Élphame

Chapter Six

          The mountains in the distance didn't seem so distant now. The small rolling hills made way for steep rock formations and evergreen trees. The view became more restricted and obscured by the forest that surrounded them. The road became more narrow and the curves tighter. The further they went, the taller and thicker the trees grew. It seemed to grow darker as well, as the trees were blocking the little light the stormy clouds above where letting through.

          "Are we almost there?" Naomi asked Ezhno.

          "Almost. About another thirty minutes of the mountain. Hey, will you pass me another doughnut?"

          She picked a doughnut at random and handed it to him, selecting one for herself as well. As she chewed, she thought back to the Wrath of Zeus. When she closed her eyes she could still see it clearly-- a building in the traditional Japanese style. The tiled roof had been white and trimmed with vibrant red-- at least, those are the color Naomi assumed they were. It was a little hard to tell through the dark blue color of the lightning. The roof had peaked in the middle, sloping curving downward, until it ended in a skyward curve. Behind the building had been a cherry blossom tree.

          It had all seemed so real-- too real. But how could it be real? Yet, how could it not be? There was no way Naomi had imagined it, the details were too fine and intricate for that. Naomi could never envision the rustle of the petals on the cherry blossoms from the tree behind the building, the delicate symbols carved into the swinging windchimes hung from every corner, the shadows cast on the screens pull over the windows by a flickering light inside. No, it must have been real.

          "When you have excluded the impossible whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth," she whispered.

          "What was that?" Ezhno asked.

          "Oh, sorry. I was just talking to myself."

          The question remains, she thought, why could I see it? What about the lightning allowed me to see it?

          Ponder as she might, she could come to no conclusion.

          "Ugh." Darcy turned off her phone screen and muttered something that sounded like, "So infuriating."

          "What's the matter?" Naomi asked. "Your conversation with your boyfriend get cut off?"

          "He's not my boyfriend!" Darcy shouted. "Sorry, I'm just frustrated."

          "Did he find out anything about the lightning?"

          "He says he has a theory, but he won't say anything over text. He says it's too risky."

          "Why would it be risky?" she asked.

          "Texts can be traced, hacked, that sort of thing. Same with calls."

          "You mean like wiretapping?" Naomi asked. "Like what the government did in the sixties?"

          "Exactly."

          "Why would that be a big deal?" Naomi asked. "I mean, I get that people like private conversations to remain private, but I still don't get why he won't say anything. Either he has something to hide from the world, or he's paranoid."

          Darcy regarded her for a moment. "You know, you're a lot smarter than I give you credit for."

          "Um, thanks?" Naomi wasn't sure if it was meant to be a compliment or an insult. "So, which is it?"