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God I crush ainst hi out in your sleep I could hear you fighting back against that woman But I couldn’t stop her"

"This is roet down or you’ll get us all caught"

Maddie whimpers pitifully, and Lilac kisses her face and says, "I know, baby"

There’s sorass too I think it’s the little blond girl who tended to Gabriel earlier She is talking to Lilac, saying, "Her arm is definitely broken I’ve done what I can to set it, but her fever isn’t breaking This air is only aggravating it" She’s saying other words too, like "pneu cal I could do nothing about it

"I thought Maddie was dead," I whisper so only Gabriel can hearher," Gabriel tellsThis woman--this Madame--has everyone scared for their lives"

"It’s because of Vaughn," I say "He’s here looking for et to hear Gabriel’s response to this, because all of a sudden the carnival lights up, and Jared is yelling for Lilac to coht, Madame doesn’t want to hurt her She doesn’t want to hurt anyone Corass and gestures for us to do the sahts don’t quite reach us, but I realize with despair that, despite what felt like , we are still close to the carnival There’s a chain-link fence keeping us in

Other girls reveal themselves, apprehensively

"It was a false alar to do business with me But there will be no work until this is settled Go on and make yourselves beautiful Vite, vite!"

She claps It turns into the next roll of thunder "Vite, vite!"

Gabriel is half-covering h stubble of his chin against htens around me

My hands are pinned under hn is here It’s like I can feel hih in his baseet me At least as Linden’s bride I served a purpose I kept rief for his first wife, Rose But if I go back there now, Linden will have turned his back on hn will be able to do whatever he pleases Sedate me, kill me, cut me open, scrape the blue and brown fro to, I whihts that we can hide in the shadow But there’s enough light forher na us to coain, in a lower voice that I have to strain to hear I think he’s talking to Madaone Not far Everything’s gated"

"--so, without an accent Her real voice is craggy and dry It sounds deliberately ugly But I can’t shake the thought that she was once pretty and maybe even kind

Not that it ood-natured, with a hint of a laugh "Darling? There’s no reason to hide Cohn It sets my mind in such a flurry that I miss the next feords he says, and pick up at, "--Linden is concerned about you Cecily is sick orry" I squeeze o, ordsBut Linden and Cecily won’t go away My er sister wife, forever trying to shush the baby who is forever crying in her arms

It’s a trick Even if I did make it back to the hn would see to it that nobody ever heard fro I’ve never been this scared Never Not even in that van Not even when I heard the gunshots

Vaughn is saying, "Darling, coo We’re your fairls in this place and thousands like them on the streets, I knohat a farass crashing toward me in a run I wince, but Jared’s dark, heavy form runs past oes on But not before dropping sorabs it and stuffs it into her bag

He’s leading them away from us I barely have ti towardGabriel andthe word "Go"

So we go, as quickly and quietly as we can, Gabriel andover each other as weThe wind is so violent that it disturbs the high grass asus, Maddie wrapped around her back

Vaughn and Mada forother tactics too, tellingAnd Linden hasn’t co away

"It’s not true," I whisper as I run "It’s not true, it’s not true"

Lilac says, "Shh"

The power goes out again, with a loud groan Mada at Jared, who says, "The wind enerators"