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Chapter 12
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Between Dawn and Dusk Chapter 15
Five years later, I earned my college degree through a self-study program and got a job as a programmer at a tech company. The pay wasn't great, but it was steady.Lena finished her PhD and joined the National Research Institute, where she researched quantum physics. She was always rushing around, busy as ever, but she still called me every week to ask if I was eating right, if I was getting enough sleep, and if I'd found a girlfriend yet.I told her I hadn't found a girlfriend, but I had adopted a cat. I named her Lena Two.She laughed and scolded me over the phone, saying I was nuts.Daniel became my brother-in-law. They had a simple wedding with only close friends. I was the best man. I wore a suit and felt stiff and awkward the whole time.When she walked toward me in her wedding dress, my eyes welled up. She shoved her bouquet straight into my hands. "Find yourself a good girl. Don't make me worry about you."I hugged her and said, "Lena, you have to be happy.""I am happ
Between Dawn and Dusk Chapter 14
My last memory was white. Blinding white. Warm white.I heard people talking. Their voices sounded far away, like they were coming through water."Blood pressure's coming back!""We've got a heartbeat!""Quick, epinephrine!"I tried to open my eyes, but my eyelids were so heavy. It felt like I'd been stuffed into a tumble dryer, and everything was spinning.Then everything went black.When I woke up again, it was three days later. I was lying in the ICU with tubes everywhere. My sister was asleep, slumped over the edge of the bed, still holding my journal.I wasn't dead? I was in a daze. The doctor said I'd been in a deep coma. My heart had stopped twice but started again. They called it a medical miracle.So I'd been in a coma for years... I'd never died at all. What I saw were partly real and partly just dreams of mine.But I knew it was Lena who'd brought me back. Her sheer refusal to let go had dragged me back from the edge of death.I was awake, but I didn't tell her.
Between Dawn and Dusk Chapter 13
Lena went straight into the PhD program in physics at Westbridge, working under one of the biggest names in the field.She got busier and busier, but she also opened up more and more. She started making friends and going to parties, and she and Daniel got together.Daniel was good to her. He knew she loved warm oatmeal, so he got up early every day to wait in line at the dining hall. He knew she forgot to eat when she was running experiments, so he brought her lunch. He knew she was scared of thunder, so on stormy nights, he'd stay on the phone with her.She smiled a lot more with him.I followed her everywhere, floating by her side. I saw her on graduation day in her doctoral gown, taking photos on the Westbridge campus. She held her diploma in her left hand. On the ring finger of her right hand was the silver ring I'd given her.Daniel stood beside her with his arm around her shoulders and straightened her cap."Lena," he said, "marry me."She froze. Everyone froze.Danie
Between Dawn and Dusk Chapter 12
The summer after her sophomore year, Lena came home. She was painfully thin, but her eyes were bright.The day she got home, Mom cooked a huge spread of all her favorite dishes. She ate a few bites, then set down her fork. "Mom, I want to go see Ethan."Mom's hand jerked, and her fork clattered onto the table."See him where?" Dad asked. "We scattered his ashes.""I know where you scattered them," Lena said. "I asked the people at the funeral home. They said the location you registered was the river outside town."Mom and Dad didn't say anything."I want to go see him," she said. "Just me."Early the next morning, she headed out. She bought a bunch of small white daisies and took the bus to the river. It was wide, and the current was gentle. Sunlight danced on the surface like scattered flecks of gold.She stood on the bank and tossed the flowers into the water one by one. They floated away on the current."Ethan," she said. "I came to see you."I stood beside her, looking ou
Between Dawn and Dusk Chapter 11
Lena left for Westbridge at the end of August. She went alone. She wouldn't let Mom and Dad take her because she said it was a waste of money. With a huge backpack on her shoulders and a rolling suitcase behind her, she wandered through the train station like a lost soul.I floated beside her. I wanted to carry her suitcase, but I couldn't lift it. All I could do was follow her and watch as she squeezed onto the train, found her seat, stowed her luggage, and sat down.A guy sat down next to her. He looked like the quiet, bookish type, with glasses. He started the conversation. "Heading off to college too?""Westbridge," she said."No way, me too." His eyes lit up. "What's your major?""Physics.""Same here." He smiled. "Guess that makes us classmates. I'm Daniel.""Lena.""Lena," Daniel repeated. "That's a pretty name."She managed something close to a smile. Then she put in her earbuds and closed her eyes to sleep.Daniel took the hint, stopped talking, and pulled out a bo
Between Dawn and Dusk Chapter 10
Lena's acceptance letter arrived in mid-July. Westbridge University, Department of Physics. She'd had the top score in the entire city.Word spread fast, and a crowd of neighbors gathered outside our apartment. Mom and Dad forced smiles and accepted everyone's congratulations. Lena stood off to the side holding the letter, her face blank.When everyone finally left, she went to her room and tossed the letter onto the bed.I stood beside her and looked at it. The paper was thick, printed with gold-foil lettering. It was beautiful. I reached out to touch it, but I couldn't."Ethan," she said. "Did you see? I got in."I saw, Lena. You're amazing.She couldn't hear me.She opened her laptop and looked up tuition and housing costs. She did the math, then opened my metal box. The money inside wasn't enough.She was quiet for a while. Then she picked up her phone and started making calls.First, her homeroom teacher. "Hi, it's Lena. I'd like to apply for financial aid."Second, the
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