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Tomorrow She would be there soon

SIXTEEN

22 HOURS, 41 MINUTES

SHE DIDN’T WANT to cut off her hair She liked her hair long But Diana took Caine’s threat seriously She had to deliver Jack

So she stood before the mirror and lifted the electric clippers she’d found in the bedroom closet of the former headmaster There was no point in subtlety, no need to fool with scissors and mirror for

hours

The clippers ed pitch each time she pushed the blade into a tuft of hair

In less than fifteenout onto the floor Her head was covered in a half-inch-long black burr that made her look like Natalie Portman in V for Vendetta

She scooped the hair into a trash can and rinsed the sink

Next she began re the last traces ofmuch she could do about the sculpted eyebrows However, there was plenty she could do about clothing Laid out on her bed was a black World of Warcraft T-shirt two sizes too big, a gray hoodie, a pair of baggy boy’s jeans, and a pair of boy’s sneakers She kept her own underthings There was such a thing as getting too deep into the part, after all

She dressed quickly and stood back to check the results in the full-lengthbehind the closet door

She was still obviously a girl Froht pass, but up close, no way

She analyzed the problem It wasn’t her body; that was covered effectively The probleirl’s face The nose, the eyes, the lips, even the teeth

“Not much I can do about my mouth,” she whispered to her reflection “Except not smile”

Then, as if arguing with her own reflection, she said, “You never smile, anyway”