Aaron took in a sharp breath. “Wow. That’s harsh,” he said, but then a pained half smile curled up his lips, and he squeezed her hand. “Besides, I wasn’t planning to forbid you. You’re old enough to make your own decisions now.”

Thisbe gave him a puzzled look. “So why are you so scared?”

Aaron looked at her long and hard, then turned his gaze to the sea. “No one is invincible,” he said lightly, though he didn’t sound like he believed it. “If Alex could be taken by surprise, anyone can. Even you.”

Still puzzled, Thisbe shifted uncertainly on the lawn. But she felt a surge of hope now that Aaron said he wouldn’t try to stop her. Before she could answer, she felt a tiny ripple over her skin and looked up to see what danger lurked. This time it was the dissenters, and they’d spotted her and Aaron. “Oh no,” Thisbe muttered. “Look who’s coming.”

Aaron looked, then sighed deeply. “Here we go again. If they threaten you, I give you permission to fight back any way you see fit. You’ve got your vest now—just try not to kill anyone.”

Thisbe thought greedily about taking out the whole lot of them in one explosion and was shocked by her own thoughts. It reminded her that the Revinir had called her evil. Thisbe believed it could be true, and she felt guilty again. But there was something else on her mind that pushed aside the guilt and the urge to fight. As Frieda Stubbs approached and the two Stowes stood up, Thisbe blurted out, “How did you know my mother?”

Frieda Stubbs was taken aback. Then she snarled and said, “She moved in next door to me when she got thrown off her pirate ship. It was right as Justine was repairing part of the wall around Quill that had been damaged. She snuck inside before the workers closed it, and my neighbors took her in.”

Aaron and Thisbe stared. “You lie,” said Thisbe. “My mother was not a pirate.”

“When was this?” Aaron demanded. “As adults?”

“No. It was a year before I was purged. She was my age.” Frieda snorted angrily. “And I ended up being the Unwanted. Can you believe that?”

The other dissenters chuckled uneasily. Just before Thisbe was about to ask Frieda why she seemed so angry about being declared Unwanted when it led to being in Artimé, her head was filled with a wild roar. Her eyesight was taken over by blinding scenes of dragons and castles and fighting. She fell to the ground, quivering on the grass, until she lay still.

“Look at that evil girl!” cried Frieda in alarm, stepping back and pointing. “She is possessed! All of you remaining Stowes are filled with the evil of your mother. And Alex is no longer here to control you.”

Pushing Forward