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And there she was, Saer at school but at her laptop co on her upper lip, concentrating, typing in stops and starts Pause, then a sudden flurry Pause, then a sudden flurry

“What is she writing?” I asked

“She’d already written it when she died,” Messenger said “As to what she wrote, go and look”

We were outside the Starbucks, looking in through the ent for the door, reached for it with ht at first I had just missed, but a second attempt had the same result On a third attempt I watched carefully and hostly way through the solid object And what does it reveal about my state of mind that I expected that?

But rather than h a solid object, it was the door handle that ers would have touched it, it was gone And the instant I withdrew my hand, it was back

“You cannot alter what you see around you,” Messenger instructed “YouWhat you see is all past, and the past ed”

“How do I see what she’s writing if I can’t open the stupid door?” I said I was annoyed by the door, irrationally annoyed It was strange to be irritated by soh an impossible universe But s that seemed familiar

The deal I made

Did I even want to kno I had coer? And why had he said that we may not touch? Why may and not can? That word choice hinted at rules, and rules come from a person or institution

“I need time,” I said “I need toto rest” If I could just sit down soether Think

“It’s a lot to understand,” Messenger allowed “But the understanding will only co it”

“Or you could explain it,” I snapped

“Do you want to knohat Sa?”

I have a fatal weakness: I am the cat curiosity killed “Yes, of course I want to know The girl is going to kill herself Maybe her writing will tell us why”

“Then see,” Messenger said