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"What won’t work?" I ask "What am I supposed to do Above? And why did you tell him about True?"

Maire doesn’t answer She pullsapart," she says "Look"

The plaza is flooded Not by much, but the entire surface is sheeted in several inches’ worth of water It’s so beautiful that I can’t keep fro like a lake in pictures of the world before the Divide The bare silver trees reflect on the water,two of each of them--one in the water, one above

"Another probleht A small, slow leak, but we haven’t been able to stop it or drain it yet"

"How can you ith Nevio?" I ask "He’s part of the Council that killed my mother"

"You knohat he is," Maire says

So she does know that he’s a siren Of course she would

"I knohat he is," I agree "And I knohat you are" I can’t hide the hatred in ave Nevio a shell I saw it in the safe in his office You’re his collaborator"

"I have never spoken with Nevio that way," Maire says "There’s only one other person I’ve spoken back and forth with through a shell the way I have with you And that was your mother"

Out in the plaza, peacekeepers direct people away from the water Maire touches the wall next to the , and I wonder if there are voices in here, too

"The shell you found in his office," she says "Was it white?"

"Yes"

"That was the shell Oceana and I used to co her," Maire says "She had it with her when the Council poisoned her I’ll never forget that, hearing her whisper what they’d done, and then the silence after" Maire’s eyes stay dry, but her voice sounds rough and sad "Nevio took it from her just after that, before she ran away to find me He knew the shell was important, but he didn’t understand why or what it did Heinto it I’m not surprised he’s kept the shell He doesn’t like mysteries"

"She tried to keep you safe," I say, "but you didn’t do the sa for her What kind of sister are you?"

Maire turns away from the water, and I take a step back For the first time, I think that she looks like Oceana I see the same weariness in her eyes that I used to notice in my mother’s, but in Maire’s it is even more profound

"I need you to do what you do best for a moment," Maire says "Listen"

"To you?"