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"Uh, Shay," Croy began

"You did this!" Her whole body writhed like a snake in its death throes "Stealing h? You had to betray the whole Smoke!"

Tally closed her eyes and shook her head It couldn’t be true She had destroyed the pendant The fire had consumed it

"Shay!" Croy said "Calht them"

"Are you blind, Croy? Look around you!She did this!"

Tally took a deep breath and forced herself to look at Shay Her friend’s eyes burned with hatred

"Shay, I swear to you, I didn’t I never" Her voice faltered

"Who else could have led them here?"

"I don’t know"

"We can’t blame each other, Shay," Croy said "It could’ve been anything A satellite i mission"

"A spy"

"Will youlook at her, Shay?" Croy cried "She’s tied up, like us She resisted!"

Shay slammed her eyes shut and shook her head

The two Specials with the eye-reader had reached the resistors’ corner of the pen One stood back while the other stepped forarily "We don’t want to hurt you," she announced "But ill if we have to"

The cruel pretty grabbed Croy’s chin and flashed the reader in his eye She looked at its readout

"Another one of ours," she said

The other Special raised an eyebrow "Didn’t knoe had so many runaways"

The two hauled Croy to his feet and roup of Smokies outside Tally bit her lip Croy was one of Shay’s old friends, so these two Specials were from her own city Maybe all the invaders were

It had to be a coincidence This couldn’t be her fault She’d seen the pendant burn!

"So you’ve got Croy on your side too now, I see," Shay hissed

Tears began to fill Tally’s eyes, but not from the pepper this time "Look atBut I told him every time, ’No, Tally’sto hurt "

"How did you change Croy’s ed David’s?"

"Shay, I never meant for that to happen"

"So where were you two last night?"

Tally sed, trying to hold her voice steady "Just talking I told hiht? Or did you just decide to ame with him With me"

Tally lowered her head "Shay"

A hand grabbed her chin and forced it up She blinked, and a dazzling red light flashed

The Special looked at the device closely "Hey, it’s her"

Tally shook her head "No"

The other Special looked at the readout, nodding confirblood?"

She didn’t answer They lifted her to her feet and dusted her off

"Come with us Dr Cable wants to see you immediately"

"I knew it," Shay hissed

"No!"

They pulled Tally toward the gate of the pen She twisted her head around to look back, trying to think of words that would explain

Shay glared up at her fro to Tally’s bound wrists A second later, Tally felt the pressure release, and her hands popped apart The Specials had cut her handcuffs

"No," she said softly

One of the Specials squeezed her shoulder "Don’t worry, Tally, we’ll have you home in no ti for this bunch for years"

"Yeah, good work"