Chapter Twenty Two

Of the world of glittering colors and of perfumed scents that attack my nostrils;

To the world of sharp tongues, snaking out to shred soft smiles. I listen as ice tinkles against amber liquid. Heat burns within, a reminder of a suicide from the past; a reminder of a

silent murder.

Seconds…minutes…centuries…

The sudden knowledge twists my belly; I am home. I open my eyes to the blinding flash of a door opening.

And wonder if I will remember.”

Maya folded the piece of paper and nodded at her audience. Silence settled over everyone. Some people wrote feverishly in their notebooks.

Olivia gave a whoop. She laughed and stepped off the stage, and then she began to gather empty cups and chat as the night came to a close.

Alex stood alone and watched her.

A strange emotion bubbled up inside of him. Since he’d never experienced it before, he couldn’t seek out a name. There was little left in life that touched him, and he admitted he liked it that way.

Tonight, something changed.

Maya had share