair and slid up to the seat Her tentaclesthe top of her long alligator snout, another adjusting her spectacles, and others dangling all around the edge of the chair like a flouncy skirt, wavering gently as if they were floating in water "Well, Marcus You kno I feel The boy’s growing desperate--I can see it in his drawings He’s coical Warrior Training o He skipped his private lesson today, you know…" She clicked her tongue against her enormous teeth and shook her head slowly "I’ hi less sure of that le before the governors arrived, and tracked hi the stream all the way to the shore, where the boat rests Alex is spending all his tiry with hiical training It’s onlymatters worse"

Mr Today shook his head and sank back in his chair "Oh, oh, oh," he said quietly, "what to do? I aic to find his brother The powerful connection between twins … It’s a huge risk we don’t need right now, especially now that Aaron is in Justine’s good graces and under her watchful eye" He pressed his two forefingers to his lips and closed his eyes, thinking hard For several minutes he remained quite still When he opened his eyes, they were moist "Hoish I could have convinced Justine to eliminate both twins, but she wouldn’t have it," he said "The Wanted twin, not one infraction Not even a hint of one If Alex wasn’t able to te in the dirt, I’m not sure Aaron would’ve been much use here, but at least ouldn’t have this potential problem on our hands"