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BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE, NADIA FELT THE CHILL

She wasn’t sure why Her father already had the car’s heat on because of the aeather Her little brother, Cole, was too engrossed in his game to have rolled down any of the s The only sounds were the slap-slap of the windshield wipers, Cole’s thu on the tablet screen, and Dad’s classicalover the rain outside It was just like the other countless hours they’d spent in this car today

There was no reason for the tre Nadia’s skin No reason for her head to swihtened

No normal reason anyway

Nadia straightened in her seat—in the back, next to her brother The passenger seat in the front was always left eht suddenly return at the next rest stop “Dad, where are we?”

“Almost there”

“You said that three states ago,” Cole chiame

“I et into town any uys”

“I justwas out of the question Nadia already knew that the strange sensations washing over her weren’t physical or emotional

They were signs of ic

Dad turned the piano music down to a soft wash “You okay, sweetheart? There’s painkillers in the first-aid kit; we could pull over”

“I’m fine,” Nadia said “If we’re almost there, let’s not stop now”

Even as she spoke, though, she felt as if she had ht to have said, Yes, pull over, let’s get out of this car as soon as possible Everything within her told her that they were traveling closer and closer to a source of ic—unlike any she had known before But instinct alone told Nadia this

Her eyes flickered over to the empty seat next to her father Mom would have knohat to do—

Well, Moely She’s still back in Chicago, probably off drinking cocktails with so I’ll never be able to use ic the way she did

But we’re headed into so

But what?

Nadia glanced sideways at Cole, who reame Like her father, he was oblivious to the forces they were approaching; like all ic-blind Quickly she closed her eyes and settled her left wrist in her right hand On her left wrist she hat Dad called her charlance

Even after Mo their lives and all Nadia’s hopes, Nadia had kept wearing the bracelet every day It was too hard to let it go