Page 8 (1/2)

CHAPTER 13

Bliss

"Listen! I a away until I see Bliss! I insist! You will have to call the police if you want ressive and braying, so full of itself, bri with the complete and total assuht, filled with the kind of New York arrogance that only a jaded city dweller could ers and barked orders at scurrying underlings for half-caf no-foah thethe outside world

The Visitor stirred It was like watching a coiled snake get ready to spring Bliss held her breath

The voice continued its tirade "Can you at least tell her who’s here?" What is theof this nonsense?

Bliss jumped It was the first time the Visitor had spoken directly to her in a year

With a start, the lights ca out theThere was a short baldthe maid

"It’s Henri", she said

"Who is he?"

"My ent"

"Explain"

Bliss sent i outside the office at the Farnsworth Agency, her portfolio balanced on her knees, breakfast s with Henri over cappuccinos at Balthazar before school, walking the runway during New York fashion week, the photo shoots in the Starret-Lehigh lofts, her ad ca off for shoots in the Caribbean, her photographs on billboards, azine spreads, plastered on the sides of buses and on top of taxis

"Um, I’m a model?" she re, forked tongue withdrawn But a tense wariness remained The Visitor was not a mannequin

Quickly he reached a decision "Get rid of him I have been remiss to let this happen We shall keep up appearances No one must suspect you are not you Do not fail me"

"What do you mean?, what do you want me to do?", Bliss asked, but before she could finish, she was SMACK, back in her body, co like last week’s pathetic attes away from her forehead She had realized how ht she tried to shelter fro back to life after being trapped in a coffin She wobbled like a newborn colt It was as if the world was corainy, fuzzy movie version She could smell the hollyhocks outside her , she could taste the salt in the sea air

Her hands, her hands were her own They felt light and strong, not weighed down and heavy Her legs wereOuch! She pushed herself up and walked more carefully But her freedom came at a price, for she sensed hier seat), waiting, watching This is a test, she thought He wants to see what I’ to do I need to pass Get rid of Henri But Henriodd has happened tothe feel of the cold bronze doorknob in her hand, and ran down the stairs

"Wait! Manuela! Let hi to the foyer It was a joy to hear her voice out in the world again, her wonderful throaty voice carrying in the air It sounded different inside her head She felt like singing

"Bliss! Bliss?" the bald man cried Henri looked exactly the salasses, the same monochromatic wardrobe He was dressed all in white, in his su pants

"Henri?"

Henri engulfed her in a flutter of air-kisses "I’ve been trying to get in touch with you for months! Everyone feels terrible about what happened! Oh My God! I still can’t believe it! I’lad to see you’re okay! Can I come in?"

"Of course" She led hi rooone a little overboard with the nautical the on the walls, the blue-and-white pilloere trihthouses everywhere

Bliss asked therefreshrand hostess came easily; it helped that she had been raised to do this all her life It stopped her fro and fro up and down on the cushions

She was alive! In her own body! Talking to a friend! But she cohts It would not do to look delirious and ecstatic when half her fa That would certainly arouse suspicion

"First of all, I’ off his fancy eyeglasses and cleaning the lenses with the edge of his shirt "You did get our flowers, right? Not that ere expecting a thank-you card or anything Don’t even worry about it"

Flowers? What flowers? Henri looked concerned when Bliss didn’t answer, and she i for his hand

"Of course! Of course? they were beautiful and so thoughtful"

Of course the agency had sent flowers for Bobi Anne’s athered that the papers had explained the deaths of the Conclave by way of a fire at the Al ways of the Policia, there was little hope that justice would ever be served

Thea pitcher of Bobi Anne’s favorite: Arnold Palmers half iced tea, half lemonade (made from lemons picked fresh from their orchard)

"I can’t believe it’s been a year since I’ve seen you?" Henri said, accepting a frosty glass filled with the amber drink

A year!

That was a shock Bliss al so badly She had had no idea so much time had passed since she was last in control of her body, of her life No wonder she had so s

That meant she had missed her last birthday The year she turned fifteen, her family had celebrated at the Rainbow Room But there had been no one around to ht dryly I wasn’t even there for ht to hold on to a seet it back, and tier rose within her, she had been robbed of an entire year, but again, she suppressed it She couldn’t allow the passenger in the backseat to kno she felt It was too dangerous She would have to reent, her friend, and tried to pretend she didn’t feel like he had just punched her in the stomach

CHAPTER 14

Mi over the hillsides Another fruitless night in the slunated area To in the northern slu to flag

Mi to find Jordan At least not in Rio Kingsley put on a good show, but Mimi could tell he was frustrated

"My instinct tells ht, that she’s here," he said as they walked quickly down through the maze of makeshift stairways cut into the hillside

The narrow streets were es and the occasional rando, boss," Mimi said She knew he hated it when she called him that