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The other cop sees me, but Chris and Trent rush him from behind They knock off his hel over his mouth While they take hi but unconscious, and a long gash on his forehead spurts blood The other cop lies next to hi A dark pool of blood spreads below his back I’ the jerk of Lynne’s arun I still can’t believe she did it, that she shot this cop to et away, and the price she paid for it

“Elena, get the car!” Chris yells

I don’t want to leave Adaet out of here before more police arrive—they’re probably already in the lobby I scra around on my injured ankle until I find it in the smoke

I collapse into the car and drive to the others I’, but I find them in the smoke somehow The boys haul Adam’s body into the backseat, while Zoe slips in beside me As soon as the doors slae, tires screeching

“What about Lynne?” Zoe asks “We just left her there!”

“She’s dead,” I say My voice sounds harsh, but I can’t think about her sacrifice withoutup We screwed up and she died, but we don’t have tiet back to the research facility in the desert before the aperture opens Once we return to the present, we can fix everything

I hope

23:41

Adam’s awake by the time the car parks in front of the abandoned research facility It took us about an hour to get here, leaving only nineteen minutes before the aperture opens While we drove, Trent used the laser pen on Adaether—too bad it won’t work on h Trent did fix the cut on my face from before

We haven’t told Adam about Lynne yet Maybe because we’re all in shock and can’t talk about it, or maybe because, like me, the others have realized that we can stop her death fro once we return to the present We’ll tell hihtening to sapphire blue as we get out of the car, but the sun hasn’t popped up yet The cool desert air slaps h the hole in the chain-link fence,like a zombie We’re a , we snap on our flashlights Everything looks the same as e left, but it’s hard to believe ere here only twenty-four hours ago We head to the base the entire tihts Still eo back to the present, to get out of this nightmare that is the future, but another part of ht happen e return And what Itoto kill us…”

I open my mouth to protest, but Adam cuts in “Hey, we can’t rule out the possibility that Elena was set up”

“It seeh “Sorry, Elena”

“It’s okay,” I say “I wish I knehat to do or how to stop it…”

Chris crosses his arms, and his voice sounds reluctant “There’s only one solution We can’t let Elena go back to the present with us”

“No!” Adaue—I can’t give up my life, my dreams, my future—but then I nod slowly This is the only solution Deep down, I think I’ve known for some time that this would have to be my fate It’s the only way to keep theht,” I say “I have to stay here”

Ada with his blue eyes “Elena, no! This—you can’t do this! I need you, I…”