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That was and is one hundred percent true.
But the thing is, you used to care about the
souls you crossed over. You may have put
yourself at risk, you may have gone off on
your own despite my warning you not to, but
the Council was willing to overlook all of that
because it was clear that you truly cared
about seeing those poor souls move on. And
while I m sure you eventually started to care
about Satchel too, if for no other reason than
his story is pretty dang sad, I think we both
know you were mostly in it for what you
thought it would get you. Your motivation
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was selfish, Riley, and I m sorry, but there s
no reward for that.
I stared at my feet, remembering just what
had sparked the whole thing. Not having any
friends, seeing him with Jasmine it didn t
seem selfish on the surface, but Bodhi was
right. I d only tried to help Satchel to benefit
me.
So that s why my glow dimmed? I asked.
I looked at him, my face clean and clear of all
anger.
Bodhi dug his hands into his pockets,
looking at me when he said, It s the same as
turning thirteen. It s not about achiev-
ing it s about learning. You always see your-
self as separate, like it s you versus everyone
else, and everyone else better watch out be-
cause you have something to prove. But the
thing is, we don t act alone Here, Riley. We
work as a team a community. A community
you haven t even tried to be a part of because
you re too busy looking for shortcuts and
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glory. And while your glow getting dimmer is
not quite the punishment you see it as,
mostly because there is no punishment Here,
I m sorry to say that, yes, your actions have
caused your glow to regress. Though that s
not to say that you can t get your glow on
again.
My body went shaky, my eyes started to
sting, but instead of crying like a big, fat
baby, I gave Buttercup a good, tight squeeze
and then I let him go free.
Making my way toward the gate once
again, when Bodhi reached out to slow me.
The feel of his fingers causing my whole body
to tremble, making me feel all weird, like I
had when I saw him with Jasmine.
Riley uh, I think there s more we need to
discuss &
I looked at him, saw that big, unbearable
discussion sitting right there in his eyes,
causing me to shake my head and wave it
away.
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No way, José.
No way would we talk about him and Jas-
mine and whatever they meant to each other.
It was stupid.
Dumb. Dumb. Dumb.
He d just turned fifteen. I was still twelve.
There was absolutely nothing to talk
about.
I picked up the pace, finding my way to the
other side of the gate. Knowing it probably
wasn t the most mature way to respond, but
heck, it was better than a tantrum, and at
least that was a start.
There was no doubt I still had a lot to
learn. But there was also no doubt that I d
eventually get there. Sooner rather than
later, that was for sure. I finally understood
how it all worked.
Thanks to Balthazar, Ever, and Bodhi, the
puzzle was complete they had each donated
a piece.
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I had to channel my emotions tend to the
fire within so it wouldn t blaze out of control.
I had to ask for help when I needed it,
tackle only the assignments that were given
to me, and instead of focusing on how I
would benefit from convincing the lost souls
to cross over I had to focus on how crossing
them over would benefit them.
I had to quit focusing on being eternally
stuck as a flat-chested, twelve-year-old
kid and instead see myself as the mature
and confident teen I wanted to be.
I had to be patient, be a good friend I had
to be happy being me.
Arranging those items in a neat little list in
my head, I couldn t help but smile at how
good it felt to finally have a plan.
And even though I was still walking fast,
there was no outrunning Bodhi when he was
in one of his more determined moods.
He caught up to me, grasped my elbow
again, and said, Riley, listen, the other thing
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can wait, that s fine. Though I do need to
know if we can leave now, or if there s any-
thing you need to do first. Anyone you need
to check in with, before we take off?
I looked at him, staring into those deep
green eyes. What do you mean? Are we go-
ing somewhere?
Seeing the way his face broke into a smile
as he picked up a stick, tossed it high into the
air, laughing as Buttercup leaped into the sky
and flew after it.
Turning to me, a ghost of a smile still
haunting his lips when he said, I spoke with
Aurora. The Council is sending us to Italy.
Apparently there s a very stubborn ghost
that s been haunting the Colosseum for sev-
eral centuries. And since they know you ve
been itching for a challenge, they figured it
was the perfect Soul Catch for you.
also by alyson noël
THE RILEY BLOOM BOOKS
Radiance
Shimmer
THE IMMORTALS SERIES
Evermore
Blue Moon
Shadowland
Dark Flame
Night Star
Everlasting
Faking 19
Art Geeks and Prom Queens
Fly Me to the Moon
Laguna Cove
Kiss & Blog
Saving Zoë
Cruel Summer
Coming in Winter 2012
Riley s adventures continue in
Whisper
The first thought that popped into my head
when we entered the Roman city limits was:
Hunh?
I squinted into the wind, droopy blond
hair streaming behind me, feeling more than
a little deflated as I soared over a landscape
that was pretty much exactly the same as all
the others before it.
My guide, Bodhi, my dog, Buttercup, and I
had flown a great distance to get here, and
even though flying was hands down our fa-
vorite way to travel, there was no denying
how after a while, the scenery tended to get a
bit dull fading into a continuous blur of
clouds, nature, and man-made things, all
piled up in a row. And though I d grown used
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to it, I guess I still hoped that Rome would be
different, but from where we hovered, it all
looked the same.
Bodhi looked at me, his green eyes taking
note of my disappointed face, he shot me a
quick grin and said, Follow me.
He thrust his arms before him and somer-
saulted into a major free fall as Buttercup
and I did the same. And the faster we spun
toward the earth, the more the landscape be-
low came to life blooming with such vibrant
color and detail, I couldn t help but squeal in
delight.
Rome wasn t boring. It was more like the
opposite a city chockful of visual contradic-
tions practically everywhere you looked.
Consisting of a maze of crazily curving,
traffic-choked streets that curled and
swooped around newly renovated buildings
and crumbling old ones all of it looming
over dusty old ruins dating back a handful of
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centuries reminders of a long-ago history
that refused to go quietly.
Bodhi slowed, his hair flopping into his
face, when he nodded toward the ruin just
below him as he said, There it is. What do
you think?
Buttercup barked with excitement, wag-
ging his tail in a way that made him spin
sideways, as I gawked at the massive old am-
phitheater, marveling at its size and finding
myself suddenly sideswiped by doubt.
I mean, yes, I m the one who d practically
begged the Council for a more-challenging
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