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in frustration. “I suppose we might as well find out what it’s all about—if we have enemies outside waiting to kill us.” She sighed. “Let her in, then bar the door behind her.”
    Walter nodded, released several locks that Michael hadn’t noticed before, then quickly opened the door and motioned the girl inside. She stepped in and he slammed the door behind her, relocking everything. Another person patted her down to make sure she had no weapons; then they both stepped back and Walter repeated his question.
    “Who are you?”
    The girl couldn’t have been more than twelve years old. She wore jeans and tennis shoes and had on a bright-red cape, with a hood draped over her head. She looked like she’d walked straight out of the old fairy tale. All that was missing was the basket full of cakes for Grandma. And a wolf.
    The young stranger reached up and pulled her hood down, revealing dark hair and pale skin, and an odd half smile.
    “Who are you?” Walter asked for a third time, his tone now charged with impatience.
    The girl gave him a curtsy, then looked around the room until her eyes fell on Michael.
    “My name is Janey,” she said, in a voice so innocent it sounded cartoonish. “I was wondering if Michael could come out and play.”

CHAPTER 4
INTO THE WOODS
    1
    She smiled after she said it, still staring straight at Michael with doe eyes. On the surface she seemed harmless, but Michael knew better. She was creepier than a zombie who’d just crawled out of a muddy grave.
    Despite all the people in the room, it felt like it was only him and the strange girl. “How do you know my name?” Michael asked, fearing the answer.
    A hurt look flashed across her face, only turning up the weirdness. “How can you be surprised?” she asked, and bit her lower lip in confusion. “You’re the First; we all know who you are. We practically worship you. Won’t you come out and play with us?”
    “Us?”
Helga repeated sharply, marching up to stand between Michael and their new visitor. “Who else is out there?”
    The girl named Janey gave Helga a hard look. “I prefer to speak with the First only, please. We’re grateful that…
other
Tangents have chosen to protect him for us, but we’ll take it from here, thank you.”
    “You don’t sound much like a kid,” Walter said, inching closer to Helga.
    Janey glanced sharply at him, her odd smile suddenly gone. “Because I’m not. Why so many of you choose to take over bodies that are already so…
old
completely baffles me. If you’re going to take over a human, why would you pick one that’s already close to its deathbed?”
    Michael was frozen, unable to move or even think properly. He still hadn’t recovered from his trip to the Hive, and now he had to deal with this? Janey wasn’t the only person who’d recognized him since he’d gained a body, or referred to him as the First, but he still had no idea what they wanted from him. He wished he could just go back to being Michael the Tangent, living in blissful ignorance with his parents and Helga in
Lifeblood Deep
. He didn’t want this new life. He didn’t want any of it.
    “You didn’t answer my question,” Helga said calmly. “Who else is out there?”
    Janey started to walk toward Michael, but Helga and Walter stepped in front of her, arms out. Janey glanced at each of them, annoyed, then rested her eyes on Michael.
    “There are so many of us,” she said. “We’re waiting for you. Things have changed, you know. We don’t work for Kaine anymore—we broke off. He’s not right in the head. All we want is freedom to…live like humans were meant to live. Come with us. Bring your two friends if you like. We could use your help if Kaine retaliates. These other Tangentshave to stay here, though. I’m sorry. It’s clear they want to end the Mortality Doctrine, and we can’t allow that.”
    Michael shivered. It was so eerie seeing this little girl speak like an adult. Bryson and Sarah were at