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It floated into my hand, and I closed my fist around it

Surprise flickered across Elodie's face for a et out"

Anna was looking at the floor I wanted to say so that would make her feel ashamed for what she'd done, but in the end I decided it wasn't worth it

When I got back to the roo I opened the closet door a crack and handed her the bloodstone Once it was back on her neck, she ca her burned hand

I sat next to her "You should get this looked at" She nodded Her eyes were still red and watery

"Was it Elodie and Anna?" she asked

"Yeah Well, it was Anna I don't think Elodie knew, but it's not like she would've disapproved"

Jenna released a shuddery breath I reached up and brushed her pink stripe out of her eyes "You need to tell Mrs Casnoff what they did"

"No," she said "No way"

"Jenna, they could have killed you," I insisted

She stood up, pulling my comforter around her "It'll just make it worse," she said wearily "Remind everyone that va here"

"Jenna," I started

"I said drop it, Sophie!" she snapped, her back still turned

"But you're hurt--"

And then she whirled on s slid out, and she grabbedof my friend in her face

Only a monster

I made a shocked sound of hurt and fear, and she abruptly released ave out, and I cruain, her eyes pale blue and filled with apology "Oh God, Soph, I'et stressed" Tears spilled down her cheeks "I would never hurt you," she said, pleading

I didn't trustall right?"

Jenna looked over her shoulder Mrs Casnoff stood in our doorway, her face unreadable

"We're fine," I said, standing up "I just slipped, and Jenna was, uh, helping me up"

"I see," Mrs Casnoff said She looked back and forth between , "Jenna, if you don't mind, I need to speak with you for abut certain

I watched them leave the room, then sat down on Jenna's bed My shoulders were sore, and Jenna's fingers had left as still weren't any better No one had heard anything from Chaston, so Jenna was still the number-one suspect

After dinner, I was in the cellar with Archer again This was our fourth tiun to work out a kind of routine For the first twenty minutes or so we just worked on the shelves Half the stuff we'd catalogued the last ti to sort that out Once this was done we'd take a break and talk Our conversations hadn't really graduated beyond small talk about our fa Other than being only children, Archer and I had al house on the coast of Maine I'd lived with e in Vermont to a room in a Ra forward to our talks In fact I'd started dreading the days when I didn't have cellar duty, which was almost too pathetic to contemplate

Archer sat in his usual place on the steps while I hoisted myself onto a bare space on top of Shelf M

He pointed at a pile of empty dust-covered jars in the corner Two of them rose in the air and twisted and contorted until they were cans of soda

He flicked his hand in ht toward ht it, and was surprised by how icy cold it was

"I'm impressed" Ijars into soda Let the world tremble before my power"

"Well, at least it proves you still have powers"

He looked up at me quizzically "What's that supposed to mean?"

Crap "I--uh, I justsoet your powers taken away"

I'd assuenuinely surprised "So that's what everybody thinks Huh"

"They know you didn't," I replied hastily "Lots of people saw you drop Justin on the first day"

A smile played around the corners of his "

I rolledback "Shut up So where did you go?"

He shrugged and rested his elbows on his knees "I just needed a break It's not unheard of The Council acts like it'll never let anybody out of Hecate, but they'll give you a leave of absence if you petition theured I needed it, especially after Holly"

"Right," I said, but the ain Her parents had coet her the day after her attack

They'd been in Mrs Casnoff's office for over two hours before Mrs Casnoff had coet Jenna

When Jenna had coone to lie on her bed and stare at the ceiling

The sudden shift in my mood must have showed on my face, because Archer asked, "Is Jenna okay? I noticed she wasn't at dinner tonight"

I sighed and leaned back "It's not good," I told hiets out of bed I don't knohat they said to her in that , but the fact that they called her in there seeuilt to everybody"

He nodded "Yeah, Elodie's pretty pissed"

"Wohat a shaive her wrinkles"

"Don't be like that"