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As gently as I can, I reach out and lower her arm "Please," I say softly, a whisper’s whisper, "don’t misunderstand But

I neverit’s never done anything for me"

Instead of hurt in her eyes, relief and emotion fl ood them

She lowers her arm "It’s the same for me I’ve always faked how much I enjoyed it" She turns her head the other direction "The times with the boyfriend, the one ti withrong with"I’m not normal I’m a heper" The last word couilt

Hardly knohat I’rab her hand with my open palm placed on top of the back of her hand I feel the sers I pul my hand away, but she reaches for it And places her open pal the skin of my palm, a ful embrace

We stare at each other, eyes wide The sensation, unlike anything I’ve felt before, is overpowering I don’t dare to breathe Her eyes close, her head tips upward With that, her lips part, ful and strangely beckoning

And then her fi ngers interlace withwas even possible

But the soft skin on the sides of her fi ngers as they graze the sides of ers is like the nape of her neck, tender and sh my body

"Ashley June," I whisper

She doesn’t say anything, just keeps her head tilted heavenward, eyes closed "I know," she fi nal y whispers, "I know"

Stars blinking down Ashley June’s head ono, even as we lay down and drifted to sleep I hear s, the faint thue My eyes close I fal asleep again

When I wake up, the sky has lightened, the s ripe in the air Ashley June is gone fro under me

She’s nowhere on the rooftop I head over to the ledge, puzzled

I see her in the distance Walking, deep in thought

Minutes later, I’ toward her Evidence of the eve ning’s revelry is littered everywhere: paper plates, kabob skewers, wineglasses, e the path Even puddles of vomit As I draw closer to her, she senses me and turns around, waits for me to catch up

"Hey," she says with a faint smile, and reaches for my hand

"Hope no one sees us"

"Nah, everyone’s co?"

"So on me I had to take a walk to clear lad you came Come with me," she says, and we head toward the Do skies, our hands fi tting perfectly, our arainst my own Our bodies lilt toward each other intiet what this day is A day that will end in the Hunt, in violence and death

And then we stop in front of the U dead center on the conveyor belt, is a large envelope I look at Ashley June and she nods with her wide, penetrating eyes

I take it out, feeling the large e in all caps: URGENT: OPEN IMMEDIATELY

"I thought it would be here by now It’s the letter infor the hepers about the supposed Doets them out of the Dome, out into the Vast It’s what turns the prey It’s what makes the Hunt possible

It’s what kil s the hepers"

I stare at her, then back down at the letter "Why are you showing this to me?" I ask

"Because I wasn’t fair to you before, Gene" I try to interrupt, but she shakes her head "No, this is important, so let ree to soret"

"That’s not--"

"No, Gene, listen! I don’t want you to feel you were coaxed into soive you one more chance To really think about it, and make up your ownabout?"

"If you put that letter back into the Umbilical, then the Hunt happens We happen But you can also not put it back; you can rip it to shreds Then the hepers live It’s up to you It really is up to you, I ets delayed Maybe by a few days, possibly as long as a week I won’t last that long I’l be found out wel before then"

"I know," she says

"Why are you doing this?"