Under a Silent Moon

26

Chapter Twenty-Six: Beautiful

ZACK

The next day at school, I've never been so happy to see Lana walking up to me. Flashes from the night before plague my mind--her hazy eyes, her sad expression, her dark writings. I'm undoubtedly not a prime candidate to be anyone's savior, but if I could, I would roll her up in a blanket burrito and protect that burrito at all costs.

If I had such dark musings roaming about in my head, I wouldn't want to be alone. And I think Lana's been alone for so long that she's developed her own self-deprecating coping mechanisms that have gotten her this far in her life.

I pull her into an embrace when she's close enough, which surprises her. She timidly wraps her arms around my sides and then pulls back, inhaling deeply.

"Thank you for last night," she says at last, her hand going up touch the star necklace that rests on her striped T-shirt.

"Beautiful," I tell her.

"It really is."

"Oh yeah, the necklace is nice too." I wink at her and she light-heartedly punches me in the chest.

"How did your charity event go?" she inquires.

I shrug. "As well as any. Too many niceties and small talk for my liking."

"Sounds horrendous," she agrees with wide eyes, taking a place at my side as we meander to first period.

"When does your musical practice begin?" I ask.

"Tomorrow after school."

"Great, so we can study for history together at my place today."

She groans, throwing her head backwards. "We have a test?"

"Yep. Bright and early. Lucky for you, I'm a master historian."

She eyes me in disbelief. When we part ways at our respective locker rooms, I inform her that we have a meeting today in the library at lunchtime.

"What kind of meeting?" she asks suspiciously.

"Only attendees will have the privilege to know," I respond, purposefully vague.

I charmed my way into reserving the conference room for Lana and I located at the back of the library. Miss Kristoff is only twenty-four, and I'm pretty sure being a librarian in a small, rural town wasn't exactly her first-pick when it comes to careers. She's got both sides of her nose pierced and is always strumming her guitar in her office. She once told us that when her band makes it big, she'll be out of this town without a word of goodbye.

So when I told her her talent is as big as her heart, she basically just handed me the keys.

I'm lounging on the library's couch when Lana comes through the double doors. I insist on taking the books she's lugging around, and lead her to the back.

"That's for faculty, we can't go in there."

I dangle the keys in front of her. "Faculty and keyholders."

She rolls her eyes, laughs. Definitely not surprised.

Set in front of two seats of the table are two journals and a pack of gel pens. When she spots my setup, she eyes me inquisitively. I pull out her chair and take a seat next to her.

"Let me start by saying I'm sorry for looking through your private journal. It was wrong of me, and I shouldn't have done it."

She nods her acceptance of my apology, and so I continue.

"I do have to say, though, I didn't like all of the things I saw in it. Very . . . depressing. So--" I push the new notebook closer to her-- "I figured we could create new ones. A Happy Journal of sorts."

"A Happy Journal?"

I flip open the first page where I scrawled in the best handwriting I could manage: Lana's Happy Journal. I show her mine too, with my name in place of hers.

"I could definitely use a pick-me-up too."

She's shaking her head but there's red in her cheeks and a grin on her lips. "What are you, some kind of hopeless romantic?" she asks, reaching for the pack of pens.

"Trust me, if I make a grand romantic gesture, you'd know it." I take a lime green pen and begin to doodle on the next page of my journal. I'm not a remarkable artist by any means, but it calms me down and keeps my mind preoccupied. "This right here is a friend-to-friend bonding moment." I think I see her deflate at the word friend, but maybe that's just my subconscious. "Or you could see it as a teacher to student scenario."

Her eyebrows raise. "Am I the pupil?"

"You sure are. My first instruction for the day: I want us to create a list of ten things in our lives that we cherish."

Her pen hovers hesitantly above the page. I can almost see the wheels in her mind churning.

"Number one: The fact that I'm still here despite being dead. You can't copy me, by the way."

This elicits a small laugh from her. I try to see what she's writing, but her handwriting is so small. After she's written her own number one, she scoots the book over for me to take a look.

My brother Blake.

I smile and say, "What a great start."

We continue to work on our lists quietly. Lana chooses a different color pen for each item on her list. I stick to my lime green.

By the time the warning bell rings to signify the end of lunch, we exchange journals. "Peer review time," I tell her. "Spelling and punctuation don't count."

Lana's list goes as follows:

1. My brother Blake

2. Carly and Sebastian

3. Terrence the Ferret

4. Dad (RIP)

5. The locket Dad gave me

6. Art

7. Music

8. Star necklace

9. My health

10. Vampire boy

"Thank goodness," I say, handing it back to her. "You're number ten on my list too." I watch her knowingly as she traces her index finger down the lines of my page.

1. The fact that I'm still here despite being dead

2. My sister Julia

3. The memory of my mom

4. Friends

5. Athletic ability

6. Crazy good looks

7. Privileged life

8. Good academic standing

9. Music

10. Lana Carina

We're both in high spirits as we pack up to leave. I salute Miss Kristoff on our way out of the library and she looks up from her guitar to give me a nod. As I walk Lana to her locker, she asks, "So, did I pass?"

"With flying colors. No detention this time."

She pauses, leaning in closer to me. "What if I want detention?"

I'm too shocked at her response to do anything but laugh.