The door swung open, and I had to step to the left to avoid being hit. The sun was warm, but the wind was fierce, and the door was pulled right out of Raffy's hands. While he used two fists to close it, I snuck around him and away from the gusting assault.
"I can't believe you still run with winds like this," he said, latching the door and turning to look at me.
"Meh." I shrugged and winked in his direction. "Consider it resistance training."
I started to unzip my jacket and saw his eyes follow the movement, then vetoed the idea. Pervert. His eyes fell with the motion of my hand.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, looking back up. "Taking my shift?"
"Do your eyes work?" I tilted my head to the side and gestured to my body. "Seriously, how do you ever have money when you never work?"
"I sell drugs to children." He smiled, shrugging with one shoulder.
"That's..." With a shake of my head, I started walking to the front. "You are fishy, but that's bad taste. Not funny, Raffy."
"Oh, trust me, I know. I hate having to wait for allowance day. You wouldn't believe how many times I've been stiffed because someone forgot to make their bed."
"You're sick." Glancing over my shoulder, I rolled my eyes as he raised his arms to his sides and tilted his head to the ceiling to shout.
"Only for you, Baby." Straightening, he puckered his lips and kissed the air, running up behind me like he was trying to nestle in against my neck, just below my ear.
"Stop it." I laughed, my voice shrill as I squirmed away from his touch. Side-stepping to the right, I shook my hand in his face, but laughed.
"Be careful you don't get a cup of coffee in your face," Gabe warned from behind the counter of the concession. "The liquid isn't bad if it's not hot, but the rim hurts like a bit—"
"Oh, my God." I rolled my eyes. "I should have just stayed in bed."
"Want company?" Raffy grinned and braced his hands against the counter behind him to hoist himself up. Swinging his legs, he winked. "I don't disappoint."
I narrowed my eyes. "I'd rather get myself a toy."
Gabe laughed and moved to stand beside Raffy's perch on the counter. They were both in good moods, looking at me with sparks in their eyes, and I shifted my weight, suspicious. Their identical, penetrating blue eyes that swirled with laughter made me want to run away before the questions niggling at the edges of my mind penetrated my conscious, and I asked something I would later regret.
Blue-eyed boy, light and dark, prepare.
Was one of them the blue-eyed boy I'd written about?
"Your stuff is still upstairs where you left it," Gabe said before I could formulate an answer to the unspoken question still swirling in my head.
"So, you aren't here to work for me?" Raffy's shoulders slumped and he stopped swinging his legs.
"Sorry, Raffy, but I'm not dressed for work." I shrugged, casting a glance to the restaurant. "Besides, if those kids keep stiffing you your drug money, you'll need the hours."
"Drug money?" Gabe jerked his head to glare at Raffy, incredulous. He looked back at me and asked, "What drug money?"
"Come on, Aly," Raffy said, leaning forward. "There's this girl..."
"There always is with you." I tilted my head and rolled my eyes at Gabe. "I don't even know how you get a date being such a pervert, but whatever. Simple fact is, I'm not working today. I don't want to."
"Please?"
"Hmm, nope. I have a life." I started to step backwards, edging my way to the stairs as I shrugged and raised my arms to my sides. "You see, there's this boy."
I turned around and hurried to grab my forgotten things. There was a boy—Brenan. He was one of four possible blue-eyed boys and I had to figure which was the one from my dream, though without remembering the dream itself, just what I had written when I woke, it was near impossible. But, if I could pinpoint who it was, I could force them to help me realize what I couldn't remember. If they knew, that is. It wasn't the best plan, but as good as it got with what I had.
"See you guys later!" I called as I headed out the front door, but I couldn't see anyone as I passed, and nobody yelled in reply. They were probably in the storage room stocking up on prizes, and I didn't feel like waiting. They'd realize I was gone when my car went missing from the lot.
The breeze had picked up since I arrived, feeling as though it was powered by a hurricane, and I pulled the collar of my jacket up. I bent my head to visor my eyes with my hand against the sun to determine where I had parked. Dust and debris littered the ground, flying through air until it was like trying to peer through a film of mud on a windshield after a day spent off-roading. The air snapped around me as metal garbage cans tinged, lids against drums, and the sign above me banged against the brick building.
Where had I parked? Whenever I got here early enough, I parked where one of the guys could see me from the large window. Yesterday, I hadn't arrived in time for that, and was forced somewhere off to the side. There were only two cars parked this morning, one on each side, but I couldn't see their make or model through the dusty fog. I didn't want to fight the wind to get to one just to realize it was the other I should have gone to.
The creaking grew louder. I followed my instinct, stepping to go right. No, scratch that. I had parked to the left. I back-tracked the step I had taken and took three more in the other direction. It was going to take at least three showers to get the dirt out of my hair and my mouth was so grainy, my grandchildren were going to be crunching on sand.
The door of Tucker's slammed open and banged against the wall. "Alyssa, why are you walking towards my car?"
Crap.
Turning, I yelled, "Aw, Gabe, I just wanted to see you freak out when you realize it's gone." I began in the other direction again. Damn him. At least I hadn't walked all the way.
Creak.
"You guys should tell your parents this place needs an underground parking lot the next time you renovate!" I yelled to be heard over the wind, cupping my hands over my mouth for added volume.
"What?" He leaned forward to hear me, keeping the door open with the toes of his foot.
I stopped and took a deep breath. "I said that you guys—"
Crash!
Time slowed as Gabe's eyes widened, and I froze. Then, as though I was watching a movie, I saw him jump forward, running for me with his arms outstretched like he was about to hug me. I raised my head, looking to the sky. Why would Gabe want to hug me? We barely tolerate each other!
Too late, I realized that he was trying to push me away.
He didn't make it in time. The new sign that had been banging against the wall with the wind tore free and fell straight down to where it would have crashed to the ground, if I weren't in the way.
It felt like I was the cat who tried to capture the tweetie bird in cartoons only to have a piano dropped on my head as reward. But, unlike the cat, I didn't get up right away so that I could try again. The crunch of bone drowned inside my ear, and the briefest, most all-consuming pain shot through my body. Then there was nothing.
Just for a moment, I heard nothing and felt nothing.
Consciousness drifted in and out like Morris Code: in, out, in-in... out. Gabe and Raffy—how did Raffy get here? —lifting the sign off me. Gabe called out my name with frantic yet calming urgency, brushing my hair out of my face without moving my head. Bright, flashing lights and crackling radios. Sirens. More people I didn't know started to call my name.
Images of Mr. Tinsley lying dead on the ground flashed behind my eyelids.
Tina was shouting my name.
Vehicles surrounded us on all sides.
"This will help with the pain," someone said just before I was lifted onto a stretcher, though the movement was excruciating.
Whatever they did was lost through the agony coursing through my limbs, yet my tongue was too large within my mouth to speak. I couldn't even groan. Nothing was making sense. Tina wasn't here and Mr. Tinsley...? My mind must have been shaken to be seeing what I thought I saw and hearing what couldn't be possible. Tina moved away. Mr. Tinsley was gone. They aren't here.
Was I broken?
Tina called my name, her face flashing into mind as tears streaked down her face.
Gabe followed me into the darkness, never letting go of my limp hand. Raffy yelled that he'd meet us. Meet us where?
Blink into light; blink into dark.
A flash of brilliance, and the pain was gone.
Then, finally, it stayed dark. I couldn't see anything, but I could feel everything. Right at that moment, until my eyes opened once again, I was held while I slept on top of Heaven's softest cloud. Murmurs, soft and soothing, surrounded me like angels were whispering in my ears, and I let go. The brightest, most consuming silver light flared, scanned every inch of my body, and then faded.
No more light.
No more pain.
Silence.