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Back Dark Stars Save as PDF
Chapters (51)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. Part One
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. Part Two
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. Part Three
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. 30
  36. Part Four
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 38
  45. Part Five
  46. 39
  47. Acknowledgments
  48. About the Author
  49. Books by Danielle Rollins
  50. Back Ad
  51. About the Publisher

There was the low groan of a motor. A flash of lights. The hair on the back of Dorothy’s neck stood on end. He was doing it. Somehow, he was making the time machine work.

With a lurch, the time machine lifted from the ground and was airborne. A mix of awe and horror churned through Dorothy’s chest as the machine shot off through the parking garage windows, Cirkus Freaks cheering as it took to the sky.

Dorothy stood, dumbstruck, watching the time machine disappear. The pilot wouldn’t notice that the exotic matter was gone until he tried to take it into the anil. Then, the time machine would begin shaking and falling apart and—if he didn’t act quickly—he would be torn apart by the vicious winds inside of the time tunnel.

If he was just another Cirkus Freak who’d happened to find Ash’s coat, that would be a good thing.

But if . . .

Dorothy shook her head, pushing the thought away. It couldn’t be Ash, she told herself again. But she didn’t know what else to think. Who else would’ve been able to fly the time machine?

The EM felt suddenly huge and obvious inside her cloak. She had the sense that anyone glancing at her would know that she’d taken it. She had to get out of here.

She wove through the Cirkus Freaks and hurried to the back of the garage. She reached for the door—

Behind her: the click of a gun.

Dorothy felt her heart plummet.

She dropped her hand from the door and turned to see Eliza standing behind her, pistol raised.

“Old friend,” Eliza said, a vicious grin on her face. “What brings you back here?”

9

Nerves pricked the back of Dorothy’s neck. Her mouth filled with the taste of something sour.

She and Eliza hadn’t always hated one another. Or, at least she hadn’t always hated Eliza. In fact, there’d been a time when Dorothy had hoped Eliza could become something of an ally to her, maybe even a friend. It seemed silly now, but they had been the only two women in the Black Cirkus. Dorothy always thought they should have had each other’s backs.

But she’d dismissed such notions months and months ago. Eliza was vicious and cruel and seemed to only want power and more power. And, for reasons that Dorothy had never fully understood, Eliza despised her.

Dorothy pressed her lips together, thinking fast. Despite all of this, there had to be something she could say, some way to get Eliza to see reason.

Her eyes flicked past Eliza’s head. The rest of the Cirkus was still gathered near the far wall of windows, watching the time machine grow smaller and smaller in the night sky. They hadn’t noticed the commotion going on near the back door. There was still time to get out of this.