The Guadeloupe Squadeloupe

Chapter XXVIII: Perry

"What? I liked that one."

"You're trying to hard. Act like yourself."

"He's boring. And I'm telling a story." My heart racing ever so slightly faster than before, I continue on. "I was poking Diana over and over again until she tried to push me overboard. She was super obvious about it; I saw her coming, so I hooked my feet on my seat and let myself dangle overboard." I looked like I was doing "The Wobble" really intensely, I add in my mind.

"I was fine, but my jacket pocket was open, and my wallet fell out and sank into the lake."

"What a tragedy, has Shakespeare heard about this?" Alice mocks.

"I don't believe so, considering he's dead, but I did try to hold a funeral," I say. "My parents were a bit too mad at me to care, however."

I want to lie down on the sand, but I'm not so sure getting my only clothes dirty is a good idea, and pulling Alice to the ground isn't the nicest thing either. Talking is nice, Perry. Remember that? I think.

"You have any interesting stories?" I ask her, trying to jump out of the driver's seat.

"My dad and I used to go out to gather rocks together to examine in his labs," she says, looking unsure of what she's saying. "There were a lot in Wyoming, and trust me, they were a lot more interesting to look at up close than in a scenery."

"Don't worry, I've been to Wyoming."

"One day we got up really early and left Janis at home by herself. We normally took her with us and let her wait in the truck but we didn't this time because when I tried to wake her up she bit me." I laugh but Alice's hard glare orders me to stop. "My dad and I drove all the way into Idaho to a field that looked like it had nothing to offer." Just like geology, I think.

Watching Alice's toes lightly kiss the water as it flows to greet us, I listen to the rest of the story. "We picked out rocks just from the surface at first. I was actually really confused as to what we were doing in such a boring place. My dad and I had been to gorgeous places for rocks."

She squints, as if trying to remember. I realize for what feels like the first time that she only got nine years with him. I got 16 with mine. 16 years to go and search for rocks, to spend every second together.

"Then this guy came over and started looking at our rocks. My dad didn't seem to have a problem with it, which was weird: he normally freaked out every time that someone acted strange around us. Excluding Janis of course." I chuckle, wondering what Janis would think about that.

"The guy and my dad began to exchange rocks, talking as if they knew-"

"What?" I glance around as if HEXA is watching. "What do you mean?"

Alice sighs with the tide, "That was Ashton."

"Oh."

"Even our trips together were lies. They were just an excuse to pass information in between them two for PHIE," she mutters. Even though I can't see it, I feel her heart breaking right next to me. And it hurts.

"Did he even love me at all? Was my entire childhood a hoax, Perry?"

I give the answer I'm supposed to: "Of course he did. Why would he teach you so much about geology?"

"Why would he create PHIE, knowing he was going to die before his time? Obviously he didn't die in a car crash. I can't imagine how he did though. I would hope it was painless, but I'm starting to rethink."

I feel my heart jog with anxiety. "No, Alice. You love him and don't deny it."

She doesn't. But she doesn't add anything also. We sit and feel the waves roll in one at a time. Sometimes a larger conversation can happen in silence. But this is less of a conversation and more of wondering. Why did Alice's dad create PHIE? Obviously HEXA isn't a good thing, but he had two girls to take care of on his own. How did he die? Did HEXA finally catch up to him?