Prologue / Chapter I / II / IIIA / IIIB / IV / VA / VB / VIA / VIB / VII / VIIA
~ * ~
Marie-Claire sat down in George’s car and at once burst into tears. The car started, and began to move. Hiding her face in her hands, she laid her head against the window, carefully, so that her arm would not hurt. It would be disgusting to cry too loudly, but since she was already crying anyway, she let it be just audible. He may as well notice; she rather wanted him to, though when she realised this, she despised herself.
Prologue / Chapter I / II / IIIA / IIIB / IV / VA / VB / VIA / VIB / VII
~ * ~
‘Su, look, there’s a dragon!’
‘No, there isn’t.’
‘It’s a baby dragon: its wings aren’t grown yet. It’s grey. Are dragons usually grey?’
Susan stopped and turned around. Jenny sat crouched like a cat at the edge of the road, peering intently into the grass; her shawl trailed in the gravel behind her. She sighed. ‘Jenny, dragons don’t exist. Come on.’
Prologue / Chapter I / Chapter II / Chapter IIIA / Chapter IIIB / Chapter IV / Chapter VA / Chapter VB / Chapter VIA
~ * ~
Abigail held the letter out to Marie-Claire. ‘You can read it. Your Latin is no worse than mine.’
‘O yes it is,’ Marie-Claire said. ‘Much worse.’
Abigail shrugged. ‘You can read the details later. Anguo is pulling out of Dhaka; the World Alliance is pressuring Anguo to stop forcing a vaccination that is known to cause heart disease; Israel has finally decided to help India and Bangladesh; they estimate that the war will end sometime this year.’ She paused, reading silently. ‘I think that I’ll need to explain a lot if the last bit is to make any sense to you; but you mustn’t repeat this, either. Do you know anything about the underground church?’
Prologue / Chapter I / Chapter II / Chapter IIIA / Chapter IIIB / Chapter IV / Chapter VA / Chapter VB
~ * ~
‘Where on earth have you been? It’s past noon!’ Molly scolded as Susan shut the door behind her.
‘Taking a walk,’ Susan said shortly. She hung her shawl on a hook. ‘I left a note.’
‘I saw that.’
Susan started toward the bedroom.
‘Susan, come back. Where were you?’
‘Taking a walk. I already said that.’ Jenny was bouncing around her like a rubber ball, chattering excitedly, something about a mouse; she pushed her hands away.
Ella continues the story:
Prologue / Chapter I / Chapter II / Chapter IIIA / Chapter IIIB / Chapter IV / Chapter VA
~ * ~
The long hand ran slowly around the face of the clock, sweeping away the seconds: Three minutes left.
A pencil eraser poked her neck, and Marie-Claire glanced behind her. George gave her a quick smile before continuing his hurried notes. With a sigh, Marie-Claire looked back down at the blank page of her notebook. Two minutes left. She slid her notebook into her backpack and zipped it shut.
Prologue / Chapter I / Chapter II / Chapter IIIA / Chapter IIIB / Chapter IV
~ * ~
I wish I were on yonder hill;
’Tis there I’d sit and cry my fill,
’Til every tear would turn a mill.
Is go dtí tú mo mhuirnín slán.
Ella Hansen writes: Guided by the helpful comments on the last instalment, I’ve revised the first half of the chapter; a portion of it has been moved to the next chapter. / Prologue / Chapter I / Chapter II / Chapter IIIA / Chapter IIIB
~ * ~
Who’s there?
Nay, answer me; stand, and unfold yourself.
Ella Hansen writes: After a few days of illness, Susan is beginning to recover, but her animosity toward her brother Will’s old friend Qian Ang is unchanged, and her sister’s adoration of him has only made matters worse. Her grandmother Molly has noticed but has not yet pressed for explanation. / Prologue / Chapter I / Chapter II / Chapter IIIA / Chapter IIIB
~ * ~
Who’s there?
Nay, answer me; stand, and unfold yourself.
Long live the king!
Prologue / Chapter I / Chapter II / Chapter IIIA
Ella Hansen writes,
~ * ~
At the far end of the dining room, an ancient clock loudly ticked off the seconds. Across the table, an arm’s length away, Dr Overman dipped a piece of prata into the curry and tore off a bite with his teeth. ‘Aren’t you hungry, Mica?’
‘I’m thinking,’ Marie-Claire said slowly. ‘I was wondering—’ Her heart was hammering heat into her throat, and she paused to sip her icy water.
