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Then the Outcasts disappeared into the night.
Back in the yard, Daniel barreled into Cam, throwing him to the ground.  What s wrong with you?
he yelled, his fists wailing down on Cam s face.  How could you?
Cam strained to stop him. They rolled over each other on the grass.  It was a better end for her,
Daniel.
Daniel was seething, tackling Cam, slamming his head into the dirt. Daniel s eyes blazed.  I ll kill
you!
 You know I m right! Cam shouted, not fighting back at all.
Daniel froze. He closed his eyes.  I don t know anything now. His voice was ragged. He d been
gripping Cam by the lapel, but now he just slumped to the ground, burying his face in the grass.
Luce wanted to go to him. To fall on him and tell him everything was going to be okay.
Except it wasn t.
What she d seen tonight was too much. She felt sick from watching herself Miles s mirror image
of her die from the starshot.
Miles had saved her life. She couldn t get over it.
And the rest of them thought Cam had ended it.
Her head swam as she stepped forward from the shadows of the shed, planning to tell the others not
to worry, that she was still alive. But then she sensed the presence of something else.
An Announcer was quivering in the doorway. Luce stepped out of the shed and approached it.
Slowly, it broke free of a shadow cast by the moon. It slithered along the grass toward her for a few
feet, picking up a dirty coat of dust left by the battle. When it reached Luce, it shuddered up and
rose along her body, until it hovered blackly over her head.
She closed her eyes and felt herself raising her hand to meet it. The darkness fell to rest in her palm.
It made a cold sizzling sound.
 What is that? Daniel s head snapped around at the noise. He raised himself from the ground.
 Luce!
She stayed put as the others gasped at the sight of her standing in front of the shed. She didn t want
to glimpse an Announcer. She d seen enough for one night. She didn t even know why she was do-
ing this
Until she did. She wasn t looking for a vision, she was looking for a way out. Something far away
enough to step through to. It had been too long since she d had a moment to think on her own. What
she needed was a break. From everything.
 Time to go, she said to herself.
The shadow door that presented itself in front of her wasn t perfect it was jagged around the edges
and it stank of sewage. But Luce parted its surface anyway.
 You don t know what you re doing, Luce! Roland s voice reached her at the edge of the doorway.
 It could take you anywhere!
Daniel was on his feet, jogging toward her.  What are you doing? She could hear the profound re-
lief in his voice that she was still alive, and the sheer panic that she could manipulate the Announc-
er. His anxiety only spurred her on.
She wanted to look back to apologize to Callie, to thank Miles for what he d done, to tell Arriane
and Gabbe not to worry the way she knew they were going to anyway, to leave word for her par-
ents. To tell Daniel not to follow her, that she needed to do this for herself. But her chance to break
free was closing. So she stepped forward and called over her shoulder to Roland,  Guess I ll just
have to figure it out.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Daniel rushing toward her. Like he hadn t believed until now
that she would do it.
She felt the words rising up in her throat. I love you. She did. She did forever. But if she and Daniel
had forever, their love could wait until she figured out a few important things about herself. About
her lives and the life she had ahead of her. Tonight there was only time to wave goodbye, take a
deep breath, and leap into the dismal shadow.
Into darkness.
Into her past.
Torment
EPILOGUE
PANDEMONIUM
 What just happened?
 Where d she go?
 Who taught her how to do that?
The frantic voices in the backyard sounded wobbly and distant to Daniel. He knew the other fallen
angels were arguing, looking for Announcers in the shadows of the yard. Daniel was an island,
closed off to everything but his own agony. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]