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He felt, inside her words, the pressure of so unstated Froines Everyone aiting

"Sir, we really have to be going," the driver said

"That’s okay, we’re done here" Alicia regarded Peter one last tio see your boy"

Chapter 28

The first pain arrived, like a late train roaring into the station, on an afternoon in late Septeh blue sky A the children play; in another fewthem inside to finish their lessons, and Amy would return to the kitchen to help make dinner An island of rest in therhythm of tasks done and, just as swiftly, undone; always, when lunch was concluded and the dishes put away and the children set loose to burn off the ’s accumulated antsiness, Ae of the playground that was near enough for her to enjoy the bright energy of their activity while not so close as to allow the children to draw her in These were her favorite thirty minutes of the day, and Amy had just closed her eyes and tilted her face to receive the warm rays of the early autu in her er forward, and exhale a soft cry of shock that even in the busy hubbub of the courtyard could not fail to go unnoticed

"Ae of Sister Catherine-pale, long-faced, irises as blue as cornflowers-ca off her; her hands and feet had turned to cold jelly Everything below her waist seemed to have lost some essential density; in another round Part of her wanted to vo an internal stalemate that rendered her unable to speak

"Maybe you better sit down You’re white as a ghost"

Sister Catherine steered her to a bench against the wall of the orphanage-a distance of twenty feet that could have been a mile By the time they reached it, A With a bustle of concern, Sister Catherine left her, then returned with a cup of water, which she pressed into Around seemed to have proceeded without interruption, but A her The pain had dissipated into aof weakness She felt both hot and cold More sisters had crowded around, all speaking in hushed, earnest voices, questioning Sister Catherine Amy didn’t want the water but everyone was insistent She took a sed to say "One minute I was perfectly fine "

"Over here, Sister," Catherine said, waving toward the doors to the orphanage "Co strode forward The old woed to seem both worried and irritated at the same time

"Well? Will souess?"

"I don’t know," said Sister Catherine "She justcollapsed"

The playground had been brought to a standstill All the children were staring at her now A She couldn’t recall a time when she’d ever felt ill; she understood the principle but had never experienced the reality Almost worse than the pain was the e, to get everyone to stop looking at her

"Amy? Is that what happened?"

"I just felt dizzy My stomach hurt I don’t knohat it was"

The old woman pressed her palm to Amy’s forehead "Well, I don’t think you have a fever"

"It was probably so I ate I’m sure if I sit here another ood," Sister Catherine chiht you were going to pass out"

A general ood at all Could it be the flu? Soirl had eaten, would they all becoroup its ht them to silence with a raised hand "I don’t see a reason to take chances Off to bed with you, A ht"

"I’ll be the judge of that, thank you Sister Catherine, will you assist her to the dormitory?"

Catherine helped her to her feet She felt a little unsteady, and her stomach wasn’t quite what it should be But the worst of it had passed Catherine led her into the building and up the stairs to the roo, who, being in charge, had quarters of her own A else?" Sister Catherine was drawing the shades

"I’m fine" Amy did her best to s at the foot of the cot, Catherine regarded her for a irl your age"

Your age If Sister Catherine only knew, thought A The idea took her by surprise

Sister Catherine smiled with syh BelieveA, Catherine made her departure Amy leaned back on her cot and closed her eyes The afternoon bell had rung; downstairs, the children would be filing in for their lessons, s of sun and sweat and fresh afternoon air, soround had been about Surely Caleb would be worried about her; A to the boy She’s just tired She was feeling out of sorts She’ll be right as rain in a jiff, you’ll see

And yet: A girl your age Was it possible? All the sisters complained about the "ordeal," as they called it; it was a coht quarters, everybodyone week of every four a nights and quick tempers For a hundred years Amy had lived in complete innocence of these basic facts; even now she could not have said she understood the phenoist You bled, not a lot but so over a period of days For a while Aarded the prospect with horror, but over tiical yearning, and the fear that none of this would ever happen to her, that this door of hu would always stay closed and she would live in a child’s body forever

She checked: no, she wasn’t bleeding If Sister Catherine was correct, how long before it started? She wished she’d taken the opportunity to ask Catherine more How much blood would there be, how h in her case, A would quite be the same Maybe it would be worse; maybe it would be better; maybe it would never happen at all

She would have liked to be a woman To see it reflected in another’s eyes For her body to knohat her heart already did

A scratchy ht Of course Mouser would coray cat aed with cataracts, fur e "Did you come to look in on me? Did you, boy? Well, come here" Amy lifted him from the floor, leaned back on her cot, and balanced hih his coat; he replied in kind, butting his head against her neck The sun is out, why are you in bed? He circled three ti It’s fine You sleep I’ll be right here

Aht, and Aotten outside?

She was still wearing her nightgown; her feet were bare and damp with dew The hour was i? But if she was still asleep, why did everything feel so real? She took s She was near the dam on the upstreaency, as if she’d awoken fro chased Why was she here? Had she been sleepwalking?

So her startle She looked down to see Mouser, staring at her with his clouded eyes He began, loudly, toa few feet away to look at her again