She landed on one of my shoulders and turned her eyes to stare straight into mine. Her look of unperturbed composure and nonchalance astonished me to the point that I found myself gazing back at her while considering the thoughts that she may be having at that same moment. When she reached out with her warm hand to the side of my face, she stroked it as if she were rubbing the head of a pet.

"Good job, Lydia."She complimented me out of nowhere, but the look on her face remained the same as when she said it. "You did an excellent job hanging on until I came," she added.I...