∞∞∞
Josh couldn’t sleep. Sophie’s conversation with Owen played on a continuous loop in his mind. Stephen’s gentle snoring only made him more restless. For a while, he thought he heard sirens in the distance, but they eventually faded. He wondered if Graham and Sophie and Owen had already dispatched their victim.
He finally dozed off, but it wasn’t long before something startled him. He awoke to see his father leaning over him.
“Josh, your mom wants to see you,” said his father.
“Is she okay?” said Josh. He forgot about Graham and Sophie and Owen. He wasn’t ready for his mother to die. He forced himself to remain calm, but the struggle must have revealed itself on his face, if the sympathy in his father’s eyes was any indication.
“She’s not feeling very well, but she’s stable for the moment,” said his father. “If that ever changes, I’ll tell you right away.” He hesitated. “I should probably warn you—she looks a lot different, but she’s still the same person inside.”
They went into the sickroom, and a skeleton with ragged blond hair and sunken blue eyes regarded Josh from beneath a pile of blankets. It had only been a few weeks since he had last seen her, but she was unrecognizable. He stood there in disbelief, but the irritation in her eyes convinced him she was real.
“Sit down,” she said.
Agnes gave him a chair.
“Mom, you’re so skinny,” said Josh. “I guess the drug isn’t working.”
“Not yet, but it will,” she said, dismissing Josh’s father with a wave of her hand. When he was gone, she gazed at Josh until he felt himself disintegrating.
“You know how much I love you,” she said, and despite the gentleness of her words, her voice remained harsh. Josh knew her anger wasn’t directed toward him, but he still felt like he was in trouble. He nodded, fearing what she would say next.
“I would never do anything to hurt you,” she said.
“I know, Mom,” said Josh.
“I was dreaming about you,” she said. Her gaze shifted away from his face and came to rest in the emptiness behind him. Josh glanced over his shoulder, but nothing was there. He was only mildly relieved. His mother seemed to be in a trance.
“I was dead,” she said. “So was your dad. Your siblings were gone. You were alone, sitting there with your head in your hands and no one to comfort you. It broke my heart to see you like that.”
“Mom, it was just your mind playing tricks on you,” said Josh.
“No, it was a vision of the future,” she said. Her eyes returned to his face. “There’s no reason to be afraid. It’s not going to destroy you. I saw the perfect solution in a flash of clarity. I don’t know how to describe it. It was woven together with your life like the words of a poem.”
Josh glanced at Agnes to see if she shared his conviction that his mother had finally lost her mind, but she ignored him.
“I don’t even like poetry,” he said.
“Josh, listen to me,” said his mother. “I don’t know if it was instinct or fate, but it was real. I could feel it in my heart. I think you know what I mean, but you’ve been ignoring it because you don’t want to make things more complicated.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” said Josh.
“I’m talking about you and Lisa, of course,” she said in exasperation. “That girl is going to save your life.”
“Mom, are you feeling all right?” said Josh.
“I’m still in possession of my mental faculties, if that’s what you’re wondering,” she said. “I don’t appreciate the implication. I know what I’m talking about, Josh. It’s time for you to face the truth.”
“But Lisa hates me,” said Josh.
“That’s not how I see it,” said his mother.
“Are you serious?” said Josh. His frustration got the better of him. “You lectured me about being nice to her the last time we talked because you realized she was being hostile. Don’t you remember?”
“Watch your tone,” she said.
“I’m sorry,” said Josh. “I’m not trying to be rude, but Lisa has made no effort to hide her contempt for me. She’s neurotic. I don’t care if she’s attractive. I don’t like her.”
“So you admit she’s attractive?” said his mother.
“Yes, but what difference does it make?” said Josh. “She has an ugly personality.”
“Teenage girls are complicated creatures,” said his mother. “Maybe you should get to know her better before you judge her so harshly.”
“You don’t understand,” said Josh.
His mother’s eyes blazed. With a violent burst of energy, she flung the blankets back so he could see the full extent of her emaciation. Josh had never witnessed a human body in such a pitiable state before, and he drew back in horror.
“Look at me!” she said, pulling up her sleeves. Bruises covered her arms, painting her flesh with a gruesome rainbow of colors. From his brief perusal of Richard’s notebook, Josh knew the drug was responsible. He couldn’t decide which he hated more: the cancer that had started the whole thing or the drug that had reduced his mother to her current state. She reached out and seized his arm.
“Do you have any idea how much I’ve suffered for you?” she said. “I’m not doing this for myself. I wish I could stop fighting, but I can’t. Oh, Josh, you have no idea how much I regret the way I’ve treated you! There were so many times when I could have nurtured you or supported you or loved you, but I didn’t. I thought if I made you strong enough, I wouldn’t have to worry about you, but I was wrong. When I look at you, I still see an innocent child. I’m not at peace. I can’t let you go—not until I find someone else to take care of you.”
“Mom, I can take care of myself,” said Josh.
She removed her hand from his arm. The anger in her eyes was replaced by confusion. Josh had never seen
