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I shook e

"It’s more…there’s no perfect definition It’s --of terrible sadness It’s the feeling you get when you realize soet it back again" Cate took a deep breath "I thought of that word often at Thurmond Because the lives you had before--that we all had before--we can never get the in an end, you know? It’s true that you can’t reclaim what you had, but you can lock it up behind you Start fresh"

I did understand what she was saying, and I understood that her words were co ht of dividing it up even further was uni inside the collar of her shirt She pulled a long silver chain up over her head, and the last thing to reveal itself was the black circular pendant, a little bigger than the size offrom it

I held out my hand and she dropped the necklace into it The chain was still warainst her skin, but I was surprised to find that the pendant wasn’t anything more than plastic

"We call that a panic button," she said "If you squeeze it for twenty seconds, it activates, and any agents nearby will respond I don’t iine you’ll ever need to use it, but I’d like you to keep it If you ever feel scared, or if we get separated, I want you to press it"

"It’ll track uely uncomfortable, but I slipped the chain on anyway

"Not unless you activate it," Cate proned them that way so that the PSFs wouldn’t be able to accidentally pick up on a signal being transmitted from them I promise, you’re in control here, Ruby"

I plucked the pendant up and held it between ers were, and how much dirt was still packed under ether

"Can I ask you another question?" I waited until she had finally nudged the car back onto the road, and even then it had taken ue was for me and Martin? Why didn’t you just blow up the Control Tohile you were there?"

Cate ran a hand over her lips "I’m not interested in those kinds of operations," she said "I’dyou kids You can destroy a factory, and they’ll just build another But once you destroy a life, that’s it You never get that person back"

"Do people have any idea?" I squeezed out "Do the people know that they’re not refor us at all?"

"I’m not sure," Cate said "Some will always live in denial about the camps, and they’ll believe what they want to believe about the off, but they’re in too deep with their own probles at the ca treated well Honestly, there are…there are so few of you left now"