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Night Alone

Tally and Shay made it to the cave first

Croy arrived a fewthrough the waterfall in a sudden explosion of splashing and cursing He tu across the stone floor with a series of sickening thuds

Tally scraht in one hand

Croy shook his head and groaned "I lost them"

Tally looked at the entrance of the cave, the sheet of water a solid curtain against the night "I hope so

Where’s everybody else?"

"Don’t know Maddy told us all to go different ways Since I was flying solo, I went all the way around the greenbelt first to get the A position-finder fell from one of his hands

"Wow You went fast"

"You’re telling me No crash bracelets"

"Been there At least you had shoes on," Tally said "Did anyone chase you?"

He nodded "I held on toas I could Got most of the Specials to follow me But there were a whole bunch of hoverboard riders in the belt You know, city kids The Specials kept getting us confused"

Tally smiled Dex, An, and Sussy had done their ell

"Are David and Maddy okay?"

"I wouldn’t know about okay," he said softly "But they got off right after you, and it didn’t look like anyone was following theht for the ruins We’re supposed to ht"

"Tomorrow?" Tally said

"Maddy wanted to be alone with David for a while, you know?"

Tally nodded, but her heart wrenched inside her David needed her At least, she hoped he did The thought of hi in her storees

Of course, Maddy was there Az had been her husband, after all, and Tally had only hed Tally tried to remember the last words she’d said to David, and wished they’d beenThere hadn’t even been time to hold him Since the invasion of the Ser than that hour in the storm, and now she wouldn’t see hio to the ruins I could hike out there tonight"

"Don’t be crazy," Croy said "The Specials are still out looking"

"But just in case they need anything"

"Maddy said to tell you no"

Astrix and Ryde showed up a half hour later, coracefully than Croy, but with their own stories of running from hovercars The pursuit had been confused, the Specials overwhelht

"They never even got close," Astrix said

Ryde shook his head "They were all over the place"

"It’s like on a battle, you know?" Croy said "We beat them in their own city Made them look like fools"

"Maybe we don’t have to hide in the wild anylies, playing tricks But telling the whole city the truth"

"And if we get caught, Tally can come and rescue us!" Croy shouted

Tally tried to sood about anything until she saw David again Not until to that really mattered

Shay had fallen asleep in a s about the da to take her holed up next to her, trying to forget the dae that had been done to Shay’s mind At least Shay’s new body wasn’t as painfully skinny; she felt soft and warainst her, Tallytime before she fell asleep