@@@@@ Kyle turned his back to us, whirling on
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Kyle turned his back to us, whirling on Jeb in fury“It's not agirl, Jeb!”
Jeb shrugged; the gun stayed steady in his hands, pointed at Kyle“There are things to be
discussed
“The doctor might be able to learn something from it,” a female voice offered gruffly
I cringed at the words, hearing in them my worst fearsWhen Jeb had called me his niece just
now, I'd foolishly let a spark of hope flame to life–perhaps there would be pityI'd been stupid
to think that, even for a secondDeath would be the only pity I could hope for from these
creatures
I looked at the woman who'd spoken, surprised to see that she was as old as Jeb, maybe older
Her hair was dark gray rather than white, which is why I hadn't noticed her age beforeHer face
was a mass of wrinkles, all of them turning down into angry linesBut there was something
familiar about the features behind the lines
Melanie made the connection between this ancient face and another, smoother face in her
memory
“Aunt Maggie? You're here? How? Is Sharon –” The words were all Melanie, but they gushed
from my mouth, and I was unable to stop themSharing for so long in the desert had made her
stronger, or me weakerOr maybe it was just that I was concentrating on which direction the
deathblow was going to fall fromI was bracing for our murder, and she was having a family
reunion
Melanie got only halfway through her surprised exclamationThe much-aged woman named
Maggie lunged forward with a speed that belied her brittle exteriorShe didn't raise the hand
that held the black crowbarThat was the hand I was watching, so I didn't see her free hand
swing out to slap me hard across the face
My head snapped back and then forward
“You won'tfool us, you parasiteWe know how well you can mimic
us
I tasted blood inside my cheek