Page 98 of A Boy Called Lovesong

“No!”

I looked the other way to see Cybil’s out-of-control pickup careen even faster toward us, heading straight for Chet.

I dropped everything in my hands and ran. “Chet! No!”

The pickup’s engine revved louder.

As Chet raced across the road, I sprinted in front of the truck about to hit him.

I reached him a second before the pickup did.

I scooped him up in my arms.

I cradled Chet as tight as I could before—

BANG!

Everything turned black.

No, not black.

Everything turned…

To nothing.

PART V

ACCEPTANCE

CHAPTER 20

“Noah? What are you doing here?”

It was Joel’s voice.

I opened my eyes to find I was not in the oppressive heat of Clara’s Crossing, with storm clouds bearing down on me and sweat running down my neck.

I was, in fact, in a forest.

A forest filled with ancient spruces, snow falling all around.

“Joel. Is that you? Where are you?”

At first, I couldn’t see him, then I wondered how I could possiblynotsee him because he was standing right in front of me, holding my hands in his.

“Noah, what are you doing here?” he asked again, a curious and amused look on his face, like he’d found me lost and wandering in a place I shouldn’t be.

“I don’t know,” I said quite honestly, but perhaps not as confused as I should have been. “I’m not really sure where ‘here’ is.”

“It’s the Pacific Northwest. These are the trees they use to make the Steinways. If you listen, you can hear the notes every time a snowflake lands on one of the branches. Close your eyes. Listen.”

I did as he said and closed my eyes, not even wanting to question him, or question why we were there. My heart was swelling at the realization he was simplythere.

With me.

My eyelids shut out the light, and all around I could hear the silvery sound of snowflakes dancing on the keys of a piano.

A pretty pitter-patter.

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