"I WAS ATLAS."

"What do you mean?" Pyra asked. Silas sat next to her, staring down at his small hands on the table. "Did you have a bad dream?"

"It was like a dream," Silas said. "I knew it was real, though. I wasn't thinking like me anymore. I was mad and scared, and I was hurt. I wanted to kiss Sal, but I knew she didn't like me that way, whatever that means."

"Sounds like a nightmare to me," said Pyra, gently ruffling his hair. "Sometimes, when we're scared in ...