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"Can’t do what?"

"Challenge Elizabeth Not if it puts everyone I care about in danger We have to find so up And--I don’t kno, but we’ll figure out a way"--Nadia sed hard; this was the worst part--"a way to break the bond between us You can’t be er, Mateo"

He stared back at her She’d iht be relieved, but instead he looked wounded … as wounded as she felt More than anything, she wanted to take it all back, and tell hiether forever How could it ever be any other way?

Instead she turned and walked away, refusing to look back

17

NADIA MANAGED TO AVOID BOTH VERLAINE AND MATEO for the rest of the school day, even though she had to hide in the bathroo from the down because I’ too er Dad Cole Mateo Elizabeth’s evil--but that doesn’t h So why did it , she didn’t even bother returning to her locker, just shouldered her heavy backpack and hurried across the grounds, not looking back The crowd of laughing, carefree people didn’t seeh she’d learned most of their names by noorked with a couple of people on school projects, they were still strangers, really And that was how she wanted it

But it was so easy to i crazy in their costuan to shake--

"Nadia!" That was Verlaine behind her Nadia didn’t want to turn around, but she did

Verlaine and Mateo ran to her, side by side Why was it surprising to realize they would have talked about this without her? The whole world doesn’t revolve around you, she told herself But all she could do was grip her backpack straps tightly and stare at the ground as they cah Nadia had already stopped walking "We need to talk to you about this"

Mateo said nothing, only looked at Nadia with those dark eyes--broith a touch of gold

Nadia uys both need to understand as done to you And uring Elizabeth out, taking her on--that has to stop"

"How can you say that?" Verlaine storound "We’re just supposed to let her go on like she has been? Hurting anybody who gets in her way?"

"If we get in her way, then we’re next" Although she was talking to Verlaine, Nadia couldn’t look away fro around with stuff we don’t understand--not even me My mom"--her voice choked in her throat; she spat the bitter words out--"h There’s no one else to teach me I’m not Elizabeth’s equal I’m not even close To you two,there is to know aboutI try to do to Elizabeth is dooot hurt two days ago You could have ended up on a ventilator, in a co after you because you knew toocoet how far over our heads we are here? If you did, there’s no way you’d fightto do is to run as far away from Elizabeth as possible"

"How?" Mateo said quietly "We live here I’ away froure so herself this same question Dad liked his new job, even if they did scrape by on less ured he’d still put her and Cole in front of everything else So if she started talking about how desperately she o to Yale or Stanford, someplace crazy expensive--et his job back It was the only plan she had so far, but it seemed possible

Verlaine was so thin, so pale--a stretched cobweb of a girl--that Nadia soh, when Verlaine’s fury was blazing, there was no forgetting that she towered over her, and even had a few inches on Mateo "Elizabeth ht’ve killed my parents She definitely killed Mateo’s mom How can we not take her on? Soet aith it?"

"No!" Nadia shot back "But she already got aith it! I don’t have the power to stop her, and you two--you have to stop believing that I do You have to stop believing in me"

She started to turn away from them, but Mateo’s hand closed around her ar hih she knew she ought to push him away

Mateo looked at her steadily as he said, "I can’t do that"

"You can walk away from Elizabeth if you have to--you’ve already started--"