Coconut Grove Your anger is frightening the sand

She said a few more things and Peregrine attempted to reply, yet still his tongue wouldn't cooperate. It felt thick, dry and strangely tingly. When he went to open and close his mouth, his lips felt peculiar, as if they were partially numb or something. And when he attempted to shift his weight on the sand, everything just felt very off kilter. It was like his muscles weren't connected properly to his brain at the moment.

That thought sent a flash of panic through him. While his body seemed to be failing on him (yet again!), his mind worked, more or less. Granted, it was a bit fuzzy. But he understood that he must have hit his head somehow and lost consciousness. He got that the pretty little girl was trying to help him. He had enough presence of mind to know that the disconnect with his body was downright scary.

When the youth returned, his drab jade eyes followed her. He was thirsty. He bent to drink from the proffered shell—oblivious to its role in this shit show—but found his tongue only flopped out of his mouth haphazardly. It tingled slightly with sensation and when he tried to lap it back into his mouth, he slopped water all over himself. Disregarding this and the anxiety it engendered, he continued to slurp desperately at the cool, fresh fluid.