for a few moments, just staring at each other.
?Close your eyes,? he whispered. Helen?s heart was racing and
she had a feeling Lucas could hear it.
184/395
?Calm down,? he said, smiling with his eyes closed. ?Try and slow
your pulse down if you can.?
?I?m trying. Do you have to stand so close?? Helen asked, her
voice thin and shaky.
?Yes. I don?t want you to get away from me. That would be bad,?
he said in a deadpan voice, maintaining his concentration. A few
seconds passed. When he next spoke he sounded very calm and far
away.
?Now. Focus on your body. Take a deep breath and follow it in,
like your brain is floating gently inside that air you?re breathing.?
He waited a few moments for Helen to get to where he was.
It took her a few breaths, but eventually she was able to do it. He
knew exactly when she was ready. ?Good. Now you?re inside of
yourself,? he said triumphantly. ?Can you feel the weight of you, all
stacked up and all tied together??
She did feel it. She could feel the weight of her skin on top of her
muscles on top of her bones, all stacked up, just like he had said.
There were millions and millions of little bits of her, all marching
around like soldiers with different but cohesive orders. Those were
her cells, she realized at once. She giggled, thinking how strange it
was to be this massive army and never feel it. She heard Lucas
laugh, too, and she knew that he was right there with her, experiencing
what she was experiencing.
?Now I want you to do something really hard,? he said, his voice
light and curious, almost childlike. ?I want you to stay inside, but
also look out, if you can. Don?t be scared. I?m right here with you.?