e

he morning, before

ice. I checked my reflection three separate times, tu

this up. Not

ide my building. I was already running do

seat. She glanced at

nct

ry t

She just turned

ingers drifted to the small silver locket at my neck, the only thing I own

said. "Then I'll take you to the pe

y my apartment?

employer will provide everything you need

. But I touched my locket again and nodde

glass building. A tiny, wrinkled man with white hair sat

s sno

oat. Nothing. She knoc

lli

ked awake. "I w

ourse

at me through thick glasse

pulled out a stack of papers

ined, three times what the private schools had offered. R

es were u

o any romantic or physical r

pregnant by her employer w

These are ve

William said, alread

na. "Why would anyone become

ina said sharply, "then you have nothing to wo

down at t

s overdue. Twenty

man I hadn't even met. How hard could that be? After

ign

of a glass tower, and the elevat

opened, I forgo

arger than my entire building, with a view that stretched over the whole city. Eve

es

eat blue dress thre

rls bouncing. Gone was the screaming little t

! I knew

to hug her properly.

ll show you

llow. This was the library. That was the playroom. Here was the kitchen

ounced. "They're twins. Sometimes

," one of them

me down a hallway a

is you

inside a

ndow. A closet bigger than my old bathroom. Glass doors led to a pr

mine?" I

ed onto the bed and

e sinking into a cloud. Last week,

next to me, swi

gently, "where

inging

said it many times. "Daddy says she was beautiful. I love Dad

est a

nd she leaned her hea

d quietly, "I

mean

d animals. We drew pictures at the coffee table until the sky turned pink, then purple. By evening,

s coloring a purple horse with a golden mane, and I w

of the f

ropped. Her who

ad

sprinted toward the ent

his was it. The ma

and tucking my hair behind my ears. First impressi

home early!"

have today,

fr

Deep. Smooth as

t had told a bounc

d said, "Take it," ove

d turne

it cou

rned toward