Fender hooks his fingers together. “No, no, nothing.”

“Good. Then there’s something I’d like to say.”

“Oh.”

“You are such a jerk.” The words come out less forcefully than I intended, but their effect is strong enough.

Fender’s mouth falls open and he stares at me in disbelief. A muscle beside his eye is twitching.

“It’s bad enough that you attack me with words every day, but if you ever put your hands on me again…”

I’m shaking, but now I can’t stop.

“You went too far, and I’m not going to stand for it. You can’t treat people like that.”

Fender nods slowly but still doesn’t say a word.

He’s actually not that scary at all. Why didn’t I see that before?

“Okay. Then I’d like to leave now.” I stand up.

Fender stands between me and the door.

“I want to go to my room.”

“You can’t.” Fender holds out his arms to block the way.

“It’s my room!”

“Just stay here for a while.”

What is going on? I try to get around Fender, but he just moves with me.

“Let me past,” I say.

“No.”

My heart is pounding faster and faster. I can feel my whole body heating up.

No, please, not now…

I glance back, but there’s only a window. The only way out is this one.

“Get out of the way.”

My hands are sweating, my head is tingling, my lungs are wheezing. Everything in my body is changing so quickly that I can’t keep up with it.

I push against Fender’s chest, but he’s like a block of concrete.

“I…”

“Linnea?” I hear him say, but my name falls, along with me, into a black hole.

Fender

Linnea collapses. I grab hold of her upper arms, but too late. She collapses to the floor, with her right leg bent under her.

“Linnea?!”

I rest my index and middle fingers on her neck and feel her heartbeat. She’s still breathing.

Did she faint? But why?

I look around. She can’t stay on the floor like that. I have to move her to the bed.

Linnea feels as heavy as lead, as if her whole body is working against me. With all my strength, I heave her up. As I lay her on the bed, her head flops onto my pillow. Her blond braid lies to one side.

She looks like her.

I don’t want to see the resemblance, but it’s there.

They have the same full lips, the same color hair, and the same freckles around their noses. Why did I never notice that before?

Linnea groans quietly.

I hurry to the bathroom and, as I’m coming back with a glass of water, Linnea’s eyes flutter open. They roll back in her head twice, but then focus on me.

“Fender?”

I take a step back.