Somewhere Between Water and Sky (Shattered Things #2) (10 page)

Never leave me,
he said. I roll my eyes and feel the anger brimming beneath the surface. If only I knew that
“
never leave me
”
meant more for job security than true love. The fissure within cracks a little more and I let my shoulders slump inward to mind the pain.

Sometimes, a broken heart needs to see the darkness take over to know she
’
s not alone.

I hear steps behind me and bristle involuntarily.

Please don
’
t come sit next to me.

The steps continue toward me and I groan.

Ren laughs quietly.

“
Easy, killer. It
’
s just us. Wouldn
’
t want you jumping off the edge or anything.
”

Jessa skips next to me and pops down on the rock.

“
Oh. It
’
s damp over here. Have you been sprayed?
”

“
A few times.
”

“
Wow. The view is incredible.
”

She points toward a small enclave in front of us.

“
See that fire?
”

The flames light up the darkness blanketing the atmosphere. I nod even though she can
’
t really see me anymore.

“
If you listen closely, you can hear voices of surfers camping out tonight. Technically, that beach is off limits but they come down and hide in some of the caves so they can catch the morning waves.
”

“
They stay over night?
”
I watch the flicker of campfire in the distance and feel a pang of jealousy.

“
Yeah. Can you imagine? I
’
m sure they have grains of sand in their shorts for months.
”

Ren snorts.

It grows quiet and sure enough, the distant sound of laughter reaches us. I wonder what it would be like to feel that sense of adventure again: the rush of adrenaline moving in your veins.

Jessa falls on her back and lifts her arms toward the sky.

“
Ren, will you be my Moondoggie?
”

He
’
s quiet for half a second before bending at his knees next to her head. She drops her arms and tilts her head in his direction. He stares at her and brushes a strand of hair off her forehead.

“
Only if you
’
ll be my Gidget.
”

And then they
kiss.

“
Are you guys serious right now?
”

They don
’
t answer me, too lost in each other
’
s tonsils.

“
Seriously? This is happening?
”

Jessa raises her arm and gives me the finger.

I don
’
t even admit I have no idea what the hell they mean by the Moondoggie and Gidget references. But it
’
s annoying as fuck and I kind of want to push them over the edge. I sigh audibly and scramble to my feet.

“
I
’
ll be waiting in the Jeep.
”

Walking back to the street, I hear Jessa calling after me.
“
Don
’
t act like you didn
’
t want this, Stephanie!
”

“
Glad you came up for oxygen, asshole!
”
I holler back over my shoulder. And then without even thinking, I smile. A pure, genuine and unadulterated smile. I don
’
t even care that I
’
m going home to an empty hotel room.

.::.

We take a different route home, winding down side roads and back streets. I spend a majority of the trip with my head against the backseat, looking up at the stars. They
’
re like shards of broken glass against a black sheet out here
—
vivid and crystal to the touch. I blink and let my eyes grow heavy with the rhythm of the wheels on the road and the wind at my face and the beauty around me.

I
’
m jostled awake by the Jeep going off road.

Opening my eyes I fight to to make out what
’
s going on.

“
What are we doing?
”

“
Jess needs to use the restroom.
”

I nod and close my eyes again, barely noticing a building in the distance behind some of the shrubbery. After a few moments we hear Jessa
’
s voice calling out to us.

“
You guys! Come here. Check this out.
”

Ren groans and rubs his face with his hands before answering with a muffled voice pressed in by his fingers.

“
Jessa. Come on. It
’
s late.
”

She reappears behind a bush.
“
Seriously? You don
’
t even work tomorrow.
”
She points at me.
“
Neither do you.
”
And then motions us with her hand to come join.

Ren and I look at each other. I shrug.

“
Your call, Moondoggie.
”

Leaning his head against the steering wheel he groans again.
“
You don
’
t know the trouble she finds herself in or you wouldn
’
t be saying that, Steph.
”

I laugh.

“
Oh Ren. That
’
s where you
’
re mistaken. Trouble
’
s my middle name.
”

He raises an eyebrow and catches my eye in the rearview mirror before shaking his head.

“
Fuck it. Let
’
s go.
”

And he opens his door and holds it open for me as I hop out and walk toward Jessa.

She
’
s standing in the middle of a small field that used to be a parking lot. Turning to look at us with a glint in her eye, she tilts her head toward the building and smiles.

“
Took you guys long enough.
”

I squint to get a better look at the structure and grimace. It
’
s run down
—
missing doors and shingles. Noting the graffiti and debris around and inside, it
’
s not totally abandoned. I imagine at any moment there are a variation of social misfits and dregs of society claiming this property as their own.

“
Wanna go explore?
”
Jessa
’
s voice is hopeful and full of excitement.

No. No I do not want to go explore.

“
Um
…
.
”

“
Oh come on. It
’
s begging to be explored.
”

I squeeze my hands into fists.
“
It
’
s begging for someone to step on any number of forgotten and rusty drug needles.
”

Ren holds up his hands and then points to the building.

“
Jessa, that
’
s a nightmare waiting to happen.
”

She laughs and then turns around, walking toward the building.

I shake my head, crossing my arms.

“
Fuck
that.
I
’
m not going in there.
”

Ren groans and lifts his face to the sky, beginning to follow her and leaving me behind, dodging broken beer bottles and trash. I hesitate for a few moments, watching the distance between me and them get larger, and then feel a growing sense of being watched.

I turn around quickly, my pulse pounding in my ears; my arms growing heavy.

No one
’
s there.

I bring my hands up to my face and massage my temples.
Breathe, Stephanie. Breathe.
I laugh under my breath and call out to Ren.

“
Hey! Wait up.
”

He stops and Jessa throws her fist in the air in celebration.
“
I
knew
you guys would do this.
”

Ren mutters under his breath and steps in front of Jessa, his phone serving as a flashlight.

“
Just let me go in first?
”

She glowers at him.

“
Whatever.
”

We walk through the door and I look around.

“
Was this a hotel of some kind?
”

Ren points his phone toward an area that looks like a lobby. In the corner on the other side of the room is the stump of what used to be one of those massive office plants. His voice isn
’
t more than a whisper.

“
It looks like it.
”

Something crashes against the floor upstairs and Ren jumps. Jessa screams and flings herself into his arms.

I just stand there, every piece of me tingling. If I thought I could hear my pulse in my ears outside, now it
’
s roaring to life
—
I
’
m pretty sure I feel it in my fingernails.

“
What the
fuck.
”
My breath comes out raspy
—
I
’
m barely moving my lips, as if in moving anything I
’
m giving credence to the noise above us.

Ren sniffs and moves his eyes upward.

“
Hello?
”
A voice from above us wanders across the lobby.

That
’
s a kid
’
s voice,
I think, swallowing my dread.

Our eyes go wide simultaneously. Ren puts his finger over his mouth, signaling for us to be quiet. Jessa
’
s mouthing expletives.

“
I swear to God if it
’
s a fucking clown I
’
m fucking gone.
”

Ren rolls his eyes.
“
You watch too many horror movies. It sounds like a kid. I
’
m going to go up and check it out. You guys stay here.
”

Jessa and I look at each other as he walks away and immediately begin to follow him.

“
Who
’
s here?
”
Ren leads us slowly, his question bouncing off the walls in the hallway we
’
re now walking in
—
rooms on either side of us. There are no doors and nothing inside the rooms until we get to the room by the window
—
the one at the very end of the hallway. We hear scratching inside and then a cough.

“
Shit,
”
Jessa whispers and I can see the vein in her neck bulging. Instinctively, I reach for her hand and give it a quick squeeze before letting go.

Ren taps on the door quietly.

“
Is uh
…
is someone in here?
”

We breathe in collectively.

Pause.

Nothing. Not even the sound of our breathing. We stand there and hold our breath, waiting. All of us staring at the door, hoping for nothing
—
hoping it
’
s all just our imagination.

That
’
s possible right? That we all hear the same nothingness? A rat scratching against the wall in the framework or something?