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I thought of the way Floss had reacted to my proposition, like a child who’d just lost his favorite toy Sadly, I think that’s how he felt about irl, like I’d stolen some piece of personal property froive Avonlea a place in this world, to make her feel wanted Special

I’d watched her shiver, with only the blanket to ward away the bitter chill "Please Take my cloak" I reached for the top button, but her hand had stopped ers firm and cold over my own

"N-no" Her teeth had chattered "I won’t take it And it won’t do any good for you to insistI won’t take it It’s one thing to acco back to draw her blanket tighter again "It’s another thing to take the coat off your back"

I shookshe wouldn’t

We’d have to get her sowar new

Despite s about the beauty of the castle’s structure, I had to ad way It looked solid, fortified by iron-spiked gates and tall, invulnerable walls At the very least, I felt safe at the idea of being there, in relative isolation, for as long as the su my elbows beneath my heavy wool cloak

"I can’t believe wemy every word

"We almost didn’t At least not today" Zafir re hoas that he

never seemed to be cold He wore the same thin jacket

he always had, his hands clasped behind his back as he stood withthe palace coh The ferry us that a storht

Dubiously, we’d turned our gazes skyward at his prediction

"It’s co," he’d assured us when I h "Just ’cause you can’t see trouble, don’t mean it ain’t there"

Zafir had offered the h he’d balked, grousing that ere all in danger if we didn’t reed Money did that to ato take risks he’d otherwise avoid