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Gabriela’s face had frozen, her lower lip treer Her expression changed several ti impossible to read The mo dark eyes Then she stood up

"Just how …," she began, then stopped She pinched the bridge of her nose, took a deep breath "Just how stupid do you think I am? How can you … how can you be such a coward to lie tofor the truth I can’t believe I risked being grounded for the rest ofyou Good Bye You need serious help"

She gave hiht, he couldn’t find a response Mostly, he just wanted her to walk out the door and never come back But then, a part of him …

"Have a nice life, Jax," she said, so cal "You want to act all crazy--run and hide, pretend whatever--fine I’ll be there for you when you finally see a doctor and get some meds" She shook her head and walked toward the door "I need to go to Atlanta to see et it"

Michael was suddenly on his feet "Wait! Just … wait"

She turned and looked at him, her expression blank

"How could I possibly make that story up?" he asked "You … you even said when you cahed bitterly "I meant that, I don’t know,with you You’re not the Jax I know You really expect me to believe someone switched your brain with soo there when my dad …" She stopped and whipped around, opened the door

"Your dad what?" Michael shouted

She didn’t answer, stepped out into the hallway Started pulling the door shut

"Your dad what?" Michael yelled again

But the door slaht about chasing her, but how could he? As guilty as he was of hurting Gabriela, how could he possibly put that ahead of finding his friends? He needed to figure out his own life Get back into the Sleep Find out if his family still existed in the artificial world

He remembered why he was in that hotel in the first place In another city

For Sarah

She ca wait He almost went crazy, but he was too nervous to leave, and he didn’t want to enter the Sleep until Sarah could do it with him Especially since the three-day ultier on the train--the lady who’d jumped to her death--came and went as he hid in anony the wait, using a trail of clues about places they’d been in the VirtNet to lead her to his new hotel Then he paced his roo not to worry that she’d decided not to co had happened to her Or that Kaine had caught up with thes with the police, deal with family--not to mention how insanely upset she must have been But his stomach didn’t care about all that Until she knocked on his door, he was sick