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Back How to Disappear Completely Save as PDF
Chapters (58)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. Epigraph
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. 44
  48. 45
  49. 46
  50. 47
  51. 48
  52. 49
  53. 50
  54. 51
  55. Acknowledgments
  56. About the Author
  57. Back Ad
  58. About the Publisher

Maybe so, but by the end of lunch, I’m pretty sure I’ve had more fun with Fina’s family than I’ve had with mine since before Gram died. And that makes me happy.

But kind of sad, too.

image 18 image

When I look in the mirror on Monday morning, I get a shock.

I’ve been trying to stay away from mirrors all weekend, but I’m sure my face has changed since last week. The spots above my eyebrows, which were the size of pinpricks last time I checked, have now grown into real spots. Some of them are closer to the size of thumbtacks.

Is this what it’s going to be like from now on? Waking up every morning to find someone new staring back at me from the mirror? Before, you couldn’t notice the tiny pale flecks unless you looked really closely. But now the spots above my eyebrows are like a sign that says:

EMMA TALBOT HAS VITILIGO.

If only I could cover my face like I can cover my toes and elbows.

Which actually gives me an idea. I start pulling open the cabinet drawers, frantically searching through all of Lily’s nail polishes and lip glosses until I find what I’m looking for.

Five minutes later, I’m staring at myself in the mirror once again. A groan escapes my lips.

Somehow, I’ve made everything worse.

“Emma!” Mom calls. “You’re going to be late! And don’t forget your sunscreen!”

Over the weekend, Mom bought me this special sunscreen. SPF 1000 or something like that. When your skin loses the pigment, it apparently also loses its ability to protect itself from the sun, which means I can get burned really easily. The last thing I need is for the spots on my face to turn bright red with sunburn, so after I put on my treatment cream, I squeeze some sunscreen from the bottle and slap it on my face.

I take a deep breath at the top of the steps. Then I bolt down them as fast as I can. Because I cannot deal with Mom seeing what I’ve done just yet.

But of course, she’s waiting at the bottom of the stairs, probably so she can smell me for sunscreen. When she sees me, she gasps and says, “Emma, what did you do?”

“I have to go.”

“Wait! Emma—”

But I’m out the door and running. Ruth and Gloria call good morning to me from across the street, and I wave at them without looking up. I keep my head down as I get on the bus and stare at my feet as I trudge to my usual seat. Then I pull out The World at the End of the Tunnel and bury my face in it.