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Maire shrugs "How does one get a collection of anything?" she asks "I kept an eye out in the deepathering theesturing to the shells "Do you pick up one and listen?"

"No," Maire says "Those shells are all empty"

"That’s what you said about the sirens," I say "You said they were empty Vacant"

"Yes," Maire says "That’s how the Council wants theood at breaking sirens down"

"What happened?" I ask "You told me about the time when the sirens orshipped When did they come to be hated?"

"It’s a terrible story," Maire says "Are you sure you want to hear it?"

I a to hear of the past from a distance, in the shell, removed from the power of Maire’s voice It’s another to sit in her home, to look her in the eye as she speaks

"Did my mother ever come inside this room?" I ask

"Not on the day she died," Maire says

She doesn’t have to answerwith each other in person For a moment I want to ask her questions in the shell, see her dance But that feels wrong She is not a puppet Neither aift for e are apart, so I can keep learning

But right noe are together

What does Maire know? I still feel that she hasn’t toldabout my mother’s death And is Maire aware that Nevio is a siren? Even though the thought of Nevio fillsthat the three of us--Nevio, Maire, and me--are connected in soht, Maire looks old and young, as if she has always been and as if she is very new The light dances on her hair and in her eyes She waits for me to decide whether or not I will listen as if she has all the time in the world At the same time, her very stillness lets me know that we do not, because in that stillness I hear Atlantia breathe And then I hear so more Voices

I draw in my breath

"Yes," Maire says "It’s like I told you at the wishing pool The voices are all there Waiting for someone to hear I’ve listened to many of them over the years, but I’h Now it’s my time to tell"

"And it’s still my time to listen" I keep the bitterness from my voice, but my heart is full of it

"Yes," Maire says "But not forto tellto listen And I am afraid I wonder if this is how ate chamber for her trial to be Minister and the doors opened and her sister cains, "soan to use their power to control the people And to control one another"

Her words are simple, no embellisher No judg it to you