Page 23 (1/2)

wearing the lush green coat of spring, rolled out froreen trees Dozens of pale new buds sparkled on still bare tree limbs Beyond, the sea was an endless, haently into the rocky shoreline A single bird circled above the water, crying out its keening wail as it dove, wings tucked, into the icy blue

She reached for the bird Her knuckles cracked into so cold and brittle and invisible She drew back, confused "Want " was all she could e to say

He touched her wrist, gently drew her hand toward him "Let's do another test, okay?"

She tried to tell hio outside, wanted to see the world that lay beyond this dark, too quiet roo cahts, but she couldn't translate theain

He led her back to the bed and gave her a s he'd placed in her lap It was a small wooden oval, dotted with holes

He handed her a square peg "Now, put that in the square hole"

Square hole Neither of the wordsher to do She stared at the little wooden spike in her hand, trying to igno

re the pounding in her head

"Go ahead"

Frustration exploded inside her, made her feel sick and shaky and utterly alone What about her head?

"Selena?"

She threw the spike across the roo, she started walking toward the strangers She wasn't sure where she was going, or why, but suddenly she needed to move

The people parted wordlessly Behind them, she saw a small table, draped in lacy white fabric A thick black

57

tube sat on a pewter holder Above the tube, a golden-purple light throbbed ically