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“Who is it?” I asked, swinging the door ajar

Two sets of eyes stared at me from the other side In the ed to With a squeal, I launched myself into Raquel’s arms and smiled at Ashley over her shoulder

“I’ve missed you, rooainst my shoulder

“I’ve missed you, too”

She had no idea how ht, her trashy TV shows, and the girl talk that would keep us awake into the early hours of the ain Not after this Nothing was as lonely as this dungeon

“You’re alive” Ashley threw her hair over her shoulder and s one aze “We orried they’d already carried out your execution Guess you’re sticking around”

“Guess so,” I replied wryly Couess I’d have to take what I could get “You’re not getting soft without me to compete with up there, are you?”

“Not a chance” She marched past me, into my quarters With a disdainful toss of her head, she snorted and turned a circle “Is this it? How do you survive?”

“One day at a time”

Rolling rand tour Four individual cells in total, uard observatory station which had been left eot here

I guess they trusted ive uard on duty, just outside that thickto my daily activities I wasn’t truly ever alone And yet, that made me feel all the more lonely

Once the tour was complete, I squirmed aardly next to the kitchen table and pressedto be enough to feed uests And I’d finished the protein bars Manuel had dropped off this

“UhI’d offer you soht o” I pointed to ”

“That’s okay” Raquel clapped her hands together and bounced on the balls of her feet “We’re here to escort you to dinner You get a reprieve”

“A reprieve?” I looked to Ashley for help “What does she mean?”