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Benjy would have loved this And if Celia could help h to see it, then I had no choice but to tell her

"I have a boyfriend," I said at last "Had a boyfriend, I guess Daxton said he’d send him Elsewhere if I didn’t cooperate"

Beside me, I heard Knox exhale, and when he tried to set his hand on ed it off "What’s his name?" he said

"Benjamin Doe," I said hollowly "Everyone calls him Benjy"

Celia pulled out another electronic device I didn’t recognize and pushed a few buttons "I’llhappens to him Daxton thinks he has all of us cornered, but he overestimates his oer"

And I was sure Celia overesti to have hi like that"

Knox fixed another drink and offered it to me "It’s just water," he said, and reluctantly I took it fro to eat or drink since breakfast "How did you ulped down the contents of the glass to buyBenjy with them made my skin crawl No matter how much Celia and Knox pretended to care aboutme as rew up in the saether so ho asked--"

I stopped They didn’t care, or if they did, it was only to use hi on, however, Knox shifted so he was facing lanced at hi about hied et that she was listening, as well

"He kneas struggling in class, and the teacher liked to pick ondeal at the time, what Benjy had done forfor anyone else He was that kind of person--the same kind who offered to run aith ht be easier "So he started doing ht, and eventually we just…" I shrugged

Knox sood friend in him"

"He probably thinks I’m in Denver by now," I ave her a ht to know"

"A right to knohat?" I said, and when they see at each other to answer ht to knohat? "

Knox looked away, clutching his glass so tightly that I thought it would shatter "Kitty Doe was legally declared dead the day after you arrived at the Stronghold"

I opened and shut ht I was dead First Tabs, then Nina, then me--it wasn’t just my life I’d destroyed It was his, too The pain and worry I’d felt for hih Did he blaone, he must have But it wasn’t his fault I was the one who’d done this to him Not the Shields, not Daxton, but me

"What’s the date?" I said suddenly

"The twentieth of October," said Celia "Why?"

I didn’t answer Benjy’s birthday was the twentysecond, which meant I had two days until he took his test

"Kitty--" said Knox, but I shook my head

"Don’t," I said softly "Please"

Two days I had two days to find hione forever, and I would never have the chance to tell him that it wasn’t his fault

I spent the rest of the drive to So here was more than I had ever seen before There were television screens everywhere: in shop s, s, even scrolls that ran around intersections broadcasting words I couldn’t read Instead of sidewalks, this section of the city had htfall, the rich and the powerful stood still as the ays carried theo How could a world like this exist so close to the Heights?

The car glided through a gate in a brick wall covered with ivy, and the world outside transforo on forever I sat up straighter A row of trees bordered the drive, their leaves brilliant shades of gold and ruby, and in the distance I noticed the edge of a loo mansion

"We’re almost here," said Celia "So answer ht hat you’ve seen today?

Do you think it’s acceptable for people to be treated no better than gaht I was dead, I glared at her "Of course not What do you think I ao along with Daxton and Augusta, ouldn’t be talking to you now But you have spunk, Kitty, and there’s so s even Lila wasn’t able to do"

Spunk Daxton had said the very saainst the door, ready to spring free I kneas coe

"You saw the speechesa revolution right under Daxton’s nose"

"And that’s how she wound up dead in the first place,"

I said "I’m not your puppet I won’t dance because you tell uilt cross her face, but it was gone as quickly as it’d come "No, I suppose you won’t," said Celia "Whose puppet are you, Kitty? Daxton’s and , that’s exactly what it’s beginning to look like"

"I’an, but she cut me off

"What do you intend to do with your life? With ?"

"What, when I could be doing yours?"