It wasn't coming fast enough. I couldn't find the connections. There was only one way to bring it back, to bridge the gaps. I had to start somewhere, with what I knew. I had to start with myself and then bridge the gap to Beth. That was the beginning.
I checked with the mirror for the last time and decided that I would pass muster. As far as I could see, I looked like almost any college student.
There wasn't anything I could do about my hair. It hadn't grown at all. It was a mass of short, black ringlets that fit my head like a tight cap. But there was no use worrying about that.
Mrs. Mara came down the hall just as I was locking the door. She looked hurt when she saw me turn the key.
"You don't have to do that in my house," she said. "There's nobody would think of going into your room."
"Of course not," I said. "It's just force of habit, you know."
I smiled and hoped she would pass it off as lightly as I seemed to. The last thing in the world I wanted was to have her get suspicious and go prowling about my room. I felt easier when she smiled back at me.
"Sure. And where are you off to, now?"
"Swimming," I said. "That is, if I can get into the college pool."