taken Elijah to a new evac shelter on a “trial basis,” I sit on our living-room floor next to the discarded Monopoly board. Struz is at another meeting off base, and Jared has already gone to bed, and I wonder if I’ll ever be able to sleep again.
If I’ll be able to close my eyes and see nothing, rather than seeing the faces of the people I’ve lost.
If I’ll ever forget the curl to Ben’s hair or the way his half smile always looked like a secret he shared with only me. If I’ll ever be able to remember him without feeling that ache in my bones and that throb in my chest—if I’ll ever get over missing him and the way I felt when his arms were around me. And if I want to.
Then I hear it.
The high-pitched tone of something electronic powering up—or someone opening a portal.
For a split second, it’s like someone has drained all the air from my lungs, and I think Chuckles or someone else has not only caught up with me but traced me back to my family. But then I remember who I am and what I’ve just accomplished.
I stand up and reach for the iron poker next to the fireplace.
The portal is there, a black hole in our living room, and the cool, wet, never-ending scent of possibility moves through the room and raises goose bumps on my skin. I tighten my grip on the poker.
The portal ripples a little, like a pool of ink. But no one comes through yet. It hangs there, suspended by nothing, and I’m struck by the enormity of just how incredible this is. The idea of something that seemingly violates every law of the natural world being not only possible but also something that’s become ingrained in my life.
Right when I think it’s about to flicker out of existence, Ben steps through.
He looks exactly like he did when I last saw him.
“What are you doing here?”
He smiles, probably because my voice sounds so breathy, and then he says, “I missed you.”
I don’t know what to say to that.
Luckily, I don’t have to say anything, because Ben eyes the poker. “You expecting someone else?”
I put it down on the kitchen counter and almost say, “I wasn’t expecting you,” but I don’t. Because what I was expecting doesn’t matter. He’s here. Right now.
Instead, I wait for whatever it is he wants to say.
“You know what I love most about you?” he says as he shoves his hands in his pockets.
I smile. Even if I did know, I still want to hear him say it. “Probably not.”
His smile widens. “Don’t get me wrong, I love your face, and your hair, and your eyes, and I love the way you laugh a little too loud and the way you scare me a little when you’re angry, but . . .” Ben runs a hand through his hair. “I love listening to you—your voice, the things you say, everything.”
I’m warm, and a little light-headed, and I wonder again what he’s doing here.
But I try not to hope.
“Do you remember when we went on our first date—I guess our only date?”
I do. I remember it so well, it feels like it was just yesterday.
We sat on a blanket on the edge of Sunset Cliffs. Below us were only rocks and white water crashing against them. We watched the seagulls as they flew in to their rock in the middle of the ocean, landed, and squawked at one another before taking off again. Ben was close enough that he could lean into me, that the heat of his body could keep me warm as the wind from the ocean washed over us. The sun, starting its descent, hung like a huge golden globe near the edge of the water, casting red, orange, pink, and purple streaks in the sky.
It felt like we were the only two people in the world.
I nod. “I do.” How could I really ever forget that?
“The world was falling apart around us, but it didn’t matter. I didn’t care.” His voice cracks a little under the weight of emotion, and I take a step toward him. I want to wrap him in my arms and make him promise to never leave me again. “At that moment, I knew I wasn’t alone anymore. Because I had you. This world may not be my home, but four months ago, when I went back to my world, that wasn’t home either.”
His eyes are glassy with tears, and his hand reaches out to cup my cheek.
“Janelle, you’re my home.”
I pull him to me, feel his lips as they touch mine, and I’m not sure if I should laugh or cry.
Ben seems to know what I’m thinking. I feel him smile against my lips.
Everything else in the world seems to fall away. The space between us evaporates. One moment we’re a foot apart, the next every inch of Ben’s body is pressed into mine. The soft scent of mint and soap—the smell of Ben—fills my senses, and I hold on to him tighter, pull him closer, kissing him, tasting his tongue as I feel his hands on my back and tangling in my hair. The strength of his arms around me makes my heart beat faster; I’m feverish and I can’t tell where I end and he begins.
Nothing has ever felt so right.
Everything that tried to stand between us doesn’t matter now. We might have broken a little.
But now we’re stronger in those broken places.
And we’re going to face whatever comes next together.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Writing my sophomore book was a much different experience than writing my debut. This book would never have been possible without the slew of amazing people who brainstormed ideas, kept me on deadline, and still managed to make me laugh. Special thanks to Dan, Joanna, and Sarah.
I’m insanely grateful to the team at Balzer + Bray who have put so much faith in Janelle and Ben’s story, especially Kristin Rens and Sara Sargent, who read the monstrous five-hundred-page first draft. Because of them, this book is a complete novel with no plot holes, and it’s shorter. I also owe huge thanks to the marketing and publicity teams, who were so fabulous and supportive: Caroline Sun, Alison Lisnow, Emilie Polster, Stephanie Hoffman, Molly Thomas, and Stephanie Macy.
I’d also like to thank everyone else at HarperCollins who worked behind the scenes. Special thanks to Alison Donalty and Alison Klapthor, who designed the amazing covers; Caitlin Garing with audio; Jean McGinley in subrights; and everyone at HarperCollins Children’s in the UK and Australia: Nicholas Lake, Rachel Denwood, Alison Ruane, Sam White, Lara Wallace, and Elizabeth Ryley.
As always, a huge thank-you to Janet Reid, Pouya Shahbazian, and Steve Younger. And to my family and friends who have been so supportive, and all my former students, who are some of the best people I’ve ever met.
Most of all, thank you to everyone who read Unraveling.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Courtesy of the author
ELIZABETH NORRIS briefly taught high school English and history before trading the San Diego beaches and sunshine for Manhattan’s chilly winters. She harbors dangerous addictions to guacamole, red velvet cupcakes, sushi, and Argo Tea, fortunately not all together. She is also the author of Unraveling. You can visit Elizabeth online at www.elizabethnorrisbooks.com.
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ALSO BY ELIZABETH NORRIS
Unraveling
CREDITS
Cover art © 2013 by Howard Huang and Margaret Malandruccolo / MergeLeft Reps, Inc. and Theo Aartsma
Source art: Yulia Mustakimova
Cover design by Alison Klapthor
COPYRIGHT
Balzer + Bray is an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
UNBREAKABLE. Copyright © 2013 by Elizabeth Norris. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
* * *
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.
ISBN 978-0-06-210376-5
EPub Edition March 2013 ISBN 9780062103789
* * *
13 14 15 16 17 LP/RRDH 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
FIRST EDITION
ABOUT THE PUBLISHER
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Table of Contents
Dedication
Part One 07:15:01:55
07:00:45:13
07:00:40:53
07:00:38:22
07:00:38:21
06:12:21:53
06:12:14:43
06:11:52:37
06:11:37:11
06:11:33:28
06:11:27:56
06:11:20:45
06:11:01:03
05:17:37:43
05:17:21:49
05:17:15:12
05:17:11:02
05:17:09:58
05:17:04:14
05:17:01:46
05:16:53:35
05:16:21:57
05:16:19:03
05:05:23:13
05:05:02:35
05:03:08:12
05:02:57:43
05:02:03:15
05:01:44:59
05:01:42:58
05:01:37:26
Part Two 05:01:37:14
05:01:09:07
05:01:05:31
05:00:06:31
04:23:55:49
04:23:41:45
04:23:05:17
04:23:02:33
04:22:41:19
04:21:52:30
04:21:39:34
04:21:07:11
04:20:48:23
04:20:00:29
04:19:32:58
04:18:47:12
04:18:12:49
04:18:11:20
04:18:09:04
04:11:47:08
04:10:01:45
04:01:00:00
04:00:43:06
04:00:42:03
04:00:39:53
04:00:39:52
04:00:32:46
03:22:56:02
03:22:08:38
03:22:05:08
03:22:04:29
03:20:17:25
03:11:20:57
03:11:05:00
03:11:00:00
03:10:58:49
03:10:58:36
03:10:58:35
03:10:58:10
03:10:57:24
03:10:56:58
03:10:56:57
03:10:54:58
03:10:46:02
03:10:45:38
03:10:37:14
03:10:29:57
03:02:29:57
03:01:11:36
03:00:47:36
02:23:49:27
02:22:51:42
02:22:42:52
02:22:39:00
02:22:09:47
02:22:07:18
02:22:07:12
02:21:55:32
02:19:41:29
02:19:32:16
02:18:29:54
02:18:24:44
02:17:01:14
02:16:49:43
02:16:38:51
02:16:00:11
02:16:00:10
02:15:22:04
02:11:17:49
02:11:06:14
02:06:00:00
02:05:44:22
02:05:38:29
02:05:32:49
02:05:30:06
01:13:27:41
01:13:19:21
01:13:06:41
01:12:44:28
01:12:40:07
01:11:59:31
01:11:47:56
01:02:38:27
01:02:30:27
00:18:20:05
00:17:59:55
00:17:58:52
00:17:54:51
00:17:42:57
00:17:42:02
00:17:34:18
00:17:31:25
Part Three 00:17:26:17
00:16:51:44
00:16:51:43
00:16:48:09
00:15:40:37
00:15:32:19
00:15:28:19
00:14:43:54
00:14:41:27
00:14:38:25
00:14:34:19
00:09:06:30
00:09:01:21
00:08:55:26
00:08:50:59
00:08:49:57
00:08:46:56
00:08:41:27
00:08:36:27
00:08:36:17
00:08:36:16
00:08:36:09
00:08:36:08
00:08:35:01
00:08:28:57
The questioning lasts for hours
According to Hayley and Jimmy
Hours after I’ve told them everything
I don’t have time to ask anything else
A few hours later
Because of me
Looking across the chasm
As I head down the hallway
It’s just past dawn
The front door opens easily
After Hayley has gone back
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Also by Elizabeth Norris
Credits
Copyright
About the Publisher