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There was a long silence Seconds ticked by like hours

“I bet you looked kind of Pekingesey,” Fang said finally

I snapped my head up to look at him He seemed very calm, very normal, despite what I’d just told him “What?”

“Bet you were kind of cute, pup girl” He bared his teeth as if they were fangs andsound “Rrrff!” he said, andmotion at me

I s, but I jury He held his hands up in surrender and with difficulty stopped laughing

“Look,” said Fang, trying to keep a straight face “I know you’re not an Eraser I don’t knohy you saw that in the mirror, and I don’t knoho the other Max is, but I knoho you are, all the way through And you’re not an Eraser And even if I saw you as an Eraser, I would still recognize you I know you’re not evil, no ht look like”

I thought of the Voice telling me to believe what I knew rather than what I saw, and tears started to o to sleep and not think about anything

“Thanks,” I told Fang in a broken voice

He stood up, then smoothed my hair with his hand “You’re fine,” he said quietly

“Don’t you dare put any of this in your blog,” I warned him “Don’t even think about it for a millisecond”

“Don’t flatter yourself,” he said, and left my room

PART 4

THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME

74

“Please”