a go-bag when Dante ca

t takin

I had squirreled away ove

the bedroo

stood

ked to the open su

are you

t there was a coiled t

clothes," I

eater on top of th

dn't

ention consumed by the scr

for a few days," he said, withou

aying there

wer. That was

et and tossed a black Ce

mething nice. Re

ned to

" I cal

hand hovering ov

u love

ve the Family, Elen

e walk

up the bl

hand. I cut it into jagged pi

shards on

shed p

to make befor

. She was a civilian-sweet, naive Sarah who didn

rabbing my hand across the table

squeezing her

ged go

urant, feeling a strange,

screaming

eatrical clothes, threw themselves ont

the hem of my coat with dirty fingers

pped. Phon

asked, stepping b

the gallery. "Adoptive parents! You threaten our daugh

ng around at the gathering cr

hair. "Let Dante and his true love be! Stop blo

, the sound like a

eone whispered. "The o

evil," an

said, trying to

oman

abbed

rieked. "You want

y. It was a refl

herself

heatrical thud and started

She brok

urned on me

shouted. "Don

ulder, spraying stick

e of trash

them

h bi

re clos

ice was swif

st the brick wall

inding flash

hate in

s Sofia

d stag

he wanted to destroy me p

led in the

police

o a halt at the curb,

oldiers p

ed out of t

"parents" writh

t the trash

ed over

unreadable-a

the car,

said, my voice tremb

In. Th

me into th

as ther

nto a delicate l

. "I told them not to come. I

e go

me in the rea

es wer

ity, Elena. Attacking o

my voice hard. "Her parents are d

es who raised me

pped. "You've cause

at me wi

rumors are true. Maybe the

red a

man I had love

last thread con

ted to

ow sound that scrap

he villain. I'm the m

e fr

laug

g down my face. "It's just so funny

my face close to t

st the Jester

ed on th

nd, his hand r

n't f

him dead

ered. "Finish wh

fro

lowered

dead look

o the road and d

't know

s driving

backseat wasn't a pers