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Alex’s et down to the bottoht," he said "Gondoleery Rattrapp took over Quill Okay, I get that And I get that she cast this ice spell and it affected Artimé and even a bit of the sea all the way around the island But other than this severe inconvenience, does Arti to worry about here? Seeured out, and we’re just victims of the spell because we happen to share the island Is that the correct assessn the questions to Charlie to oyle understood the co, but before he could finish, Sean spoke up "No, Alex," he said He paused and looked wearily around the circle "She wants the ical ability to keep Artimé alive if you die And believe me--she wants all of us dead"

They sat in silence And once they’d each thought about it, no one was particularly surprised Hadn’t the people of Quill alanted the people of Artireat," Florence said "Can I please just go pay a visit to the palace and have a little hed if the day weren’t so bleak "Sure And then two days later the next person will take over and decide Artimé should be destroyed And the next, and the next" He sat up "You know, I’ to have an identity crisis Why does everybody hate us so ed a small smile "We’re the most despised people in the whole world," he said "Just because we like to create things No, not just create things, because everyone creates things The probleht things And that’s what e that the pirates captured Aaron, of all people You’d think if they despised us and were out for revenge, they’d have coer to his lips, and then he said, "Charlie, can you ask Matilda as on the paper that the pirates held up?"

Charlie nodded and ato Haluki

Haluki knit his brows, and then he looked at Alex When he spoke, his voice was guarded "She says it was a drawing of Aaron’s face"

One by one, the advisors looked up, and then at Alex And as the truth dawned on hiht Aaron was e canvas to the wall next to the Museuhtly so he could see all the nuances of the door, and he began to paint It had been such a long ti at all, and even though he was exhausted and his heart ached for Meghan, he found coain And it was iet the 3-D door finished quickly to allow Lani access to Mr Today’s personal library so she could help him look for a book about elemental spells Thankfully it was a simple door, so it wouldn’t take ht about the ind that had consumed every moment since he’d arrived back in Artirief--they’d never lost so one, just like that He still couldn’t process it It was so strangeso horrible He hadn’t even had a chance to say hello, ood-bye And poor Sean! He loved his sister sorelationship It was soht about his relationship with Aaron, and he knew he couldn’t relate to what Sean was feeling, even though it seemed possible that Aaron could be dead now As much as Alex had wanted a relationship with his brother like the one Meghan had with Sean, it wasn’t meant to be

After a while, Alex heard a sound at theon to the wall and hobbling toward hi hard

"They let you out of the hospital ward?" Alex asked, hurrying into his living quarters to grab a chair for his friend

"Nah, I snuck out Figured I could hide up here I just needed to get out of there"

Alex nodded and picked up his paintbrush "Are you feeling better?"

"I guess" Salanced at hi?"

"Yeah I’ht"

Alex paused his brush stroke, and then continued painting, saying nothing

"She jumped in front of me," Samheed went on "She pushed me out of the way You know?"

"Yeah"

"Why’d she have to do that?" Samheed’s voice was filled with pain

"You’d have done the same for her"

Samheed was quiet for a moment "Yeah But still"

"I know" Alex put his brush down "All I can think to say is that she’d do it again if she had the choice All of us would You, Lani,each other out of the way" He sighed and started painting again "That’s what uess" His visionhim to paint blind for a time, but he couldn’t stop or he knew he’d break down