Someone was hugging me. Or punching me. I couldn’t tell which. Water poured out of my mouth. But it was still all around me. I would have screamed if I’d had the strength, but all I could do was stiffen my limbs. “Stop it. Relax. Listen to me. Relax.” “Who . . . ” I managed to turn my head. “Peter!” The sight of him did a lot to bring me around. “How . . . How did . . . ” “Shh. Just listen,” he said. “It’s the ring. You’ve got to concentrate on the ring, okay?” “What?” “The ring will take you back. To the store, remember?” “The . . . store . . . ” I shook my head and coughed. “Okay. The ring.” I looked at my finger. The ring Morgan had given me was glowing a bright opalescent blue. “But . . . I don’t know how . . . ” Suddenly I was coughing again, but not from the water in my lungs.
