happened?” Sydney asked.
“Let’s go,” he said.
“What happened, Travis?”
“Don’t look,” he said. “Please don’t look.” He was trembling as he reached out and grabbed her, his fingers curled around her arm. “Don’t look,” he said again.
She started to panic then, fear rising up in her chest, grabbing her by the throat and shaking her.
“Travis, what?” she asked, knowing she sounded crazy and hysterical now, but not caring.
Jason Treffen was trying to speak over the roar of commotion, but for once, it seemed like he didn’t have control. It seemed that whatever had happened had lessened Jason’s power, if only for a moment. Because no one could pay attention to Jason—not now. They were all glued to the windows. And Travis wouldn’t let her see.
“It’s Sarah,” he said, pulling her from the room. “I don’t want you to see.”
“Sarah?” she asked, picturing her friend as she’d been earlier in the evening when they’d met at her Manhattan apartment to get ready for the evening. Sarah’s dark hair had been swept up into a bun, her gorgeous figure wrapped in a crimson gown. So alive. So beautiful. “I have to help. I have to see—”
“You can’t help,” he said, his voice rough. “You can’t help.”
“Why can’t I help?” she asked.
“She’s dead,” he said, the words seeming to scrape his throat on the way out. “She’s dead, Syd. Come on.”
“No,” she said. “You don’t know that. You don’t know.”
She tugged free of his grasp and ran toward the windows, her heart in her throat, blocking air from entering her lungs. Sydney pushed her way through the crowd to the windows, her whole body shaking now. She could see her own reflection in the glass, and through to the other side, the lights in the buildings across the street. Christmas lights strung over everything. Then she looked through her reflection, down to the street below.
And she saw her.
A slash of red on the pavement. The crimson not contained to her beautiful gown, but pooling out around her, spreading across the New York City sidewalk.
She put her hand over her mouth and froze there.
“Syd,” Travis said, using her nickname again. The name only he was allowed to call her. “Let’s go.”
“I have to help,” she said, her words a sob.
“You can’t,” he said.
“You don’t know that,” she said, shaking her head, knowing full well Sarah was beyond help now.
Travis tugged at her arm again, harder, and she stopped pulling against him, stopped fighting him, and let him lead her to the elevator.
“What happened?” she asked, the moment the elevator doors closed.
“She jumped.”
“No.” She shook her head. “Travis, she wouldn’t do that...she wouldn’t. I don’t believe this. I was with her only a couple of hours ago. She was getting ready. And she was happy and s-so beautiful.”
“I know, baby.” He put his arm around her, holding her hard against his side, holding her together.
“Are you sure it’s real?” she asked.
“Yes,” he said.
She could feel a tremble move through his body, echo in hers. He’d seen it, too. It hadn’t been a sick hallucination or a party trick. It was real.
Her friend was dead. Before her life could ever begin, she was dead.
Travis leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes. She looked at him, so strong, so solid. Shaken like she was. The look on his face made it even more real. “Promise me something, Travis,” she said, shaking from the inside out.
“Anything.”
Right now, Travis was the anchor. Right now, Travis was the only thing that made sense. She felt like if she lost sight of him, she would drift out to sea completely.
He was her friend, warm, alive and present, and right now she needed him to be with her. She would give anything, her soul if she had to. She just couldn’t bear to lose him, too. Not tonight.
“Promise you’ll stay with me,” she said.
“How long?” he asked.
“As long as it
“Let’s go,” he said.
“What happened, Travis?”
“Don’t look,” he said. “Please don’t look.” He was trembling as he reached out and grabbed her, his fingers curled around her arm. “Don’t look,” he said again.
She started to panic then, fear rising up in her chest, grabbing her by the throat and shaking her.
“Travis, what?” she asked, knowing she sounded crazy and hysterical now, but not caring.
Jason Treffen was trying to speak over the roar of commotion, but for once, it seemed like he didn’t have control. It seemed that whatever had happened had lessened Jason’s power, if only for a moment. Because no one could pay attention to Jason—not now. They were all glued to the windows. And Travis wouldn’t let her see.
“It’s Sarah,” he said, pulling her from the room. “I don’t want you to see.”
“Sarah?” she asked, picturing her friend as she’d been earlier in the evening when they’d met at her Manhattan apartment to get ready for the evening. Sarah’s dark hair had been swept up into a bun, her gorgeous figure wrapped in a crimson gown. So alive. So beautiful. “I have to help. I have to see—”
“You can’t help,” he said, his voice rough. “You can’t help.”
“Why can’t I help?” she asked.
“She’s dead,” he said, the words seeming to scrape his throat on the way out. “She’s dead, Syd. Come on.”
“No,” she said. “You don’t know that. You don’t know.”
She tugged free of his grasp and ran toward the windows, her heart in her throat, blocking air from entering her lungs. Sydney pushed her way through the crowd to the windows, her whole body shaking now. She could see her own reflection in the glass, and through to the other side, the lights in the buildings across the street. Christmas lights strung over everything. Then she looked through her reflection, down to the street below.
And she saw her.
A slash of red on the pavement. The crimson not contained to her beautiful gown, but pooling out around her, spreading across the New York City sidewalk.
She put her hand over her mouth and froze there.
“Syd,” Travis said, using her nickname again. The name only he was allowed to call her. “Let’s go.”
“I have to help,” she said, her words a sob.
“You can’t,” he said.
“You don’t know that,” she said, shaking her head, knowing full well Sarah was beyond help now.
Travis tugged at her arm again, harder, and she stopped pulling against him, stopped fighting him, and let him lead her to the elevator.
“What happened?” she asked, the moment the elevator doors closed.
“She jumped.”
“No.” She shook her head. “Travis, she wouldn’t do that...she wouldn’t. I don’t believe this. I was with her only a couple of hours ago. She was getting ready. And she was happy and s-so beautiful.”
“I know, baby.” He put his arm around her, holding her hard against his side, holding her together.
“Are you sure it’s real?” she asked.
“Yes,” he said.
She could feel a tremble move through his body, echo in hers. He’d seen it, too. It hadn’t been a sick hallucination or a party trick. It was real.
Her friend was dead. Before her life could ever begin, she was dead.
Travis leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes. She looked at him, so strong, so solid. Shaken like she was. The look on his face made it even more real. “Promise me something, Travis,” she said, shaking from the inside out.
“Anything.”
Right now, Travis was the anchor. Right now, Travis was the only thing that made sense. She felt like if she lost sight of him, she would drift out to sea completely.
He was her friend, warm, alive and present, and right now she needed him to be with her. She would give anything, her soul if she had to. She just couldn’t bear to lose him, too. Not tonight.
“Promise you’ll stay with me,” she said.
“How long?” he asked.
“As long as it
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