Miscommunication (boyxboy)

Chapter Twenty-Seven

"What happened to stopping at one?"

Adam sighed. "I guess you know me."

Cole chuckled. "Okay, let me think." He paused several moments, before, "It's low enough to see from the sky, but not high enough to see from the ground."

Adam blinked. "What?"

"You asked for another hint."

"I didn't mean a riddle."

"Well, you better figure it out because that was your last one."

"But that's not even..." Adam broke off, collapsing back against the chair. He frowned. What did Cole suppose he was going to be able to decipher from that?

"Low enough to see from the sky," Adam muttered to himself, "but not high enough to see from the ground." Then, "Oh, is it Earth?"

Cole sent him a funny look. "I can't tell if that's a smart answer, or you really think I'm taking you to outer space."

"But like, birds eye view." Adam argued. "You know, like on Google Maps."

Cole laughed. "It has nothing to do with space or satellites but nice try."

"Damn." Adam sunk into his seat again. "I need to figure this out before we get to wherever we're going."

"Well, you're not going to have long. We're almost there."

Cole was turning off the main road and onto a dirt path that lead into a thick cluster of pine trees. Fresh tyre tracks sat in the dirt, as though someone had been through here recently.

"Where are we?" Adam pondered out loud.

Cole didn't answer.

They drove on through the trees, headlights casting great shadows across the ground. Soft music continued to play through the car's speakers. Another several minutes passed before the treeline broke into a clear view of the night sky and Adam realised they were on a precipice.

"A cliff?" He frowned.

Cole pulled the car to a stop, rolling both windows down. He cut the engine, leaving the accessories on, before grinning at Adam and climbing out of the car. "Hope you're not afraid of heights."

Bewildered, Adam slowly unclipped his own seatbelt and climbed out of the car.

The night air cast a bitter chill over his skin. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he approached the hood of the car where Cole was waiting for him. He watched as the other boy slid himself up onto the bonnet and patted the empty spot beside him. "C'mon. I want to show you something."

Adam raised an eyebrow. "You know this is a rental, right?"

Cole rolled his eyes. "Just come here."

Careful not to scratch the paint, Adam climbed onto the hood of the car beside Cole. "Okay, now what?"

Gripping his chin gently in his hand, Cole turned Adam's head toward the edge of the cliff. "This."

Adam's gaze fell across the scene below them. Straining his neck slightly, he gasped when he saw what Cole was pointing at. "Oh my God."

Below, the town of Spring Creek stretched toward the horizon in a shimmering landscape of illumination. Light from a hundred buildings lit the valley brighter than a hundred Christmas trees. Suburbia was awash with golden hues, piercing the night in a way that mirrored the twinkling stars above.

"Low enough to see from the sky, not high enough to see from the ground." Adam murmured in realisation.

Trees rustled gently in the winter breeze around them. The only sound came from the car radio, as though they were the only people in the entire world up here.