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All that co," he says "That lab explosion was a blessing in disguise It made us all face facts Live for today, while you can"

That’s enough for Gabriel, who grabsall over, and there’s sory that won’t runt that seems to shake the walls as I stomp from the room and up the stairs Maddie and Nina o back to their gah the banister

There’s nowhere to go but Silas’s room Gabriel trails after , et the words out I can barely see straight Finally I blurt out, "Sht--who does he think he is?"

"He shouldn’t have called you na&iu to help

"It isn’t that," I say "I mean, yes, that’s part of it, but--he said the explosion was a good thing" I stop pacing and chew on my knuckle, feel the bone between my teeth "My parents were killed in that explosion, Gabriel They were killed because they believed they’d find a cure And they were doing such good things in the nant girls who had nowhere to go, and--" My voice cracks Through tears I glare out the here Silas is going into the shed He breathes into his red hands for warets with the lock, and disappears inside

Fro toward the sky, all that’s left of the flas disappear

Once upon a time there were two parents, two children, and a brick house with lilies in the yard The parents died, the lilies wilted One child disappeared Then the other

"It’s okay," Gabriel says His hand hovers near my arm, but I think he’s afraid to touch s," I say "Great things"

"I know," Gabriel says

"They didn’t want this for Rowan andhiave up because we had to take care of each other"

I stare at lass, and I can see two versions of myself: the twin sister, and the bride

"It was supposed to be better than this," I whisper

When Gabriel and I announce our plans to head into the shipping district, Claire doesn’t question it Silas ain He thinks we’re abandoning Maddie But Maddie either knows this isn’t true or doesn’t care, because she can’t be interrupted froame when I pass her on my way out

The walk feels twice as arduous as it did yesterday My legs are stiff and heavy, and I keepsun Gabriel doesn’t press me for conversation Sometimes he’ll reach over and rub circles on , but I a of anything but the e Start with the factories closest tothe shoreline Do not pay attention to the water--it is full of memories and sunken continents, and many places in which a person’s , I deliver the sa for my brother His name is Rowan Ellery About this much taller than me Blond hair One blue eye, one brown eye You’d remember him if you saw him, probably

But no one does Over and over it’s the sa plant, and a first generation man with freckled skin, a hairnet, and a stained shirt with the word "supervisor" on the chest knoho I’ry tirade about hoan--he’snicknaht up until he stole one of the delivery trucks with a rather expensive supply of canned soups inside it This nores my next question each of the several times I ask it Finally Gabriel takes over for es to calm hi contact but holding no aggression "How long ago?"

Thewas off about that kid Always ot deliveries done quick enough, so I kept him around"

I try to reconcileRowan always had a quick temper, and if he was particularly upset, he would s he wished he could have said to fix the probles, but lucid at least He would only stop when I put my hand on his arm, talked softly to him After the Gatherer broke into our ho And just when I thought he was cal down, he shattered a ith his fist But I never considered how deep his anger could go, or if his tirades could stop h

Just as he had always been there to protect ht the Gatherer held a knife to my throat, I had always been there to calm him back down I was the only one who could do it