KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!
The knocking grew louder, the blows coming faster and faster, as if something were ramming the door from outside.
No! Not ramming!
It was smashing, hammering—like a beast clawing at the door, again and again.
The entire door shuddered. Dust, shaken loose from the cracks in the frame, drifted down, forming a fine mist in the dim, gray light.
I quickly set down my bowl, wiped my hands on my clothes, and hurried across the living room.
The floorboards groaned under my feet, as if urging me to go faster, faster still.
I reached the door and put my hand on the knob. The banging exploded right next to my ear, sending a numbing vibration through my palm.
I took a deep breath and pulled the door open.
A girl was standing outside.
For a moment, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me.
She was so dazzling, like a ripe cherry dropped into a black-and-white photograph. All the world's vivid colors seemed to come alive on her alone.
