Page 62 of Her Magic Light

I didn’t want to be a killer to get what I needed, though.

twenty-three

Shit.

Wealmostpassed right by the cafeteria, and it was like Coop had brought me here on purpose—we hadn’t needed to come anywhere near here. Not to reach the rooms where I’d seen Dr. Anderson before. I had been elated when I thought we weren’t going in. Then he paused, peering through the windows into the cafeteria.

“I hoped it might be empty,” he said suddenly. “Wait here.” He walked inside and reappeared moments later with some sort of pastry. “Here.” He offered it to me.

He’d been gone so little time I hadn’t had a chance to seize any sort of opportunity to escape, and realistically, where would I have gone? Plus, part of me wanted to prove Coop’s trust in me, which seemed stupid when I considered it, but the feeling remained.

I took the mascarpone pastry. The sweet cheese filled the middle of the large croissant. My stomach grumbled, and my mouth watered.

“Eat it on the way.” He issued the command, and he didn’t wait for my reply before he turned and continued to walk away.

I took a huge bite of the flakey pastry and crammed the rest into my mouth as we walked down the hallway. I left a bread crumb trail behind, but I didn’t care. The thing was delicious. After I finished, Coop handed a bottle of water to me over his shoulder, and I finished that, too. Then I wiped at my face and dusted pastry flakes off my chest.

Less than ten minutes later, Coop knocked on Dr. Anderson’s door, but there was no reply. He knocked again and bent his head closer, listening, but he shook his head.

“Not there.”

“Was he expecting us?” It seemed off that he wouldn’t be in his office.

Coop nodded, the movement abrupt. “Might have been called away.”

“We could wait inside for him?” Even standing in the dark control table room sounded better than standing in this gloomy corridor.

I didn’t have the best memories of having been in the room before, but I couldn’t avoid going back in there, so it might as well be on my terms.

As if he could read my thoughts, Coop just stared in my direction, and one eyebrow rose above the frame of his glasses. Everything about his expression asked me if I was sure, but he didn’t utter a word. Then he nodded and pressed the handle down to open the door.

We stepped inside the room and Coop stopped abruptly. I grazed my nose against his back then stepped out from behind him.

The shutters around the room were wide open, and sunlight streamed through them. Even with the sunglasses on, I could tell the sun was bright and clear and… pure. It felt pure as it landed on my skin.

I held my arms out and turned around as I had the first time I was in this room, basking in it. It was an old friend—one I’d missed. I almost greeted it out loud but bit my tongue. Coop really would think I’d lost it if I started talking to the sunlight.

But it was almost as if I could absorb every positive effect of it directly through my skin. Energy coursed through me, and I closed my eyes, focusing completely as my body came alive with something positive and glorious. Puddles of light filled the room, and I wanted to splash through them all. This was the exact opposite of whatever Dr. Anderson had done to me when he made me stand in the shadowed corner.

It was as though something inside me had woken up and was stretching before coming fully awake. Still ready to burst from me, but only positivity radiated from that deliciously full feeling. It wasn’t tight and constrictive. Or choking.

I opened my eyes and really took in the room. The doors to the balcony stood wide open, and the outside—the actual outside—was like a magnet, drawing me forward, luring me to stand in the fresh air and bask some more.

This all seemed too good to be true. I’d wished for sunlight merely minutes ago, and now here it was—pretty much mine for the taking.

I sneaked a look at Coop and slipped the sunglasses from my face, casually holding them in a loose fist as I returned my hand to my side.Nothing to see here. He turned his head in my direction, and I froze, but he didn’t say a word.

He didn’t even say anything or try to stop me as I took a tentative step toward the open doors. Instead, he simply fell into step behind me this time, and he followed me as I slowly made my way forward—this still could all just be a trap. If I trod in the wrong area, maybe all of the shutters would fall, the doors would close, and I’d be denied.

But nothing like that happened.

Alarms didn’t blare, and Coop didn’t seem like my behavior disturbed him.

I squinted as the sunlight grew stronger with each step toward the doors. The warmth here kissed my skin, breathing life over me, and I trembled in anticipation. The balcony railings were mere steps away, and I crossed the space before Coop could change his mind and hold me back.

Yet he joined me as I took a proper look out over the strange yard that bounced light and split it and created as many rainbows as it did golden drops of sunshine. I raised my hands in the light. Then I lowered them.

“Beautiful,” I murmured, but he didn’t say a word.

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