Page 57 (1/1)

Griffin gave ive me inforood kid He’s fitting in here--"

But I cut her off as I spun on Si one of those Finders-Keepers claiet to hie-style "Leave me out of this I had no idea what she was up to" Simon looked at Griffin instead ofof our conversation about Tyler that day in the library, when Simon told me I couldn’t wait for Tyler forever

"Okay, yes, Si for a boy So voice as she tried to ss over "But hoas I supposed to know you were the sa about?"

"How uing Griffin held all the cards She was in charge of whether I would see Tyler again, or not The best thing I could do was keepsot here He didn’t reme about having a girlfriend back home" I hated the way she was deter it clear that his memories didn’t include me, at least not the important parts

He didn’t remember the day I’d stu his he’d done for ifts outside ht

He also didn’t re after I’d cuthiotten sicker and sicker until I’d been left with no choice but to drag him up to Devil’s Hole to be taken

As far as he was concerned, I’d vanished five years ago and had never come back

And now Griffin acted like her claiether, as if none of those things ever existed at all

Simon surprised me then, when he said to me, "This must be hard on you," because it had to be hard on him too He rubbed his hand across the back of his neck, watching me anxiously I tried to tell myself he didn’t seem worried that Tyler was here, and that worried wasn’t the same as threatened

But I knew better I could see it written all over his face: Si if he’d hoped we’d never find Tyler at all

I couldn’t worry about Sis, or the fact that Tyler couldn’t remember me All that mattered was that we’d found him, and I was deter I ever did

"When can I see hied Griffin, still frustrated she’d sent Tyler aith Nyla "Please I’ll do anything" I refused to acknowledge that hurt-puppy look in Siether

"I’ll have Nyla bring hi for you," Griffin said slowly, her voice sticky "Jett needs to show you soain, face-to-face

I followed cluer to reach Jett, to hear what he had to tell ain Griffin led Si where I’d spied her and Jett earlier while I’d been doing drills with Natty She knocked again, the same way she had then, only once, and then we, too, slipped inside

It wasn’t only Jett I was reunited with inside--Willoas there too, safe and sound When she sawtime no see It was co our every ood to see her again But the last thing I wanted was to give Griffin even the slightest insight into ainst , or even winking, at her, I lifted my chin, which had to s where they needed to be: under lock and key

"What is this place?" I asked, ave hiiven Willow

He looked unsure for aor the question But then he scratched his cheek and said, "It’s the co The first thing I noticed, besides how much warmer it was in here, probably from all the electrical equipment--the co it downright stuffy--was that it was a lot like the place Jett had kept back at his old camp Back at the abandoned Hanford site when I’d firsthave you been here?" I asked

"Since the first day we got here" He grinned at Griffin and I had to stopmy eyes "Been workin’ ever since"

Not you too, Jett? I wanted to shake so under her spell Talk about finding the key to Jett’s heart