Chapter 16: Shall I to him make known as yet my change? – IX, 816-817
Lissie looks calmer than Holland’s seen her probably since they’ve met.
Her eyes are glazed over, something milky and smoke-like swirling in them like the old crystal ball Holland had seen as a little girl at a fun fair with her parents and Valerie. She stares ahead at nothing, but her face is relaxed, serene.
In front of her, on the desk, is the sketch pad Holland had called her dad for. He’s here now, smudging the room and chanting lowly. Holland had expected it to make her even more nervous, but it seems to have the same calming effect on her that it has on Lissie.
A quiet knock at the door jolts Holland out of her thoughts. Peeking into the room is her sister and she goes quietly out to meet her, leaving Lissie to her work.