Page 38 of Trapped: Between Sky And Wind

If I get run over now, Bren may never find out what happened. I look to the right in panic. A car slows and the driver rolls down the window. “Have you lost your mind!” he yells as he drives by. I ignore him. He moves on and I cross the last of the four lanes and come to the green median strip.

I gasp for oxygen. My eyes are watering because my ankle hurts so much. Or is it because I’m scared of Ethan?

I hear him yell something and turn. His expression is a mixture of fear and anger, a look that reminds me of Bren, and it stabs me in the heart. He climbs over the guardrail, ripping his pajama bottoms, and his ponytail unravels, a few hairs brushing his shoulders. I instinctively know he won’t follow me, at least not in that getup and on foot. He’s too reasonable for that. Yet he makes a face like he’s already lost me forever. He probably believes he did everything wrong with me, but other than the slap, I don’t hold a grudge. I want to tell him this, but there’s no point, he wouldn’t hear anyway.

“Lou!” he yells, the exertion causing a neck vein to throb. “Don’t be so stubborn! Stop dreaming and wake up! There’s no such thing as… You won’t get far…”

“What?” I can hardly hear him. Since I can’t say goodbye, I awkwardly raise my hand and wave goodbye. Then, I turn, examine the lanes, and find myself in luck. Red lights from construction work flash further ahead, so the cars on this side have reduced speed.

I limp across the road and only turn once I’m on the other side.

Ethan stands there so rigidly as if a blizzard froze him mid-movement, freezing even his facial expression. The sight of him paralyzes me for a heartbeat. What is going through his mind? The many hours he bathed me, dried me, and studied with me? Does he believe his love was a bad investment? The thought of him giving up on me suddenly hurts and my heart pounds harder in my chest.

I may not see him again for a long time. Maybe never again. Maybe he’ll never forgive me for this. Suddenly, I view the crossing of the freeway as the crossing of a line, unaware of all its consequences. Maybe it’s a border that will keep us at a distance forever, without a bridge that could connect us.

I start moving, telling myself I don’t care. I have Bren now. I am an adult. I don’t care about Ethan, I don’t care at all—but of course, it’s not true. I keep repeating it anyway until it feels like the truth.

I leave the interstate afraid Ethan and Avy might drive down it, and hobble aimlessly through the streets of suburbia. I don’t even know where I am. The airport must be nearby because I see larger planes taking off and coming in for landings at regular intervals.

It’s raining heavily now and I’m soaking wet, but I grow more afraid for Bren with every passing minute.

Soon, I can barely walk and take shelter at the nearest bus stop, studying each line’s destinations to see if the names sound familiar. Seattle Space Needle definitely sounds promising. I can hardly walk anymore I’m so dizzy from the pain.

I unwrap the money from Liam’s scarf and get a ticket from the machine. I’m lucky I found some dollars. As I sit down on the bench and study the area, a bald guy with a briefcase looks over at me warily. I can’t blame him, with my soaking wet shirt and bare feet I look like a homeless person. Plus, I carry my money in a gray-and-white cloth! I don’t dare ask him for his phone—he’d probably end up calling the police!

At some point, the headlights of a car appear and I cower, praying Ethan and Avery aren’t driving it. I sigh a breath of relief when I see that it’s just an old Dodge. Shortly after, the bus arrives.

The driver gives me a strange look but says nothing. Tired, I collapse onto a seat in the back and inspect my sore ankle. It’s swollen, but other than that, I don’t see anything. The old injury healed over the course of this last year, but if I put too much weight on my foot, the area sporadically hurts. Damn! It had to be this ankle again!

I stretch out my leg on the empty seat. I’m freezing. My shirt is soaked from the rain and droplets trickle relentlessly down my body, soaking the seat as if I peed my pants.

I’m shaking and rub my eyes, wondering where Bren might be. I hope he isn’t still at the hotel because I’m sure Ethan will go look for me there first. If he’s even searching for me and hasn’t already written me off!

At the moment, I don’t know which I would prefer. I don’t even want to imagine what would happen if Ethan ran into Bren! The two must never, ever meet!

However, if I can’t go back to the hotel, where else can I go? I will have to start looking at the Seattle Plaza since I have no other leads. In my mind, I imagine myself sneaking around the hotel lobby like a wet, mangy dog. The security guards will probably kick me out before I set a bare foot on the gold-threaded marble. Could I find the back entrance? Probably yes, although my brothers will certainly use that stealthy route as well.

After about an hour, the bus stops at the Space Needle and I still have no idea what to do. At least I immediately spot the striking mirror facade of the Seattle Plaza.

As I turn onto the hotel’s street, I see the blue Nissan parked right in front of the monumental entrance portal. I recognize Liam at the wheel. Ethan is getting out and slams the door so hard, it nearly flies off its hinges. Damn, he’s mad!

I hastily take cover behind the corner of the building. A minute earlier and I would have walked right into them! I have to get out of here. Parking in front of the hotel is not allowed for security reasons, so Liam will drive on and pass this corner.

I face the park across the street and, ignoring my ankle, dash across the asphalt. With a cry of pain, I dive behind the stone gate. When I dare to look back at the main thoroughfare, Liam is driving past and turning into the street where I was just hiding. He will definitely hunt for a parking space there and then use the back entrance of the hotel.

There’s nothing I can do right now except wait for them to stop the search. At least it has stopped raining.

With chattering teeth, I hobble to the other end of the park. I’ve only been here once. The grounds are tiny, not a green paradise, more like a nook of paradise—a collection of dense deciduous and coniferous trees surrounding a meadow. In the center is a pond with marsh marigolds and ducks as well as a circular pool that is filled with water in the summer for the children in the city.

I’m level with the ancient cedar I was admiring the first time when I glimpse a shadow in the undergrowth out of the corner of my eye. A dark shape scurries past behind a bush.

Maybe hiding in the park wasn’t a good idea after all! Leaves rustle like an evil whisper blowing across the ground in my direction. I inhale sharply when I spot Grey and laugh with relief. His honey-colored eyes gleam like amber in the gloom, but he doesn’t bark happily like he usually does when he sees me. On the contrary, he seems almost as serious as Bren.

A foreboding rises in me. “What is it, Grey? Where’s Bren?” He trots toward me and I pluck an ivy vine out of the coat of fur, wanting to pet him, but he moves away again and looks around like he wants me to follow him.

My heart beats faster. Maybe Bren is injured and needs help. I scan the thicket, but I don’t see him anywhere. Grey barks once impatiently as if urging me to hurry.

“Bren? Are you here?” I call out softly into the undergrowth. It’s not the Yukon, but the tall trees are crowded together here. Countless climbing plants hang from branches and the feeble morning light is lost in a tangle of ivy, mistletoe, and other vines.

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