The Eighth Gate

23 | One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

On top of the fact that a demon might eavesdrop on their conversation, Mary didn’t think it would be proper to ask something so big of Tamara over the phone, so she waited until school the next day. Mason arranged their meeting so that it would be inconspicuous—an adjective that most heavily relied on the location chosen for the two girls to meet, which just so happened to wind up being up on the school roof. It never ceased to amaze Mary how Mason could make practically anything happen with just a snap of his finger, as elaborate or far-fetched as the request might be. Gaining access to the school roof required a lot of slinking through the halls, avoiding anyone’s attention as one searched for the correct door—which, by the way, couldn’t be opened without a key. Mary wondered who Mason charmed enough to score the key that could open the roof's door.

 Not that it mattered much now, with Tamara emerging through the slowly opening doorway, glancing around for any onlookers. But nobody was watching her exit, either from inside the school or outside on the rooftop. Nobody except Mary—and her two ghostly companions, of course.

“You know,” Tam began, closing the door behind her before walking across the roof towards Mary, “when Mason told me you’d be waiting for me here, I didn’t believe him at first. He likes to mess around with me like that. But then I realized this was you we were talking about, and this is exactly the kind of thing you’d agree to. You’ve always been daring that way.” She sighed, and Mary wasn’t sure if it was out of exasperation or wistfulness.

“The roof was Mason’s idea,” Mary responded. “I just went along with it because I really wanted to talk to you, and I know you want to keep our interactions private.” Tam was ashamed of being seen with Mary. Mary wasn’t sure why she was surprised when Mason told her this; it was to be expected. Regardless, it hurt.

 In an effort to keep this pain from her face, Mary cast her gaze down. She tightened her trench coat around herself, shuddering stiffly against a violent gust of icy air. Seaside High was three stories tall, nearly kissing some of the lower-hanging clouds that flew over Cullis Port from time to time, heavy with precipitation. The altitude from up here gave way to stronger winds, as if Mary were standing at the top of a mountain, elevated thousands of feet off the ground. It filled her body with adrenaline, made her heart swell with excitement over the fact that she wasn’t supposed to be up here in forbidden territory.

Tam puffed her cheeks, blowing out a breath that toyed with a stray strand of her fiery bangs. It was quite difficult to hear her over the wind whistling between them. “We’re so high. I’m terrified of heights.”

“You are?” Noah and Mary spoke simultaneously, equal amounts of surprise in their voices. “Since when?”

She gave Mary a look that read are you kidding me right now? “Let’s see… since that time I was dangled from the top of a very tall tree like a rag doll by a demon possessing one of my best friends?”

Mary dropped her eyes again, her heart tightening. “Oh,” she said softly.

“And speaking of…” She hesitated. “Is... Is Noah here?” When Mary nodded, Tam spoke just as quietly as she had as her gaze wandered about the area. “Hey, Noah. Wherever you are."

“I’m right here.” Noah stepped forwards so that she was directly in front of Tamara. “Hi, Tam. Go easy on Mary, all right? She’s about to ask you something very important. We need you.”

Mary prepared herself for what she needed to say, gazing around at the wide roof as if searching for some form of help. The grimy cement beneath her feet was a drab grey that echoed the color of the sky above. Puddles of water were sprinkled throughout its area, as was the occasional clump of white snow and cluster of litter. The roof was outlined by a thick railing made out of the same cement as the rest of the building, thick and solid. It wasn’t high enough to obscure the breathtaking view of the rest of Cullis Port’s lengthy shore: Whitecap Beach with its tumultuous waves and dirty sand; the circular coastal inlet of ocean and rocks that was the cove; the worn exterior of the tall lighthouse at Oyster Point--known more easily to natives as Lighthouse Point; Lock-and-Key bay, with its cliffs and rocks and line of trees that led to Mason’s mansion; the bobbing boats tied to the rotting docks at Marina Harbor… all of it looked out into the endless ocean, where the hazy horizon muddled the boundary between sky and water.