- Page 4 and 5: The author and publisher have provi
- Page 6 and 7: Author’s NoteThis story explores
- Page 8 and 9: expected those within earshot to do
- Page 10 and 11: She nodded, but he didn’t think s
- Page 12 and 13: He felt a strange twist in his ches
- Page 14 and 15: “You’re serious,” she whisper
- Page 16 and 17: CHAPTER2His funeral was sparsely at
- Page 18 and 19: “Such an asshole,” Hernandez ag
- Page 20 and 21: make him look as if he’d been a c
- Page 22 and 23: Had what started out as a professio
- Page 24 and 25: Naomi’s expression hardened. “I
- Page 26 and 27: “I should hope not,” she said.
- Page 28 and 29: on.” She winced. “And that’s
- Page 30 and 31: She shook her head before stopping
- Page 32 and 33: CHAPTER3Wallace was screaming when
- Page 34 and 35: “What is it?” he yelled, still
- Page 36 and 37: nose was running, and though she tr
- Page 38 and 39: CHARON’S CROSSINGTEA AND TREATS
- Page 40 and 41: But that was where the similarity t
- Page 42 and 43: “I don’t even know you.”She h
- Page 44 and 45: a picture of a waterfall, the spray
- Page 46 and 47: “What the hell was that?” he de
- Page 48 and 49: trouble.”Wallace bristled. “My
- Page 50 and 51: would be disappointed she wasn’t
- Page 52 and 53:
Another voice came then, deep and w
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CHAPTER5Wallace had never been a fa
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“Younger,” Wallace repeated.
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“He tends to be hyperbolic,” Me
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“I know that,” Wallace snapped.
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“Oh no,” Mei breathed. She set
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He’d never been much of a runner,
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Through the coolers.He yelled incoh
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Wallace jerked his head when Mei ap
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“The process sped up the moment y
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faded as he glanced at Wallace. “
- Page 74 and 75:
The air was cooler still. Wallace s
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“They are. Not like you and me, b
- Page 78 and 79:
understand.” He rubbed his jaw.
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aren’t. I’ve never had another
- Page 82 and 83:
Wallace’s eyes stung. He blinked
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She sat up in her bed, the blankets
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heavily through his nose as he trie
- Page 88 and 89:
we see in our dreams is someone we
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CHAPTER8He opened his eyes again wh
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“Oh,” Hugo said. “Well. Until
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Nelson shrugged. “We have no secr
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doesn’t always work the first tim
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Wallace threw up his hands. “That
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was as if they were simply existing
- Page 102 and 103:
“You don’t know me.” It wasn
- Page 104 and 105:
seemed to get the words out. He fro
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She shrugged. “I like the dead mo
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That certainly didn’t make him fe
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He blinked. “Oh. I … suppose it
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“Until?”Her eyes slid unfocused
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stand there gawking. It’s unbecom
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“That wasn’t an offer.”“Sou
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Denial, maybe? That didn’t make h
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“I guess.”“He can be a little
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but it’s always the same.” He h
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going off in my head, the explosion
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Hugo ran his hand over his hair. Su
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Hugo shrugged, fingers twitching on
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CHAPTER10A few nights later, Wallac
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shooting stars, and a memory rose u
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“Traitor,” Wallace mumbled. The
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it as hard as he could), he still h
- Page 138 and 139:
were a ghost and could no longer sl
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CHAPTER11On the thirteenth day of W
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He had. Wallace now wore … soccer
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“Because saying not to worry abou
- Page 146 and 147:
The other man couldn’t have been
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pulled her back into the kitchen.De
- Page 150 and 151:
For a moment, Wallace thought it wa
- Page 152 and 153:
for it.” She trailed a finger alo
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Wallace snorted. “Oh, yeah. I’l
- Page 156 and 157:
be dripping down his forehead. Desd
- Page 158 and 159:
Desdemona stood abruptly, chair scr
- Page 160 and 161:
That stunned him, especially when h
- Page 162 and 163:
“Why did you do it?”Wallace fro
- Page 164 and 165:
remembered he couldn’t. He pulled
- Page 166 and 167:
Wallace thought of his mother in th
- Page 168 and 169:
Hugo said, “Part of them lingers
- Page 170 and 171:
trust her. Mei will tell you that I
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And wasn’t that a conundrum? “N
- Page 174 and 175:
“Because you’re still here.”
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part of the original construction,
- Page 178 and 179:
“Of course,” Hugo said, looking
- Page 180 and 181:
lot of people, and everyone knows i
- Page 182 and 183:
“I’ll keep that in mind.”“J
- Page 184 and 185:
“I loved my wife,” Nelson said,
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“But you’d know what to expect.
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tea doesn’t mean I love every kin
- Page 190 and 191:
CHAPTER14Wallace paused in the door
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Mei closed the door. The latch clic
- Page 194 and 195:
“Something you’ll have to find
- Page 196 and 197:
“The clock,” Alan said. “It
- Page 198 and 199:
Wallace tried to argue when Hugo as
- Page 200 and 201:
believe in. That’s your faith. Th
- Page 202 and 203:
negligible impulse. He was a tea pl
- Page 204 and 205:
Another star in the distance, but i
- Page 206 and 207:
“I can move chairs. I can break l
- Page 208 and 209:
right. She usually is, but with thi
- Page 210 and 211:
they’re not as gone as you think?
- Page 212 and 213:
“My son,” Nelson said. “A goo
- Page 214 and 215:
“Go check on them,” Nelson said
- Page 216 and 217:
to cross, we can go back to normal.
- Page 218 and 219:
Wallace had never been a fan of the
- Page 220 and 221:
She walked through the door as she
- Page 222 and 223:
is not to say anything at all.”
- Page 224 and 225:
“For the love of all that’s hol
- Page 226 and 227:
in through his nose and out his mou
- Page 228 and 229:
“I … don’t know?” His own w
- Page 230 and 231:
The last customer left for the day
- Page 232 and 233:
“I really am.”Wallace looked ba
- Page 234 and 235:
Wallace felt his skin crawl. “It
- Page 236 and 237:
when Alan jerked his arm back, elbo
- Page 238 and 239:
stretched long. The light pulsed ag
- Page 240 and 241:
He was young, perhaps nine or ten,
- Page 242 and 243:
The boy laughed. It sounded like he
- Page 244 and 245:
but in danger of flickering out. I
- Page 246 and 247:
The Manager dropped the hook, and a
- Page 248 and 249:
the bottom of Alan’s feet. Before
- Page 250 and 251:
opened your eyes. I can see the goo
- Page 252 and 253:
CHAPTER18Hugo said, “Alan. Wallac
- Page 254 and 255:
The first night was anger.Oh, but w
- Page 256 and 257:
exertion. Spit flew from his mouth.
- Page 258 and 259:
Wallace was leaning on. Wallace did
- Page 260 and 261:
Mei wiped her eyes. “I think I li
- Page 262 and 263:
Nancy appeared in the doorway. Squa
- Page 264 and 265:
each other. Do you understand? Ther
- Page 266 and 267:
“I did,” Hugo said. He held up
- Page 268 and 269:
Nancy began to sob. It crawled from
- Page 270 and 271:
“That’s … what I asked, yes.
- Page 272 and 273:
He’d startled her when he’d lau
- Page 274 and 275:
still, tell him. I want to record h
- Page 276 and 277:
“Did he? That’s … odd. Why wo
- Page 278 and 279:
“I have the worst ideas,” Walla
- Page 280 and 281:
CHAPTER20The next day was hard.Wall
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like a weirdo.”Hugo crossed his a
- Page 284 and 285:
He squeezed his thighs against the
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Rocks and dust kicked up around the
- Page 288 and 289:
broke their entire world apart. Ble
- Page 290 and 291:
He stood in front of a tea shop at
- Page 292 and 293:
He raised his head, and everything
- Page 294 and 295:
“You can’t blame him. He didn
- Page 296 and 297:
Cameron. These whispers were more f
- Page 298 and 299:
he drank. Mei went next, followed b
- Page 300 and 301:
rise and rise and rise until he too
- Page 302 and 303:
“I know,” Hugo said. “Stay wi
- Page 304 and 305:
“You do,” Hugo agreed. “Sit a
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CHAPTER22The next morning—the sev
- Page 308 and 309:
whispered. “When you brought me b
- Page 310 and 311:
“Not now,” Wallace said. “I w
- Page 312 and 313:
And Hugo said, “No. I won’t.”
- Page 314 and 315:
His bottom lip stuck out farther.
- Page 316 and 317:
“Because you know we can do it,
- Page 318 and 319:
“Never in your life,” Nelson gr
- Page 320 and 321:
Too thorough, if you ask me, but si
- Page 322 and 323:
He kissed Wallace on the lips and t
- Page 324 and 325:
Wallace repeated the same pattern o
- Page 326:
He felt Hugo standing before him. H
- Page 329 and 330:
but Hugo was persistent, Wallace fe
- Page 331 and 332:
skin filled with the colors of life
- Page 333 and 334:
They listened.They learned.They und
- Page 335 and 336:
“It hurts,” Hugo said as he lif
- Page 337 and 338:
“You have a gift,” Nelson told
- Page 339 and 340:
That night, Wallace found Hugo on t
- Page 341 and 342:
ACKNOWLEDGMENTSUnder the Whispering
- Page 343 and 344:
Thanks to Lynn and Mia, my beta rea
- Page 345 and 346:
Welcome, MEIYING. You have been ass
- Page 347 and 348:
SECTION IWHAT IS A REAPER?Reapers h
- Page 349 and 350:
SECTION DXLIUH OH! YOUR DD IS UPSET
- Page 351 and 352:
SECTION VMCDLINOW IT’S YOUR TIME
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TOR BOOKS BY TJ KLUNEFOR YOUNG ADUL
- Page 357:
Thank you for buying thisTom Dohert
- Page 360 and 361:
CONTENTSTitle PageCopyright NoticeD