Acknowledgments

 This was a massive undertaking¹, and it would have been an impossible one without the help of my Dream Team of research helpers.

 My usual suspects: Betty Martin, Lisa Schiermeier, Nick Giaccone, Frank Moran, David Toub, Jennifer Sternick, Jennifer Sobel, Claire Demarais, JoAnn Mapson, Jane Picoult.

 Two ladies with the grace to help rape² victims find a fragile peace: Laurie Carrier and Annelle Edwards.

 Three terrific young women who let me peek³ into the life of a teenager: Meredith Olsen, Elise Baxter, and Andrea Desaulniers.

 The entire team at Atria Books and Goldberg McDuffie Communications, especially Judith Curr, Karen Mender, Jodi Lipper, Sarah Branham, Jeanne Lee, Angela Stamnes, Justin Loeber, and

 Camille McDuffie.

 Laura Gross, who goes above and beyond the call of agent duty on a daily basis.

 Emily Bestler, who said all the wonderful, right things I needed to hear when I gave her a book that was like nothing she’d ever seen before.

 Joanne Morrissey, who gave me a refresher course on Dante and whom I’d most like to be stranded⁴ with in hell.

 My own personal comic book superheroes: Jim Lee, Wyatt Fox, and Jake van Leer.

 Pam Force, for the opening poem.

 My Alaskan hosts: Annette Rearden, and Rich and Jen Gannon.

 Don Rearden, who is not only an excellent writer (one who probably regrets ever saying, “Hey, if you ever want to go to the Alaskan bush . . .”) but also generous to a fault with his own knowledge and experience. And who guided me into the bush and, months later, to my last page.

 Dustin Weaver⁵, the comic book penciler who said he thought this might be fun. Quite simply: You drew the soul of this book.

 And finally, thanks to Tim, Kyle, Jake, and Sammy, who give me my happy endings.

 In the very earliest time, when both people and animals lived on earth, a person could become an animal if he wanted to and an animal could become a human being. Sometimes they were people and sometimes animals and there was no difference.

 All spoke⁶ the same language. That was the time when words were like magic. The human mind had mysterious powers. A word spoken by chance might have strange consequences. It would suddenly come alive and what people wanted to happen could happen . . . all you had to do was say it. Nobody could explain this: That’s the way it was.

 “Magic Words,” by Edward Field

 Inspired by the Inuit

1 undertaking   

n.保证，许诺，事业

参考例句：

• He gave her an undertaking that he would pay the money back with in a year.他向她做了一年内还钱的保证。
• He is too timid to venture upon an undertaking.他太胆小，不敢从事任何事业。

2 rape   

n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸

参考例句：

• The rape of the countryside had a profound ravage on them.对乡村的掠夺给他们造成严重创伤。
• He was brought to court and charged with rape.他被带到法庭并被指控犯有强奸罪。

3 peek   

vi.偷看，窥视；n.偷偷的一看，一瞥

参考例句：

• Larry takes a peek out of the window.赖瑞往窗外偷看了一下。
• Cover your eyes and don't peek.捂上眼睛，别偷看。

4 stranded   

a.搁浅的，进退两难的

参考例句：

• He was stranded in a strange city without money. 他流落在一个陌生的城市里， 身无分文，一筹莫展。
• I was stranded in the strange town without money or friends. 我困在那陌生的城市，既没有钱，又没有朋友。

5 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。

6 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。