by J. R. King
“Fine,” she said.
No other words were exchanged. Ariahna didn’t even stop until they were at the top of the stairs, waiting only a fraction of a second at that. Rome picked up the pace as they neared the exit, practically chasing her through the doors and down the stone steps. “Wait,” he said. “Aria, stop.”
Ariahna glanced back at him as she reached the curb. “Are you okay with leaving early?”
“Yeah,” he said. “Of course.”
Rome walked around the nose of his car, hurrying to open her door. Ariahna slipped inside, carefully holding her skirt to her legs. Rome could feel her watching him as he moved around the outside of the vehicle. He climbed into the driver’s seat, slamming the old door closed. “What do you say I buy you lunch?” he said.
Ariahna blinked down at her lap. “I’m not really hungry.”
He twisted in his seat, leaving his keys to dangle from the ignition. “Please don’t let that guy get to you. He’s just an old man with too much time on his hands. Besides, look at me. Do I even remotely look like the man of your dreams?” He dropped his head, turning his eyes away from her.
Ariahna exhaled, smoothing her hands over her skirt. “You’re right,” she said. His face twisted and she hurried to continue. “About his story. It was wild. The likelihood of it being true…”
Rome watched her shake her head. He turned the engine over then, backing out of the parking space. They drove on in silence for a few minutes, ignoring the sequence of events that had led them to this moment. It wasn’t until he turned away from the direction of the school that Ariahna began to look a bit concerned.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
Rome tapped his thumbs against the steering wheel.
“How are you with surprises?” he said.
“That depends on what kind of surprise you had in mind.”
“The kind that might cheer you up?”
Ariahna went quiet, staring out the window as they coasted through town. The further he drove, the more she became aware of their surroundings. Neatly trimmed lawns blurred to visions of muddy, unkempt yards and boarded up houses. Children playing in the street stopped to stare at them as they passed. She turned away from the glass, looking at her hands in her lap.
Rome glanced at the guilty expression on her face, choosing not to comment as he idled at the light. Old style shops lingered on either side of the street, most with empty windows or for lease signs. He stared at the reflection of his car in the darkened glass before leaving the street behind. “Almost there,” he said.
Aria nodded, watching a small store disappear from sight.
Pavement crackled under the tires as Rome pulled down a narrow lane, parking the car beneath the shadow of a large bridge. He watched her take in the sight of her surroundings (the busted chain-link fence and the train yard that lay just beyond it). Abandoned cabs covered in graffiti sat overlooking the water, scattered among the tracks like the discarded parts they were. “Welcome to the edge of the world,” he said.
Ariahna smiled. “Are we allowed to be here?”
“There isn’t anyone to tell us otherwise.”
Rome got out of the car, opening her door and leading her towards the yard. Broken barbed wire hung down over the no trespassing sign. Ironically enough, it was that same stretch of fence that allowed them passage. “Watch your step, the gravel’s a bit loose around the tracks.”
She avoided a few jagged rocks, glancing up at the back of his head. “Do you come here often?” she asked.
“I guess you could say it’s like my home away from home.” Rome stopped near one of the open train cars, turning to prop himself up on the lip. “You can see the entire bay from here.”
She gazed out at the water, taking in the sight of the gentle sunlight casting shadows across its surface. “It’s incredible,” she said. “I never expected to see a view like this down here.” Ariahna bit her lip, staring up at him. “Why are you sharing this with me?”
Rome rubbed a palm over the back of his neck. “I don’t know. I usually come here to find solitude. Maybe I just saw something in you that needed that. And I find sharing it with someone else infinitely more liberating than keeping it a secret.”
Aria turned back towards the shifting tide, lifting herself onto the edge of the burnt red train car. They stared off at the horizon in quiet before she turned to him to speak. “Now what?”
Rome frowned. “Usually I just think for a while.” He leaned back, risking a glance at the girl beside him.
“We’re going to be spending some time together if you really want me to tutor you. Maybe we should get acquainted?”
“I’d like that,” he said. Rome let the sea air fill his lungs, listening as the weight of the water pushed against the shore. “What is it you wanted to know, exactly?”
She thought on it a moment. “What’s your favorite song?”
He smiled more genuinely than he had in a long time.
“What?” she said.
“Out of all the subjects that would make me uncomfortable, you happen to settle on the one thing I could talk to you about for hours.” Rome closed his eyes, trying to work out an answer. “What do you say we play a little game instead?”
She smiled curiously at him. “What kind of game?”
“The kind where you answer all questions in the form of lyrics. It’s not the easiest game to play, but it could get interesting,” he said.
“Alright. Since it was your idea, you get to answer first.”
“That’s fine by me.”
She leaned a shoulder into the side door, staring consideringly at his face. He was wearing a serious expression (the only type she’d seen on him consistently). “What do you think about all day long, when you’re frowning like that?” Her lips twisted into a grin as he grew abashed.
Rome closed his eyes, trying to piece together discarded thoughts. Such a question left him digging deep for an answer he wasn’t sure he had. The words came to him then.
“I am the sun and the wind, everything that surrounds me I become. To feel connected I seek within, reaching through the darkness, for whatever lies beyond.”
Aria blinked in astonishment. “I’m not sure I was expecting such an ambiguous answer.” She smirked slightly. “And now you’re the one surprising me. I like this already.”
His expression turned coy. “It’s not verbatim, but it’s the most honest answer I can give.” He looked back out at the water, searching within the waves for an equally poetic inquiry. “If life had no limitations, how would you choose to live it?”
Ariahna threaded her fingers together, crossing her legs at the ankle. “That’s not an easy question to answer…” She rested her temple lightly against the metal, searching herself for a song that could say everything she wanted and more. “…I would cross the sea, and leave all that I know, if it meant we’d have another chance, and dreams still left to sow. Golden gifts I would surrender, I’d give all that and more, to see your smile again, my dear, upon that distant shore.” She blushed under his gaze. “Freedom to make mistakes,” she said. “That’s what I’d want.”
Her answer had driven out Rome’s own sense of longing.
“What about you?” she said. “What would you do if there was nothing there to hold you back?”
“I’d follow my heart,” he said. “Because… When you’re lost, hope will find you well, even when the sky is dim and all the stars have fell.”
The grating of the tracks pulled Aria back to the present. She leaned around the edge of the railcar, gazing down the tracks at the sight of an oncoming train. Soot rose up from its chimneystack, and the whistle cut through the sounds of the sea. She spoke quietly, leaning in close so he could better hear. “Is it alright for us to stay here? I really can’t be caught trespassing.”
Rome smirked. He was so close he could smell the delicate scent of her hair. “We could hide?” he said, indicating the darkened side of the cab. “But it doesn
’t matter. They’re just supply cars rolling through, probably to the next town, or state.”
She stood up just the same, fixing her skirt and straightening out her blouse. “I’d just as soon not be seen, if that’s alright with you.” Aria took a few steps inside of the shaded interior, gazing at him where he still sat, the late afternoon sun pouring over his face. “You like to live dangerously, don’t you?” she said.
His smile grew with the assertion. She seemed surprised he’d actually heard that over all the noise. Rome stood as the train shook the ground, following her into the shadows. He could see her standing at the back as flashes of light reflected off the passing cars. “What about you?” he said. “Ever do anything you’re not supposed to?”
She smiled at him in the dark. “That’s a secret. You never said anything about exchanging secrets.”
Rome took a few more steps. Any closer and they might have been touching. “Do you want to? Exchange secrets, I mean.”
“I don’t know,” she whispered. “That’s something that takes trust. And trust can only come with time.” Her hands ghosted over the gray metal at her back. “I feel like I owe you one, though. After all, this place was your secret, and you shared that with me.”
“I suppose I did. But you don’t owe me anything.”
Aria was still, watching lazily as he shifted just in front of her view. His stare was engaging, and she found herself being drawn into those wide, honest eyes. “I’m not sure there’s anything I can tell you,” she said. Her gaze fell to his lips, holding there for just a minute. “Maybe we need something surreptitious of our own…”
Rome brushed his fingertips against hers, eyes flicking down to where they touched. She was moving slowly with him, tracing patterns on the back of his hand. The moment almost didn’t feel real.
The distance separating them lifted like a weight, and Aria became swallowed by the sensation. It seemed eternal, like a moment that took forever to truly unfold. His hands were around her waist. Her wrists met near his neck. All she could hear was her heartbeat. She’d never been this close to anything so radiant before. Kissing him was like soaring into the sun.
Her hand pressed against the center of his chest, easing him back, if only an inch. She didn’t want to open her eyes, didn’t want to ruin the illusion. “I’m sorry,” she said softly. “This can’t happen again.”
It felt like he was standing underwater as she slipped past him. Rome watched her jump out of the cab before hurrying after the sound of her footsteps in the gravel. “Ariahna,” he called. He’d expected to see her heading towards his car, but she was nowhere in sight. “I’m sorry!” he shouted. His last plea was a futile whisper. “Don’t leave…”
Chapter Eight
All That We Find
The grass was damp as Kaleb crossed the lawn, making the trek out to the lonely greenhouses. It clung to his jeans, soaking his ankles as he went. Four unspeakably dreary days had passed, and he already wanted to get away. The evening sun was his companion now, the sounds of the forest reaching out to act as comfort. They made him think of the woods he had played in near his home (a familiar and bitter sensation). Would he ever return, he wondered? In all likelihood, not.
“I can hear you clomping along behind me,” he said. Still, he hadn’t bothered to stop. “Your stalking could use some work.”
The shade at his back chuckled. “I wasn’t aiming for covert,” the guy said. “But I’m glad I got your attention.”
Kaleb folded his arms behind his head, stretching as he reached the edge of the first greenhouse. “What did you want, then?” He stopped finally, turning an assessing glance on his pursuer. The dirty-blonde stepped around the building’s cover, removing a cigarette from between pinched, thin lips.
“A chance to talk. Which we might have had days ago, if you didn’t walk so damn fast.” He squinted at him shrewdly, roughing a hand over his tight cropped hair. “Logan Scott,” he said, by way of introduction.
Kaleb lowered his arms, shrugging without regard.
“Don’t be arrogant,” Logan said.
Kaleb sighed, watching his hair shift in the breeze. The day had gotten more interesting, but it looked like this guy wasn’t going to leave him alone. “Kaleb,” he replied. “Was that all?”
Logan smiled. “No last name to go with that?”
“Not for you.”
Logan struggled to control the annoyance creeping across his face. “You can drop the act. I know who you are.”
“Is that so?” Kaleb said.
“It wasn’t that hard to figure out.”
Kaleb was silent as Logan circled him, moving to stand on his opposite side. “What was it that gave me away?”
The boy laughed, and it was both a hollow and unpleasant sound. “I recognize how they act around royalty,” he said.
A tired stare was Kaleb’s response. He gazed at Logan mercilessly for a second, picking apart his intentions. “I hope you’re not referring to yourself in that way,” he said. “The title is a bit unfitting.”
The smirk on Logan’s face grew rapidly in size and strength. “Right for the gut, huh? Guess I’ll get to it, then. I was just wondering if you were here to stage some kind of coup or something. Somehow, I just can’t see peace being on a bloodsucker’s agenda.”
A breath was enough time for things to grow strained, and Kaleb surprised himself by falling back on his father’s method for dealing with these things. “Hostility breeds fire for all the world to feel,” he said.
Logan huffed in reply. “Don’t quote that old bull to me.”
Kaleb’s gaze trailed out towards the trees then, not unhappy that it hadn’t quite worked. “I’m not a pacifist, you know. That doesn’t particularly mean I want your blood on my hands, either.” Blue eyes locked on beady brown ones. “The truth is there is no ulterior motive. I’m here for the very reasons my father stated: to gain an education, and bridge the gap.”
“Somehow,” Logan said, “I just don’t believe you.”
Kaleb shrugged. “I guess that’s your problem.”
“Yeah,” he said. “And now you’re mine…”
Chapter Nine
Beyond Ankle Deep
Ariahna sat in the student lounge, watching the lit fireplace casting shadows across the room. The third floor was nearly silent, except for the soft hum of music skirting down the nearest hall. She sat there surrounded by the persistent buzz of it, trying to pick thoughts out of the muted noise. She hadn’t spoken to Rome in days. Not since the train yard. Not since they’d kissed. She’d be lying if she didn’t admit that she regretted it. It was unfair to him.
Aria gazed at her phone, wishing he’d ask her to study, and dreading answering if he did. She exhaled, setting the phone aside. Wishing wasn’t going to make anything happen. Besides, there were more pressing things to worry about. Like the fact that she’d directly disobeyed her father. She folded her legs to the side, gripping tightly at her ankle. He had been exceptionally cryptic in his warning…
A shadow moved across the ceiling as she pondered that, visible in the glow of the firelight. Christian came to perch on the arm of her sofa, a quiet addition to the ambiance. They sat together, enjoying the heat and the smell of the burning spruce.
“I hope I didn’t startle you,” he said.
Ariahna shook her head. “Of course not.”
“So, what are you doing sitting alone in the dark?” he asked. “You look like you’re working on some nefarious plans.”
She gave him a reserved look. “Searching for perspective, more like.” Aria watched him glance around the darkened room.
“I’m not sure you’re going to get it here,” Christian said.
Her lips curled up into a tired smile. “What about you? What are you doing out in the middle of the night?”
“Debauchery,” he said. “Certainly nothing as deep as soul searching. But, if you must know, I’ve been having trouble sleeping lately. I thought I might try going for a s
troll.”
“Don’t let Shawn catch you,” she said. “Technically, I think we’re not allowed to leave this floor—curfew and all.”
Christian shrugged, turning his attention back to the flames. He brushed a few strands of hair away from his eyes before speaking. “I’m sorry about the other day, in the auditorium. I guess it’s no secret that I’m a bit of a flirt, not to mention a sucker for a pretty face. I know I can come on a bit strong sometimes.”
Aria looked away, playing shyly with her shirt sleeve. “Why the sudden change, then? Not that I mind. Honestly, I’m just surprised that you stopped to talk to me again.”
He chuckled, shaking his head.
“What?” Aria said.
“It’s nothing. Dallas is just very persuasive when he wants to be.” He gave her a sly smile. “Maybe in another lifetime…”
The clock chimed through the hall, drawing a smirk to Ariahna’s face. “If you’re going for that walk, you might want to leave soon. Shawn keeps a consistent schedule. He’ll be around any minute.”
“Why don’t you come with me?” Christian said. He could see the hesitance in her eyes. “Come on. Just because Dallas is a stick in the mud doesn’t mean we can’t be friends.”
“This has nothing to do with Dallas. There are rules.”
“And you don’t strike me as a person who plays by all of them.” Christian rose from the sofa, wandering past the fireplace and towards the shadowy staircase. “Last chance,” he whispered.
Ariahna stared back at him, observing his expectant face. “Fine,” she said, standing from her seat. “But if we’re going to go, we’d better hurry. I don’t plan on getting caught.”
“Neither do I.”
The sound of their footsteps echoed in the stairwell as they drifted down the steps. Signs of movement from the floor above urged them to hasten their pace. The second floor was deserted, leaving shadows to cling heavily to the corners of the room and the bookcases.