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the street. She stoodon the porch, digging through her purse, feeling for the cool metal. As she took a step closer to the front door, the automatic porch light came on and she finally found the keys.
    “Got them.” She pulled her key ring free and went to unlock the door.
    The keys fell out of her suddenly nerveless hand as she saw the front door clearly now that it was bathed in harsh light. This wasn’t possible. Not here, not on her own front door. Her dad’s house.
    Her hands shaking, Rae bent down to pick up the keys. Then she stood, staring at the door, unable to put the key in the lock.
    Unclean. The word unclean had been written across the door in blood-colored paint.
    Anthony was right, Rae thought, shivers running through her whole body.
    No! No. I was right, she screamed inwardly . This is just a reminder that I’m being watched. And that I need to keep
    my mouth shut. That I have to stay in line.
    And she could deal with that. No problem at all. She’d clean the words off her door before her dad saw the message, and then just keep being normal Rae. She would spend her whole life staying in line if that’s what it took.
    But she wasn’t going to letthese people ruin her life-or hurt anyone else she cared about.
    *
    You’re not quite so happy now, are you, Rae? And I ’m a little happier. Especially because this is it. You’ve reached
    the final days. To o bad you won ’t enjoy them. I plan to make you as miserable as possible before I kill you. You
    deserve that. I deserve that. My mother deserves that.

Chapter 4
    Rae waved to her father as he pulled out of Yana’s driveway Saturday morning. God, I really have to get my license,
    she thought. I’m sixteen now. Way too old to be driven around by daddy.
    Now that my life is settling down - as long as I’m the good girl the government people want me to be - I can start
    doing normal stuff again. Like getting ready to take my driver’s test.
    Rae realized she was still standing in Yana’s driveway. Stalling. She sucked in a deep breath and started up the walkway to Yana’s house. The blooms on the plants Yana had grown on either side of the walkway were gone, and the stems looked kind of sad and naked with just the leaves. “I can’t believeI’m doing this,” she muttered as she reached the door. “I mean, there’s nice, and then there’s doormat.” Rae reached out and rang the doorbell, anyway.
    All she had to do was a quick fingerprint sweep, then she’d be outta there.
    “Hi,” Yana said as she swung open the door. “Hi,” she repeated. “Come on in. I’m making us waffles. Blueberry ones,” Yana added over her shoulder as she led the way into the kitchen.
    Rae followed, feeling strange about finally being in Yana’s house. It was almost like she’d expected the place to be obviously different somehow, the way Yana had been so weird about not letting her come inside before. But no-it was a house. Normal enough.
    “Wait,” Rae said as she spotted a mixing bowl on the kitchen counter. “You’re actually making waffles,” she demanded. “I thought you meant you were taking some Eggos out of the freezer and putting them in the toaster.”
    “Nope,” Yana answered. She spooned some of the batter into a waffle iron. A waffle iron. Rae hadn’t even known anyone actually had waffle irons anymore. She’d thought they were all in museums. She’d definitely never thought she’d see Yana Savari using one.
    Except… except Yana had done the gardeningthing in the front yard. And God, it looked like the cushions on the folding chairs positioned around the kitchen table were homemade. “So are you going to sit down or what?” Yana asked as the waffle batter sizzled.
    “Sure.” Rae sat down in the closest chair, even though she didn’t want to. She didn’t want to eat the yummy-smelling waffles, either. What she wanted was to do what she’d come here to do. Period. What was Yana doing making waffles for her, anyway? Why would