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Soe of my bench, and I slide a little farther in the other direction There are plenty of empty pews, and I am annoyed that sood, I whisper in ods, like Cale Ask him to roar your prayer to the heavens Instead, the person slides closer and reaches out to take a hymnal from the shelf in front of us Under the clean scent of soap, I detect the faint but unmistakable sers careful and sure, and I think I knohat his trade s

"I heard you," he says "I thought I should see if you were all right"

I wipe ," I say flatly, though it feels like there is

"Of course not," he says Then there’s a moment of quiet, when even the priests see about in the temple and Atlantia does not breathe Then "My name is True Beck," he says I still don’t look at his face, though his voice sounds kind and deep He turns the pages of the hy at theo Above My best friend did, too"

I don’t say anything I don’t think much of ties that aren’t blood No bond is the same as that between sisters

"His name was Fen Cardiff," True says That’s the naht before Bay, and in spite of ht is: brown and blue Brown hair, brown eyes, blue shirt, blue shadows under his eyes I’ve seen hih place that we see each face in passing at one tih that we don’t know every na," True says

He is handsoht once have had sun on his skin, though that’s ient eyes and the kind of strength that isn’t bulky and belligerent but streamlined and swift instead I notice all of this and itbut loss

"Are you older or younger than Fen?" I ask Because if True is younger, then what does he have to coo Above, and find his friend

He doesn’t answer me "Listen," he says "I think you and I should talk Maybe not here"

"About what?"

"Theency in it, and the way he pairs their naether: Bay and Fen And a dark cold spill of doubt curls through my heart Did Bay leave because of that boy? A boy I never even kneas iether," True says, as if he knohat I’ "More than once"

"That can’t be," I say "Bay never toldabout him"

"I think we can help each other"

"What do you needalready"

"I don’t know anything," True says, and the despair in his voice sounds so in my heart, that I haven’t even been able to speak to ripping the hy the thick cover "I don’t knohy he left You don’t knohy she left You and I have the saether"