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"You’re right, you know," he said quietly "I don’t want to find the Slip Kid just to deliver Jack’s letter I don’t even want to use him to help me find my family I knohere they are and how to reach theo home Not yet"

Somewhere behind us, I heard one of Betty’s doors slide open, but it didn’t break the stillness of the moment "Why not? I’m sure your parents miss you"

Liam rested his arms over his knees, his back still toto you about ue?"

He couldn’t see it, but I still shook my head

"Harry--ue was bad news Said they would use us worse than Gray ever would, and wouldn’t shed one da them Even after…even after Claire--Claire is, was, my little sister" He cleared his throat "Even after she was gone, he used to re her back Cole had already joined up with theht"

Was Was ht into it I was so angry, and I hated everyone and everything, but there wasn’t anyone to direct it at I was there with the them turn me into this weapon Into the kind of person that would take an innocent person’s life just because it served their needs and what they wanted My brother was like a stranger; he even kept this--this thing he called a kill chart in our room And he’d add to it, every time he killed someone important Every ti all day, and I’d look at it and think, How many of those people had families? And how many of those people had people who needed them like we needed Claire? And that’s just it--they all did, Ruby, I’ot out"

He nodded "Had to run during a training siet back to Harry and Mom when the PSFs picked o back to theht"

"What are you talking about?"

"While I ith the League I realized that the only people that were ever going to help us were ourselves So when I figured out a way to break out of Caledonia…" Liam’s voice trailed off Then he said, "It was horrible Horrible I totally failed them, even after I proht "You heard what that newscaster said Only a few of us got out, and they just keep picking us off like rabbits in hunting season So why do I want to do it again? Why can’t I shake it? All I want is to help more kids break out of Caledonia--out of Thurht, feeling vaguely numb Oh I had only ever wanted to find the Slip Kid to help , Liam had wanted to find hiether, they could figure out a way to save the kids we’d all been forced to leave behind

"It’s just so unfair, you know? All this odda East River, and the rest of theone" He pressed the back of his hand to his eyes "It makes me feel sick I can’t shake it I can’t Those kids they were talking about on the radio--I’ed breath "Do you think…do you think they regret following me?"

"Not for a second," I said "Listen to ave them what the PSFs and camp controllers took away from them--a choice You can’t live in a place like those caht be If those kids followed you out, it was because they chose to They believed you when you said we’d all get home someday"