Chapter 9
The sunlight that streams from the courtyard’s skylights is clear and bright. It touches my face, my eyelids. The air tastes almost clean. It’s like someone unloaded an entire bottle of air freshener into the space. The staleness lingers, not completely banished, but it’s muted. You could forget about it, pretend it isn’t there.
From all around me comes the bustle and noise of the mall—the chi-ching of a cash register, footfalls of people rushing past, chatter and laughter that can only mean a group of teenagers. Every time I spin around, try to catch an image to match the sound, nothing but emptiness greets me.
I consider my options. Leave? Find Malcolm? Try to do both? I scan the Crystal Court. Clearly, he’s not here, hiding behind the fountain or in the glass-sided elevator
