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“Fine.” She swiped her hand across her teary eyes. “All of this just reminds me of him.”

“Him?”

“My dad.” Her smile wobbled. “He was cursed a few years ago.”

“I’m sorry.”

She clenched her fists. “Ever since that happened, well, we’ve been doing everything we could to help the people that the Government has failed. Just like they failed my dad.”

“It seems like you and your mom are pretty close.”

Kylie nodded. “She’s all the family I’ve got left.”

“That’s not true.” I offered her a smile. “The Knights are our family too. And together we can change the world.”

She returned the smile. “You know, Savannah, your optimism is strangely contagious. And it would be nice to have a big family.” She clasped my hands. “And a sister.” She cast a tentative, pleading look my way. “And as sisters, I was hoping you could do me a favor?”

“Cover for you while you deliver the supplies to the deserters,” I guessed.

“They’re depending on me. I can’t turn my back on them. The world already has.”

“Go,” I told her. “I’ll take care of the florist.”

“Thank you.” Her smile was as bright as the summer sun. “You really are the sister I never had, Savannah.”

I watched her run off, and she sure did move fast. I only hoped she was as stealthy as she was quick. Because if the Watchers found out what she was doing, her dream of becoming a Knight would be over.

CHAPTER4

GLEN'S GARDEN

Iheaded back toward the conference center. Not far from the stately building, on the same street actually, wasGlen’s Garden, a small shop blanketed in flowering vines. A slim strip of uncommonly green grass bordered the shop on the left side. A tree, massive and ancient, dominated the right side. It leaned precariously toward the tall wooden fence that separated the florist from its neighbor, a squat building that looked like a very large metallic mushroom.

Two teenagers, a boy and a girl, both about my age, stood in the tree’s shadow, whispering.

“Run away with me,” the boy pleaded. He had the brightest turquoise eyes I’d ever seen. “Your parents don’t appreciate you like I do. We can start a life together somewhere else, far from here.”

“I can’t leave,” the girl replied, her fingers twitching as she interlaced them with his. “No chance. My parents are always watching.”

I pushed the front door open, stepping inside the shop. An aroma of roses and lilacs greeted me, and so did the man behind the counter.

“I am Glen. How may I help you?” he asked.

He wore a pair of green work overalls over a white t-shirt. Both were sprinkled with dirt. But his long, pale hair was neatly braided.

“I am an Apprentice Knight,” I told him. “Ms. Featherdale, the event planner in charge of organizing the upcoming Summit, sent me to check on the flower arrangements.”

“Fear not. They will be ready on time.”

“Great, but could I, well, see how you’re progressing?”

“My wife is the one overseeing the Summit’s flower arrangements. You are in good hands.”

“That’s great. So do you mind if I talk to her?”

If he minded, he didn’t show it. All he said was, “Come with me. I’ll bring you to her.”

He led me into the greenhouse at the back. There, under the glass dome, we found a woman with smudged cheeks and dirt under her fingernails. She wore the exact same green overalls and white t-shirt as her husband.