There was a water park near the Stonem home in Bristol, the place Effy always went to when she needed an escape, or just some quiet. Without her parents, the island is significantly calmer, and she doesn't really need that any more, a spot where she can run to. She has a hut all to herself for that. Some days, though, she finds herself feeling ( Read more... )

There are many reasons Effy chose a hut close to the waterfall, the most relevant of which is that the sounds of water cascading soothe her, and perhaps also that it is relatively isolated, nowhere near as crowded as any given area of the Compound. Granted, she had to brave the rec room in order to find the book she is now reading, but thus far, ( Read more... )

Last night is a haze; sound and color form a sort of unfinished collage - vivid in some parts, an utter puzzle in others. Effy can't remember falling asleep, or getting home, for that matter. But the ground underneath her feels like just that - ground. Suddenly, she feels painfully and stiffly aware that she isn't lying her own bed ( Read more... )