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"Jesus" I soing to be sick "I don’t have impressions I remember Dad and--"

"Tellaround the island

I opened my mouth, but II couldn’t I hadn’t been able to inI hadn’t been able to "He sounds like a guy," I said, blinking rapidly

"Tell erstown?"

I knehat it looked like The memories were there, but I was too overwhelmed to see the house in my mind I had those memories; I knew I did I just needed to concentrate

Tears filled her eyes "Tellof the invasion and where did we go?"

"You--You told --" I squeezedwas a blur "I was too panicked I don’t re"

"Honey, it means what it means You weren’t with me when the Luxen invaded You herever Luc had you" She pressed her lips together "There is not a single thing you can tell me about elementary school or your tenth birthday What you have to pull from, the well you’ve drunk from these last four years, are stories I told you while you had the fever, while we cured you"

Panic started to dig in with razor-sharp claws "How is that possible? How can you stand there and tell me that I have no memories, or that the ones I do have are fake? That’s impossible You’re my mom and I’m Evie That’s who I’ve always been!"

Mo thought occurred tothe truth? There had been that weird sense of déjà vu when I first saw Luc in the club There were all those times when Luc spoke as if he knewthis deal

Moainst her chest "I’m still your mother I am--"

"Stop," I demanded "I just need you to stop Please Because this can’t be real"

"It is" Her chest rose, and then she lifted her other hand to her eyes,on the island--two brown contacts

My gaze flew to hers, and I gasped

Mom’s eyes weren’t brown anymore They were the color of the summer sky, before a storm A vibrant, unnatural shade of blue

"No," I whispered, shaking my head

She smiled as tears tracked down her cheeks, and those tears disappeared as the veins under her skin filled with beautiful, lu into her skin and replacing the tissue Within ht

Suddenly I remembered when Luc had come into the house and Mo Luc had dared her to do it I hadn’t understood then as happening, but I did now

Luc had known

He had known that Moical one I knew that now Noh about the Luxen to know they couldn’t have children that weren’t Luxen

"God" The room tilted I felt faint, dizzy, and I couldn’t deal with this I couldn’t process the truth that was glowing back atroo Then I ran back into the kitchen and grabbed e door

"Honey!" she called out

I stopped and looked She was back to normal Well, except for her eyes They were still the eyes of the Luxen

"Please," she said again, her eyes glistening "Please just sit down and ill talk We will--"

"No"

She took a step toward

"Don’t" My voice cracked "Don’t come near me"

She stopped

My entire body trembled "Just stay away from me"