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"Who are you?" I stand, h it’s difficult

His gaze lifts fronize his voice as the one through the smoke "Do I know?" I ask and he nods "From The Colony?"

He rises to his feet, tall and brittle "Do you knohat these are?" He holds up the book, showing me the words

"I don’t kno to read," I ad I did

"Hainst his lip

"No one from The Colony does" I feel the need to defend myself

"Some do," he says and then sticks out his hand for me to shake "My name is Dominic" I’m hesitant to shake his hand, but he insists so I do "You’ve changed a lot since the last tio was that?" I ask "One year, two years, because I honestly have no idea who you are"

"Yes, I know" He takes a seat and gestures at the chair across from him "Please, have a seat"

Shackled and chained, I sit down in the chair "Are the chains really necessary?"

"Maybe, maybe not," he answers "But when in doubt, we leave them on"

Always a prisoner "What do you want froood question" He picks up a cup and sips from it "And it’s not ant from you, but what you want fro froo"

"That, I can’t do" He presses his fingers to the sides of his nose, a gesture that reminds me of Monarch "You’ve put me in a very difficult situation And I’ht Monarch would stoop so low … but I guess maybe it was a panicked situation" He meets my eyes "Was that it? Was that why he did it?"

"I have no idea what you’re talking about," I say "I really don’t"

He gives a quiet laugh, shaking his head "He built you well-- sure to include you are a brilliant liar" He takes another sip of his water "It’s a good tool to have, you know--keeps people out of your head"

I start to say so?"

His gaze spears me "You really don’t know, do you? About e did? About where you ca back to the red door, the blood, the screahs "Me and Monarch … I used to be a doctor at The Colony"

"But you’re out here, now" I say "I thought only Bellators were chosen for The Gathering"

"I am a Bellator Or was one anyway," He says and when I eye him, he adds, "Don’t let this weak old body fool you Looks can be deceiving, like yours" He’s speaking to hiet right to the point, Kayla There’s no her"

I’ open "How can I be a Higher? No one can just becoher just as easily as someone can becoht people, who know the right er in ht people"

"You’re talking about Monarch" I’ like that"

He raises his eyebrows "Just like he wouldn’t erase your"Don’t worry, he only did it because he had to It was the only way he could fix the world or at least that’s what he thinks"

What he thought I runacross her" I meet his eyes "Black hair Brown eyes And I don’t like to slaughter people"

"Sometimes, the transformation takes time," he says "Eventually, you’ll turn, just like they all did"

"Even if what you’re saying is true--if Monarch did create the Highers, he wouldn’t change me into one I knoouldn’t He cares … cared abouthis brittle fingers "He would, if he thought it would save you fro discovered"

"Discovered?" I ask

His expression is attentive "Have you ever wondered how The Colony cahers ended up in control? Why they put salt in the water that surrounds The Colony when silver would workeach word as he speaks "Because that’s how they wanted it"

His words confuseto, but it doesn’t s like that?"

"I think the question you should be asking is ouldn’t they," he says "I mean think about it All that power, control, perfection It’s what everyone wants, isn’t?"

I shake my head

"Well it’s what Monarch wanted with you," he says with a s you into a Higher, just to preserve what he did, that takes guts"