Color blossomed in my mind. Scents poured into me, familiar but faded. The stomp of cadets running with a drill sergeant outside the window carried to my ears. It was like I had fallen back in time, into my old room. Complete with twin beds, a ratty desk and a broken task chair. The tendrils of disorientation parted two seconds after Shaw slammed into me. My spine popped on impact with the wall, and a pained breath shot past my lips. “I missed you too,” I panted. His wide palm circled my throat. “I warned you not to come back.” Fingers clawing at him, I gasped. “It’s me.” “I didn’t believe you the first three times, and I don’t believe you now.” He applied pressure, and I saw bursts of bright light on the periphery of my vision. “Stop being a coward. Shift. Show me your face so I know whose head I’m ripping off.” He leaned closer, nostrils flaring. “You even smell like her. Is that some new trick? Is that why you haven’t been back? You’re trying to fool me with this?”
