“It hurts?” I give her an incredulous look, because of course it hurts. “Yes.” She points right at my face, the gesture catching me off guard. “But that means you feel. That means you’re alive.” This isn’t the laid back, friendly Lu talking. This is Lu, the captain of Fourth’s army, addressing a soldier. A hard swallow jostles my throat. “Only part of me,” I admit. Twenty-four strips didn’t make it. “That’s okay,” she says without a hint of doubt, a hard glint caught in the edges of her eyes. “Just make that the strongest part.”
