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As Ellie and I step through the big double doors of the castle, I scoot closer to her and whisper, "So is there a reason you failed to mention that Alex’s brother and all his friends are basically hu around her, but Alex is talking to Miles, and the rest of the Royal Wreckers are heading back to the parlor, laughing, punching each other, basically a walking advertiseht Flora was the only one as aback topower from its mystical shininess "We’ll see her once her school term is over," Ellie says, "and as for Seb and his friends, I know they can get a little out of hand, but--"

"Out of hand?" I whisper back "Ellie, that was full-scale insane There was nearly a duel! Seb, like, tried to steal so e?"

"No one is worried our family will embarrass noring that, she goes on "And those are Seb’s friends, not Alex’s"

"Are you sure about that?" I ask

I glance over to see Alex thu Miles’s shoulder in that way boys do, and Miles shoots a quick look atoff in the same direction as the other Wreckers Only Ellie, Alex, Sherbet, and I are left in the main foyer, and while I want to ask Ellietoward her, one hand out

"Drink, darling?" he asks, like we’re in a Masterpiece Theatre show about hs and places her hand in his "Yes, please," she says, and off they go, violins probably swelling on the soundtracks inside their heads

As I watch thes so separate? Was it less to keep us fro her new fancy-pants family and more to make sure we never kne not perfect her new life was?

That’sinteresting to think about

Sherbet moves closer to me, hands in his pockets "Shall I show you up to your roo up somewhere private for a little bit

"Followhis head toward the , our footsteps ain at all the stuff Paintings fill up all the wall space, and little tables covered in clocks and porcelain eggs and miniature portraits are scattered everywhere

"Hoould you know if anything wentatthat his house is full of things

"Huh," he says, gripping the banister with a long-fingered hand "I’hs then, so over his forehead "Most houses like this are stuffed to the gills," he says, continuing up the stairs