Escape Artist 
 You have been selected for review by me, due to a package gifted you in "Showering Acts of Joy Garden"  . I have volunteered to help fulfill this reviewing package. I hope you find the review useful, if only to find out how well this particular item is received. Sit back and enjoy the feedback and attention. You deserve it.
 This is a very informative chapter. We learn several things, one of which, Merci is not only a sketch artist, but she is very good at it. This is a talent she has pretty much kept to herself until now. Her ability to capture still life with such detail will come in handy in the near future. I believe this talent will play a key role later on in the story.
Also we learn about Simene's knowledge of the obscure, such as his comments on the swift boats let us know. He is an encyclopedia of knowledge it seems. I believe there is more to this guy than we know and we will continue to learn as time goes on.
 He stared in silent silence...
Also in this paragraph I had another question. Yes, Simene is smart and has a plethora of knowledge stored in his mental data banks. He probably uses more of his brain than you or I do as well, but HOW did he know that the Swift came from Inman's Island? That boat could have been from anywhere. What was special about that boat that pointed toward Inman's Island? It is believable that this happened, but what makes it believable? Where is the connection between the boat and the drawing. There has to be one minute detail that gives it away, something so obscure only someone like Simene would have detected it. Show this to the reader. Is it a leaf stuck to the boat that Merci captured in her drawing that is only native to that island? That is something Simene would know.
 with growing curiously curiosity.
Also in this paragraph was another question. Would adrenaline heat the blood or cool it? Personally I always thought with adrenaline came energy and with energy came heat. Therefore "blood cooling" adrenaline didn't seem to fit, but "blood heating" adrenaline worked for me. Granted I am no expert in this field, but that is my presumption on this. Perhaps this is something to look up or research. Then again, maybe with Merci's pigmentation comes a cooling of blood as in VAMPIRE??? Just something I have been considering.
 energetic connecting connection between...
 The paragraph on fear really touched me. I have read it now six or seven times over the last few days. I have a fear, a very strong fear. I am no longer sure it is the fear of the dark, but of the images my mind conjures up when in the dark. So am I afraid of the dark, or the demons that reside in the dark (even if only in my imagination). Once, I tried to be rational about it. I told myself, I would walk, back to the house, not run. I had taken the dog out to let him do his business. When I got so far out in front of the house, I was on the edge of the darkness. I told myself I was alright as long as I was in the light. But then, I reminded myself of the movie with the woman that when the lights went out came and "Got you". She would bust light bulbs, this witch of a woman. At this point, I started to reason with myself...this is make believe, a television program. This evil is all in my head, my imagination. I will walk back to the house and walk inside as if all is well. By the time I got to the front door, I was so frozen with fear, I could not open the door. When someone else opened it because they heard me trying to get in, they said I was as white as a ghost. What I am trying to say, with so much wind behind my sails, is that you touched on it right to the point when you say "Fear is inherent in all life-forms, but in human's, it's especially disabling."
I like Merci's outlook on fear and her reasoning. It makes perfect sense to me, and I am going to try to incorporate it in my life. This character has now altered my life in a way that will improve it. Don't think I jest or am trying to flatter either. Imagine at times, especially after a demonic type movie has played, not being able to walk down the hall to your bedroom without turning all of the lights on as you go. A mere 25 feet and you can't do it without running if it is dark.
 There is a visual aspect to the way the dialogue with the sisters is displayed that helps to add to the unusual experience. Because of the offset lines for each sister, I was able to detect the three different people speaking. This display made it easier to follow the conversation and understand who was saying what. Very clever indeed.
 I think the title of this chapter is very appropriate. The fact that there was a lot of revealing between characters and it was like show and tell in grade school. These revelations are an integral piece of the puzzle and will lead to a better understanding in the future.
My overall thoughts:
Overall I think this is my favorite chapter thus far. Perhaps it is because it touched me on such a personal level. This conveys so much of how Merci's character came to be as she was molded as a child. This is very revealing and also is something someone like myself can use in every day life.
I look forward to this next chapter and will read on, though I am not sure when I will get to reviewing it. This one only took about three days after the initial read through. Don't give up on me, I will make it through the story. This is one book I don't want to put down. I do hope it is complete, because I would hate to wait for the next installment, though I feel it would be well worth it in the end (this is of course speaking as to the book being done and not 20 chapters later I find I am waiting for another chapter to be written. Though at the pace I am going now, you will probably out write my reading.)
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I liked not only the format used for this poem but also the message it delivers. This puts forth a great look at history and what was compared to what is, in the eyes of looking back. When looking back at what home once was, and now is, the view is changed, whether seeing through rose colored glasses or not. 
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There is a lot of extra spacing between paragraphs that detracts from this short story and allows the reader's eyes to wander on the page. I would suggest tightening it up to allow for better reading. 
Starting a sentence with a conjunction, but, or, and , creates an incomplete sentence for the reader. These three words are coordinate conjunctions used to join sentences or part of sentences that have the same grammatical status. Avoid beginning a new sentence with a coordinating conjunction (for,and,nor,but,or,yet,so). Coordinating conjunctions should be used for connecting between items of the same class within a sentence. In formal or academic writing situations, in particular, they should not be used to introduce a new sentence. Though the use of conjunctions to start sentences is becoming more of a norm in today's writings, it is still frowned upon in many writing circles. When used with slang terminology, the use of conjunctions to start sentences is a commonality. I have now come across two main circumstances where this happens repeatedly. The first is when the writer is putting to print exactly as they speak, and the other is with addressing or speaking to or for a younger audience.
