Caius pointed a skeletal finger at me. "She knows too much. You have exposed our secrets." His voice
was papery thin, just like his skin.
"There are a few humans in on your charade here, as well," Edward reminded him, and I thought of the
pretty receptionist below.
Caius's face twisted into a new expression. Was it supposed to be a smiled.
"Yes," he agreed. "But when they are no longer useful to us, they will serve to sustain us. That is not your
plan for this one. If she betrays our secrets, are you prepared to destroy her? I think not," he scoffed.
"I wouldn't—，" I began, still whispering. Caius silenced me with an icy look.
"Nor do you intend to make her one of us," Caius continued. "Therefore, she is a vulnerability. Though it
is true, for this, only her life is forfeit. You may leave if you wish."
Edward bared his teeth.
"That's what I thought," Caius said, with something akin to pleasure. Felix leaned forward, eager.
"Unless…" Aro interrupted. He looked unhappy with the way the conversation had gone. "Unless you do
intend to give her immortality?"
Edward pursed his lips, hesitating for a moment before he answered. "And if I do?"
Aro smiled, happy again. "Why, then you would be free to go home and give my regards to my friend
Carlisle." His expression turned more hesitant. "But I'm afraid you would have to mean it."
Aro raised his hand in front of him.
Caius, who had begun to scowl furiously, relaxed.
Edward's lips tightened into a fierce line. He stared into my eyes, and I stared back.
"Mean it," I whispered. "Please."
Was it really such a loathsome idea? Would he rather die than change me? I felt like I'd been kicked in
the stomach.
Edward stared down at me with a tortured expression.
And then Alice stepped away from us, forward toward Aro. We turned to watch her. Her hand was
raised like his.
She didn't say anything, and Aro waved off his anxious guard as they moved to block her approach. Aro
met her halfway, and took her hand with an eager, acquisitive glint in his eyes.
He bent his head over their touching hands, his eyes closing as he concentrated. Alice was motionless,
her face blank. I heard Edward's teeth snap together.
No one moved. Aro seemed frozen over Alice's hand. The seconds passed and I grew more and more
stressed, wondering how much time would pass before it was too much time. Before it meant something
was wrong—more wrong than it already was.
Another agonizing moment passed, and then Aro's voice broke the silence.
"Ha, ha, ha," he laughed, his head still bent forward. He looked up slowly, his eyes bright with
excitement. "That was fascinating!"
Alice smiled dryly. "I'm glad you enjoyed it."
"To see the things you've seen—especially the ones that haven't happened yet!" He shook his head in
wonder.
"But that will," she reminded him, voice calm.
"Yes, yes, it's quite determined. Certainly there's no problem."
Caius looked bitterly disappointed—a feeling he seemed to share with Felix and Jane.
"Aro," Caius complained.
"Dear Caius," Aro smiled. "Do not fret. Think of the possibilities! They do not join us today, but we can
always hope for the future. Imagine the joy young Alice alone would bring to our little household…
Besides, I'm so terribly curious to see how Bella turns out!"
Aro seemed convinced. Did he not realize how subjective Alice's visions were.' That she could make up
her mind to transform me today, and then change it tomorrow? A million tiny decisions, her decisions and
so many others', too—Edward's—could alter her path, and with that, the future.
And would it really matter that Alice was willing, would it make any difference if I did become a vampire,
when the idea was so repulsive to Edward? If death was, to him, a better alternative than having me
around forever, an immortal annoyance? Terrified as I was, I felt myself sinking down into depression,
drowning in it…
"Then we are free to go now?" Edward asked in an even voice.
"Yes, yes," Aro said pleasantly. "But please visit again. It's been absolutely enthralling!"
"And we will visit you as well," Caius promised, his eyes suddenly half-closed like the heavy-lidded gaze
of a lizard. "To be sure that you follow through on your side. Were I you, I would not delay too long. We
do not offer second chances."
Edward's jaw clenched tight, but he nodded once.
Caius smirked and drifted back to where Marcus still sat, unmoving and uninterested.
Felix groaned.
"Ah, Felix." Aro smiled, amused. "Heidi will be here at any moment. Patience."
"Hmm." Edward's voice had a new edge to it. "In that case, perhaps we'd better leave sooner rather than
later."
"Yes," Aro agreed. "That's a good idea. Accidents do happen. Please wait below until after dark, though,
if you don't mind."
"Of course," Edward agreed, while I cringed at the thought of waiting out the day before we could
escape.
"And here," Aro added, motioning to Felix with one finger. Felix came forward at once, and Aro
unfastened the gray cloak the huge vampire wore, pulling from his shoulders. He tossed it to Edward.
"Take this. You're a little conspicuous."
Edward put the long cloak on, leaving the hood down.
Aro sighed. "It suits you."
Edward chuckled, but broke off suddenly, glancing over his shoulder. "Thank you, Aro. We'll wait
below."
"Goodbye, young friends," Aro said, his eyes bright as he stared in the same direction.
"Let's go," Edward said, urgent now.
Demetri gestured that we should follow, and then set off the way we'd come in, the only exit by the look
of things.
Edward pulled me swiftly along beside him. Alice was close by my other side, her face hard.
"Not fast enough," she muttered.
I stared up at her, frightened, but she only seemed chagrined. It was then that I first heard the babble of
voices—loud, rough voices—coming from the antechamber.
"Well this is unusual," a man's coarse voice boomed.
"So medieval," an unpleasantly shrill, female voice gushed back.
A large crowd was coming through the little door, filling the smaller stone chamber. Demetri motioned for
us to make room. We pressed back against the cold wall to let them pass.
The couple in front, Americans from the sound of them, glanced around themselves with appraising eyes.
"Welcome, guests! Welcome to Volterra!" I could hear Aro sing from the big turret room.
The rest of them, maybe forty or more, filed in after the couple. Some studied the setting like tourists. A
few even snapped pictures. Others looked confused, as if the story that had led them to this room was
not making sense anymore. I noticed one small, dark woman in particular. Around her neck was a
rosary, and she gripped the cross tightly in one hand. She walked more slowly than the others, touching
someone now and then and asking a question in an unfamiliar language. No one seemed to understand
her, and her voice grew more panicked.
Edward pulled my face against his chest, but it was too late. I already understood.
As soon as the smallest break appeared, Edward pushed me quickly toward the door. I could feel the
horrified expression on my face, and the tears beginning to pool in my eyes.
The ornate golden hallway was quiet, empty except for one gorgeous, statuesque woman. She stared at
us curiously, me in particular.
"Welcome home, Heidi," Demetri greeted her from behind us.
Heidi smiled absently. She reminded me of Rosalie, though they looked nothing alike—it was just that her
beauty, too, was exceptional, unforgettable. I couldn't seem to look away.
She was dressed to emphasize that beauty. Her amazingly long legs, darkened with tights, were exposed
by the shortest of miniskirts. Her top was long-sleeved and high-necked, but extremely close-fitting, and
constructed of red vinyl. Her long mahogany hair was lustrous, and her eyes were the strangest shade of
violet—a color that might result from blue-tinted contacts over red irises.
"Demetri," she responded in a silky voice, her eyes flickering between my face and Edward's gray cloak.
"Nice fishing," Demetri complimented her, and I suddenly understood the attention-grabbing outfit she
wore… she was not only the fisherman, but also the bait.
"Thanks." She flashed a stunning smile. "Aren't you coming?"
"In a minute. Save a few for me."
Heidi nodded and ducked through the door with one last curious look at me.
Edward set a pace that had me running to keep up. But we still couldn't get through the ornate door at
the end of the hallway before the screaming started.
22 FLIGHT
DEMETRI LEFT US IN THE CHEERFULLY OPULENT RECEPTION area, where the woman
Gianna was still at her post behind the polished counter. Bright, harmless music tinkled from hidden
speakers.
"Do not leave until dark," he warned us.
Edward nodded, and Demetri hurried away.
Gianna did not seem at all surprised by the exchange, though she did eye Edward's borrowed cloak with
shrewd speculation.
"Are you all right?" Edward asked under his breath, to low for the human woman to hear. His voice was
rough—if velvet can be rough—with anxiety. Still stressed by our situation, I imagined.
"You'd better make her sit before she falls," Alice said. "She's going to pieces."
It was only then that I realize I was shaking, shaking hard, my entire frame vibrating until my teeth
chattered and the room around me seemed to wobble and blur in my eyes. For one wild second, I
wondered if this was how Jacob felt just before exploding into a werewolf.
I heard a sound that didn't make sense, a strange, ripping counterpart to the otherwise cheery
background music. Distracted by the shaking, I couldn't tell where it was coming from.
"Shh, Bella, shh," Edward said as he pulled me to the sofa farthest away from the curious human at the
desk.
"I think she's having hysterics. Maybe you should slap her," Alice suggested.
Edward threw a frantic glance at her.
Then I understood. Oh. The noise was me. The ripping sound was the sobs coming from my chest.
That's what was shaking me.
"It's all right, you're safe, it's all right," he chanted again and again. He pulled ne onto his lap and tucked
the thick wool cloak around me, protecting me from his cold skin.
I knew it was stupid to react like this. Who knew how much time I had to look at his race? He was
saved, and I was saved, and he could leave me as soon as we were free. To have my eyes so filled with
tears that I could not see his features clearly was wasteful—insanity.
But, behind my eyes where the tears could not wash the image away, I could still see the panicked face
of the tiny woman with the rosary.
"All those people," I sobbed.
"I know," he whispered.
"It's so horrible."
"Yes, it is. I wish you hadn't had to see that."
I rested my head against his cold chest, using the thick cloak to wipe my eyes. I took a few deep breaths,
trying to calm myself.
"Is there anything I can get you?" a voice asked politely. It was Gianna, leaning over Edward's shoulder
with a look that was both concerned and yet still professional and detached at the same time. It didn't
seem to bother her that her face was inches from a hostile vampire. She was either totally oblivious, or
very good at her job.
"No," Edward answered coldly.
She nodded, smiled at me, and then disappeared.
I waited until she was out of hearing range. "Does she know what's going on here?" I demanded, my
voice low and hoarse. I was getting control of myself, my breathing evening out.
"Yes. She knows everything," Edward told me.
"Does she know they're going to kill her someday?"
"She's knows it's a possibility," he said.
That surprised me.
Edward's face was hard to read. "She's hoping they'll decide to keep her."
I felt the blood leave my face. "She wants to be one of them?"
He nodded once, his eyes sharp on my face, watching my reaction.
I shuddered. "How can she want that?" I whispered, more to myself than really looking for an answer.
"How can she watch those people file through to that hideous room and want to be a part of that?"
Edward didn't answer. His expression twisted in response to something I'd said.
As I stared at his too beautiful face, trying to understand the change, it suddenly struck me that I was
really here, in Edward's arms, however fleetingly, and that we were not—at this exact moment—about to
be killed.
"Oh, Edward," I cried, and I was sobbing again. It was such a stupid reaction. The tears were too thick
for me to see his face again, and that was inexcusable. I only had until sunset for sure. Like a fairy tale
again, with deadlines that ended the magic.
"What's wrong?" he asked, still anxious, rubbing my back with gentle pats.
I wrapped my arms around his neck—what was the worst he could do? Just push me away—and
hugged myself closer to him. "Is it really sick for me to be happy right now?" I asked. My voice broke
twice.
He didn't push me away. He pulled me tight against his ice-hard chest, so tight it was hard to breathe,
even with my lungs securely intact. "I know exactly what you mean," he whispered. "But we have lots of
reasons to be happy. For one, we're alive."
"Yes," I agreed. "That's a good one."
"And together," he breathed. His breath was so sweet it made my head swim.
I just nodded, sure that he did not place the same weight on that consideration as I did.
"And, with any luck, we'll still be alive tomorrow."
"Hopefully," I said uneasily.
"The outlook is quite good," Alice assured me. She'd been so quiet, I'd almost forgotten her presence.
"I'll see Jasper in less than twenty-four hours," she added in a satisfied tone.
Lucky Alice. She could trust her future.
I couldn't keep my eyes off of Edward's face for long. I stared at him, wishing more than anything that the
future would never happen. That this moment would last forever, or, if it couldn't, that I would stop
existing when it did.
Edward stared right back at me, his dark eyes soft, and it was easy to pretend that he felt the same way.
So that's what I did. I pretended, to make the moment sweeter.
His fingertips traced the circles under my eyes. "You look so tired."
"And you look thirsty," I whispered back, studying the purple bruises under his black irises.
He shrugged. "It's nothing."
"Are you sure? I could sit with Alice," I offered, unwilling; I'd rather he killed me now than move one inch
from where I was.
"Don't be ridiculous." He sighed; his sweet breath caressed my face. "I've never been in better control of
that side of my nature than right now."
I had a million questions for him. One of them bubbled to my lips now, but I held my tongue. I didn't
want to ruin the moment, as imperfect as it was, here in this room that made me sick, under the eyes of
the would-be monster.
Here in his arms, it was so easy to fantasize that he wanted me. I didn't want to think about his
motivations now—about whether he acted this way to keep me calm while we were still in danger, or if
he just felt guilty for where we were and relieved that he wasn't responsible for my death. Maybe the time
apart had been enough that I didn't bore him for the moment. But it didn't matter. I was so much happier
pretending.
I lay quiet in his arms, re-memorizing his face, pretending…
He stared at my face like he was doing the same, while he and Alice discussed how to get home. Their
voices were so quick and low that I knew Gianna couldn't understand. I missed half of it myself. It
sounded like more theft would be involved, though. I wondered idly if the yellow Porsche had made it
back to its owner yet.
"What was all that talk about singers?" Alice asked at one point.
"La tua cantante," Edward said. His voice made the words into music.
"Yes, that," Alice said, and I concentrated for a moment. I'd wondered about that, too, at the time.
I felt Edward shrug around me. "They have a name for someone who smells the way Bella does to me.
They call her my singer—because her blood sings for me."
Alice laughed.
I was tired enough to sleep, but I fought against the weariness. I wasn't going to miss a second of the time
I had with him. Now and then, as he talked with Alice, he would lean down suddenly and kiss me—his
glass-smooth lips brushing against my hair, my forehead, the tip of my nose. Each time it was like an
electric shock to my long dormant heart. The sound of its beating seemed to fill the entire room.
It was heaven—right smack in the middle of hell.
I lost track of the time completely. So when Edward's arms tightened around me, and both he and Alice
looked to the back of the room with wary eyes, I panicked. I cringed into Edward's chest as Alec—his
eyes now a vivid ruby, but still spotless in his light gray suit despite the afternoon meal—walked through
the double doors.
It was good news.
"You're free to leave now," Alec told us, his tone so warm you'd think we were all lifelong friends. "We
ask that you don't linger in the city."
Edward made no answering pretence; his voice was ice cold. "That won't be a problem."
Alec smiled, nodded, and disappeared again.
"Follow the right hallway around the corner to the first set of elevators," Gianna told us as Edward helped
me to my feet. "The lobby is two floors down, and exits to the street. Goodbye, now," she added
pleasantly. I wondered if her competence would be enough to save her.
Alice shot her a dark look.
I was relieved there was another way out; I wasn't sure if I could handle another tour through the
underground.
We left through a tastefully luxurious lobby. I was the only one who glanced back at the medieval castle
that housed the elaborate business facade I couldn't see the turret from here, for which I was grateful.
The party was still in full swing in the streets. The street lamps were just coming on as we walked swiftly
through the narrow, cobbled lanes. The sky was a dull, fading gray overhead, but the buildings crowded
the streets so closely that it felt darker.
The party was darker, too. Edward's long, trailing cloak did not stand out in the way it might have on a
normal evening in Volterra. There were others in black satin cloaks now, and the plastic fangs I'd seen on
the child in the square today seemed to be very popular with the adults.
"Ridiculous," Edward muttered once.
I didn't notice when Alice disappeared from beside me. I looked over to ask her a question, and she was
gone.
"Where's Alice?" I whispered in a panic.
"She went to retrieve your bags from where she stashed them this morning."
I'd forgotten that I had access to a toothbrush. It brightened my outlook considerably.
"She's stealing a car, too, isn't she?" I guessed.
He grinned. "Not till we're outside."
It seemed like a very long way to the entryway. Edward could see that I was spent; he wound his arm
around my waist and supported most of my weight as we walked.
I shuddered as he pulled me through the dark stone archway. The huge, ancient portcullis above was like
a cage door, threatening to drop on us, to lock us in.
He led me toward a dark car, waiting in a pool of shadow to the right of the gate with the engine running.
To my surprise, he slid into the backseat with me, instead of insisting on driving.
Alice was apologetic. "I'm sorry." She gestured vaguely toward the dashboard. "There wasn't much to
choose from."
"It's fine, Alice." He grinned. "They can't all be 911 Turbos."
She sighed. "I may have to acquire one of those legally. It was fabulous."
"I'll get you one for Christmas," Edward promised.
Alice turned to beam at him, which worried me, as she was already speeding down the dark and curvy
hillside at the same time.
"Yellow," she told him.
Edward kept me tight in his arms. Inside the gray cloak, I was warm and comfortable. More than
comfortable.
"You can sleep now, Bella," he murmured. "It's over."
I knew he meant the danger, the nightmare in the ancient city, but I still had to swallow hard before I
could answer.
"I don't want to sleep. I'm not tired." Just the second part was a lie. I wasn't about to close my eyes. The
car was only dimly lit by the dashboard controls, but it was enough that I could see his face.
He pressed his lips to the hollow under my ear. "Try," he encouraged.
I shook my head.
He sighed. "You're still just as stubborn."
I was stubborn; I fought with my heavy lids, and I won.
The dark road was the hardest part; the bright lights at the airport in Florence made it easier, as did the
chance to brush my teeth and change into clean clothes; Alice bought Edward new clothes, too, and he
left the dark cloak on a pile of trash in an alley. The plane trip to Rome was so short that there wasn't
really a chance for the fatigue to drag me under. I knew the flight from Rome to Atlanta would be another
matter entirely, so I asked the flight attendant if she could bring me a Coke.
"Bella," Edward said disapprovingly. He knew my low tolerance for caffeine.
Alice was behind us. I could hear her murmuring to Jasper on the phone.
"I don't want to sleep," I reminded him. I gave him an excuse that was believable because it was true. "If
I close my eyes now, I'll see things I don't want to see. I'll have nightmares."
He didn't argue with me after that.
It would have been a very good time to talk, to get the answers I needed—needed but not really wanted;
I was already despairing at the thought of what I might hear. We had an uninterrupted block of tirre
ahead of us, and he couldn't escape me on an airplane—well, not easily, at least. No one would hear us
except Alice; it was late, and most of the passengers were turning off lights and asking for pillows in
muted voices. Talk would help me fight off the exhaustion.
But, perversely, I bit my tongue against the flood of questions. My reasoning was probably flawed by
exhaustion, but I hoped that by postponing the discussion, I could buy a few more hours with him at
some later time—spin this out for another night, Scheherazade-style.
So I kept drinking soda, and resisting even the urge to blink. Edward seemed perfectly content to hold
me in his arms, his fingers tracing my face again and again. I touched his face, too. I couldn't stop myself,
though I was afraid it would hurt me later, when I was alone again. He continued to kiss my hair, my
forehead, my wrists… but never my lips, and that was good. After all, how many ways can one heart be
mangled and still be expected to keep beating? I'd lived through a lot that should have finished me in the
last few days, but it didn't make me feel strong. Instead, I felt horribly fragile, like one word could shatter
me.
Edward didn't speak. Maybe he was hoping I would sleep. Maybe he had nothing to say.
I won the fight against my heavy lids. I was awake when we reached the airport in Atlanta, and I even
watched the sun beginning to rise over Seattle's cloud cover before Edward slid the window shut. I was
proud of myself. I hadn't missed one minute.
Neither Alice nor Edward was surprised by the reception that waited for us at Sea-Tac airport, but it
caught me off guard. Jasper was the first one I saw—he didn't seem to see me at all. His eyes were only
for Alice. She went quickly to his side; they didn't embrace like other couples meeting there. They only
stared into each other's faces, yet, somehow, the moment was so private that I still felt the need to look
away.
Carlisle and Esme waited in a quiet corner far from the line for the metal detectors, in the shadow of a
wide pillar. Esme reached for me, hugging me fiercely, yet awkwardly, because Edward kept his arms
around me, too.
"Thank you so much," she said in my ear.
Then she threw her arms around Edward, and she looked like she would be crying if that were possible.
"Youwill never put me through :hat again," she nearly growled.
Edward grinned, repentant. "Sorry, Mom."
"Thank you, Bella," Carlisle said. "We owe you."
"Hardly," I mumbled. The sleepless night was suddenly overpowering. My head felt disconnected from
my body.
"She's dead on her feet," Esme scolded Edward. "Let's get her home."
Not sure if home was what I wanted at this point, I stumbled, half-blind, through the airport, Edward
dragging me on one side and Esme on the other. I didn't know if Alice and Jasper were behind us or not,
and I was too exhausted to look.
I think I was mostly asleep, though I was still walking, when we reached their car. The surprise of seeing
Emmett and Rosalie leaning against the black sedan under the dim lights of the parking garage revived me
some. Edward stiffened.
"Don't," Esme whispered. "She feels awful."
"She should," Edward said, making no attempt to keep his voice down.
"It's not her fault," I said, my words garbled with exhaustion.
"Let her make amends," Esme pleaded. "We'll ride with Alice and Jasper."
Edward glowered at the absurdly lovely blond vampire waiting for us.
"Please, Edward," I said. I didn't want to ride with Rosalie any more than he seemed to, but I'd caused
more than enough discord in his family.
He sighed, and towed me toward the car.
Emmett and Rosalie got in the front seat without speaking, while Edward pulled me in the back again. I
knew I wasn't going to be able to fight my eyelids anymore, and I laid my head against his chest in defeat,
letting them close. I felt the car purr to life.
"Edward," Rosalie began.
"I know." Edward's brusque tone was not generous.
"Bella?" Rosalie asked softly.
My eyelids fluttered open in shock. It was the first time she'd ever spoken directly to me.
"Yes, Rosalie?" I asked, hesitant.
"I'm so very sorry, Bella. I feel wretched about every part of this, and so grateful that you were brave
enough to go save my brother after what I did. Please say you'll forgive me."
The words were awkward, stilted because of her embarrassment, but they seemed sincere.
"Of course, Rosalie," I mumbled, grasping at any chance to make her hate me a little less. "It's not your
fault at all. I'm the one who jumped off the damn cliff. Of course I forgive you."
The words came out like mush.
"It doesn't count until she's conscious, Rose," Emmett chuckled.
"I'm conscious," I said; it just sounded like a garbled sigh.
"Let her sleep," Edward insisted, but his voice was a little warmer.
It was quiet then, except for the gentle thrum of the engine. I must have fallen asleep, because it seemed
like seconds later when the door opened and Edward was carrying me from the car. My eyes wouldn't
open. At first I thought we were still at the airport.
And then I heard Charlie.
"Bella!" he shouted from some distance.
"Charlie," I mumbled, trying to shake off the stupor.
"Shh," Edward whispered. "It's okay; you're home and safe. Just sleep."
"I can't believe you have the nerve to show your face here." Charlie bellowed at Edward, his voice much
closer now.
"Stop it, Dad," I groaned. He didn't hear me.
"What's wrong with her?" Charlie demanded.
"She's just very tired, Charlie," Edward assured him quietly. "Please let her rest."
"Don't tell me what to do!" Charlie yelled. "Give her to me. Get your hands off her!"
Edward tried to pass me to Charlie, but I clung to him with locked, tenacious fingers. I could feel my dad
yanking on my arm.
"Cut it out, Dad," I said with more volume. I managed to drag my lids back to stare at Charlie with bleary
eyes. "Be mad at me."
We were in front of my house. The front door was standing open. The cloud cover overhead was too
thick to guess at a time of day.
"You bet I will be," Charlie promised. "Get inside." i'"Kay. Let me down," I sighed.
Edward set me on my feet. I could see that I was upright, but I couldn't feel my legs. I trudged forward
anyway, until the sidewalk swirled up toward my face. Edward's arms caught me before I hit the
concrete.
"Just let me get her upstairs," Edward said. "Then I'll leave."
"No," I cried, panicking. I hadn't got my answers yet. He had to stay for at least that much, didn't he?
"I won't be far," Edward promised, whispering so low in my ear that Charlie didn't have a hope of
hearing.
I didn't hear Charlie answer, but Edward headed into the house. My open eyes only made it till the stairs.
The last thing I felt was Edward's cool hands prying my fingers loose from his shirt.
23. THE TRUTH
I HAD THE SENSE THAT I'D BEEN ASLEEP FOR A VERY long time—my body was stiff, like I
hadn't moved once through all that time, either. My mind was dazed and slow; strange, colorful
dreams—dreams and nightmares—swirled dizzily around the inside of my head. They were so vivid. The
horrible and the heavenly, all mixed together into a bizarre jumble. There was sharp impatience and fear,
both part of that frustrating dream where your feet can't move fast enough… And there were plenty of
monsters, red-eyed fiends that were all the more ghastly for their genteel civility. The dream was still
strong—I could even remember the names. But the strongest, clearest part of the dream was not the
horror. It was the angel that was most clear.
It was hard to let him go and wake up. This dream did not want to be shoved away into the vault of
dreams I refused to revisit. I struggled with it as my mind became more alert, focusing on reality. I
couldn't remember what day of the week it was, but I was sure Jacob or school or work or something
was waiting for me. I inhaled deeply, wondering how to face another day.
Something cold touched my forehead with the softest pressure.
