Chapter 7
Elenda wasn't surprised to see how her face looked in the hospital bathroom mirror when her parents picked her up the next day. The first unnatural elevator reflection had given her a lurid and detailed sneak-peak. The small diamond-shaped view hadn't revealed the reality of her strained neck and back, cracked ribs, and mild concussion.
"I don't understand what you were thinking," her mother said. "It could have been so much worse."
Elenda sat between them in the middle seat of the hospital shuttle, a young woman driving today. She hoped the usual driver hadn't been fired for letting her walk.
"I wasn't thinking anything, Mom. I just wanted to see if I could do it."
Marian turned to stare out the window, but not before blotting a tear with her monogrammed lace handkerchief.
