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Luce followed behind, a little uy had showed up because of her, it raised a lot of other hairy questions What about the people who'd taken Dawn? And that arrow-shooting Outcast girl Cam had killed at Noyo Point?

A loud slam sounded from inside the kitchen and three terri ed men in dirty aprons rushed out By the ti door, Arriane was holding down the boy with her foot on his head while Miles and Shelby tied him up with the kind of twine used to secure a tenderloin His eh her

They'd gagged hi, so when Arriane taunted, "You want to chill out for a little bit? In theup any kind of ght

Grabbing hied hiave hiood measure, then calmly shut the door She dusted o her hands and turned to Luce with a ticked-o look on her face

"Who's after

"A lot of people, babe"

"Was that"--Luce thought back to herwith Cam--"an Outcast?"

Arriane cleared her throat Shelby coughed

"Daniel said he couldn't be with me because he attracted too much attention He said I'd be safe at Shoreline, but they came there, too--"

"Only because they traced you leaving campus You attract attention too, Luce And when you're out in the world tearing up casinos and the like, we can sense it That goes for the bad guys, too That's why you're at that school in the rst place"

"What?" It was Shelby "You guys are just hiding her with us? What about our safety? What if these Outcasts people just showed up on ca, just looked with alarm from Luce to Arriane

"You didn't understand that the Nephilie you?" Arriane asked "Daniel didn't tell you about their--whatever, protective coloration?"

Luce's ht Daniel dropped her o at Shoreline "Maybe he did say so about a shield, but--" There had been so ht It had been enough to try to process Daniel's leaving her Now she felt a queasy wave of guilt "I didn't understand He didn't elaborate, just kept saying I had to stay on ca too protective"

"Daniel knohat he's doing" Arriane shrugged "Most of the tihtfully "Okay, sometimes Every now and then"

"So you mean whoever's after her can't see her when she's with a bunch of Nephiliain

"Actually, the Outcasts can't see at all," Arriane said "They were blinded during the Revolt I was getting to that part of the story--it's good! The putting out of eyes and all that Oedipal jazz" She sighed "Oh, well Yeah, the Outcasts They can see the burning of your soul--which is a lot more di cult to discern when you're with a bunch of other Nephili nervously on her nails

"So that's how they mistook Dawn for ht, anyway," Arriane said "Hell, it's how I found you too You're like a candle in a dark cave out here" She grabbed a can of whipped cream from the counter and shot a squirt into her mouth "I like a little nondairy pick-me-up after a brawl" She yawned, which ital clock on the counter It o-thirty in theasses and taking names, it's way past curfew for you three" Arriane whistled through her teeth and a thick blob of an Announcer bled out from the shadows under the prep tables "I never do this, okay? If anyone asks, I never do this Traveling by Announcers is ver-ry dangerous Hear that, hero?" She bopped Miles on his forehead, then icked her ngers open The shadow bounced instantly into a perfect door shape in the middle of the kitchen "But I'uys home and to safety"

"Nice," Miles said, like he was taking notes

Arriane shook her head at hi you back to school, where you will stay"--she made eye contact with each of Arriane shook her head at hi you back to school, where you will stay"--sheto have to answer towith us?" Shelby asked, nally showing just a little glimmer of aard Arriane

"Looks that way" Arriane winked at Luce "You've turned into sootta keep an eye on you"

Stepping through with Arriane was even sas It felt like coht was a little dih the door, but you blinked a few tiot used to it

Luce was almost disappointed to nd herself back in her doras But then she thought of Dawn, and of Vera Alns that they were back: two unmade bunk beds, the clutter of plants on the sill, Shelby's yoga mats stacked in the corner, Steven's copy of Plato's Republic sitting book to see

Daniel, dressed all in black, tending a blazing re in the hearth