Raven Rise by D.J. MacHale Page B

like that?”
    The nurse poked her head in tentatively through the curtain, as if not wanting to expose the rest of her body to the germ-infested enclosure. She had a thick white mask over her mouth and nose. Her eyes went wide with wonder when she looked upon Alexander, who lifted his head off the pillow to greet her.
    â€œMorning, mum,” he called cheerily. “Might there be some toast about for brekkie? I’m famished.”
    The nurse’s eyes grew even wider. She drifted through the curtains, her eyes trained on Alexander. She approached the bed, hesitated, then lifted her hand to touch his forehead. She instantly pulled her hand back, as if Alexander were electrified.
    â€œAlexander,” she whispered in astonishment. “Your fever’s broken.”
    Alexander answered, “I didn’t break it, mum. I promise.”
    The nurse didn’t remove her mask, but Alexander could tell she was smiling. “Well, maybe you did and maybe you didn’t, but there’s one thing for sure…it’s a miracle.” She backed away from the boy, finally pulling off her mask. Her smile was as big and broad as Alexander thought. It made him smile as well. “It’s a miracle!” she repeated and ran off through the curtains, calling, “Doctor! Doctor! Come quickly!”
    Alexander lay there smiling. He wasn’t sure why. He felt good, that was for certain, but after all, it was only a dream. He thought he would wake up soon enough, to be right back where he’d started, shivering and in pain. His only hope was that this glorious dream would last a while longer.
    He shifted his weight to get a better view of the window overhead. That’s when he felt it. There was something in his hand. He hadn’t noticed up until then because he hadn’t moved much. But when he went to pivot his body, he realized that something was in his right hand. He squeezed it. It was hard, like a small stone. Or a marble. A shooter marble. But he didn’t remember bringing a marble to bed with him, and the nurses definitely wouldn’t have allowed it. With more than a little curiosity, Alexander used his left hand to pull the thin blanket away. He didn’t need it anymore. He was plenty warm enough. Once the covering was gone, Alexander lifted his hand to see what the mysterious object was.
    His first thought was that it was beautiful. He had never seen anything like it. It wasn’t a stone, or a marble. Not even close. There was some fine workmanship involved in making this treasure. It had to be valuable. No doubt about that. Did it belong to one of the doctors? Why would they give it to him? Alexander raised the object up to his face to give it a closer look.
    It was a silver ring with a large gray stone set in the center. Surrounding the stone were markings—ten in all. They were like no letters Alexander had ever seen. They were more like ancient characters from some unknown language. He turned the ring over in his hand and stared at the gray stone. It didn’t look like a valuable jewel. It was definitely cut and polished, but the stone itself was gray and drab.
    Though not for long. As he looked at it, the stone began to sparkle. This didn’t frighten Alexander, or even surprise him. The stone transformed from opaque gray to brilliant crystal. The light that flickered inside it seemed alive. Alexander looked deep into this magical gem, and smiled.
    â€œMaybe it is a miracle,” he said to himself.
    He would have continued staring into the flickering light if something else hadn’t grabbed his attention. Another shadow flashed by the window overhead. This time it didn’t continue on. Alexander looked up to see that something had stopped to rest on a branch just outside the glass. It was a large black bird. A raven. Alexander couldn’t tell for sure, but it felt to him as if the dark bird was looking down at him.
    â€œThis isn’t a dream,