I try to smile, but it’s like I’ve lost control of those muscles, too. I feel like I did when I traveled forward in time—except I’m in the present. In the body that should be mine.

There’s not enough oxygen. I can’t breathe, even as my lungs rise and fall in an even rhythm. How is she doing this? How is she controlling my physical movements?

She flees my body in an instant, and I sway, almost falling to the floor.

With lightning-fast reflexes, Bandit shoots forward and gathers me in his arms. “Alice!” he says urgently. “Alice, are you okay?”

I want to respond. I do. I want to reassure us both that I’m myself again, that I have control over my own body.

But when I open my mouth to say the words…I black out.

Chapter 21

Chapter 21

I come to standing on my own feet but not bearing any weight. Instead, strong arms are wrapped around me. Cradling me. Keeping me safe.

“Alice, you’re awake,” Bandit says, his voice weak. “You fainted for a second. Do you want me to call the ambulance? Find your dad?”

“No!” I practically shout. The last thing I need is someone poking around in my head. Taking a deep breath, I lower my voice. “Please. I promise I’m fine. Can you just get me away from all these people?”

“Done.” He glances at the throng bunched up against the dessert bar. “I’d like to carry you, but that will attract too much attention. Can you walk?”

Can I? My legs wobble like Jell-O, but even gelatin can stand when it has the proper support. “I think so.”

Keeping an arm tightly around my back, he guides me to the exit. A few heads turn in our direction—but nobody even blinks. What do you know? Apparently, one of Bandit’s many talents includes putting on a front to deceive other people. Interesting.

We exit the ballroom, cross the grand lobby, and enter a small conference room, which is thankfully empty. The breath rushes from my lungs.

Bandit doesn’t let go until he eases me into a rolling chair at the oval-shaped board table.

“Don’t move,” he says in a low voice. “I’ll be right back.”

I lean against the chair and close my eyes. I’m tired, so tired. All the energy seems to leak through my feet into the plush carpet. Maybe this is what happens when not just your mind but also your body is occupied by another being.

Seconds or minutes later, I hear the squeak of the door and quick, steady footsteps. I creak open my eyelids. Bandit places a bottle of water on the table, along with a heaping plate of dessert. To my immense relief, he also puts a whole cupcake next to the plate.