@@@@@I stared at the empty place ahead and felt
@@@@@I stared at
the empty place ahead and felt the empty place inside
Her thought sighed faintly in my head:You never know how much time you'll have
The tears I was crying belonged to both of us
CHAPTER 9
Discovered
Idrove quickly through the I-10 junction as the sun fell behind meI didn't see much besides the
white and yellow lines on the pavement, and the occasional big green sign pointing me farther
east
I wasn't sure exactly what I was in a hurryfor, thoughTo be out of this, I supposedOut of
pain, out of sadness, out of aching for lost and hopeless lovesDid that mean out of this body? I
couldn't think of any other answerI would still ask my questions of the Healer, but it felt as
though the decision was madeI tested the words in my head, trying to come to
terms with them
If I could find a way, I would keep Melanie out of the Seeker's handsIt would be very hard
No, it would be impossible
I promised her this, but she wasn't listeningShe was still dreamingGiving up, I thought, now
that it was too late for giving up to help
I tried to stay clear of the red canyon in her head, but I was there, tooNo matter how hard I
tried to see the cars zooming beside me, the shuttles gliding in toward the port, the few, fine
clouds drifting overhead, I couldn't pull completely free of her dreamsI memorized Jared's face
from a thousand different anglesI watched Jamie shoot up in a sudden growth spurt, always
skin and bonesMy arms ached for them both–no, the feeling was sharper than an ache,
blade-edged and violent
I drove almost blindly along the narrow two-lane freewayThe desert was, if anything, more
monotonous and dead than beforeFlatter, more colorless