“Well, in that case, I have an idea of where we can start.”
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chapter sixteen • flora
Patting my jeans pocket where the pen is stuck, I say, “You’re going to need this and some paper. Where would Chase keep a notebook or a notepad?”
Laney frowns from over her shoulder. “Probably in his backpack, but it’s not like he ever does his homework, so it’s probably still in his locker at school.”
Well, that’s just dandy. “Dude, we don’t have time to search for the high school, locate Chase’s locker, grab a notebook, and then return to his house. Where else would he keep paper lying around?”
“The kitchen?” she asks, her pitch increasing. “I don’t freaking know, Flora. It’s not like I spend my time digging through every drawer and seat cushion while I’m here.”
“Listen,” I hiss. “I may come up with the plan, but you’re going to follow it through. I just don’t have the energy.”
Laney stands at a turtle’s pace, then turns, facing me. Her eyes are wild, furious. If I wasn’t nearly dead, she’d probably kill me.
“What?” she asks under her breath.
I stutter, trying to find the right words, but it’s no use. She’s freaking me out. I hope she doesn’t waste her energy on some mischievous-spirit bullshit.
She carries on. “You said you had an idea, and I believed you.”
Pointing my finger at her, I exclaim, “Uh, no. I said I had an idea of where to start. I didn’t say it was a full-blown military operation in which the President, the CIA, and the FBI are involved. All you have to do is find a piece of paper and doodle a damn message. That’s it.”
Her eyelids resume their normalcy instead of being nonexistent, and her shoulders relax. “Fine. Give me the stupid pen.” She extends her hand, palm up.
I snatch the pen out of my front jeans pocket and place it in Laney’s hand. She tucks it inside her bra. Gross.
< ~ al“Help me look,” Laney says on her way to the kitchen.
We pass through the dining room. The crystal gems on the chandelier, shaped like teardrops, reflect daylight from outside. Wait—daylight? It can’t be daylight. I backtrack to the large window and peer out, my hands pressing against the glass. For just a heartbeat, the lines blur between this world and ours. Color returns. Bright orange and pink hues stretch across the clouded sky, the two shades mingling with each other.
And in a fraction of a second, the Shadowlands consumes all color once again.
“What are you doing in there?” Laney shouts.
“I was just…” Enjoying the view? Yeah, that sounds legit. “Nothing. I’m coming.”
Oh, my God. Chase’s kitchen is just as big, if not bigger, than Laney’s. White cabinets, granite countertops, and one of those oversized, metal contraptions above the stove are all brand-spanking new. Or they appear to be, anyway. I poke my head through a door off to the side, which turns out to be a walk-in pantry. Do these people have money farms, where fields of money trees grow? Having this much to spend should be illegal.
“Found it,” says Laney. She yanks a notepad from a drawer and slaps it onto the countertop. “Now I’m going to find Chase and show him I’m still around.” Sauntering toward the living room again, Laney has a smug expression on her face, a tight smirk at the corner of her lips.
“Hey, genius,” I say, keeping my feet rooted in place. “Do you even know what you’re going to write? Don’t tell me it’s going to be a little ‘Hi, how are you’ either.”
Laney pivots around on her heels, jaw clenched. “And what, exactly, are you trying to say, Flora? Let me guess…you have a better idea.”
“Actually, I do.”
Scoffing, she adds, “Oh, of course. I shouldn’t be surprised; you conveniently have the answers to all of life’s questions.”
I step forward a couple of feet. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means that you’re a know-it-all who actually doesn’t know much about anything. You’re manipulative and, because of your kiss-my-ass attitude, nobody likes you. The truth is that you’re a nobody since you think you’re better than everyone else.”
“That’s the most hypocritical thing I’ve ever heard, especially coming from you.” Laney huffs, her mouth hanging open a bit. “You’re a self-absorbed bitch who believes she’s prettier than, and superior to, everyone else. Money can buy you a lot of things, but it sure as hell can’t buy you a new personality, which you are in desperate need of. You stupid, selfish—”
Behind Laney, Chase opens the front door, keys in hand. speys in haont size="+0">Oh, no. This can’t be good. It doesn’t help we can’t hear anything that happens in our world, either.
“I’m waiting,” Laney states sarcastically.
I gesture toward the entryway. “I’ll finish that sentence later, given that your boyfriend just left. You might want to stop him before he disappears, in case we don’t have another opportunity.”
She scowls at me, and then at the front door. “How am I supposed to do that? I don’t have time to write the freaking message before he cranks his SUV and drives away.”
I may be losing my energy, but it hasn’t entirely disappeared. Dashing past Laney, I summon what little power remains inside and bolt through the entrance. Chase hops into the driver’s seat and closes the door. I grit my teeth, peering at the landscape surrounding me. There has to be an object I can use to grab Chase’s attention.
“What do we do? What do we do?” Laney shrieks behind me.
“Uhhh,” I falter, “I don’t really know. Just…just give me a second, okay?”
“Damn it, Flora! We don’t have a second.”
Chase’s SUV begins a gradual reversal out of the driveway. Laney paces back and forth, toward him and then the house. She grabs her blonde hair at the root, tugging. The plan for substituting Chase as our lifesaver has gone awry. What will we do if he drives off? Do I have enough energy to walk to Laney’s house? Probably not. Laney can continue, but I can’t.
And it seems she, without a doubt, has persistence on her mind.
“What are you doing?” I call out to her. “That’s not going to work.” She stands in front of Chase’s vehicle, arms outstretched. Does she honestly believe she can stop him that way?
“It’ll work. Trust me.”
“Have you lost your damn mind? You’re attempting to obstruct an SUV, Laney. An S-U-V.”
Glaring at me, she retorts, “And who was awesome at learning how to walk through walls when it was necessary? When you weren’t looking, I practiced holding a book outdoors. I’ve. Got. This.”
Chase’s SUV lurches forward, but won’t go any further. Laney’s bent over at the waist, arms outstretched, eyes tightly shut. She’s concentrating on her energy flow. I’ll be damned. Barbie did it. He can’t see her, though, so this event is probably blowing his mind. I can’t imagine my car suddenly stopping, unable to go any further. That’d be weird.
Chase’s face is a cocktail of frustration and confusion; his brow is furrowed, and he’s checking out the instrumen thfy"t panel on the dash. Part of me wishes he could see Laney. But soon after, his tires spin against the pavement, smoke billowing around his vehicle. I bet that smells lovely.
The burnt-rubber fumes evaporate around Chase’s truck, and he leans forward, against his steering wheel, staring at the hood. Laney freezes, her eyes enlarged like an anime character. Mouth forming an O, she gasps rather dramatically.
“I think he can see me.” She removes her hands from the vehicle, and her sudden intake of breath is euphoric. “Chase…” she softly murmurs.
If my calculations are correct, Chase is looking directly at Laney. Is it possible they have the ability to bridge the gap between our world and the Shadowlands? Or maybe there are rips in the lining of this dimension, like when I experienced the sunset earlier. Or like the wormholes scientists have talked about. One thing’s
for certain: something’s not right about this place.
Shaking his head like he’s attempting to free his mind, Chase reaches toward his keys in the ignition. Oh, great. Here we go again. Should he leave, Laney and I are screwed. Or maybe it’s just me.
My legs quiver, threatening to buckle underneath me. My stomach feels empty, like I’ve gone days without eating. Well, I have, but whatever. And I’m just so tired. It appears that the connection between my physical self and my phantom self is chummier than I thought. Whatever happened to not sensing anything? Or was that only in regards to our emotions?
“Oh, my God. He’s leaving,” Laney exclaims. “Hurry, Flora! We have to go with him!” She motions for me to tag along, but I don’t have enough energy to get myself into that SUV and hang on. I’ve done that with Derek and Mia, and it was pretty pointless, except for the fact that I found out one’s a chicken shit and the other has been sleeping with my ex.
“You go,” I tell her.
“Don’t be stupid. Get over here. Now!”
I might as well give it one last shot. What’s the worst that can happen?
Chase begins his exodus, and Laney doesn’t hesitate to hop inside his vehicle. Poking her head and arm out of the SUV, she shouts, “Come on!”
My legs pump into a sprint as I reach for her outstretched hand. Fearful that Chase may increase his speed at any time, I push myself harder, making a final leap toward the backseat, and toward Laney. My efforts pay off; I land on the bench seating.
Squeezing my eyes shut, I lean my head back against the headrest. “This requires too much energy. If something happens and I drop out of this thing, don’t leave the vicinity of this vehicle. Got it?” I open one eyelid, peering at Laney. She nods.
We make a few turns, until we’re on the main highway bypassing the town. As I examine the surrounding houses and buildings, my mind attempts to place where, exactly, we are. C’mon. Remember. Images flash through my head—a smoky room, red bricks, neon lights, a band playing on stage. I remember. Gabe brought me here once during our short relationship. We’re in the downtown district, with rows of street-lined shops hugging one another and parallel parking spots.
I scan the stores, in case my memory decides it wants to cooperate some more. Each building is made of brick and is painted a different color—dark blues, reds, and greens, mostly. Every little shop has a carved sign hanging above their door on curled, wrought-iron brackets. So far, I’ve counted three thrift stores, one café and bakery, four restaurants, and two bookstores.
“Where is he going?” Laney inquires, although I believe she’s thinking aloud rather than asking me.
A few turns later, Chase pulls his SUV into a lakeside parking spot. To our right are the campgrounds, where several RV’s are located. To our left is nothing but a large forest. And straight ahead? That’s the lake. There’s a barge in the distance, but other than that, there are no boats or people on the water.
“What are we doing here?” I ask, releasing my energy and falling onto the blacktop.
Laney follows my lead and responds, “This is where…oh, my God…”—she scrambles to her feet—“it’s where Chase and I shared our first kiss.” Her lips curve into a smile, and her eyes shine.
Laney steps forward about five feet, her eyes never leaving Chase. He walks down to the water’s edge. The more I observe him, however, the more I realize he’s searching. For Laney, I think. He’s searching for Laney.
“He’s coming back,” Laney squeaks. “He’s—Flora, get back inside!”
I haven’t moved from my spot on the pavement since Chase parked the car.
She crosses her arms and stomps her foot. “You can’t do this to me. I won’t let you.”
“You don’t have a choice.”
“Flora, you have to come with me. I don’t always make the right decisions, and I really don’t want to screw this up. Please.”
There’s no pain in spirit form, only limitations. Allowing my head to fall back, I close my eyes. Is it horrible that part of me wishes my physical body can be released from our world so I may leave the Shadowlands? At this point, I just want to move on. Maybe Laney has been right all along. Maybe I do want to occupy a place such as Lichburn.
nt>orld s Chase hops into the vehicle yet again, and Laney panics.
“Flora, please!” I lie back, staring up at the unadorned, gray sky. “Don’t do this to me! I’ll carry you, just get in.” Her shouting intensifies when Chase puts the SUV into reverse. “Flora, get in! Please don’t do this! FLORA!”
My strength is too thin, and ever-waning. Getting into that vehicle with Laney again may very well be the last thing I ever do. There will be no going back, because parading around town in Chase’s SUV will drain my soul. It’s too much. I should’ve been more cautious. I should’ve used my energy wisely, like Sara warned. I have nothing to show for my stupidity, other than broken crystal shards lying on the Tipps’ living room floor.
And if I’m being honest here, I’m still pissed at Mia and Gabe, at their betrayal. They hurt me more in a matter of seconds than my car tumbling over the side of Death’s Cliff and the ensuing journey I’ve endured. Although I highly doubt I’ll survive this trek, if I do, I’m not certain I can ever look those two in the eye again.
But it’s worth a shot, just to see their faces when I tell them I know everything.
Bolting upright, I grasp Laney’s hand, which juts out from one of the rear doors, and we’re back at square one. This time around, though, Laney interlocks her arm with mine, in an effort to ensure I don’t fall through the bottom of Chase’s vehicle. Then, we’re on our way.
The next stop on the Chase-drives-around-town tour is a tiny café where he and Laney had their first date, and, apparently, their first croissant. A foldable blackboard greets customers at the entrance, with a chalk-written list of specials for the day. Flashing from the massive window at the front is a neon red-and-blue OPEN sign, and the wooden shop display hanging above the entry reads: Sweet & Scrumptious.
“Why have I never heard of this place?” I inquire, narrowing my eyes at the hole-in-the-wall restaurant like it’s offended me. In all honesty, perhaps I do know of it but don’t remember. After all, my memories are vanishing.
“Because you’re a hermit, that’s why,” Laney replies in her classic, straightforward manner.
Chase doesn’t find what he’s looking for—which is Laney, obviously—so he returns to the vehicle, disgruntled and blowing air from behind his lips, causing them to temporarily puff out.
“Oh, I’ve seen that look before,” says Laney. “It’s his worried face, the one that proves he has too much on his mind.”
A ripple of strength leaves my spirit form, and I let my head drop. Laney catches me before I fall. Squeezing my eyes closed, I silently wish for my end to ford tbe quick and painless, since it’s near.
“I’ve got you,” she declares, holding onto me like her life depends on it. Well, it kinda does.
In an attempt to distract from the present situation, I state, “He only has one thing on his mind, you know, and that’s you.” I smile, though it’s feeble.
Laney’s chin trembles. “What’s it like? Fading away, I mean…”
“It’s like when you step off a treadmill after jogging for an hour. The weightless disconnect your legs experience is the same. At least, that’s what I think is happening.” I snort. Who knows? I might be totally wrong.
Glancing out the window, Laney’s eyebrows cinch together. “Flora, look!”
My head gradually rotates toward the glass, so I can see. Oh, my God. We’re beside Death’s Cliff.
“He’s pulling over,” Laney states, her sight focused on Chase. “We’re at the overlook.”
“Laney,” I deadpan, “I’m frail, not blind.”
“Sorry. It’s just…I don’t know. Do you think he’ll see your car? We’re on the same side.”
Chase gets out and walks to the edge of the overlook, peering down into t
he forest below. Too bad the trees are in the way. If he’d look around, he’d notice a chunk of guardrail is missing, or that tire marks spread across the asphalt. Instead, he appears to solely concentrate on where Laney might be, so he’s missing the bigger picture.
She’s right under your nose, dude, and you don’t even realize it.
“Don’t look at me like I’m crazy,” Laney begins, “but I have an idea that might save us.”
I glare at her like she’s lost her mind.
“Just listen. We have to move quickly, okay? This will probably drain the energy you have left, and it may or may not kill you, but it’s worth a shot.”
Um, what? I don’t recall signing up for this.
“Have you lost your damn mind?” I shriek. “I’d prefer to stay alive until they find our bodies.”
She releases me, and I let go, dropping through the vehicle and smacking onto the pavement.
“Well, what I have in mind requires both of us to use our energy, so we can either be found or we can cross our fingers and hope for the best. Which would you prefer?”
I lie back, like I did at the lake, my hands tucked bhan> This is not how I planned my visit to the Shadowlands. I thought this would be straightforward and quick, that we would’ve been found and rescued by now. But no… I’m taking strategic advice from Laney Tipps. What has my life turned into?
With a heavy sigh, I respond, “Fine. Let’s hear your grand plan.”
“We push Chase’s vehicle over the side of Death’s Cliff.”
That’s it. Just like that. No maps or diagrams. No long speeches. Laney doesn’t mess around, especially when her life is at stake.
Almost Dead (Dead, #1) Page 12