In Jupiter

Her

I wouldn't say that fear ever ruled me. There was some anxiety here and there growing up, along with some standard fears. I was afraid of the dark when I was a kid, although my nightlight helped. But I didn't lose sleep when it burnt out. The only reason my dad put a nightlight in my room was because I told my mom I didn't like to sleep in the dark. But I didn't need it.

He must have seen I called, twice. Yet all I could have done was wait, or try again. Five seconds passed, so I called again. I don't know why I was disparately trying to get in touch - I was still mad at him, even though I had to keep reminding myself.

"Donna?" Alex picked up

"Hey," was all I managed to say.

"Sorry" was his reply.

I waited a little, thinking he was going to say more. "Sorry, for not calling me back?"

He didn't respond.

"Alex?"

"Yeah, hi. Sorry, I tried calling you back."

"Oh, okay." What kind of answer was that? Oh, okay. No, ask him You tried? You tried, but you didn't, or something.

"Um, I'm home right now. Are you at the school?"

I sighed, "Yeah," and waited for him to say more.

"Donna, how long have I been away?"

"Out of town?"

"Yeah, it feels like I was gone a really long time."

I giggled a little before I could could maintain composure, "Five days. Is it your mom?"

"Is what my mom?"

"Oh, you said it feels like you were gone a long time. Did your mom do or say something?"

"No. I just, feel like, weird..."

"Alex?" I gritted my teeth and put my head down, letting my hair to drop and cover my face. "Alex, are you okay?"

He took a few seconds to answer, "Yeah. Sorry."

Silence again. I couldn't muster the courage to say what I wanted to say, and he just wasn't saying anything.

"Do you want me to come meet you?" he asked.

I wasn't expecting him to ask that. "No." I wanted to say yes, but I just couldn't face him. "You didn't sleep much, right? You got back like six hours ago after driving all night, so you should get some rest."

"Yeah, okay, you're right."

"Text me when you wake up," I said, somewhat emotionlessly. I waited a little bit for an answer before pulling the phone away from my ear and hanging up.

I felt like crying, and nearly did. Alex could be gone, no different than the zombies in the gymnasium. He could have just been sleep deprived though, I told myself. Zombies are completely lifeless, and Alex was just sort-of lifeless, so probably just sleep deprivation.

Walking around the school grounds, I felt a little better. I shouldn't have felt bad anyways; I told him not to go. Whatever, I wanted to stop thinking about it, so I did.

I took the long way back, a scenic path with nature and a playground that I sometimes brought the kids. And it was at the playground that I saw it. A thing that I'd only seen on the Internet and TV. Between a corner of the school building and the playground, floating bricks. The grass and concrete sidewalk were gone, replaced by dirt and an old hammer. The corner that should have been there was missing, as if it were never finished. And bricks and dirt floated in the air, unperturbed by wind or gravity.

I casually approached out of curiosity. I've never seen, or thought I would, see an area where gravity was off. Stepping onto the dirt, I expected to feel something, or float up myself, but nothing. Everything was normal to me, but not to the bricks or clouds of dirt. With one finger I touched one of the bricks, sending it into twisting and turning in the air away from me. I pushed the hammer with my foot, but it stayed stuck to the ground. Looking back at the twirling brick, it didn't lose any of its spin. But a few feet later, it dropped to the floor, just like a brick would.