Ultraviolet (23 page)

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Authors: R. J. Anderson

Tags: #Social Issues, #Emotions & Feelings, #Emotional Problems, #Extraterrestrial Beings, #Juvenile Fiction, #Paranormal, #Mysteries & Detective Stories, #Fiction, #Emotional Problems of Teenagers, #Science Fiction, #Depression & Mental Illness, #General, #Synesthesia

BOOK: Ultraviolet
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INFINITY
(IS EVERY COLOR THERE IS)
You may not believe any of what I’ve just told you. Or you may think only part of it is true. For all I know, you may decide that the explanation Tori gave Dr. Minta is what really happened, and that the parts about the space station and the wormhole were all in my crazed imagination.

Or maybe it’s easier for you to believe that Tori was never found, and Faraday never existed, and I’m still locked up somewhere in Red Ward beating my head against the wall. Maybe you even think you can prove it.

But you’ll be wrong. Because I know what happened, and I know what’s real. No matter what you or anyone else says.

. . .
Once upon a time there was a girl who was extraordinary. She could hear colors, and see sounds, and taste the difference between truth and lies. But hardly anybody knew that, and she preferred to keep it that way.

People thought she’d killed someone, but she hadn’t. They didn’t believe her—some still don’t—but that doesn’t bother her much anymore. Because she has her family and her music and her freedom, and somewhere in the universe is a man with violet eyes who loves her.

And deep down, part of her still believes that one day she’ll see him again.

This is my story.

AUTHOR’S NOTE
Pine Hills, like St. Luke’s, is not a real hospital. It is a compilation of numerous psychiatric institutions for young people in Canada and elsewhere, based on my own research and personal interviews with a number of former psychiatric patients and their families. However, every psychiatric institution is different, even if they operate by similar policies; and every individual’s experience of psychiatric care also varies widely according to their circumstances, personality, and diagnosis. Alison’s story is not meant to represent a normative experience of psychiatric care, and I hope readers will not take it as such. If you are experiencing depression or other symptoms that you fear may indicate mental illness, please talk to your doctor or local mental health organization.

Synesthesia is, as Faraday tells Alison, not a mental illness. It is a testable and well-documented neurological phenomenon which is being studied by researchers around the world. Many synesthetes are unaware that their perceptions are unusual; others are aware of the difference but have no name for it. If you think you or someone you know may be a synesthete, you may find it interesting to go online and check out some of the free tests at The Synesthesia Battery (synesthete.org), or visit the information pages and discussion board at Mixed Signals (
www.mixsig.net
).

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thanks to Sarah Lilly at Orchard Books and Andrew Karre at Carolrhoda Lab, whose sage editorial advice helped me work out many a narrative tangle; and to Josh Adams and Caroline Walsh, my fantastic US and UK agents.

I am also hugely indebted to a number of friends and family whose warm hospitality and encouragement, perceptive critical observations, candid testimonials and/or professional insights into synesthesia, psychiatric care, mental health law, police procedure, and astrophysics helped me greatly as I was researching and writing this book. These include Mark and Lisa Anderson, Pete Anderson, Liz Barr, Nicholas Bohner, Erin Brown, Tad DiBiase, Deva Fagan, Anthony Freeman, Holly Hammershoy LMHC, Brittany Harrison, Edward M. Hubbard PhD, Jonathan K. and the K. family, Doug McNeil, Saundra Mitchell, Hallie and Becca O’Donovan, and Andrew Slater. Thank you all.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
R.J. Anderson (known to her friends as Rebecca) was born in Uganda, raised in Ontario, went to school in New Jersey, and has spent much of her life dreaming of other worlds entirely.

She is the author of several books for young readers, including
Spell Hunter
and
Wayfarer
, which VOYA called “a thrilling, addicting read.”

Visit Rebecca online at
www.rj-anderson.com
.

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