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"Don’t shush me! Jell me"

Tally looked around the loudly, and s No one had heard Shay’s outburst, but Tally could feel the hard"I can’t tell you, Squint"

"Yes, you can" Shay’s face see away as her anger grew "You see, Tally, I re down at the ground and wondering if I was going to die And then I reh the ice and bouncing on the soccer field A lot of things careat?"

Tally turned away from the harsh expression on Shay’s face "Yeah, sure it is"

"Glad you agree So here’s what I remembered: It’s because of you that I’m here in the city, Tally All those stories I used to tell? They were bogus What really happened is that you followed ain, the saut-punch as when she’d seen Dr Cable in the trees: caught Fro on her, Tally had known somewhere inside her that this moment would come, that Shay would eventually relies But Tally hadn’t expected it so soon "Yeah, I followed you to bring you back here It’s my fault, what happened to the Sht, you betrayed us After you stole David fro the whole David thing up, but who knows if I’ll reht I’d mention it while I’m bubbly"

Tally turned to her "You’ll reed "Maybe But tricks like today’s don’t coain by to the s peat, pine needles, and spilled chaht as day, even the whorls of her fingerprints

She didn’t knohat to say

"Look athard, its halo of snakes blurring together like the spokes of a bicycle wheel "Tell me what happened to you that day Keep me bubbly You owe me"

Tally sed She and Zane had promised each other not to tell anyone - not yet But neither of theh to climb the tower on her own, to finally rely days Probably she could keep a secret, and telling her about the cure would give her hope, at least It was the only way Tally could begin to ht: Tally owed her

"Okay So else happened that day"

Shay nodded slowly "I thought so What was it?"

Tally pointed at Shay’s scarf, and together they pulled it off and wrapped it tightly around Tally’s wrist, another layer over the cuff After another breath, she said in the softest whisper she could e,

"We found a cure"

Shay’s eyes narrowed "It’s about starving yourself, isn’t it?"

"No Well, that helps Hunger, coffee, playing tricks - all that stuff Zane’s been doing for months

But the real cure issimpler than that"

"What is it? I’ll do it"

"You can’t"

"The hell with you, Tally!" Shay’s eyes flashed "If you can do it, I can!"

Tally shook her head "It’s a pill"

"A pill? Like vitaht of the Valentino bash Try to remember, Shay Before you and I caured out how to reverse the operation You helped me write a letter, remember?"

Shay’s face went blank for a moht After we rescued you, ere hiding out in the ruins"

"Funny, those days are harder to rely" Shay shook her head

"Well, Maddy figured out a cure But it was untested, dangerous She wouldn’t give it to you because you refused You wanted to stay pretty So I had to give myself up to test it That’s why I’o?"

Tally nodded, taking Shays hand "And it works You’ve seen how it changed et out of here, you can - " Shay’s expression brought Tally to a halt "What’s the matter?"

"You and Zane both took some?"

"Yeah," Tally said "There were two pills, and we split them I was afraid to do it onher hand away "I can’t believe you, Tally"

"What?"

Shay whirled to face her "Why him? Why didn’t you ask me?"

"But I - "

"You’re supposed to befor you I was the one who first told you about the Smoke I was the one who introduced you to David And when you came to New Pretty Town, I helped you become one of the Crims Did it even occur to you to share the cure with me?

It’s your fault I’m like this, after all!"

Tally shook her head "There wasn’t timeI didn’t even - "

"No, of course you didn’t," Shay spat "You barely even knew Zane, but he was the leader of the Cri up with him was the next trick on your list Just like David out in the Smoke That’s why you split the cure with him"

"It wasn’t like that!" Tally cried