Carry On: The Rise and Fall of Simon Snow

by Rainbow Rowell

I grab his wrists and pull. “That’s right,” I say, “it can’t be. You always said you’d make sure there was an audience when you finished me off.” I pull on him. “Come on.” Baz doesn’t fight me, just slumps forward. A cloud of sparks settles near him, and I growl at them, blowing them out. I lift up his chin. “Baz.” “Go away, Snow.” “You’re not a monster,” I say. His face is cold as a corpse in my hand. “I was wrong. All those years. You’re a bully. And a snob. And a complete arsehole. But you’re not one of them.” Baz tries to jerk his face away, but I hold it fast. He opens his eyes, and they’re pools of grey and black and pain. I can’t stand it. I growl again. The fire blows back. “This is what I deserve,” he says. I shake my head. “Well, it isn’t what I deserve.” “Then go.” I see the fire flickering in his eyes, which means it must be all around us. “I won’t,” I say. “I’ve never turned my back on you. And I’m not starting now.”