In Between Minds: The Unexpected Gift

I held the vision of Valentina tightly in my mind.

"Grandmother, your name isn't Valentina, is it?" It wasn't really a question.

"N-no, child."

I studied Valentina closely. She was young, perhaps five or six years old, with pale blue eyes that hinted at more than a little bit of mischief. Except in visions, I had never seen her before. If she existed as anything other than my imagination, I could not tell whether I was looking at the past, present or future.

_What are you doing?_ she asked again, and I could sense the odd blend of curiosity and annoyance in her voice. I could not find the words to answer.

Deep within, _she_ began to calmly rise toward me, offering me a slender, shimmering thread. Astonished, I took it and unraveled it: _Valentina's in my arms. She's two. We're both smiling._

Camp 32 hadn't stolen my memories of my daughter. They were securely sequestered within me, hidden beneath unfathomable layers of pain where no one could find them.

_Valentina, Mommy is coming to get you._