Page 173 of The Glittering Edge

The Veil closes again. Giovanni is gone.

Alonso won.

Relief floods through him, and Alonso focuses until he’s fully settled in his own body. Then he opens his eyes.

He’s in the Primary World again. In the hospital room.

And when he looks down at the bed, Anita Emberly’s eyes are open.

Penny

“WOW,” SOMEONE WHISPERS.

Penny doesn’t open her eyes. All she can see is the Shadow reaching out for her mom, wrapping its claws around her—

“Look at me, sweet pea.”

This is Penny’s imagination—Anita’s voice and her touch and the feeling of the bed shifting. A cold hand presses against her cheek. “Penny.”

She opens her eyes.

Anita is leaning on her elbow, watching her. Warm color has returned to her cheeks.

“Am I dreaming?” Penny asks, her voice a painful rasp.

“No, baby.” She runs a hand over Penny’s rain-damp hair. “My Penny.”

This is real. This is absolutely, undeniably real.

“Mom,” Penny says, and then they are in each other’s arms.

There’s a gasp and acrackas an expensive tablet falls to the floor. “Dear god,” says a nurse.

It’s like a bomb goes off. There’s a flurry of nurses around them, and then doctors, too, including Dr. Nussbaum, who tries to calm everyone down but is clearly just as shocked and confused as they are. The entire time, Penny cries into her mother’s shoulder as Anita rubs her back, whispering, “I know, I know.”

“Make way, make way! Big man coming through!” comes Ron’svoice. His face is red and puffy, and when he sees Anita, he gets redder and puffier. “Anita, you crazy bitch! They told me you were dead!”

Anita throws her head back and laughs.

The group from the football game is there: Naomi, Milton, Dylan, Corey, Alonso. James is shell-shocked, staring at Anita like she’s grown an extra head, while Helen shakes with silent tears.

“Ms. Barrion?” Penny says.

Helen steps forward, her lips parted, looking exactly the way Penny feels. Penny makes room, and Helen reaches out and takes Anita’s hand.

That’s when Penny finally sees Alonso.

His skin is luminous, his eyes bright and fixed on her. Something about him is different. He’s even more beautiful.

She throws her arms around him.

“Penny,” he whispers into her hair. “I did it. I didn’t think it was possible.”

Penny doesn’t get it. She’s about to tell him as much when it clicks.

She wasn’t imagining it after all. Her mom really was dead.

“Did you cross the Veil?” Penny asks.

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