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Chapters (53)
  1. Front Cover
  2. Letter from the Author
  3. Title Page
  4. Copyright
  5. Contents
  6. • One •
  7. • Two •
  8. • Three •
  9. • Four •
  10. • Five •
  11. • Six •
  12. • Seven •
  13. • Eight •
  14. • Nine •
  15. • Ten •
  16. • Eleven •
  17. • Twelve •
  18. • Thirteen •
  19. • Fourteen •
  20. • Fifteen •
  21. • Sixteen •
  22. • Seventeen •
  23. • Eighteen •
  24. • Nineteen •
  25. • Twenty •
  26. • Twenty-One •
  27. • Twenty-Two •
  28. • Twenty-Three •
  29. • Twenty-Four •
  30. • Twenty-Five •
  31. • Twenty-Six •
  32. • Twenty-Seven •
  33. • Twenty-Eight •
  34. • Twenty-Nine •
  35. • Thirty •
  36. • Thirty-One •
  37. • Thirty-Two •
  38. • Thirty-Three •
  39. • Thirty-Four •
  40. • Thirty-Five •
  41. • Thirty-Six •
  42. • Thirty-Seven •
  43. • Thirty-Eight •
  44. • ∞ •
  45. • Thirty-Nine •
  46. • Forty •
  47. Epilogue
  48. Acknowledgments
  49. Excerpt from Be Dazzled
  50. One
  51. Two
  52. About the Author
  53. Back Cover

“There is a dangerous truth within you, Mr. Montgomery, that not even the most competent artifice will conceal for long. And, as with all dangerous truths, the trick to surviving it is letting it out in a way you can control.” Dr. Poesy leaned even closer. “People like us? We must tell our stories ourselves, you know, or else they will destroy us in their own violent making. And I assure you this truth will destroy you, too, if you’re not careful. It’ll crack you apart from the inside out”—Kane lurched back, Dr. Poesy’s fingers snapping an inch from his face—“like an egg.”

Kane’s throat was raw as he sucked in a deep breath. The Soft Room pulsed. He could not believe this person was accusing him of lying and blackmailing him into keeping a journal. A fake dream journal. Absurdly, he was overcome with the urge to tell Sophia she’d been right. He was being told to figure out his testimony through arts and crafts, after all.

“I understand,” Kane whispered.

“Grand,” Dr. Poesy said, softening. “I thought you might. Now, when we leave this room, I want the blood back in your face. A pep in your step. We’ve only just been getting to know each other, haven’t we?”

Kane got the hint. “Of course.”

Together they left the Soft Room, walking through the station and the doors that buzzed when they were unlocked. In the lobby, Kane and Dr. Poesy exchanged goodbyes, and Kane rushed to the double doors.

“Kane.”

Dr. Poesy stood back in the lobby, fiddling with the cuff of his right wrist.

“Be careful. The things we cannot outrun are the things we must fight, and you are no fighter. You will need help. You will need me, and I do not provide for liars.”

Kane saw the shadowy monster in the clouds of dust and light. He saw it turning, slowly, its eyeless head stopping to consider him. And of course he had run. And Dr. Poesy knew.

A pair of officers walked by. Dr. Poesy smiled vacantly, handing Kane something. The postcard. “I want you to have this. A bookmark, so you will always know your place.”

His face burned as he took it. He held it close as he shoved through the double doors of the police station, fleeing back into the embrace of summer and the singing of cicadas.

• Three •

Beware of Dog

As soon as Kane was outside, his phone erupted in a million messages, all of them from Sophia. They were coming in too quickly to read, so he just called her as he hurried away from the station.

“Kane? Where have you been?”

“At the police station. I’m fine. Where are Mom and Dad?”

“They’re at the house. Didn’t you see my texts?”