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 He did, and she gave him a big bear hug. She held him for fifteen or twenty seconds. His black eye faded, and all of his facial scratches healed at the same time. She stepped back and waited. Steve passed out and fell to the floor with a thud. Well, I guess that’s one bad thing about it, Jesse said. The energy for the healing must come from the person being healed, because I feel fine. I suppose having everything healed all at once was a little much for his body. She turned to Jeremy. He put his hands up to stop her from hugging him. I’ll take it one at a time, thanks. About two hours later, Steve regained consciousness. He shook his head and said, What happened? I feel great! The kids finally took a moment to get their bearings. The little tree house was decently equipped for a place in the woods that no one seemed to live in. Jesse was truly impressed. It was quite an amazing place, clearly larger on the inside than it was on the outside. The trunk and limbs continued up through the first floor, where it had a small living room and kitchen. The place was full of very old and new furnishings. There were curious knickknacks, some old, some futuristic. Tiny reflectors, like the ones on the outside, hung in every corner. A digital clock hung on the wall over the hatch the kids had come through. It appeared to be counting the time since they had entered the Safe Haven and read: 0 Days 2 Hours 47 Minutes 38 Seconds. Across the room, a spiral stairway led to the room above. The kitchen, on the opposite side of the huge tree trunk, was small but efficient and well stocked. Jesse studied the five hatches on the floor leading to the five ladders outside. Each had a different look that matched the ladders on the outside. Hey, guys, this is interesting and all, but I’m starving, Matt said. Maybe we can finish the exploration later, after some dinner. The kitchen is well stocked, Jesse said, cazare eforie nord walking back over to the cooking area. There’s plenty of food here for us to have a good meal. About an hour later, they left their dirty dishes on the table and continued to explore the tree house. As they walked around, their moods changed from deep concern and suspicion to curiosity and mild excitement. Upstairs was a bathroom and sleeping area with four beds. They had all the comforts of home here except no TV, no radio, no Internet, no texting. There was no connection to the outside world; the place didn’t even have windows. After they had cleaned up from their meal, they spread the scroll out on the table. They were only mildly surprised to see that the text had changed. It read: You have arrived in the Safe Haven. Follow the map to the Visualizer. You will get the answers to your many questions there. You will learn the legacy of the Alliance and its destiny. Your greatest triumph is at hand. There is no danger while in the Safe Haven. Jesse rolled her eyes. I guess that means the map has changed, too. This is too weird. Jeremy said, What’s a Visualizer? I’m more concerned with how the scroll and map are changing, Matt chimed in. This doesn’t make sense. This whole thing doesn’t make sense, Jeremy insisted. We get attacked by who-knows-what, and I almost die . . . and what about that lightning, twice in the same place? Yeah! Steve pointed at Matt’s quiver leaning against the wall. You still have six of those black arrows after shooting a dozen or more at those bat monsters. Where did all cazare eforie nord the fire come from just as cazare eforie nord we got back into the tree house? What was that? Jesse pointed to her watch. The watches. They all stopped as we got in the tree house, and yours started back up when you went out to get Matt’s pack. Then they stopped again. It’s all pretty freaky! Matt made placating gestures with his hands. Well, our cazare eforie nord dads told us that the answers are here in this tree house. So, Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, get the map! Jesse rolled her eyes again. All right, all right, all right. She retrieved the leather folder, pulled out the map, and spread it on the table. It displayed the interior of the tree house. That’s impossible! Steve said. I told you, Jeremy said, grinning from ear to ear. Steve looked down his nose at Jeremy and growled, You say that one more time, and I’ll— Jeremy jumped to his feet. You’ll what? That’s all we need, Jesse said, you two going at it again. Jeremy sat back down. He and Steve smiled ruefully at each other and gave each other high-fives.