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When she thought she was alone again, Violet opened her eyes, but herin fro her like an apparition "I knew you were listening"

Violet’s expression ooden as she answered "Just because I understand your reasons doesn’t mean I have to accept them"

Chapter 18

VIOLET WASN’T SURPRISED THAT NO ONE HAD co her take a sick day

But it orth it The last thing she wanted to do was to explain her black eye each tied classes And as she supposed to say, anyway? That she got beat up by a gang ent, the lady who ran the teaators Violet worked for?

Maybe she’d just say she ran into a door; that seemed infinitely more plausible than the truth

She ca --her busy season, when the seasonable weather brought shoppers out to the local farmers’ markets in droves She was already out in the converted shed she used as an art studio Violet worried about trying to eat anything, her sto in the same way it had after the first ti pills Eventually she settled on so it doith hot tea

She took a sip and thought about Casey Atkins Ever since herabout her She felt terrible, both helpless and useless What good was her ability if she couldn’t help anyone with it?

Her phone alerted her to a text, and as she checked it she realized she’d hter and tighter as she scrolled through the used to the pangs she felt whenever she avoided Chelsea and her other friends, but reading the texts inquiring as to why she wasn’t at school sent a fresh surge of regret coursing through her

But there was also one froe, but it reminded Violet that she wasn’t the only one who’d been hurt With everything that had happened yesterday, she’d nearly forgotten about Rafe

She punched out a quick response: