Chapter 26
Darren woke, and his bedroom was dim.
Never mind that the sun was pushing effortlessly past the curtains. Never mind that Mother had opened the door to remind him to get up and ready for school. Never mind that Misha had obviously been on the rampage, turning all the lights in the house on again, and his bedside lamp had been a victim, glowing wetly not a foot from his head.
The room was still dim.
It felt dim. He felt as though he was watching the ceiling through a thin veil. He felt heavy, like something was pressing his limbs back into the mattress, a solid weight on his shoulders and face. He felt exhausted, so utterly lethargic that the sounds of Misha wailing and Father’s low cadence were like a film set too quiet, and listened to underwater. Even the motion of breathi
