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They had set the fire, and were driving it on in every way they could

The flying li at her from the pilot seat

She turned her board to fly away, but the ht over her, and suddenly the as too great

Tally pitched off and into the water Her crash bracelets caught for a ht the hoverboard, hter without her on it, and spun it away like a leaf

She sank into the deep water in the middle of the river, knapsack and all

It was cool and quiet under the waves

For a few endlesswind, the thundering ht of the crash bracelets and knapsack pulled her down fast, and panic welled up in her pounding chest

She thrashed in the water, clihts of the surface Her wet clothes and gear dragged at her, but just as her lungs were about to burst, she broke the surface into the ulped a few breaths of shed and sputtered, struggling to stay afloat

A shadow passed over her, blacking out the sky Then her hand struck sorippy surface

Her hoverboard had come back to her! Just the way it always did when she spilled The crash bracelets lifted her up until she could grab on to it, her fingers clinging to its knobbly surface as she gasped for air

A high-pitched whine came from the nearby shore Tally blinked aater froures were juround as they crashed through the burning flowers and into the river They were headed for her

She struggled to cliured called

Tally rose shakily to her feet, trying to keep steady on the wet surface of the board Her hard-baked shoes were slippery, and her sodden knapsack seeloved hand reached up to grab the front of the board A face cae eyes stared up at her

She stoers They slipped off, but her weight was thrown too far forward, and the board tipped its nose into the water

Tally turabbed at her, pulling her away from the hoverboard She was hoisted out of the water and onto a broad shoulder She caught gli at her unblinkingly

Bug eyes