I couldn’t stay away. Night after night I went back, following the thread that had always been there, to the mist that always cooled my skin. I listened for the familiar sounds of a place I’d come to know like my own bedroom.
But there was no mist. There were no sounds. When I arrived at the end of the thread, there was a giant wall.
The first night, I banged on it, shouting to Pasea to let me in. I slammed against it with my shoulder. I walked and walked in either direction, for what felt like an eternity, to find a way—some way—of getting through.
I gave up only when I knew for certain that it was useless. Zanum had been torn from me once again. Only this time, it wasn’t by Dr. Mace, as I’d feared all along. This time, it was by those I loved most.
* * * * *