even more surprising , she is not in her room . instead , lex finally finds her in the dining room , which is empty except for her and a man in a wheelchair . when she notices him , serena offers lex a smile -- half-amused , half-quizzical -- and beckons him across the room . '' frank , this is my son , lex

'' once again , you must practice what to do with your arms , but apart from that , it was great . '' '' i ca n't say the same for your conversation . it leaves a lot to be desired , '' i said . '' is there something between you and charlotte or not ? '' '' i thought you were n't a bit interested in what was going on between me and charlotte

i almost fell in my urgency to get to my feet . the floor lifted and settled , and i steadied my balance on the arm of the sofa . dots of light and dark swam before my eyes . '' celeste ? '' i felt drunk with the effort i had to put into making myself heard . i got hold of my voice and tried again , '' celeste

before someone asked who he was , the teacher informed , '' class , this is joshua . he 's 17 and has been transferred from the united states of america . let me tell you in advance that his parents are portuguese , so it is n't necessary for any girls to volunteer as translators , if you know what i mean . you may sit down wherever you want ,
joshua