The morning light filtered through the floor-to-ceiling windows of Room 4410.
Today was Neville's day off, and here he was surrounded by bowls of pearls like a jewelry appraiser.
At least, Shelly wasn't here to judge his impromptu setup.
Neville's fingers drummed against the counter as he stared at the white and black pearls separated into their respective containers.
To make this work and give Shelly a chance for an early comeback, he absolutely could not think about what she said or dig deeper.
Neville grabbed a black pearl, rolling it between his thumb and forefinger. The surface was cool and impossibly smooth, like touching solidified shadow.
The memory of watching one of these transform from midnight black to pristine white after absorbing ocean water still made his curiosity itch.
If ocean water works, what about...
