@@@@@ Jared!Melanie's exultant voice was loud, a
@@@@@
Jared!Melanie's exultant voice was loud, a silent shriek of elationShe burst into radiant life
inside my headared is home!
“Wanda is teaching us all about the universe,” Jamie babbled eagerly, somehow not catching on
to Jared's fury–he was too excited to pay attention, maybe
“Wanda?”Jared repeated in a low voice that was almost a snarl
There were more dirty figures in the hall behind himI only noticed them when they echoed his
snarl with an outraged muttering
A blond head rose from the frozen audiencePaige lurched to her feet“Andy!” she cried, and
stumbled through the figures seated around herOne of the dirty men stepped around Jared and
caught her as she nearly fell over Wes“Oh, Andy!” she sobbed, the tone of her voice reminding
me of Melanie's
Paige's outburst changed the atmosphere momentarilyThe silent crowd began to murmur,
most of them rising to their feetThe sound was one of welcome now, as the majority went to
greet the returned travelersI tried to read the strange expressions on their faces as they forced
grins onto their lips and peeked furtively back at meI realized after a long, slow second–time
seemed to be congealing around me, freezing me into place–that the expression I wondered at
wasguilt
“It's going to be okay, Wanda,” Ian murmured under his breath
I glanced at him wildly, searching for that same guilt on his faceI didn't find it, only a
defensive tightening around his vivid eyes as he stared at the newcomers
“What the hell, people?” a new voice boomed
Kyle–easily identifiable by his size despite the grime–was shoving his way around Jared and
heading toward… me
“You're letting it tell you its lies? Have you all gone crazy? Or did it lead the Seekers here? Are
youall parasites now?”
Many heads fell forward, ashamedOnly a few kept their chins stiffly in the air, their shoulders
squared: Lily, Trudy, Heath, Wes… and frail Walter, of all people
“Easy, Kyle,” Walter said in his feeble voiceHe walked with deliberate steps toward me, his eyes, the same vibrant cobalt
as his brother's, glowing with r