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Angelina lifted her head, letting us know that she was still awakestill listening Then she settled back doithout saying a word

"I’ I didn’t know you I didn’t realize--" Sydney was nervous, and I was glad it made her uneasy to ad to ed "If I could change things" I could alret "Anyway, I’m really sorry"

I just nodded; it was all I could do I couldn’t tell her that it was okay, because it wasn’t

Max sat quietly, and I wondered

how much he knew, or at least suspected Up until now, he’d been more perceptive than I cared to adirl froht? Or did he pick up on the fact that we had a history that went back farther than that? Did he recognize all that her quiet apologies meant?

If he did, he kept his opinions to hirateful

Sydney watchedpassing between us, before she eased back again, settling against the wall behind her I felt bad that she couldn’t lie down completely, to recover in comfort The solid as the best we could offer her at the moment She closed her eyes, too exhausted to complain

Noas just the two of us, Max and me And about a thousand other people around us

XI

"Do you want to tell me what happened back there? At the entrance?"

Max shifted closer, as if to tell Cs iԇoh already His charcoal eyes looked al about," he answered, his lips very nearly brushing againstinto theabout Those guards didn’t let us in here out of the goodness of their hearts--they made theuard even had his gun pointed at e histo appear confident,to intimidate him Except that he didn’t retreat, and instead I found erously close to him once more I hoped that he couldn’t hear the sound ofto do with that"

The corner of his ainsthimself far too much I was certain that everyone could hear my heart now "It was my uniform" He said it so quietly that I almost couldn’t hear his words at all

I shook my head in denial, not yet ready to believe it was that siertips inching their way into my hairline His thumb moved down to the corner of ed his hand away then I told myself that I didn’t want hi, less than nothing