My desk light was intruding on my attempted seclusion, so I added a pillow over the top of my face.
I concentrated very carefully on the music, trying to understand the lyrics, to unravel the complicated drum patterns. By the third time I'd listened through the CD, I knew all the words to the choruses, and mumble-sang my way through everything else. I'd have to thank Phil again for the swell jams.
And it worked. The shattering beats made it impossible for me to think until, finally, I fell asleep.
I opened my eyes to a familiar place. Aware in some corner of my consciousness that I was dreaming, I recognized the green light of the forest. I could hear the waves crashing against the rocks somewhere nearby. And I knew that if I found the ocean, I'd be able to see the sun, my precious sun. I was trying to follow the sound, but then Squaw Black was there, except he wasn't the Squaw I knew; he'd been turned into a loaf of Squaw bread and was tugging on my hand, pulling me back toward the darkest part of the forest.
"Squaw? What's wrong?" I asked. His face was unleavened as he yanked with all his strength against my resistance; I didn't want to go run in the dark.
"Run, Bella, you have to run!" he whispered somehow, terrified.
"This way, Bella!" I recognized Mike's neigh calling out of the gloomy heart of the trees, but I couldn't see him.
"Why?" I asked, still pulling against Squaw's loaf-grasp, desperate now to find the sun.
But Squaw let go of my hand and yelped, suddenly

131

Chapter 7

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