What I Left Behind
946 Words
I shouldn’t have come here.
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The thought stayed with me as I stepped into the east side.
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Too quiet.
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Not the normal kind.
Not peaceful.
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Empty.
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Like something had happened here…
and the world hadn’t caught up to it yet.
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I slowed.
But I didn’t stop.
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I needed answers.
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Even if they broke something in me.
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*You already know.*
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I clenched my jaw.
“Then show me.”
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The alley came into view.
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And something in me tightened instantly.
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Not fear.
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Recognition.
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I didn’t remember it.
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But my body did.
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I stepped inside.
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The air changed.
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Colder.
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Heavier.
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The smell hit a second later.
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Blood.
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Faint.
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But real.
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My breathing slowed.
Not calm.
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Controlled.
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Like something inside me was adjusting.
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The walls were marked.
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Scratches.
Cracks.
Impact points.
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A struggle.
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No—
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A fight.
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My head tilted slightly.
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A sound slipped through.
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A voice.
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Not outside.
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Inside.
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Screaming.
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I froze.
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A flicker—
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Darkness.
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Movement.
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Hands—
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My hands—
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Gripping something.
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Holding—
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Tight.
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Too tight—
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I staggered back.
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“No…”
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More came.
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A body hitting the ground.
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A breath—
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Weak.
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Breaking.
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And me—
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Standing over it.
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Not stopping.
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Not moving.
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Watching.
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My chest tightened sharply.
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“That’s not—”
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*It is.*
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I shook my head.
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“No. I didn’t do that.”
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*You did.*
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My hands started shaking.
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“I wouldn’t.”
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A pause.
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Then—
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*You didn’t stop.*
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Silence crashed into me.
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Heavy.
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Suffocating.
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I forced myself to look around.
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To stay in the present.
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That’s when I saw it.
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Near the wall.
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Something on the ground.
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I stepped closer.
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Slow.
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Careful.
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And crouched.
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My breath caught.
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Blood.
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Not smeared.
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Pooled.
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Dark.
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Too dark.
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And in the center of it—
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A shape.
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Faint.
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But clear enough.
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A body had been there.
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My stomach twisted.
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I shouldn’t have known that.
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But I did.
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I knew exactly how it had fallen.
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Where it hit.
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How it stopped moving.
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My chest tightened again.
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“No…”
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My gaze dropped lower.
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And that’s when I saw it.
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A reflection.
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In the thin layer of blood.
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Distorted.
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Unsteady.
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But still—
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Mine.
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I stared at it.
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Something felt wrong.
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Off.
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Not just the angle.
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Not just the light.
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Something deeper.
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Then—
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It moved.
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Not with me.
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On its own.
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My breath stopped.
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The reflection blinked slowly.
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Then smiled.
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That same wrong smile.
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And for a split second—
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I saw it.
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Not clearly.
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But enough.
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My body.
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Lying there.
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Still.
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Lifeless.
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Eyes open—
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Empty.
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The world dropped out from under me.
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I stumbled back violently, hitting the wall.
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“No—”
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My voice cracked.
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“That’s not real—”
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*It is.*
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My heart slammed against my ribs.
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“That’s not me!”
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*It was.*
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My breathing turned sharp.
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Uneven.
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“No… no…”
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*You remember now.*
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“I didn’t die.”
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The words felt desperate.
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Fragile.
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Like they would break if I said them again.
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Silence.
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Then—
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*You did.*
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Everything stopped.
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My thoughts.
My breath.
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“You’re lying.”
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*Am I?*
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My chest rose slowly.
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Painfully.
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“If I died…” I whispered…
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“…then how am I here?”
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A pause.
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Long.
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Heavy.
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Then—
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*That’s the right question.*
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A sound behind me.
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Footsteps.
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I froze.
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Slowly—
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I turned.
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And saw him.
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Standing at the entrance of the alley.
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Watching me.
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Still.
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Focused.
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Like he’d been there the whole time.
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My pulse spiked.
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“How long have you been standing there?” I asked.
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He didn’t answer.
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His eyes shifted—
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From me—
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To the ground.
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To the blood.
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Then back to me.
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“You’re not supposed to be standing,” he said.
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My stomach dropped.
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“…What?”
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His expression didn’t change.
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“I saw what was left here last night,” he continued.
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My chest tightened.
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“And you were part of it.”
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A step closer.
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Measured.
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Careful.
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“But this?” he said quietly, looking at me again—
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“This doesn’t make sense.”
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I swallowed slowly.
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“…Who are you?”
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He held my gaze.
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Long.
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Sharp.
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“Zayden.”
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A beat.
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Then his eyes darkened slightly.
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“And you,” he said…
“are supposed to be dead.”
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Silence fell.
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Heavy.
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Unavoidable.
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And for the first time—
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I didn’t try to deny it.
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Because something inside me…
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Was already accepting it.
- Writer
