Wither

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Thanks to my wonderful family, for all their support, love, and warmth. And an extra special thanks to my little cousins for being so magical and for boosting my imagination and spirits when I needed it most.

Thanks to my fifth- and seventh-grade teachers, for reading my earliest writing endeavors and not burning them, and for introducing me to the idea that I could publish a book.

Thanks to Dr. Susan Cole, Professor Charles Rafferty, and my former classmates at Albertus Magnus College for all of the writing workshops, and to Ms. Deborah Frattini and Dr. Paul Robichaud, who each introduced me to new authors that, to this day, influence everything I write.

Thanks to the dazzling, otherworldly creature that is my agent, Barbara Poelle, for all of her brilliance and optimism, and without whom this story would never have been realized. To my fantastic editor, Alexan-dra Cooper, for sharing this vision with me. To Lizzy Bromley for the heart-stopping cover. To the cast and crew at Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers for all of the hard work and for being so wonderful and enthusiastic.

Thanks to Allison Shaw, who huddled over pages of my manuscripts in classrooms and restaurants and book-store cafes, and who never gave a halfhearted critique—everything I write is better for it. To Harry Lam for all of those long phone calls helping me sort out details, and for being so logical and for always challenging me. To Amanda Ludwig-Chambers for being the ultimate and most poetic of fans. To April Plummer for reading the earliest draft of this story and offering up her suggestions and encouragement. To Laura Smith for being my fellow tortured artist and for cheering me on. And to everyone else who supported my pursuits and read snap-shots of this story piecemeal in IMs and e-mail, offering their thoughts and advice. I could never have done this alone.

I wait. They keep us in the dark for so long that we lose sense of our eyelids. We sleep huddled together like rats, staring out, and dream of our bodies swaying.