we got to her in time, thks. cam decided we shd all ditch today so we're all by the beach
It took me all of two seconds to make up my mind. I excused myself from class and rushed over, fueled by the kinship I felt for the girls. A psychiatrist would have a field day with these attachments which have seemingly appeared out of nowhere.
Adults have always been stubborn about what they are capable of accepting and what is absolutely unacceptable. Teleportation is available at an exorbitant price? Big whoop. Dreams killing teenagers? Impossible. It seems as though age stops them from being able to suspend disbelief.
"DANIEL, STOP."
I almost jumped right out of my skin. The booming voice caused me to swerve to the side of the road.
Heart pounding and palms chilly, I take a few deep breaths. Slowly.
Was it a hallucination?
I look up into the rear-view mirror, not expecting to see anyone. Still, I hoped for an explanation. I quell that desire as I felt irony wash over me. I condemn adults for their need for technological backings, yet here I am, unable to accept the fact that while we may not understand how things work, it doesn't mean they aren't. Faith is a burden many choose not to bear.
"But sometimes," I recall from memory, "you need to take that leap."
I don't say her name out loud, but I know. Dana's trying to warn me. The rest of the drive to Orion's Beach was silent and uneventful. I even turned off the radio to try and figure things out. Conditioning myself to overlook the how, because the more important question is why.
Turning to the rocky paths surrounding the beach, I spot a generic smart car and parked next to it. The old and the new - a picture of oddities! Dana would have appreciated it.
Harmony, she would probably say.
Harmonious, I would have agreed.
But she isn't here now. The constant ache for her tugged at my heart. And Alex almost went the same way.
"How's she?" I asked while coming up from behind Hady. I found my eyes drawn towards the two silhouettes, framed by the sun and sky. One broad and the other waif-like.
"She... She's fine, you know? Mentally... And physically, of course. Only - I don't know, she was covered in blood - wasn't hers - but the thing is, she should have been traumatized." Hady said, sounding conflicted.. "But it's Alex. She's Alex." She finished and turned her gaze towards them, effectively ending the conversation.
I put my arm around her, trying to offer what comfort I could while contemplating her words. Alex, her beloved best friend. Alex of strong character, unfazed by the experience. Alex who now stood with her arms open, twirling as Cameron threw something at her. I withdrew myself from Hady and approached the two. As I got closer, I saw the bag of peanuts Cameron has in his hand and realize he's been trying to get them into Alex's open mouth.
"Hey," I called out. They both stopped, laughter still in their eyes. My heart constricted for a moment. "Are you alright?"
A flicker of something appeared in her expression, but it was gone before I could capture it.
"Yeah!" She laughed. "You didn't have to come all the way out here. Or did you want to hear my firsthand account?"
"No, I had to." Dana probably would have been amused at our stark differences. My seriousness weighed me down, but it was comforting to have both feet on the ground. "I had to come see for myself."
She cocked her head to the side and smirked. "Well now that you're here, let's not let a day out go to waste!" Alex grabbed my hand, her other one reaching for Cameron, and before I knew it, we were being dragged out into the ocean. I tried to protest but it was drowned out by their shouts of excitement and the splashing of the waves. I let her guide me like a current in the sea. I kicked up water and joined in her joy. But the weight is heavy and I need to know.
"What happened last night? I heard you right before I woke up."
"Thanks for telling Hady. If not, I probably wouldn't be here right now."
She recounted what happened while we head back to where Hady was sitting.
"Why couldn't Hady wake you?" I asked after she was done.
"I don't know. But right before I woke up, everything felt more real than it ever has. You wanna know what's the scariest part? It's feeling like I'm falling asleep when I was waking up."
Cameron looked up from the fire he was trying to build because Hady stopped fanning.
"You didn't mention anything about that." Her voice accusatory.
"That's because I didn't want you to go all mom on me."
Hady blew up.
"Go mom on you?! Go MOM on you? Alex, what are you, like five? Do you ever think for a minute that the reason people freak out and lose their shit is because they care about you? Do you even know how selfish you sound by - by trivializing everything and everyone?"
Everyone was stunned into silence, but then Alex got to her feet.
"Look! There's nothing we can do to stop this. There is literally nothing. We. Can. Do. About it. So why not just take a chill pill and stop pretending like the world is going to end? People die every day. When's the last time the eversleep took someone? This morning? Last night?" Mirth dripped from Alex's voice and Hady looked like she'd just been slapped.
"Hey, hey. Everyone deals with things differently, Alex. Hady." Cam said, appealing to them both and eliciting a sigh from Alex.
"I think what Hady is trying to say is that she would appreciate it if you could consider giving her the privilege of truth, seeing as she is invested in your well being." I volunteered.
The silence that followed seemed pregnant with explosive tension until Alex doubled over.
"Can you believe this guy?" She asked, wiping tears from her eyes.
"Yes, Alex. I can." Hady said, unaffected. "All I want is the truth. I promise to stop smothering you, but yeah, he's right."
"Deal." Alex answered easily.
"So, do you still feel like you're dreaming?" Hady asked.
"Yeah, up till you exploded." Alex smiled, but seeing stricken looks, she added hastily, "Jokes, guys! It lasted for like just the tiniest bit of a sec."
"Bet you really regret bringing it up now, huh?" Cameron said and Alex looked sheepish for a moment.
"Kinda, but I also get where Had's is coming from. I should have said something so we can add it to our arsenal of knowledge. Whatever good that'll do."
"Maybe leave out the joking when we're being serious?" I asked.
"Yeah, sure. Ok. So like I said, when I woke up, those first few moments felt really hazy... Like I was in a dream. But it cleared up as soon as I realized."
"And when was that, before or after you told me you... You know?"
"When I saw you there in my room." Alex replied, "I heard you. Talking. I could hear your voice, but I couldn't make out what you were saying."
I could see Hady trying to figure out whether or not she should fill her in on our conversation. But I supposed after her outburst regarding the truth, she felt obligated.
"I thought you weren't going to wake up. I was making plans to have you moved and hooked up." Hady said quickly.
Alex's eyes widened in shock.
"You were going to hook me up?" Incredulity colored her voice.
"Alex, I-" Hady began but Alex cut her off. "What made you think I'd want that?"
"I thought I could buy more time. Figure this out. Get you back."
"It's a luxury we can't afford. We're not made of credits, unlike him." She gestured in my direction.
"Wait, how much are we talking about?" Hady's brother piped up.
"It's a thousand an hour. Give or take." Cameron choked on my reply and Alex's mouth dropped.
"Holy high hell, Hady. How the fuck were you going to find that kind of money?" She rounded on her, but I didn't let her get any further.
"It's a contingency plan, Alex. We already figured that when push comes to shove and we need to hook one of us up, I would provide the funds."
"No." Alex shook her head, black hair rippling in the breeze.
"Only for a few days." I said. "No worries about it."
Cameron gave a low whistle, but Alex was insistent, "That's too much, Danny. We can't ask that of you."
"Nobody asked, I offered."
"It's a debt, a kindness we can never repay!" Alex said stubbornly.
"And neither do I expect it." I replied, equally as firm.
Alex looked weakly to Hady and got a little half-shrug from her. "It's every ones prerogative to give whatever they choose. And it should be yours to choose whatever you want to receive. Do you want to die?"
"Of course not."
"So that settles it then." I said, thinking about how I was going to bring up hearing Dana's voice on the way here. Taking a page out of Alex's book, I dive right in.
"Now, in light of what's happened and the warning I got from Dana on the way here, we should exercise caution in the eversleep."
"Warning? What warning?" Hady piped up.
"That's what I was getting at - I think we're crossing over to some kind of midland. I heard her while driving here."
"What did she say?"
"She just told me to stop."
"Stop what?"
"I don't know. But, and I'm assuming here, I think she wants us to stop whatever we're doing."
"Uhh... How are we going to do that? I don't see how we can unlearn everything we know." Alex pointed out.
"Exactly. There's no turning back." I agreed. "Come what may, we need to press on. Stay awake."
"Stay awake." The rest echoed in murmurs.