12KATHERINE’S STARRY MOOD was gone. What was clear now was how inconsequential her life had been so far compared to the realities she was now being exposed to on this island. She had mistakenly assumed that just because she was surrounded by nature here that she could exist like nature did—complete unto its own, in its essence co-existing with the past, present and future. The truth had a more chilling effect on her than the cool sea breeze that night. The things that used to make sense had been transformed into illusions of her own making. As she also made a mental countdown of the remaining time before she and Phirun joined the children in the campfire, she couldn’t suppress her fears.
Katherine wanted to scold herself for this inappropriate behavior; the children she would be facing to
