“Petey. What happens if it is reborn?”

  He didn’t know. He was out of words. He opened his mind to her. He showed sister Astrid images of the great sphere he had built, the barrier that had pushed all the rules and laws away, the barrier made of the gaiaphage, that had become the egg for its rebirth, the numbers all twisted together, fourteen, and the twisting, screaming distortion when anything passed through from one universe to the other, and now sister Astrid was screaming and holding her head; he could see it in the avatar, funny screaming, like words that popped and exploded around him and—

  He pulled away.

  He was hurting her.

  He’d done it. With his clumsy fingers and his stupid, stupid stupidness, he had hurt her.

  Her avatar twirled away like a snowflake in a storm.

Fear, Chapter 33