34Yulia
An unnerving sensation wakes me up. It’s almost like someone’s watching me, or—
Gasping, I sit up in the armchair and gape at the petite, golden-skinned girl standing in the middle of Lucas’s library. She’s wearing a light blue sundress, and her shiny dark hair streams over her slim bare shoulders. I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen her before, though something about her delicate features is familiar.
“Who are you?” I try to keep my voice level—not an easy feat with my heart pounding in my throat. I’m still weak from my illness, and though the doll-like creature in front of me doesn’t seem like much of a threat, I know looks can be deceiving. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m Nora Esguerra,” she says in unaccented American English. Her dark, thickly lashed eyes regard me with cool d
