“Nella, listen to me,” he said. “You've said that you aren't as good as Liz and your oldest sister. Your mom told you that practice and passage of time would take care of that. This marks the beginning of those times. Times like these will make you stronger, tougher. They will also make you better, just like you want.”
“Jonah, please don't make me—”
“I'm not, sweetie,” said Jonah. “You're not being made to do anything. Your skills are ready-made for such a time as this. You're needed.”
Something stirred in Nella's eyes. Her fear hadn't faded in the least, but something about Jonah's words gave her the strength to work in spite of it. She wiped her tears and nodded.
“Okay,” she said. “Okay. I can do this. No time like the present, right?”
“Our procedure is done,” announced Akshara. “Yo
