Charley dropped to the ground by the hole in the fence. My first instinct was to go to her, but she had told me not to touch her. Perhaps it disrupted her flashes in some way. I was glad now that I’d decided to come back. Not because her flashes appeared to have returned with a vengeance, but because I could be here to help her. Comfort her and know she was safe Her eyelids flickered, as if she was having some kind of seizure. Every time her eyes opened, I could only see white, the pupils were rolled back into her skull. Her head snapped left and right as if she was watching something unfold that only she could see. Then, she reached out with her hand as if trying to grab someone or something. ‘Wake up!’ she screamed. Her arm dropped to her side again, and she slumped forward, like a puppet whose strings had been severed. ‘Charley?’ I said, crouching beside her, hand hovering, not knowing if it was safe to touch her. ‘Sick,’ she breathed, trying to stand. ‘You feel sick?’ I asked, helping her up.
