Page 7 of Forbidden Hunger

Eden’s giving him a weird look, but doesn’t say anything. It’s obvious he’s ready to make an issue of it, so I gingerly pick up the card. “Thank you,” I murmur, and set it by Eden’s phone.

I have no intention of using it; I just want to avoid an argument.

After dinner we clean up the kitchen, and then Eden shows me to my new bedroom. It’s big enough to contain my old apartment, with its own view of the city, a queen-sized four-poster bed, a walk-in closet, an attached bathroom complete with sunken tub, and a desk in one corner.

“We can share my laptop,” she says. “I’ll bring it in and you can email your parents, let them know what’s going on, and give them your new phone number.”

“Okay.” I touch her hand as she turns to go. “Thank you, Eden. For everything. Really.”

She gives me a hug. “I know you’d do the same for me. I’m just glad you don’t have to leave; I can’t imagine being at the Institute without you.”

I sink down on the bed to wait. The mattress is like a dream. The windows are thick enough to block out all the sounds of the city.

I almost miss the noise.

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