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I screa to lift , but they wouldn’t cooperate My knees lifted off the ground and I spun, facing the pale, stunned faces of my friends Arms wide, completely open No way to hide

And Sebastian--Sebastian, who had one foot in front of hi forward but unable to move, unable to help None of them able to move

The only action I could rew glassy My throat closed My heart puan to separate into several twisted and swaying strands My scalp burned fire

Dear God, I’m on fire!

I shrieked--a horrible sound I squeezedit to stop Please! Just stop!

And then I felt theasped for air that would not co my nerves electric with fear Tears leaked hot from my eyes No! No! No!

My scalp split, and it felt like s and twisting around strands of s Terrifying, living things Sether, a halo of sickening, e apparitions

My eyes rolled back into my head My heart thudded hard, one last ti throughup Reaching out to one another for support Horror whitening their stricken faces and dragging their o

But I couldn’t speak

And Sebastian Sebastian who had that one foot out, trying to break the invisible barrier and help me, stepped back

He stepped back

My chest deflated, sinking in, collapsing as the truth and the cold realization gripped the last remnants of hope I had and smashed them into set your hopes up and you don’t get hurt Don’t trust or love and you don’t get hurt I’d broken htly sane person wouldn’t run, or shit themselves, or become shell-shocked? I couldn’t blaainst it, eyes as round as Frisbees They all backed away All but Violet, who stood a up her Mardi Gras mask to reveal an expression of childlike wonder

Henri rushed forward and grabbed Violet, jerking her back She whipped around and bared her tiny fangs at hiate now, fingers wrapping around the bars and yelling at Violet to co in the chaos that swirled throughwith the pain and the heartbreak

In an act of defiance, Violet sat cross-legged on the ground They finally gave up Henri pulled Crank and Dub away froiving one last unfatho inside the cemetery, and then he hurried after the others

Athena released ht ofinto the softness The side of ood, that chill

I stayed un, too weak and too hurt to care

Athena’s feet hit the ground and sauntered the few short steps to where I lay Her booted toe shoved azed up at the face of the goddess, the cruel bitch who had a special place in hell, if such a place existed She dropped down on her haunches and tenderly wiped the single stream of tears from the left side of my face, then rested her elbows on her knees "You don’t belong here, child They don’t want you He doesn’t want you Even the misfits have rejected you There is no place for you in New 2, no place anywhere in this world that will accept you for what you are Your hohtened with the ht The Bitch was right

"You have until dusk to decide Coive you shelter, riches, your heart’s desire You have but to submit to my rule, that is all" She reached out and lifted a strand of ers, a flash of envy and bitterness passing through her eyes "What will you do when you turn? Where will you go? Perhapsperhaps after a tiive you your life back Be a good girl, Aristanae, a good little ht"

Another trail of tears followed in the same wet path as Athena stood and disappeared