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muttered.
    “I’m in a mad rush, so I…I think I should go on my own. I’m sorry.” Best this way, she told herself. Her blood was still burning in her veins, her stomach still clenching. She leaned forward and kissed Penny on the cheek before standing herself. “It was nice meeting you, though, Aden.” Kind of.
    “You, too.” He sounded despondent.
    She backed up a step, stopped. Backed up another step, a dark corner of her mind shouting for her to stay, despite everything.
    Aden moved toward her, saying, “Can I call you? I would love to call you.”
    “I—” She opened her mouth to say yes. That dark corner wanted to see him again and figure out why she felt both pain and affection in his presence. The rest of her, the rational side of her nature, listed all the reasons to stay away from him: School. Grades. Tucker. Fifteen-year plan. Yet still she had to fight to work, “No, I’m sorry,” out of her throat.
    Whirling, she headed back to the Watering Pot, wondering if she’d just made a huge mistake. A mistake she would regret for the rest of her life, just as Penny had predicted.

THREE
    A DEN WATCHED as Mary Ann walked away from him.
    “Here’s her number. If you still want to call her, that is, considering her rudeness,” the girl named Penny said, sliding a piece of paper toward Aden. “The second number is mine. In case you decide you want someone a little more available.” Then she, too, stood and walked away from him.
    “Thank you,” he called. He grinned as he stuffed the paper into his pocket. The grin didn’t last long, however. He didn’t know a lot about girls, but he knew that he’d made Mary Ann Gray uncomfortable. Knew she’d wanted nothing to do with him.
    Had she sensed how different he was? He hoped not, because that would make convincing her to spend time with him impossible. And he had to spend more time with her. Had to talk to her, to get to know her. She really was responsible for his newfound sense of peace.
    It was strange, too. The more time he’d spent in her presence, the more he’d had to fight the urge to run awayfrom her. Which made absolutely no sense. Up close, she was even prettier than he’d realized, cheeks bright, eyes a mix of green and brown. She was smart, well able to hold her own against her friend. Any other guy would have wanted to date her, yet when they’d begun talking, he’d first experienced a wave of affection, as though he should be mussing her hair and teasing her about boyfriends. (As if he needed more proof that he was weird.) And second, that stupid desire to flee for his life.
    He could think of no reason good enough to run from her. The moment he’d spotted her at the café, the voices had screamed again—he had hated that—then quieted again, and he had loved that.
    How did she do it? Did she even know she did it? She hadn’t seemed aware, her pretty face innocently unconcerned.
    He hadn’t decided yet if she was the girl in his visions or not. She certainly looked like her, but the thought of kissing her…he grimaced. It just felt wrong. So very wrong. Maybe, hopefully, after he got to know her, that would change.
    He kicked into gear, heading home, careful to stay first on the sidewalk above the graveyard, and then the main roads. Twice he tripped over trash, stumbling forward, and every wound on his body throbbed.
    Ugh, we’re gonna hurt tonight , Caleb said.
    Yep. Beyond the ache of the existing bruises, in a few hours, the poison would begin to break him down, chew him up and spit him out.
    You’re really starting to annoy me, Ad, Elijah suddenlysaid. I do not like the airstream or whatever it is that tosses us into that black hole.
    “Tell me about it. The black hole, I mean.”
    Dark, empty, silent. And just for the record, I’d like to know how you’re doing it.
    A girl. I caught a glimpse of her , Eve said.
    Julian sputtered. A girl? A dumb girl is sending us away? How?
    “Is she the one I’ve been dreaming