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chapter twenty-eight the flayed
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RUE DIDN'T GET ANY SLEEP that night. She was pacing around in the basement, and she found herself walking down the street a few minutes later. With the soft sounds of crickets, she sat on the curb before the Wheeler's house.
She softly pulled on her hair and dropped her head to her knees. Rue was scared. The sauna test didn't go as any of them planned, and now El was hurt. She couldn't shake off the dark and overpowering feeling she's gained from when she stood before Billy. She couldn't forget the way he had let her take over.
What was he playing at? Why didn't he fight her? Why was he willing to get to El but leave her without a scratch? And what is that stupid Whisper she hears? Why did it come back? And why couldn't she stop hearing the overlapped murmurs?
Her palms cupped her ears, it was an attempt to make them stop, but they wouldn't.
Rue felt sick, and at the same time, she felt something pulling her. She didn't know what, she didn't know where. But there was something — and that something was pulling her to go somewhere. And she ached to go, but she fought against it. Rue wasn't going to leave her friends, not now. Not when they needed her — or more Rue needed them.
She looked up at the sound of rustling. Rue panicked, only thinking the worst as her heart dropped, and she felt shivers down her spine.
"It's me," a voice said, and Rue turned to head to find El slowly walking towards her.
