The Appearance of Annie van Sinderen

“Wow,” she remarks. “This one’s nice. How much this set you back, anyway?”


“It was something you said, actually,” I say to Annie.

Sheila pans from Tyler, sitting cross-legged on the floor and trying to catch his breath, and I can hear from the sounds of the focus that she’s zooming in. She reaches me, and then she pans a little farther.

Then she says, “Great God in Heaven,” and slowly lowers the camera to her lap. Her mouth falls open, and her eyes well with tears.

I turn to Annie and smile. She reaches forward and brushes the mop of hair off my forehead, grinning.

“It’s possible to see the truth,” I say. “You just can’t look at it too closely.”





CHAPTER 10


Sheila MacDougall refused to accept our money, which I could tell was a first for her. But she was really, really anxious for us to leave. She hustled us out so fast I had to hang on to the banister because I was worried I’d trip and fall down the stairs. She slammed the door after us, and we could all hear the dead bolt thrown once it was closed.

“Are you freaking SERIOUS?” Tyler is shouting when we all land on the stoop outside.

I’m hugging Annie to my chest, feeling the soft tickle of her curls against my neck.

“I was afraid I wasn’t going to see you again,” I whisper in the shell pink of her ear while Tyler freaks out in the background.

“I know,” she says into my shirt. Her arms go tighter around my waist.

“This cannot be freaking HAPPENING,” Tyler shouts, his eyes bright with excitement.

I cup the back of Annie’s head in my hand. Her hair is so soft. Underneath the familiar musk of her hair, I can smell the gunpowder on her, like she’s been sitting too close to a campfire. That smoky-clothes smell. I close my eyes and breathe her in.

I’m distracted by a tugging at my shoulder, and open my eyes to find Tyler rummaging in my camera bag. “What’re you doing?” I ask him.

“I’m sorry, man,” he says. “But there is no way I’m not filming this. I don’t even care. This is freaking amazing.” He glances at Annie with a shy look and laughs with disbelief.

Settings done, recording button on, Tyler fixes my camera to his eye and trains it on us. Annie withdraws against me, but laughs while she does it.

“Does your friend know there’s blueing all around his eyes?”

“Yes,” I say directly into the camera. “He knows. He thinks he’s Billy Idol.”

“Please,” Tyler says. “Billy Corgan. But you guys! Do you realize you basically just gave that medium, like, a reason to live?”

“What’s he talking about?” Annie asks out of the side of her mouth.

“You,” I answer. “That woman thought she was just a scam artist, but it turns out she’s really talented. She totally brought you back when we asked her to. God, her face! Did you see it? You scared the crap out of her!”

“Ha!” Annie says, rather than laughs. “She did not either.”

“Are you guys hungry?” Tyler asks, then to Annie he says, “Can you even eat?”

Annie’s eyebrows go up. “You don’t waste any time, do you?” she says.

“No. I’m Tyler,” he says, camera still in his face, sticking his hand out for her to shake.

“How do you do, Tyler.” Annie seems amused. “I’m Annie.” She takes his hand and pumps it up and down mock-manfully.

I realize I’m holding her to me with my arm around her shoulders, clutching her to me, and I haven’t let go just yet.

I should probably let go.

But I don’t.