Shakespeare?”
He twisted his mouth thoughtfully. “Yeah... it is. It’s from a Midsummer Night’s Dream. Can’t remember who spoke it or why, but the whole play talks about dreams a lot. Like how time is all messed up in dreams.”
Shrugging, he stepped over and reached for a spoke, attempting to spin the wheel.
With a crack-crack-crack, the wheel made a complete turn.
And swung outwards.
A massive hole gaped in the rock wall behind the wheel. Bitter air snaked towards us. The passage ahead was the still, cold black of a granite coffin.
My hand fumbled as I pulled my torch from my jean pocket. The three of us stepped wordlessly inside—we'd come too far not to. Our combined torch light barely penetrated the darkness. I just made out the sketchy outline of a rounded rock ceiling and walls, spearing down into a winding passage.
My foot slid on something that was not rock—something rubbery. I bent to snatch it up. It was one of those gel phone cases. I turned it over. My heart dropped through my chest. The pop-art image of John Lennon in tiny round glasses colored the back of the case.
“Aisha's...." Lacey breathed.
Ethan took stiff steps over, seizing the case and crushing it in his fist. He stared from the case to Lacey and me with dazed eyes. “You girls head back.”
I wanted to tell him no, wanted to tell him I was with him to the end. I needed to believe that the biggest part of me wanted to make up for betraying Aisha.
Lacey paced backwards, her face stretched tight across high cheekbones, eyeing Ethan coldly. “I’m getting the police.”
She'd stopped trying to conceal how she felt about Ethan hours ago, but I willed her to shut her trap. Now wasn't the time.
Ethan swallowed hard, as though pushing down anger, or hurt. “Do what you want. All I ask is to be the first one... to find Aish.”
“Ethan,” I said softly, “you know what you find... won't be
her
, anymore.”
He expelled a long breath of air. “Cassie... I know that. But she always hated the thought of strangers touching her stuff. She'd have wanted me to be the one. Just give me the rest of today—that's all. Call the police in the morning.”
“I'm not letting you disturb evidence.” Lacey folded her arms tightly. “Haven't you ever heard of a crime scene?”
My jaw trembled as I nodded. “Whatever happened to her is no accident. And the people responsible will want to keep it a secret. It's too dangerous...."
Out in the cavern, the light faded and snapped off. Dark filled every space around us. I rushed for the exit—my limbs as though in slow motion, Ethan and Lacey dark blurs either side of me.
The wheel slammed shut, spinning—and then stopping dead.
My breaths pushed through strained lungs. Ethan sprinted to the round door—training his torchlight around its perimeter. There were no handles, no switches. He let out a low, keening sound under his breath.
I flashed my torch about like a lunatic.
Ethan hurled his shoulder against the wood. It barely made a sound. “I need something to pry the door open with. But we’ve got nothing.” His voice cracked on
nothing
. “Looks like that freaking door was on some kind of time-delay.”
Lacey pressed her back into the wall, frozen. “What do we do now?”
“Maybe this keeps going... maybe it comes out somewhere in the mountains.” My words were tight, closed.
Lacey clamped her eyes shut, as though not wanting to commit to anything.
Ethan let the phone case unfurl in his hand, his attention fixed on it for a moment. “I vote we find her.”
We moved along the passage. There was nothing else to do. No one spoke. No sound but the sharp intake of our breaths. The blackness stuck to me with a tar-like grip, claiming me.
Were these the last steps Aish had taken in her life? Were these the last steps we'd ever know too?
12. NOCTURNE
I brought my watch up close to my face. We’d been walking for at least ten minutes. If the
He twisted his mouth thoughtfully. “Yeah... it is. It’s from a Midsummer Night’s Dream. Can’t remember who spoke it or why, but the whole play talks about dreams a lot. Like how time is all messed up in dreams.”
Shrugging, he stepped over and reached for a spoke, attempting to spin the wheel.
With a crack-crack-crack, the wheel made a complete turn.
And swung outwards.
A massive hole gaped in the rock wall behind the wheel. Bitter air snaked towards us. The passage ahead was the still, cold black of a granite coffin.
My hand fumbled as I pulled my torch from my jean pocket. The three of us stepped wordlessly inside—we'd come too far not to. Our combined torch light barely penetrated the darkness. I just made out the sketchy outline of a rounded rock ceiling and walls, spearing down into a winding passage.
My foot slid on something that was not rock—something rubbery. I bent to snatch it up. It was one of those gel phone cases. I turned it over. My heart dropped through my chest. The pop-art image of John Lennon in tiny round glasses colored the back of the case.
“Aisha's...." Lacey breathed.
Ethan took stiff steps over, seizing the case and crushing it in his fist. He stared from the case to Lacey and me with dazed eyes. “You girls head back.”
I wanted to tell him no, wanted to tell him I was with him to the end. I needed to believe that the biggest part of me wanted to make up for betraying Aisha.
Lacey paced backwards, her face stretched tight across high cheekbones, eyeing Ethan coldly. “I’m getting the police.”
She'd stopped trying to conceal how she felt about Ethan hours ago, but I willed her to shut her trap. Now wasn't the time.
Ethan swallowed hard, as though pushing down anger, or hurt. “Do what you want. All I ask is to be the first one... to find Aish.”
“Ethan,” I said softly, “you know what you find... won't be
her
, anymore.”
He expelled a long breath of air. “Cassie... I know that. But she always hated the thought of strangers touching her stuff. She'd have wanted me to be the one. Just give me the rest of today—that's all. Call the police in the morning.”
“I'm not letting you disturb evidence.” Lacey folded her arms tightly. “Haven't you ever heard of a crime scene?”
My jaw trembled as I nodded. “Whatever happened to her is no accident. And the people responsible will want to keep it a secret. It's too dangerous...."
Out in the cavern, the light faded and snapped off. Dark filled every space around us. I rushed for the exit—my limbs as though in slow motion, Ethan and Lacey dark blurs either side of me.
The wheel slammed shut, spinning—and then stopping dead.
My breaths pushed through strained lungs. Ethan sprinted to the round door—training his torchlight around its perimeter. There were no handles, no switches. He let out a low, keening sound under his breath.
I flashed my torch about like a lunatic.
Ethan hurled his shoulder against the wood. It barely made a sound. “I need something to pry the door open with. But we’ve got nothing.” His voice cracked on
nothing
. “Looks like that freaking door was on some kind of time-delay.”
Lacey pressed her back into the wall, frozen. “What do we do now?”
“Maybe this keeps going... maybe it comes out somewhere in the mountains.” My words were tight, closed.
Lacey clamped her eyes shut, as though not wanting to commit to anything.
Ethan let the phone case unfurl in his hand, his attention fixed on it for a moment. “I vote we find her.”
We moved along the passage. There was nothing else to do. No one spoke. No sound but the sharp intake of our breaths. The blackness stuck to me with a tar-like grip, claiming me.
Were these the last steps Aish had taken in her life? Were these the last steps we'd ever know too?
12. NOCTURNE
I brought my watch up close to my face. We’d been walking for at least ten minutes. If the
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