the cut on her own wrist.

Wilder felt a twinge of sympathetic pain watching her press the blade home.

In one swift movement, Ina turned her hand over and placed her wrist against Paz's. Their blood mingled: Paz's somewhat darker, more purple-tinged fluid with Ina's dramatically brighter red blood. Barry saw some drip onto the deck, amazed at how each separate color mixed with the other in a swirling motion, recursive circles spinning on and on until it disappeared at a cellular scale, a red and purple Escher image.

Everyone sat or stood completely still for several minutes. The jungle, the chugging boat engine, none of it was as loud as the silent waiting for Barry.

He gazed down at Paz, whose eyes had closed again, and thought of how much he cared for her. Just a fe...

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