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Chatterbox? "How can you say that? You hardly knew me" Oh, wait Except for the fact that he’d once possessed the source of all-things-Evie

Brandon’s phone How much had Jackson seen, read, heard? "In any case, I wanted to let you concentrate on driving"

"Uh-huh You cried out again last night, s in your sleep What’d you dream of? And if you answer ‘this and that’ oneon the brakes"

"I don’t rehtmare of the witch All of them seemed to be from the same day, fro the countryside with a besotted young ad So--of course--she’d decided on murder

"Come Touch," she’d murmured to him When he’d tripped over his feet to reach her, she’d opened up her palrown--from her skin With a sensual wink, she’d blown hi deadly spores

He’d started choking, dropping to her feet His skin had swelled until it split open in places Putrid boils welled and spurted She’d gazed on, cheerfully telling him, "How artfully we plants beckon; how perfectly we punish"

Each day, I hated her more Then I frowned "Jackson, what did you hear ht this was a fine idea, until you added, ‘But you’ll pay a price’ What was that about?"

The adine"

"Liar" He glanced into the rearview et you to trust me, huh?"

"Don’t know," I said honestly I wished I did How badly I yearned to be able to confide in another! Maybe just to have a friend again? At least, one as physically present

But I didn’t need to give Jackson h he’d accepted the visions easily enough, ether My repeated night for other folks, but you doan talk to the one you’re with," he said "Guess I ain’t worth the bother"

"Maybe I’d talk to you more, if you weren’t mean to lasses?"

My old Coach ones were so scratched I could barely see through theain, I’d circled the stabbed corpse--definitely in-house--wanting those glasses so badly Jackson had ordered, "You get your ass over there, Evangeline, and you pluck those off! Right now!"

"Yes,that one tiloves, it’s for good reason"

Kid gloves? Please In the early days of our trip, he’d been decent but distant But as the worst of rief ebbed, his surliness increased

If he ever ca e did have food or not sleeping, he took it as a personal affront "Bed not soft enough for you, princess?" he’d sneer, though I’d never complained "Food not up to your standards?"

He especially didn’t like it when I was quiet or lost in thought Even though he was often the saured that he si saddled withthe windshield wipers scrape, listening to the sas over and over

Most of the tracks were from Mel’s playlists Oddly, Jackson didn’t enjoy endless rap reirl like an ache, like Iover my accusation of meanness, Jackson said, "You ain’t perfect yourself, peekôn You get your feelings hurt like this"--he snapped his fingers--"and you woan tell irl I ever knew"

"Why aated? You’ve rarely talked about yourself since we’ve been on the road" Yes, I had secrets, but he had such a huge advantage over h his grip on the steering wheel tightened, as if he were bracing for a punch

"Okay Was the cage-the-rage ruht understand soer flared in his expression "You got to go for the sla about? I asked for a reason"

"Which is to remind ht with that chip on your shoulder"

"How about asking what ured you liked English a lot, and I thought Robinson Crusoe was your favorite book"

In a et, ain So, Jackson, what had you planned to do after high school?"

He slid lance "Open a chop shop Steal cars for parts Isn’t that what you expect oan to do, then?"

"Marry Brandon, have a couple of rich brats, play tennis all day Isn’t that what you expectedwheel At least his hands had healed When I’d insisted on cleaning and bandaging theht he secretly liked so over him

Because it was such a rarity?

When I’d finished dressing therumbled, "Surprised you didn’t kiss ’ee, just to shock hirown husky as he’d called rave;re" My pretty nurse

His ht he’d been flirtatious Noas brooding, filled with tension

It seemed like the harder I tried to be nice to him, to make him happy, the ain Until rowled

Jackson cast er really bothered hi for hours yet, princess" He knew I hated it when he calledfor Atlanta, Evie And we knew it’d be lean"

"I’ I have never complained"

"No, but that sto at me" His knuckles were nohite on the wheel