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I woke up in the kitchen, facing the darkabove the sink Noah was next to ain but I was flooded with relief as I glanced at his chest--it was very htht

But when I looked up at his eyes, they were desolate Hopeless It was the expression he wore in ?" I asked hi," he said, and his hand found mine "Coed me into my own bed before the rest of the house woke up I left because I had to but I was unsettled and didn’t want to be alone

I felt sick My ht and sore and my vertebrae crackled when I stretched ainst , like soht

What was happening to me?

I walked into ht I was shocked by what I saw

Looking atat a picture of ed a year in an hour--I was still me, but not quite the same The curves of my cheeks seemed hollow, and my eyes looked hollow too

Was I the only one who could see it?

Did Noah see it?

"All you can do is watch," I had said to hi alone

"I have been, Mara"

If that was true then he had to see , and whatever he saw I had to know Noah seemed so haunted when I woke up in the kitchen: I’d sleepwalked before, but he never looked at me that way before

I was profoundly uneasy I cli ti, sleepyhead,"out from behind my door "It’s almost noon"

My eyes felt like they were pasted shut I pushedokay?"

I nodded "Just tired"

"You want to go back to bed?"

I did, but I shouldn’t "No, I’ll be out soon"

"Should I make you sory, but knew I should eat anyway "Thanks"

My ainstNoah in ht, in the kitchen and inWe needed to talk because I couldn’t rand apart, and allto the wind

When I dressed anda sandwich, but aside from my mother, he was the only one

"Where’s--everyone?" I asked Didn’t want to be too obvious

"Dad’s playing golf," Joseph said between bites

Next

"Daniel went to hear Sophie rehearse for a recital she has in a couple of weeks"