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I reach back down my skirts and find the head of the strip of teeth I jerk, wincing as the epoxy pulls off halfthe strip in my hands, I pull the pliers from my shoe

With all of the, I stick the pliers in my mouth, secure the iron bits to my second back ht, but I saw Victra plop out a baby standing up without a single yelp I rock twice and jerk again, using both my arms The blood pours down the back of my throat as the tooth and root burst out I hold up the pliers, o

pen my mouth so they all see, and then I s the blood I take another one of Fig’s teeth froainst the wound There’s a sizzle, a pain that shoots through the root, through my nostril, into my eyes and brain It’s the second I’ve put in I wipe the blood from my lips and smile

Tails gives a little gasp The rest of the girls look terrified except Freckles, who tilts her head, and the little one with the ether until Freckles shushes her

“I ain’t from here Where I’m from, these fucks killed me whole clan,” I say “I ain’t here to be no brood sow I ain’t here to be no grayline whore I ain’t here to be saved I’ot sionna be a slag toy till you see the Vale” I hold up the pliers “So, ants to save themselves?”

Little Lion bounds forward

We s our pulled teeth so they don’t find the’s teeth do, Freckles got all but two of the girls to get in line She held them dohen I pulled the teeth, and uards outside beat the door with their rifles After their teeth were stripped, I secured each of Fig’s devices myself and Freckles helped Lion clean up their blood I find out from the others that Lion is Mora—Brea’s sister Only Tails and another sirl refused my offer

I sit down next to Tails as Freckles cleans up the last girl She’sunder her breath hoe shouldn’t do this How they’ll hurt us I put an arm around her “Listen, you don’t have to join in All I need is you to be quiet, right? We’ll get you home”

“Y-you’re gonna get us all killed,” she says “You’re crazy”

“Yeah,” I say, realizing nice isn’t gonna work “Yeah, but you remember what I do to rats?”

“She stabs their eyes out,” Lion says frolares at Tails

“She stabs their eyes out,” Freckles adds Several of the girls repeat it around Tails until she covers her ears I lean in front of her “Reer to ht catches me “Can you read?” I ask her

She shakes her head

And now I’ve got a backup plan

They collect us h the walls A transport waits outside Soirls come to see them off, the rest hide fro up the boats and chiseling snow off the roofs Soirls cry as we’re pushed onto the transport, but none as loud as poor Tails Others tongue their gulare at the Red Hand militia as we board up I slu uards don’t chat much to us They just smoke their burners Some feomen are with them They think they’re men, or at least they think they’re better than us duuns and knives and pants, and we’re in skirts