Chapter 1- The Milky Way When the day started, Sally was a beautiful girl with a lucid mind. The ball came at her as if in slow motion. She had time to see the sparkle of the early summer sky. Beyond the net, sunlight played on corn tassels. The corn marched in green and gold rows from the edge of the volleyball field to fill the horizon. Everything was crystal clear today. She had never felt so alive. Sally was captain of the girls' volleyball team.
Just this game could take her team to the regionals. Maybe even the state finals. What a great way to finish her senior year.Life was moving Sally onto the path of success. She was tall and lithe. She was popular even though she was smart. College beckoned. Sally was feeling so clear and sharp she almost had time to start planning her commencement day speech.
But here came the ball. She was moving. It was time to connect. Yes! She was taking her team to victory. As they ate, dinner was a rainbow of flavors to Sally. "Mom, did you do anything different? I can taste more flavors than in my whole life!""It's just the same chicken and vegetables I always make.""Must be the sweet taste of success," said her dad. Sally gave him the grimace she used to reward his attempts at humor.
"You know," he continued, "the sky's clear tonight. Why don't we look at the stars after you've done your homework?"It was their way of being together. They'd go out on the patio, sit in the deckchairs and watch the sky. In the sheltering darkness, they could talk about anything. At nine they went out. He brought hot cocoa to celebrate her game. They listened to the last of the nighthawks. Their raucous calls, to Sally's ears, tore the sky open.
"Dad, does the Milky Way look different to you tonight?""What do you mean, honey?" "It looks way different to me. It's not a smudge of stars. I can see it. It's like I've got hyper-vision. I'm on the edge of the galaxy looking deep into the 3D core. It's like I've never seen the Milky Way before!""You have an awfully good imagination tonight, Sally.""Dad, it's real."Sally curled up on the living room sofa to watch a rerun of Friends.
Her mom came in around 11:00 pm."I'm turning in, Sally.""Mom, it's incredible, this episode!""It's just a rerun.""No, it's totally different, mom. I'm actually every one of the characters. I can feel each tiny emotion of all of them. It's amazing. This is the coolest show ever!""Don't stay up too late.
You've got that history exam in the morning."Sally never made it to her history exam. She never made it off the couch. Her parents discovered her the next morning. She was moaning, curled tight, holding her head. She was unable to speak or understand her name. Clenched and fetal, she rocked with pain as her mind was ripped away by some invisible agent.We hope you enjoyed this free sample.