“Layla? Did you hear what I said? Everything will be
alright,” he said in a softer voice. “Call me in the morning, OK?”
“OK,” I said.
I fell into a sleep filled with bad dreams: jinn with
glowing eyes; screams and burning skies; and falling, falling, into a black
abyss. I woke up, heart pounding. I snatched my watch and peered at it: one
o’clock. I’d only been asleep for an hour.
My mouth was dry. I kicked off the covers and went to
the kitchen for a glass of water, then got back into bed, pulled the covers
up and closed my eyes.
I imagined pearl starlight slipping through the bars on
Sara’s cell, drawing patterns on the concrete floor. Then dawn rolling
over the mountains and flooding the city with golden light.
The alarm clock was ringing. I showered and dressed
quickly, pu
