forever—then at least there was someone like Theo …
“How many was that?”
Theo stood in front of me. Time had sped up and I didn’t even notice.
“You’re flushed,” he said, a note of concern in his voice.
“It’s nothing,” I said. “I’m just having fun.”
“You are?”
I nodded. “But I lost count of your turns.”
“Me, too,” he said.
As the sky darkened, we ended up slowly circling the pond. After a while, Theo cleared his throat and stopped. “I guess your feet are pretty cold,” he said.
“I can’t feel them,” I said. “But that doesn’t matter, does it?”
He was quiet for a moment, then brushed his hands on his trousers. “Still, you should get back to the house.”
“Why?” I asked. “What difference does it make?”
But he was walking in that direction, and with no better options, I went with him.
“Am I really the first person you’ve talked to since you died?” I asked.
“You really are.”
“Well, your social skills are pretty good, considering.”
“Thanks,” he said. “I think.”
We walked in silence toward the main entrance and stopped at the foot of the wide stone stairway.
“This was … nice,” I admitted. I looked at Theo, wondering if he felt the same.
But the smile he’d been unable to hide all evening had melted away, and in its place he wore an even more serious expression than usual. Behind his eyes was a deep pain, something he didn’t want me to see.
So I turned and walked up the steps without saying anything more.
* * *
I was shocked to see Florence sitting on the lobby sofa, waiting the way Mom used to wait when I went out with Nic or Landon. When she saw me, her face lit up with concern. “Sugar, you’ll freeze out there!”
I brushed my arms off and shrugged. “Still dead. No harm done.”
She gave me the kind of look my mom used to give me, puffed-out lips and a sideways glance—the kind of look that says, Oh, YOU .
She frowned. “What have you been doing out there? You weren’t talking to that boy , were you?”
“Is that a problem?” I asked.
She sighed. “It’s just that … your place is in here. I’m sure he’s lovely, but being out among the trees and the wild animals is no place for a lady.”
“Oh, well that’s fine,” I said. “I’m actually not much of a lady.”
She clucked and shook her head. “What I mean is that … well … I think the house prefers us to be indoors.”
I tried to think of a polite way to say that the house could stick its preferences down its stovepipe, but words failed me.
Florence’s sweet laugh filled the room. “Sugar, you look sadder than a fat turkey on Christmas Eve. Anyway, I’ve talked to Eliza, and we have something planned that’ll turn that frown right upside down.”
I let her shepherd me back to the nurses’ dormitory.
Florence’s idea, it turned out, was for them to give me lessons on interacting with the physical world—specifically, learning to pick up a brittle old red rubber ball. It was kind of them to offer, but it felt like a consolation prize—one designed to placate me and keep me from asking questions. I pictured Florence cajoling Eliza into helping me: The new girl is a crazy rebel, bless her heart; let’s indulge her a little.
I didn’t want their pity. But I really did want to learn. Being able to manipulate objects would help my investigation. I could go back and look over Aunt Cordelia’s letters, and when I found her office, I could search for information on the history of the institute.
So I went along with it. I thought it would be like learning to ride a bike. You ride a little, fall off, ride a little longer, fall off, and keep trying until you miraculously don’t fall off. But in actual practice it was more like trying to ride a bike that you couldn’t even manage to sit on. Repeatedly, I tried to scoop the ball off the table or the floor or from Florence’s delicate hand, and every time, I failed
“How many was that?”
Theo stood in front of me. Time had sped up and I didn’t even notice.
“You’re flushed,” he said, a note of concern in his voice.
“It’s nothing,” I said. “I’m just having fun.”
“You are?”
I nodded. “But I lost count of your turns.”
“Me, too,” he said.
As the sky darkened, we ended up slowly circling the pond. After a while, Theo cleared his throat and stopped. “I guess your feet are pretty cold,” he said.
“I can’t feel them,” I said. “But that doesn’t matter, does it?”
He was quiet for a moment, then brushed his hands on his trousers. “Still, you should get back to the house.”
“Why?” I asked. “What difference does it make?”
But he was walking in that direction, and with no better options, I went with him.
“Am I really the first person you’ve talked to since you died?” I asked.
“You really are.”
“Well, your social skills are pretty good, considering.”
“Thanks,” he said. “I think.”
We walked in silence toward the main entrance and stopped at the foot of the wide stone stairway.
“This was … nice,” I admitted. I looked at Theo, wondering if he felt the same.
But the smile he’d been unable to hide all evening had melted away, and in its place he wore an even more serious expression than usual. Behind his eyes was a deep pain, something he didn’t want me to see.
So I turned and walked up the steps without saying anything more.
* * *
I was shocked to see Florence sitting on the lobby sofa, waiting the way Mom used to wait when I went out with Nic or Landon. When she saw me, her face lit up with concern. “Sugar, you’ll freeze out there!”
I brushed my arms off and shrugged. “Still dead. No harm done.”
She gave me the kind of look my mom used to give me, puffed-out lips and a sideways glance—the kind of look that says, Oh, YOU .
She frowned. “What have you been doing out there? You weren’t talking to that boy , were you?”
“Is that a problem?” I asked.
She sighed. “It’s just that … your place is in here. I’m sure he’s lovely, but being out among the trees and the wild animals is no place for a lady.”
“Oh, well that’s fine,” I said. “I’m actually not much of a lady.”
She clucked and shook her head. “What I mean is that … well … I think the house prefers us to be indoors.”
I tried to think of a polite way to say that the house could stick its preferences down its stovepipe, but words failed me.
Florence’s sweet laugh filled the room. “Sugar, you look sadder than a fat turkey on Christmas Eve. Anyway, I’ve talked to Eliza, and we have something planned that’ll turn that frown right upside down.”
I let her shepherd me back to the nurses’ dormitory.
Florence’s idea, it turned out, was for them to give me lessons on interacting with the physical world—specifically, learning to pick up a brittle old red rubber ball. It was kind of them to offer, but it felt like a consolation prize—one designed to placate me and keep me from asking questions. I pictured Florence cajoling Eliza into helping me: The new girl is a crazy rebel, bless her heart; let’s indulge her a little.
I didn’t want their pity. But I really did want to learn. Being able to manipulate objects would help my investigation. I could go back and look over Aunt Cordelia’s letters, and when I found her office, I could search for information on the history of the institute.
So I went along with it. I thought it would be like learning to ride a bike. You ride a little, fall off, ride a little longer, fall off, and keep trying until you miraculously don’t fall off. But in actual practice it was more like trying to ride a bike that you couldn’t even manage to sit on. Repeatedly, I tried to scoop the ball off the table or the floor or from Florence’s delicate hand, and every time, I failed
Similar Books
