Chapters (53)
- Front Cover
- Letter from the Author
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Contents
- • One •
- • Two •
- • Three •
- • Four •
- • Five •
- • Six •
- • Seven •
- • Eight •
- • Nine •
- • Ten •
- • Eleven •
- • Twelve •
- • Thirteen •
- • Fourteen •
- • Fifteen •
- • Sixteen •
- • Seventeen •
- • Eighteen •
- • Nineteen •
- • Twenty •
- • Twenty-One •
- • Twenty-Two •
- • Twenty-Three •
- • Twenty-Four •
- • Twenty-Five •
- • Twenty-Six •
- • Twenty-Seven •
- • Twenty-Eight •
- • Twenty-Nine •
- • Thirty •
- • Thirty-One •
- • Thirty-Two •
- • Thirty-Three •
- • Thirty-Four •
- • Thirty-Five •
- • Thirty-Six •
- • Thirty-Seven •
- • Thirty-Eight •
- • ∞ •
- • Thirty-Nine •
- • Forty •
- Epilogue
- Acknowledgments
- Excerpt from Be Dazzled
- One
- Two
- About the Author
- Back Cover
“Yeah, see? And that’s my fault, too. You’d know everything if we didn’t mess up your memories. I’m really, really sorry things happened the way they did. That’s what I wanted to say.” His mouth pulled into a tentative smile, showing his dimples. Ah. So this was the Elliot everyone apparently knew. Charming. Charismatic. Persuasive.
He was the Elliot that Poesy had told Kane not to trust.
“It’s okay,” Kane found himself saying, even though it certainly wasn’t okay.
Elliot exhaled, relieved. “Can you do me a favor, then?”
When Kane shrugged in response, Elliot scooted forward. “I just want you to know that none of this was Ursula’s fault. She was always for putting you first, you know that, right? I don’t like that she messed with the plan, but I respect her, and I know she was just trying to be a good friend. I think you should ease up on her.”
The weed of guilt that had already taken root grew even more, slowly pushing through to his heart. Elliot had named what Kane wouldn’t let himself believe: Ursula was innocent. That meant Ursula deserved a better friend than Kane had ever been.
After Elliot left, Kane turned his request over in his head like inspecting a smooth stone before hurling it across smooth waters. Why had Elliot talked to him like this? What did he want? Was it possible his agenda had only been for Ursula? That made Kane question his distrust just long enough for him to grow curious, and Kane’s curiosity had just about enough of being told no.
He tossed his stuff into his bag before chasing after Elliot, smacking a palm on the hood of his car as he was pulling out. Elliot jolted in the driver’s seat.
“Wait,” Kane said. “I need your help. And call the Others. We’ll need them, too.”
They drove toward the Cobalt Complex. At some point the sweltering Saturday had tipped into a stormy afternoon, and the humidity had unleashed a violent rain that lasted only six minutes. It happened when they were on the bridge, sweeping over the river in golden and gray waves that bundled the distance into a hazy closeness. By the time they reached the complex, the rain was done, and the trees shuddered with new weight. They found the girls in a cracked lot, the pavement already drying in patchwork.
“You sure you want to do this?” Elliot asked again.
“Yeah.”