““Though the cottage was quiet, Helen sensed the change before she was even fully awake. It was like standing in a clearing and knowing that a deer was there just behind you, though you couldn’t see it. She wasn’t alone anymore. There was something alive—something both wild and peaceful—close by, and her soul knew it before even her mind remembered. Then Helen felt the girl stirring next to her and the young woman opened her eyes as dawn’s light whispered through the curtains. She’d only fallen asleep an hour or two before.””
