@@@@@Half my daylight hours were lived in
@@@@@Half my daylight hours were lived in darknessAnd I'd been here
too many timesThere was never anything lurking under the water's surface, waiting to pull me
under
I knew I didn't have time to soak, thoughOthers would be up soon, and some people liked to
start their day cleanI got to work, washing myself first, then moving on to my clothesI
scrubbed at my shirt fiercely, wishing I could scrub out my memory of the past two nights
My hands were stinging when I was done, the dry cracks on my knuckles burning worst of allI
rinsed them in the water, but it made no noticeable differenceI sighed and climbed out to get
dressed
I'd left my dry clothes on the loose rocks in the back cornerI kicked a stone by accident, hard
enough to hurt my bare foot, and it clattered loudly across the room, bouncing off the wall and
landing with a plunk and a gurgle in the poolThe sound made me jump, though it wasn't all
that loud next to the roar of the hot river in the outer room
I was just shoving my feet into my scruffy tennis shoes when my turn was up
“Knock, knock,” a familiar voice called from the dark entry
“Good morning, Ian,” I saidDid you sleep well?”
“Ian's still sleeping,” Ian's voice answered“I'm sure that won't last forever, though, so we'd
best get on with this
Splinters of ice pinned my joints in place
I'd noticed it before, and then forgotten it in the long weeks of Kyle's absence: not only did Ian
and his brother look very much alike, but–when Kyle spoke at a normal volume, which so rarely
happened–they also had exactly the same voiceI was trapped in this black hole with Kyle at the door
Keep quiet!Melanie shrieked in my headThere was no air to scream with
Listen!
I did as I was told, trying to focus in spite of the fear that stabbed through my head like a
million slender spears of ice
I couldn't hear anyth