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Her face paled. “Keep going.”
“What I was just getting ready to explain to Poe is that the transmutation ability means your cells regenerate constantly, faster than normal, which is what allows you to change your appearance.”
“He knows all that. So do I. Why are you teaching Hallie 101?”
“There’s a progression,” I said gently. “Listen, okay?”
Pressing her lips together, she pulled out the chair beside Poe’s and sat.
“Once the Infinityglass part of you became activated, your transmutation ability sped up and got stronger,” I continued. “Everything about you got stronger, right? Super-human hearing, vision, energy.”
She nodded.
“The rips are using you as a power source. As long as they can possess you, they can live. They aren’t going to give you up without a fight.”
She stared down at her hands. “What happens if I lose?”
My throat felt like I’d swallowed a bucket of sawdust. “I don’t know, but we’ll find answers. Between what we’re learning every day, and the number of people trying to help, and the wealth of information we already have … we’ll find answers.”
“How can I avoid them? They find me. If they want to take me over …”
Poe covered one of her hands with his briefly and then stood. “Dune’s right, Hallie. We’re going to get answers. I will figure out what got you in this position, and then I’ll learn how to reverse it.”
He left the kitchen, and Hallie and I stared at each other through silence.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“No. It’s just a matter of time before it happens again. What if I don’t get out next time?”
I pulled her into my arms, rested my chin on top of her head. “You will.”
I wanted to believe it, but things were happening too fast. The truths about the Infinityglass came slowly at first, but now the terrible possibilities were tumbling toward us in a rush.
At what I feared was the end of the story.
Chapter 19
Hallie
Dune sat at my desk, scrolling and clicking.
We’d sent the Hourglass contingent out to sightsee. I’d spent the day staring at my TV and tried to lose myself in a Supernatural marathon, but I was too stressed out to enjoy the eye candy. Finally, I clicked the remote and stood.
“Off.” I closed the lid of his laptop, barely missing his fingers, and sending empty Jolly Rancher candy wrappers skittering to the floor. “All you’ve done is stare at that damn computer all day.”
He raised a brow. “Just trying to find answers.”
I dropped onto the bed. “Sit with me.”
He didn’t touch me when he did. I took it metaphorically.
“We aren’t going to do this, Dune.” I gestured to the empty space. “You’re removing yourself from the situation, and removing yourself from me.”
“This isn’t about distance. It’s about giving you room to breathe. Giving me time to research.”
“I want us in the same airspace right now, okay? I need it.”
Dune’s arms were around me in a second. “I need it, too.”
