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"I did what you could call freelance work in college Just for my mom’s friend Any ti, and she’d let raduated, I was on staff for a while there, then I started doing freelance work again, only this tiot to pick what jobs I wanted"

Brooke’s blue eyes ide "So, are you really rich?"

Ava snorted, wiping the sweat fro, but Ava was dripping "Not froet by on that, but not by much I have money, but it’s from my father He’s really rich and he set up a trust fund for ot control of it when I enty-three So I can kind of go wherever I want as long as I don’t get too crazy"

The girl grinned "Nice"

Ava atte "I think I’d rather have had ," she said flatly "There’s nothing to do" Before Ava could question her, Brooke continued "I don’t have a dad, either"

Ava re her how precious children were to the Irin "Where is he?"

"I was born in Virginia My mom and dad… they lived on their own The closest scribe house was in Arlington, but we never went there They would have ht, and he didn’t want to leave my mom and me My mo So ere just living with the hu to blend in"

"What happened?"

Brooke shrugged "We don’t know Not really You can want to be left alone, but that doesn’t ht, my dad just didn’t coht, she started crying" Brooke drifted off, and Ava could see the haunted grief in her eyes "I was only eight, and I’ve never heard anything like it"

Mala’s eyes caught Ava’s as they ran, and Ava nodded in silent understanding Brook’s father had been killed, and her mother only knehen she felt their connection snap As Ava had knohen the knife struck Malachi’s neck She didn’t want to hear any

"MyI kneas dead We were gone before lunch We left everything there but some clothes and pictures We came here"

"And you never left?"

"We’re safe here"

"With Sari"

"Yes," Brooke said "Sari irl Grief had joined the fire in her gaze, but she didn’t pause or slon their run

Ava had finally reached the endorphin high of running Her legs felt looser and longer Her heart pounded The air was clear and biting, and the breeze felt liquid against her skin She lifted her head and ran along the path with the to, and suddenly she didn’t see their differences Not a single one The three ran together, bound by so far beyond the external

"Hey, Damien" She pushed the dae Da and taking notes in a big notebook "You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you doing scribe stuff"