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run and keeprunning?"
P.J. gulped twice, sank her teeth into her top lip, and nodded. She twisted
her baseball cap around so the visor faced the back.
"I can run," she said.
Maggie gave heranapproving nod. Then shelooked at the fourth girl, the one
still curled upasleep. She leaned over to touch the girl's shoulder.
"Forget it," Jeanne said shortly. "We can't takeher."
Maggie looked up at her, shocked. "What are youtalking about? Why not?"
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CHAPTER
6
Because there's no point. She's as good as dead already." Jeanne's expression
was as hard andclosedasit had been in the beginning.
"But--"
"Can't you see? She'd slow us down. There's noway she could run without help.
And besides that,P.J. says she's blind."
Blind. A new little shock went though Maggie.What would that be like, to be
in this situation andsick and blind on top of it?
She tugged on the girl's shoulder gently, tryingto see the averted face.
But she's beautiful.
The girl had smooth skin the color of coffee with cream, delicate features,
high cheekbones, perfectlips. Her black hair was pulled into a loose,
glossyknot on her neck. Her eyes were shut, long eye lashes tremblingas if she
were dreaming.
It was more than just the physical features,though. There was a serenity
about this girl's face,a gentleness and stillness that was ... unique.
"Hey, there," Maggie said softly. "Can you hearme? I'm Maggie. What's your
name?"
The girl's eyelashes fluttered; her lips parted. ToMaggie's surprise, she
murmured something. Maggie had to lean down close to catch it.
"Arcadia?" she repeated. It was a strange name; she wasn't sure she'd heard
right.
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The girl seemed to nod, murmuring again.
She can hear me, Maggie thought. She canrespond.
"Okay. Can I call you Cady? Listen to me, Cady."Maggie shook the girl's
shoulder slightly. "We're ina bad place but we're going to try to escape. If
we help you out, do you think you can run?"
Again, the eyelashes fluttered. Then the eyesopened.
Doe eyes, Maggie thought, startled. They wereextraordinarily large and clear,
a warm brown withan inner radiance. And they might be blind, butMaggie had the
oddest sensation that she had justbeenseenmore clearly than ever before in her
life.
"I'll try," Cady murmured. She sounded dazedand in pain, but quietly
rational. "Sometimes I feelstrong for a little while." She pushed herself up.
Maggie had to help her get into a sitting position.
She's tall. But she's pretty light...and I've gotgood muscles. I can support
her.
"What are youdoing?"Jeanne said in a voice thatwas not just harsh and
impatient but horrified. "Don't you see? You're only making it worse. You
should just have let her sleep."
Maggie glanced up. "Look. I don't know whatyou're thinking, but we can't
leave anybody withthem.How would you like to be left behind if itwas you?"
Jeanne's face changed. For a moment, she lookedmore like a savage animal than
a girl. "I'd understand," she snarled. "Because that's the way it has to be.
It's the law of the jungle, here. Only strongpeople survive. The weak ones ...
."She shook her head. "They're better off dead. And the faster youlearn that,
the more chance you'll have."
Maggie felt a spurt of horror and anger-and,fear. Because Jeanne clearly knew
the most about this place, and Jeanne might be right. They mightall get caught
because of one weak person who
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wouldn't make it anyway....
She turned and looked at the lovely face again.Arcadia was Miles's age,
eighteen or nineteen. And although she seemed to hear what Jeanne was say
ing-she'd turned her face that way-she didn'tspeak or argue. She didn't lose
her still gentleness, either.
I can't leave her. What if Miles is alive but hurtsomewhere, and somebody
won't help him?
Maggie shot a glance at P.J. in her baseball cap.She was young-she might be
able to take care ofherself, but that was all.
"Look, this isn't your problem," she finally saidto Jeanne. "You just help
P.J. get away safe, okay?You take care of her, and III be responsible for
Cady."
"You'll be caught with Cady," Jeanne said flatly."Don't worry about it."
"I'm not. And I'm telling you right now; I'm notgoing to help you if you get
in trouble."
"I don'twantyou to," Maggie said. She lookedright into Jeanne's angry eyes.
"Really. I don't wantto wreck your chances, okay? But I'm not going toleave
her."
Jeanne looked furious for another moment; thenshe shrugged. All the emotion
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