into the void. I remember Oman’s face—tight and terrified—as he blinks out of existence. His expression haunts me every time I shut my eyes, as if his image is a waking nightmare I can’t shake.
Afterwards, I tell Nim I want to be alone and head into the Watch Room. She doesn’t follow me inside the chamber, but I can feel her hovering right outside the door, waiting for a moment in which I might need her. The act is both annoying and endearing at the same time.
I drop my orb into a clear basin, admiring the flash of galaxies and stars that project onto the walls. Then, in the blink of an eye, I am gray smoke, funneling into the crystal ball and flying through the universe held within. I dodge planets and meteors as I careen through the black expanse of space, seeking the little blue planet that can give me a distraction from all that has gone wrong in the past few days.
Rocketing through the atmosphere, my molecules shudder and reform as I alight the beach. I am surprised when droplets of water plunk down against my head and shoulders. The lake in front of me is swept up in a jittering dance as the rain spatters across the surface.
I look to my left at an empty stretch of wet sand, and then to my right. Noah sits on the only dry patch of silt, a black umbrella hoisted above his head as he stares out at the rolling current. The sound of the rain coursing down from overhead masks my footsteps and he doesn’t look up until I set my hand on his shoulder.
“I’m sorry,” I say before he can get a word in edgewise. Raindrops flick from my lips as I speak. “I was rude last time we talked.”
Noah stands, turns to me. He inches forward, sheltering me under the curve of the umbrella. It creates a dome of muted sounds around us, as if we’re in our own little world together.
Noah is so close I can feel his breath against my skin. He tilts his head down, bending ever nearer, and I stay him with a flat palm held gently on his chest. Even through his thick sweater, the warmness of his skin radiates up my fingers.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
His lips are inches from mine as he responds. “I was afraid you’d never come back, and I promised myself I’d do this if you ever did. I have to do this, Amara. Before I lose my nerve. Before I never see you again.”
Noah tilts in again, and this time I let my elbow relent as he leans closer. His mouth closes over mine and my head goes fuzzy. My hand drops away from his chest, my fingers reaching up to entangle in his hair. Suddenly the urge to be even nearer overwhelms me, and I press my body against his with a hunger I didn’t know I had.
Forgetting the umbrella, he lets the handle drop from his hand so that it is cast away in the sand. Rain pours down and intermingles with our kiss. He wraps one arm around the small of my back and pulls me in tight, so tight that I can feel his heart pound on top of mine.
When he finally pulls away, he runs a thumb and forefinger gently across the line of my jaw, his gaze locked onto mine. He must see the conflict held in the silver there, because he whispers, “Was that too much?”
“Never,” I whisper back, and lean in again.
We don’t come up for air until we’re drenched to the bone and the rain has ceased to fall.
“Just a little farther,” Noah says.
He’s leading me up a winding path carved into the side of a hill. My sandals sink into the mud as I walk, splattering onto my knees and staining my skin a ruddy red color. When Noah sees me struggling he takes my arm and helps guide me forward, up and up until we reach a rocky peak that overlooks the lake below.
“What is it you wanted to show me?” I ask while staring down into the swirling water below. The waves beat against the cliff face, breaking through the haze of mist hanging low over the
Afterwards, I tell Nim I want to be alone and head into the Watch Room. She doesn’t follow me inside the chamber, but I can feel her hovering right outside the door, waiting for a moment in which I might need her. The act is both annoying and endearing at the same time.
I drop my orb into a clear basin, admiring the flash of galaxies and stars that project onto the walls. Then, in the blink of an eye, I am gray smoke, funneling into the crystal ball and flying through the universe held within. I dodge planets and meteors as I careen through the black expanse of space, seeking the little blue planet that can give me a distraction from all that has gone wrong in the past few days.
Rocketing through the atmosphere, my molecules shudder and reform as I alight the beach. I am surprised when droplets of water plunk down against my head and shoulders. The lake in front of me is swept up in a jittering dance as the rain spatters across the surface.
I look to my left at an empty stretch of wet sand, and then to my right. Noah sits on the only dry patch of silt, a black umbrella hoisted above his head as he stares out at the rolling current. The sound of the rain coursing down from overhead masks my footsteps and he doesn’t look up until I set my hand on his shoulder.
“I’m sorry,” I say before he can get a word in edgewise. Raindrops flick from my lips as I speak. “I was rude last time we talked.”
Noah stands, turns to me. He inches forward, sheltering me under the curve of the umbrella. It creates a dome of muted sounds around us, as if we’re in our own little world together.
Noah is so close I can feel his breath against my skin. He tilts his head down, bending ever nearer, and I stay him with a flat palm held gently on his chest. Even through his thick sweater, the warmness of his skin radiates up my fingers.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
His lips are inches from mine as he responds. “I was afraid you’d never come back, and I promised myself I’d do this if you ever did. I have to do this, Amara. Before I lose my nerve. Before I never see you again.”
Noah tilts in again, and this time I let my elbow relent as he leans closer. His mouth closes over mine and my head goes fuzzy. My hand drops away from his chest, my fingers reaching up to entangle in his hair. Suddenly the urge to be even nearer overwhelms me, and I press my body against his with a hunger I didn’t know I had.
Forgetting the umbrella, he lets the handle drop from his hand so that it is cast away in the sand. Rain pours down and intermingles with our kiss. He wraps one arm around the small of my back and pulls me in tight, so tight that I can feel his heart pound on top of mine.
When he finally pulls away, he runs a thumb and forefinger gently across the line of my jaw, his gaze locked onto mine. He must see the conflict held in the silver there, because he whispers, “Was that too much?”
“Never,” I whisper back, and lean in again.
We don’t come up for air until we’re drenched to the bone and the rain has ceased to fall.
“Just a little farther,” Noah says.
He’s leading me up a winding path carved into the side of a hill. My sandals sink into the mud as I walk, splattering onto my knees and staining my skin a ruddy red color. When Noah sees me struggling he takes my arm and helps guide me forward, up and up until we reach a rocky peak that overlooks the lake below.
“What is it you wanted to show me?” I ask while staring down into the swirling water below. The waves beat against the cliff face, breaking through the haze of mist hanging low over the
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