Текст книги "Endless"

Автор книги: Kate Brian

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Текущая страница: 11 (всего у книги 15 страниц)

Always Hope

“This is weird. I’m sorry, it’s just too weird,” Liam said, pacing back and forth in front of me near the foot of the bridge on Saturday morning. I rubbed my eyes and tried my best to focus. I hadn’t been able to sleep in my eerily quiet house, so I’d spent half the night freezing my butt off at Pete’s bedside, waiting for him to wake up. I stifled a yawn. It was Liam’s first ushering, and he needed someone to guide him.

He glanced over his shoulder at his charge, Nick, who was gabbing with Fisher about his latest video-game obsession while Fisher did his best to keep up. Over at the bridge, Kevin waited while his latest charge walked through the mist.

The dawn had come today with still no sign of the sun, but the air was noticeably warmer. Instead of bundling into jeans and sweats, everyone was wearing shorts and long-sleeved T-shirts as we gathered again at the bridge, bent on getting as many people across to their final destinations as we could. Early that morning, Krista had ushered the kids over, and every last one of them had gone to the Light. Since then, the area at the base of the bridge had taken on an almost festival-like feel, with a dozen cars parked in a ragged circle, and groups of people chatting around coolers and bags of snacks. Someone’s radio played fifties tunes through a car window, and a wind sock had been tied to the antenna of Bea’s Jeep, its colorful stripes whipping in the breeze.

“I know. The first time is hard,” I said, touching Liam’s arm. He was wearing a bright red T-shirt with a white cross on the front and the word LIFEGAURD emblazoned above it. “But you’re sending him to a good place. He led a good life. He’s supposed to be there.”

Liam nodded, but I wasn’t entirely sure he was hearing me. His eyes were unfocused as he looked at the damp ground beneath our feet. I could only imagine what he was thinking. He’d been here just a few days, and he’d had so much thrown at him, most of it negative, terrifying, uncertain. Deep inside he was probably still wondering if we were crazy. If this was some kind of massive joke. My heart went out to him. It wasn’t that long ago that I felt the exact same way.

“But what about Lalani? Won’t she realize he’s gone? Won’t she be worried about him?” he asked.

I shook my head. “She won’t remember him. It’s part of the Juniper Landing magic. Until she gets to the Light, too, she won’t even remember having had a brother.”

Liam snorted a laugh. “This is insane. It’s just insane.”

“Liam, listen,” I said, reaching for his hand. He stared down at my fingers as if he’d never seen fingers before. “What we do here, it’s important. It’s a calling. A mission. When we send these souls on to their final destinations, we’re helping maintain the balance of the universe.”

I could hear Tristan’s voice in my head, telling me the same thing just a couple of weeks ago, trying to convince me.

“I know things have been out of whack since you’ve been here,” I said, then leaned in closer. “They’ve actually been out of whack since I’ve been here, so I understand you might not exactly trust this place. But I’ve seen the system when it’s working, and I know it’s been working for a long time. It’s up to us to get it back on track.”

Liam sucked in a breath at the same moment the loud, sucking noise split the air and the mist around the bridge swirled. He laughed at the coincidence. Our walkies zipped to life. It was Joaquin’s voice this time on the other end.

“It’s pointing north. Over.”

I smiled slightly. Every time I heard those words it was like a tiny piece of my shattered heart was working its way back into place. Frustratingly, Pete was still unconscious, but it was looking more and more like he’d been working alone. With him locked up safely in jail, the problem was solved. At least this particular problem, anyway. But hopefully Dorn was right. Now that we knew the ushering process was back to normal, everyone could focus on getting my dad, Darcy, and the others out of the Shadowlands.

“New guy! You’re up!” Fisher shouted, clapping his massive hands together.

“You can do this,” I told Liam. “You’re a good person. I know you can do it.”

Liam nodded. “Thanks, Rory. I’m…I’m gonna try.”

He pushed his hands into the pocket of his plaid shorts as he walked over to join Nick. His charge turned to him with a trusting smile, his perfect white teeth practically beaming against the gray sky around us and the fog ceiling overhead. He tipped his head toward Liam as he followed him to the bridge. Whatever Liam was saying to him, it wasn’t causing him any sort of alarm. And after Liam handed him the coin, Nick reached out to shake his hand.

I felt a hitch in the back of my throat as Nick crossed the threshold of the bridge and Liam waved good-bye, thinking of the night I’d said good-bye to Aaron, how happy I’d been, how Tristan and I had shared our first real kiss.

And then everything had fallen to crap.

Gravel crunched on the road, and I turned to see Tristan’s SUV bouncing its way up the hill. My heart started to pound at the sight of it, and I automatically reached up to smooth my hair behind my ears. The sucking sound filled the air again, and Joaquin’s voice rang out.

“It’s pointing north! Yeeha!” There was a pause and then a crackle. “Sorry. Over.”

Everyone laughed. Liam loped over to me just as Tristan stopped the car and slammed the door behind him. He’d showered, finally, and his blond hair hung like a shiny, healthy curtain over his blue eyes. He smiled tentatively at me as he stopped to talk to Fisher. I tore my eyes away from him long enough to hug Liam.

“Good job. See? I knew you’d be fine.”

“Thanks,” Liam said, blushing. “As long as he went the right way, I’m cool.”

“Hey, guys.”

Tristan jogged over to us, rubbing his hands together. The sleeves of his light blue shirt were loose on his arms, and I realized he’d lost some weight during his exile. His jeans were hanging lower than usual, and there was a sharp indent to his cheeks.

“Hey,” I replied, oddly shy.

“You guys, we have a problem,” Lauren announced, speed-walking over to join us.

“Why am I not surprised?” I said under my breath.

“Sorry.” Lauren bit her lip. “The thing is, we’re running out of untainted coins. If we can’t use any of the ones we got while Pete was still on the loose, we’re kind of screwed.”

“How many do we have left?” Tristan asked.

“I have two. Fisher has one. Kevin has one, and as far as I know, that’s it,” Lauren said. “Krista used most of them sending the kids across this morning.”

I sighed. “Well, then we’re just going to have to take it slowly. And it’s going to have to stay crowded around here for a while longer.”

“That sucks,” Lauren said, tucking her shiny black hair behind her ears as she looked back at the bridge. “Just when things were getting back to normal.”

I gritted my teeth. I was getting sick of people saying that when my sister and father and Aaron and the others were still stuck in the Shadowlands, but I didn’t say anything. I knew she just wanted to feel safe again, to feel secure.

“We’ll figure it out. We always do,” Tristan assured her. He glanced at Liam. “Was that your first?”

“Yep. Weird,” Liam said. “But Rory was a good coach.”

Tristan’s face lit up and my whole body responded. There was nothing like a proud smile from Tristan. “Yeah? Why am I not surprised?”

I grinned in reply.

“Told you,” Tristan said. “Everything’s gonna be okay.”

“What the hell are you people doing up here?”

A chill raced down my spine and my eyes locked with Tristan’s. I turned around slowly to find Sebastian Tse skidding down a reed-covered embankment toward us, his sister right on his heels.

“I thought the mayor dealt with these guys,” Lauren said through her teeth.

“Apparently not well enough,” Tristan replied, stepping in front of us.

“Where did that kid just go?” Sebastian demanded, throwing an arm out toward the bridge as he confronted Liam. “Why did you send him over that bridge by himself?”

Liam was the color of cooked lobster. “I…um…we—”

“Don’t,” Tristan said curtly. My heart was in my throat.

“Don’t even try lying to us,” Selma said, standing next to her brother, her clear blue eyes scanning our faces. “We talked to the people at our boarding house. They keep telling us about things that happened—things we should remember—like a ferry sinking? They say we were there, but neither one of us remembers it.”

“How is that possible?” Sebastian said, seething, his nostrils wide as he advanced on Tristan, clearly picking him out as the leader. “What have you people done to us?”

“Why don’t you let us give you a ride back to town?” Tristan suggested as Fisher and Kevin walked up behind him.

“Why don’t you start explaining?” Sebastian shot back.

Tristan reached out a hand and gripped Sebastian’s shoulder, looking him in the eye.

“Everything’s fine,” he said in that soothing tone I knew so well. “There’s nothing sinister going on here—I promise you.”

I watched Sebastian’s shoulders start to relax as he looked deep into Tristan’s eyes. Slowly, Tristan worked his magic on Sebastian until every ounce of his tension and doubt had been ironed away. I remembered vividly what it had felt like the first time Tristan had used his soothing power on me—how peaceful the whole world had become—and I almost felt jealous of Sebastian.

Supposedly every Lifer had this power, but Tristan was the only person I’d ever seen use it.

“You guys have had a rough few days,” Tristan said. “Why don’t you let Fisher drive you back? It’s a long walk, especially with the mud and the downed trees.”

“No way,” Selma said, crossing her skinny arms over her chest. “We’re not leaving here until—”

“It’s just a ride, Selma,” Sebastian said, lifting a shoulder. “What’s the big deal?”

Her jaw dropped, but when Sebastian smiled at her, her indignation quickly faded.

“Okay,” she said finally. “If you say so.”

Tristan clapped Sebastian on the back as he and Fisher headed for the van, Selma trailing behind.

“Radio Joaquin,” Tristan said to Kevin, sliding his hands into his pockets. “Tell him we’re sending the Tses down to see the mayor again.”

“On it,” Kevin said, turning away.

I took a deep breath and blew it out. Crisis averted. For now, anyway.

“Um, guys? Shouldn’t they not have remembered Nick?” Lauren pointed out. “The second he went over the bridge, he should have been forgotten by the visitors.”

A flash of uncertainty tightened Tristan’s face. “Maybe it was because they actually saw him go over? That hasn’t happened before.”

“Or maybe it’s just one more chink in the system thanks to the unbalance of the universe,” Lauren said.

“We’ll figure it out,” Tristan said, rubbing her back. “Hopefully it’s just a blip.”

“Uh, does that happen a lot?” Liam asked shakily. “People freaking out like that?”

“Not often, but when it does, we take care of it.” Tristan gave a wry smile, then turned to me. “Listen, Rory, can we…go for a drive or something? I mean, if you don’t mind me stealing her away,” he said to Liam.

“No, that’s cool.” Liam pushed his hands into the back pockets of his shorts. “I think I’m gonna walk back to town and shake this off. Maybe find Lalani.”

“You should drive down with Fisher,” Tristan said. “I still don’t like the idea of anyone going anywhere alone.”

“Let me know if there’s anything you want to talk about,” I told Liam. “You know where I live, and there’s always the walkies.”

“Thanks, Rory,” Liam said. He lifted a hand to the others in a wave and jogged to catch up with Fisher. Seconds later, Fisher’s van roared out of our makeshift parking area.

“So. You ready?” Tristan asked, holding his hand out to me.

I glanced uncertainly at Lauren.

“Don’t worry about me. I’ve got a couple more people to usher,” she said, waving us off.

It felt good, just to hear someone say that. To have it not be loaded with terror and meaning. The fog was still clogging up the sky, but with each hour the air grew warmer, and I could practically feel the sun trying to make itself known again.

Things really were getting back to normal. And maybe, with Tristan’s help, I’d find a way to get my family back. I took Tristan’s hand and let him lead me away.

Friend or Foe?

So the creepy twins are going in to see the mayor again. I wish I could be a fly on the wall for that particular conversation. I can’t decide whether those two are friends or foes. They ask too many questions—that’s for sure—and questions are usually a bad thing for a person in my position. But then again, if they ask too many questions of the wrong person, perhaps that person will crack and tell them the truth. That would damn them to the Shadowlands, and if I could claim them to my tally, I’d be so much closer to my goal.

I wonder if any of my so-called friends will be stupid enough to talk. There are a few who might be that dense. Maybe I should get them drunk and see if that loosens their tongues a bit. Then I could be done with this mission by the end of the day. As long as it’s not Rory. She’s got another purpose to serve in this. A much bigger purpose.

The Universe Knows

Tristan put the car in park and killed the engine. The windows were down, and now that we’d stopped moving, the warm, muggy air filled the space between us. He’d stopped with the nose of his SUV near the cliff where I’d once seen Joaquin, Fisher, and half a dozen other Lifers jump over the edge, to prove to me that they couldn’t die. It was the same night I’d confronted Nadia for the first time. Back then I’d thought she hated me because Tristan liked me. I’d thought she was just angry, jealous, and mean.

Now I realized she’d been terrified, pulsating with fear over the world she knew and loved crumbling around her. She was right to be afraid, and now she was gone.

“I can’t get used to it,” Tristan said, leaning forward to look up at the sky through the windshield. “That blanket of fog? For the first time since I arrived here, it really does feel like another world.”

“That’s never happened before?” I asked, fiddling with the zipper on my blue hoodie.

“No. This is new.”

His hands slipped down the sides of the steering wheel and came to rest awkwardly in his lap. He caught me watching them and laughed quietly.

“You have no idea how much I want to touch you,” he said.

My heart turned cartwheels. “Why don’t you?”

He turned to me, his clear-blue gaze seeking something inside my eyes. “Because I don’t know if you want me to.”

I swallowed hard. “Tristan—”

“Hang on a sec,” he said. “Just let me talk.”

I nodded, unzipping my sweatshirt and tugging it free of my arms. The world suddenly felt stifling.

“When I was on the run…hiding out there…knowing everyone I’d ever cared about was hunting me down…I never once thought about myself,” Tristan said. “I never thought about what might happen to me. What they would do to me if they found me. All I ever thought about was you.”

A bubble welled up inside my throat, and I gulped it back, determined not to interrupt him.

“All that matters to me anymore is what you think of me,” Tristan said. “And that you’re happy. That you’re okay. I spent every single night I was gone on that bridge, trying to figure out how to get the damn door or the portal or whatever it is that leads to the Shadowlands to open. Every single night. I wanted to get your dad back for you. Get Aaron back. I didn’t even care if you ever found out that I was the one who saved them. I just wanted it done. For you.”

I took a breath. A single tear spilled down my cheek. He reached up and touched his palm to it.

“I’m sorry that I failed you,” he said.

I let out this weird noise. It was somewhere between a laugh—because how could he be apologizing to me?—and a sob—because there was so much emotion inside me that I couldn’t help but release it. I reached up and held on to his forearm like I was clinging to life.

“Did you find anything?” I asked him desperately. “Anything that could help us?”

His hand dropped from my face and he held my fingers lightly between us, looking down, touching each of my fingertips in turn with the pad of his thumb. He shook his head.

“It’s scary on that bridge. There are these voices—”

“You heard them, too?” I asked.

He blinked and stopped his fidgeting. “Wait. You went over the bridge?”

I nodded. “The other day. I was trying to find you. Or find a way in. I don’t know. But I thought I heard…” I trailed off, too embarrassed to continue.

“What? Who?” he asked, breathless. “Who did you hear?”

I gulped. “My mom. And Steven Nell.” I shuddered now, remembering it, and sat back in the seat, staring out over the wide blue ocean. “I thought I was going insane.”

“You weren’t. I mean, you’re not. I heard them, too. People I knew in life, souls who came through here a hundred years ago who I’d almost forgotten. It was like they were trying to talk to me, or about me. Almost like they were laughing at me.”

“Exactly.” I pressed my lips together and shivered. “If it’s that awful on the bridge, Tristan…then what’s it like in the Shadowlands?”

His expression darkened, and I knew he was feeling the same pain I was. This island and the purpose he served meant more to him than anything. It must have been killing him to know that everything had gone wrong, that innocent people were suffering.

“We’re going to get them back, Rory. I swear. If it’s the last thing I do, I’ll get them back for you.”

“But how?” I asked.

“I don’t know. Not yet. But I know there’s an answer.”

He shifted in his seat, squinting out at the blanket of fog. There was something brighter about the color of the sky. It was more purple than gray, contrasting sharply with the swirling mist overhead. I took a deep breath.

“You’ve always said there’s no way to get into the Shadowlands. Not for us,” I ventured.

“Yeah?” he said.

“But what if there was?” I asked. “If I had a tainted coin—”

“What? No. No way.”

“You don’t know that I can’t,” I shot back. “I can’t know unless I try.”

“Yeah, maybe. But how the hell would you get back out?” Tristan demanded.

“I’d find a way,” I said, turning in my seat to face him, my pulse thrumming in my wrists. “There has to be a way.”

“No way. There’s no chance,” Tristan said. “I am not going to let you risk your eternal soul.”

“But what about—”

“No. Rory. No. I can’t lose you,” Tristan said, grabbing my arm. “I don’t think I can exist here without you. Not anymore. You’re everything to me—do you understand that? Everything.”

I leaned forward, pressing my forehead to his. “Tristan—”

“Don’t leave me, Rory,” he whispered, his breath warm and sweet on my face. His fingers reached up and cupped my jaw, entangling themselves in my hair. “Promise me you’ll never leave me.”

I couldn’t speak. But I looked into his eyes, so very close to mine, and I nodded. I nodded my promise until his lips met mine.

I hadn’t known exactly how I would react to Tristan’s kiss until this moment, but now, suddenly, I knew that I had to kiss him back with everything I had. His lips were dry and tasted of salt and something rich and warm. I felt myself start to fold into him, my whole body sighing in relief. I was home. I was home. I was home. This was where I belonged. I knew it. He knew it. I was pretty sure the entire universe knew it. So this time, I didn’t pull away. I didn’t think about anyone else but him. I just let him kiss me and kiss me and kiss me, until he finally came up for air.

“God, I love you,” he said.

“I love you, too.”

He was cupping my neck with both of his hands, and I had somehow gathered the fabric of his T-shirt up in my fists until most of his perfect six-pack was exposed. Looking into my eyes, Tristan smiled contentedly.

“Check it out.”

“What?” I asked.

He turned my face to look out the windshield and I saw it. Five perfect beams of light busting through the fog ceiling, casting an incredible, ethereal glow on the ocean waves below. It was beautiful.

“The sun!” I gasped.

Tristan laughed. “The sun.”

A Party It Is

Tristan cranked up the stereo—some ancient tune about summer in the city—and we headed back to town with the windows down. With one hand on the wheel and the other clutching mine, Tristan looked like himself again—like the beautiful, beach-town boy I’d fallen in love with—if only slightly less tan. Suddenly the bumps and divots in the road didn’t seem so much ominous as entertaining, showing us a bouncing, rollicking good time.

With Tristan’s hand in mine, I knew that everything really was going to be okay. He would never give up until my father and Darcy were freed. We’d figure it out together, come up with a plan, and save them. There was no longer any doubt in my mind. When Tristan said he was going to do something, he did it.

He parked the SUV near the town square and we could already see that everyone else in Juniper Landing had been inspired with the same idea. People strolled the sidewalks, stopping to chat with one another over the abrupt change in weather, or simply tipping their faces toward the sun. A couple of guys had already whipped out a Frisbee and were busy running and leaping through the wet grass, laughing as one of them skidded on his shoulder like the world was his own personal Slip’N Slide. Liam and Lalani stood at the edge of the general store’s striped awning, leaning into opposite sides of a column, not quite touching but smiling privately. There were bikers and skateboarders, joggers and gossipers. Some guy I’d never seen before bounced by on a pogo stick, giving us a jaunty wave.

The best part about it was, there were no visitors standing around shooting us dirty looks. No suspicious glances or whispers behind hands. The sun was working its magic on everyone’s psyches.

“Okay, this is like a circus,” Tristan said, still holding my hand.

“But in a good way,” I replied. “At least there are no actual clowns.”

A group of Lifers stepped out of the general store—Fisher and Kevin included—and I smiled as they squinted dramatically against the sun. Fisher caught sight of us, and we walked over to meet at the center of the park. It wasn’t until we were halfway there that Joaquin shoved open the door and slipped his sunglasses on. In the space of three seconds, I saw him see me, saw him notice my hand clasped with Tristan’s, and watched his face go cold. I thought about tugging my fingers out of Tristan’s grip, but decided against it. This was what I had chosen, what my heart had chosen, and Joaquin had already given his blessing, as much as he possibly could.

He looked both ways before crossing the street, then jogged to catch up with us.

“How’s it going, man?” Joaquin asked, slapping Tristan on the shoulder. Tristan flinched forward from the force of it but recovered nicely. I tried to catch Joaquin’s eye, but it was impossible with him wearing mirrored sunglasses. It was my own distorted reflection that stared back at me.

“Okay,” Tristan said. “Better now that the sun’s out.”

“No doubt,” Fisher said, rubbing his hands together. “You’re back, the sun’s back…. I think this calls for a celebration.”

“Party on the bay beach?” Joaquin suggested, raising his eyebrows. “Get a little beach volleyball going, maybe take out some of the kayaks? Scrounge up some grub from the Swan and invite the visitors?”

“It’s not like we can usher anyone else anyway,” Kevin said, lifting his palms. “We’re outta good coins.”

“I see where you’re going with this, but are we sure we’re ready to celebrate?” Tristan asked. “Rory’s family is still stuck in the Shadowlands. Not to mention a bunch of other innocent people.”

Fisher seemed to deflate. The smile fell from Joaquin’s lips. “What, you think I don’t care about her family?” Joaquin demanded, angling himself in front of Tristan.

My heart dropped. That was a fighter’s stance if I’d ever seen one. Tristan, unsurprisingly, looked confused.

“I didn’t say that.”

“Good, because I do care,” Joaquin replied. “So what are we supposed to do? You’re the one with the answers, right? Everyone’s just been dying for the great Tristan to come home to give us the answers. So what do we do?”

Tristan dropped my hand. His jaw clenched and he crossed his arms over his chest. “If I knew that, don’t you think I would have done it already?”

“Then why are you trying to bring us down, man? We haven’t seen the sun in two weeks. I don’t think hanging out and letting everyone blow off some steam for a few hours is necessarily a bad idea, considering how tense everyone’s been. But if you disagree, then obviously we’ll do whatever you say. Isn’t that how it works around here?”

“Let’s just calm down.” I forced myself in between Tristan and Joaquin, my hands raised at my sides. “I, for one, think the party is a fantastic idea. We’ll relax for a few hours, and who knows? Maybe Pete will finally wake up, and we can get our answers.”

Joaquin simply stared at me, so I turned around to face Tristan.

“I love that you thought of my feelings, but it’s okay,” I told him quietly. “I think this place could use a little joy.”

Tristan swallowed hard. I could feel his body unclench, letting go of the adrenaline brought out by Joaquin’s obvious ire.

“Okay, then,” he said to the group. “A party it is.”

Half an hour later, said party was in full swing. I stood near the sidelines while Bea jumped up to spike a battered volleyball into the sand, her torso exposed in her sporty red bikini, her fiery hair loose around her shoulders. The look on her face was pure “kill.” Liam and Lauren, who were playing against her and one of the taller male visitors, actually ducked for cover.

Smart move. The ball hit the ground with the force of a rocket, ricocheting off with a spray of sand and landing on the boardwalk. It almost tripped an elderly man jogging by, and he threw a curse at us as he tossed it back. Liam helped Lauren off the ground, clasping her forearm-to-forearm, and she rolled her eyes at him.

“I thought you said you were good at this,” she groused.

Liam threw his sinewy arms wide. In red shorts and a white tank top, he looked every bit the lifeguard he’d been on Earth. “You could have warned me you had an Olympian on the other side.”

Lauren bent to dust the sand off her legs. “She was a diver! Not a volleyball player!”

Bea and her partner cackled and shared a high five, then started whispering behind their hands, planning their next shot.

“We need more chips and salsa!” Kevin shouted. “Anybody wanna go with me?”

“I’ll go!” Liam volunteered instantly, jogging off the court.

“Hey!” Lauren protested.

But Liam ignored her. He said a few words to Fisher, who stood on the opposite side. Fisher pulled his shirt off, tossed it on the sand, and went to take his place next to Lauren. Liam and Kevin took off for the stairs and disappeared up the boardwalk.

“Aw yeah! You’re going down, Fish!” Bea crowed, moving her head back and forth tauntingly.

“Talk about letting off some steam,” Joaquin said, moseying over and taking a long-necked bottle of beer from the cooler behind me.

I automatically glanced over my shoulder at the water. Tristan was out there, floating in a kayak alongside Teresa, their oars resting over their laps as they conversed with heads bent as close together as they could get in separate boats. I was sure Tristan was talking to her about his recovery and Pete’s condition. I hoped she had only good news on both.

“Bea’s pretty good, huh?” Joaquin said, gesturing at her with the bottle before popping it open on the lip of the cooler’s lid.

My skin warmed at his nearness, and I sipped my water. “She’s good,” I agreed.

“You should see Krista play. She kicks everyone’s ass.” Joaquin stood next to me with forced casualness, his bare feet planted wide in the still-damp sand, one hand in the pocket of his jeans. I felt a zip of attraction and focused my gaze on the volleyball net.

“Krista? Really?”

He nodded as he took a swig of beer. “She played in high school. Coulda played in college if she’d made it that far.”

Huh. Guess you could never tell everything about a person just by looking at them.

“Where is Krista, anyway?” Joaquin asked, glancing around. “She lives for this crap.”

“She’s cleaning up the playroom and then coming down,” I told him. “Apparently the mayor’s all over her to get their house back to normal now that the kids are gone.”

Bea served the ball, and Fisher bumped it to Lauren, who barely got it over the net. The visitor boy on Bea’s side set it up for her, and she was just going up for another spike when Fisher stood up straight, his eyes trained on the water.

“Not again.”

The ball hit the sand. Everyone turned around. At the water’s edge, Tristan and Teresa were just tugging their brightly hued kayaks up the sand as the fog rolled in behind them, thick and fast. I gasped, and Tristan’s eyes met mine, homing in on me as if making sure he’d be able to find me once the gray mist gobbled him up.

“Who’s supposed to be ushered?” Bea whispered just as we were overtaken by the billowing cloud.

I whipped around, disoriented. The fog was so thick I couldn’t see more than a foot in any direction. Her voice had come from off my right shoulder when I had thought she was standing to my left.

“Bea?”

“Yeah?” she replied. I jumped. Now it sounded like she was directly behind me.

“Okay, nobody move. Just for a second.” I took a breath, my pulse throbbing. I’d forgotten how terrifying the fog could be. Someone moved past nearby, the mist swirling just to my left. But there were no shadows, no shapes, no shades of light. Only fog.

I had no idea how long I stood there in silence. The fog had a way of erasing time or making it speed up or making it stop. Within it, everything was suspended. Everything except my fear.

Suddenly, someone grabbed my hand. I let out a strangled gasp.

“Tristan?” I hoped, turning around.

Joaquin appeared out of the mist, pulling my hips against his and holding me there.

“No. It’s just me,” he said huskily, studying my face. “I figured this might be my last chance to do this.”

He leaned down and kissed me, parting my lips with his tongue, holding me against him with his strong arms. My pulse skipped erratically in exhilaration and happiness and guilt and fear. I knew in the back of my mind that I should probably break away, but my heart—my stupid, sadistic heart—demanded otherwise. I closed my eyes and gripped the back of his shirt with everything I had in me. Whether it was a good-bye or just a desperate plea for understanding, I kissed him right back.