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This whole thing is meant to help me disassociate from her. Somewhere in the distance, an owl hoots, its sound echoing through the trees. Small creatures rustle in the shadows before they vanish into the undergrowth. A larger shadow breezes past me. Jude. He’s a blur, running at full speed between the tall, leaning trees. I realize why. On my other side, Preston is running, too, his lighter weight giving him leverage as he cuts the distance. The prey skitters, its movements frantic. I forge ahead without picking up my pace, observing the branches weaving together above like a cage. In a sense, this world has been our cage since birth. I used to wonder where the three of us would’ve ended up if we were born into normal families. Jude wouldn’t need to be so violent. Preston wouldn’t have lost his mind. I wouldn’t have to be this. Whatever this is. But I learned to just accept it. Make the most of it, I suppose. My steps are steady on the uneven ground that’s slick with moss and damp leav