The silence around me is the only barrier between me and what is beyond the darkness. Only the sound of my heart and my thick, ragged breaths are my companions. Without warning, my body is yanked backward, rebounding, pulling every ounce of air from my body. There is a change in the air around me. It is no longer compressed and dismal, but rather thinned and hopeful. This mysterious transformation fills me with the sensation of promise. Feeling the dream lifting away from my mind, I open my eyes, focusing on the ceiling above me. A silhouette moves into view and I scramble backward in the bed to put distance between it and me. A static whisper hisses in the air between me and the silhouette, “Jesca.” I feel her energy pass through me; it’s Anna. I relax a little and breathe out slowly. I should feel at ease, but I don’t because the last time I saw her, Michael Sanderson had tossed her against the wall of the cabin and she disappeared.
