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The video zoo boy, no more than thirteen, strapped to soainst the restraints that trapped his ar his shaved head, ringing his scalp with a crown of wires Revulsion rose in ainst e to watch the terrible truth of it

Cole glanced at me once as I stood behind him, then turned back to the screen It was as et He started the video again fro, and it was thatmixed with the scientist’s cal the kid to see what kind of e at the last, frozen close-up of the boy’s face, strea toso his face was in profile, "after tonightafter we have our Op strategyI want you to do everything in your power to find Lillian Gray Everything Do you understand?"

"Yes," I said, finally finding the words as he started the video over again "I do"

10

I LEFT THE COMPUTER LAB in another glassy daze, walking and walking with nothing but the ies of all of those kids trapped inside ofdrawn Questions Sothis?

Even if my mind was checked out, o This whole day had passed like a year spent underwater I just wanted to go to sleep for a little while, and try surfacing again later

The others had claimed one of the empty bunk roo Truthfully, though, I would have curled up in the corner of one of the halls on the cold tile, as long as itmy eyes for a little while

Soht was off, but a smaller, desk-sized one was on, perched on top of the crappy little dresser on the other side of the room I hadn’t realized how badly I wanted to see hilow lit at my center Liam was sprawled across one of the bottom bunks on his stomach, his face turned away, his hands tucked up under the folded sweatshirt he was using as a pillow His hair and back were still da toward hie his o without a second’s hesitation Instead, his shoulders, then the rest of his body, visibly relaxed I dropped e of the bare mattress His hand automatically moved to hook his arm around it

"Hey yourself," Lia-out "Ti?"

"Getting there You can see half of the floor now That’s an i his head and turning toward aze over to the dresser, where there was a square of clear plastic to the left of the lahed--it was a CD case, The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds I popped it open, s at the liner notes and disc inside

"It’s like our song is following us everywhere," he said