Page 81 of Heart of the Sun

“A cruise? Oh my gosh, what happened?” Emily asked.

“Well,” the man named Vincent said. “We were still close enough to port that the backup generators got us back to Galveston, Texas. We were lucky in that regard. We heard there are others out there who were too far away to make it back, completely stranded in the dark.”

My mind conjured a dark ship sitting in the middle of the black ocean, no running water, no flushing toilets. Limited food. What a fucking nightmare.

“You were very lucky,” I murmured.

The woman named Martha reached over and took Ady’s hand, and the girl gave a tremulous smile in return. There was something in the exchange that I didn’t know enough to understand, but I’d noticed it and figured that perhaps they hadn’t been as “lucky” as they’d hoped. “We’ve made it this far and we’re hoping to be home in the next week, depending on whether we can hitch rides. Well, you’re traveling too. You probably know all about that. Where are you coming from?”

Emily handed Ady the bag of marshmallows, and the girl smiled, taking it and removing one marshmallow and passing it on. Then Emily gave them a brief breakdown of what we’d been through, skipping over the worst parts as I assumed they’d done too. Perhaps it was a new unspoken rule that where there were marshmallows and a campfire and friendly souls, the bad in the outside world should be left behind. All of us knew that it would be waiting for us as we set off on our travels again in the morning. And to face it all again, brief respites were necessary. What we did know now, was that Texas was in the dark as well, all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. We weren’t heading in that direction, but the knowledge made me even more certain that California was likely dark too.

“You look familiar,” Ady said shyly to Emily as Vincent handed everyone sticks from a pile they’d obviously collected earlier.

Emily smiled as she took one of the sticks and skewered a marshmallow. The others had already done the same and the sweet scent of melting sugar rose in the air, the smell bringing with it nostalgia.How many times had I roasted marshmallows as a kid, and then burnt my tongue on the hot gooey inside?“Do I?” Emily asked. And then she shrugged. “I must just have that kind of face.”

The girl smiled but looked unconvinced as though she was trying to place this pretty country girl with the long blond braid and winning smile.

Emily nodded over to the guitar as she turned her marshmallow over the fire, the outside turning golden. “Who plays?” she asked.

“I do,” Vincent said. “Or, well, I’m learning. It’s funny, I strapped that on my back as we started off, thinking I’d ditch it somewhere once I was sick of lugging it, but…”

“The music has been important to us.” Martha smiled at Vincent. “Even from a beginner. Do you play?” she asked Emily.

“I do.” I could practically feel Emily vibrating with the hope that they’d ask her to play, and so when Martha picked up the guitar and leaned around the fire to hand it to Emily, I was relieved on her behalf. Emily took it, running her fingers lovingly over the strings and then stood, walking to a spot near the front of the fire where she had room to hold the guitar without bumping anyone. She sat down on a smaller section of fallen tree and began to strum.

I felt the collective stilling as everyone realized how good she was, that dreamy look coming over her face that I recognized well.

She began to sing, and from my peripheral vision, I saw Prisca and Vincent lean forward very slightly, pulled toward her in a way I’d seen others react as well. The song was filled with soul and sadness, and I knew immediately it was one of her originals. Or maybe I’d heard it long before, floating on the breeze and mingling with the scent of citrus.

Did you hum it once, Emily? When you were just a girl, your head full of musical dreams?

She met my eyes through the flames, and I felt a lump form in my throat. I felt briefly hypnotized by the fire and the music, my heartbeat growing loud in my ears. The moment felt ancient and new, and scary in some way I couldn’t even define. And yet despite all my churning emotions, I couldn’t look away.

I was captured, by her beauty, but mostly by her spirit, and maybe it was me or maybe it was her, but I hadn’t seen her shine like this even when she was outfitted in sequins and glitter. She’d shrugged off the nails and the hair and the shimmery makeup, and yet somehow, she glowed all the brighter for it.

I was falling… God, it had happened quickly. Or maybe it had happened far too slowly. But either way, it made me feel both breathless and terrified. Like one of those ships floating alone in uncharted water.

Emily tipped her head slightly as though she’d sensed the minute change in my demeanor as I’d realized the depth of my feelings for her.

The night had descended,and a trillion stars blanketed the sky, the moon sitting on Emily’s shoulder as though it too was leaning in to listen. Her voice was rich and velvety and though I didn’t look around—couldn’t pull my eyes from her—I knew everyone else was as awestruck as me.

Every corner holds a story, every room a memory

Now the silence only echoes with where you used to be

Can we ever be ourselves again in that perfect place and time

The wishes and the daydreams when your promises were mine

I’m searching for a way back to the place I used to know

Because happiness can crumble fast and pain goes oh so slow

In the loneliest spaces, where the darkest shadows gather

I’d find you there, and I’d stay if you’d rather

If I could go back, I’d find you in the dark

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