Aurora Is Right,” Willa Said, Sounding Sad

My Mom Has A Tape From When I Was, Like, 2 Years Old, Talking With My Grandma, Telling Her A Story That's Really Elaborate About Werewolves And Wolves.

Ready?" Tove Asked Without Looking At Me. He Started Walking Before I Answered. "duncan, You Don't Need To Come With Us," I Told Him As I Hurried After Tove. Duncan Followed Me The Way He Always Did, But He Slowed. "it's Probably Best If He Does," Tove Said, Tucking His Hair Behind His Ears. "why?" I Asked, But Duncan Smiled, Excited To Be Included. "we Need Someone To Test On," Tove Replied Matter-of-factly, And Duncan's Smile Instantly Faded.

You Know Something?" He Lifted His Head, And When He Turned To Me, He Had This Strange Look In His Eyes. Almost As If He Was Really Seeing Me For The First Time. "i Don't Think I Ever Really Lived Until This. I've Never Done Anything That Mattered Before, But Now I'm Fighting To Save My Life, And Yours. And I Know It Sounds Really Cheesy And Lame, But I Don't Think I Ever Really Felt Alive. Not Until I Met You.

During Our Session, I Told Tove About How I'd Done Mind-speak On Duncan, But It Only Worked When I Was Irritated. Using That Logic,tove Spent Most Of The Morning Trying To Irritate Me Into Using It. Sometimes It Worked, But Most Of The Time I Just Got Pointlessly Annoyed.

I Heard You're Campaigning On My Behalf." He Walked Over To Me. "that Wouldn't Be Because You'd Miss Me Too Much If I Were Gone,would It?" "don't Be Absurd," I Scoffed. "i Don't Condone Murder, Even For People Like You." "people Like Me,huh?" He Cocked An Eyebrow. "you Mean Devilishly Handsome, Debonair Young Men Who Come To Sweep Rebellious Princesses Of Their Feet?" "you Came To Kidnap Me, Not Sweep Me Off My Feet," I Said,but He Waved His Hand At The Idea. "semantics.