“I know this going to sound insane. Trust me, I struggled
with it a lot at first. I still have to be convinced of it sometimes. But Lawrence is from nineteen twentyfive. He lives in the same house I’m living in now, only almost a hundred years
in the past. And for some reason, which neither of us can figure
out, I can see him on that beach.”
More silence.
“The beach is the only place though. That’s why he disappeared as he walked back to the house. He goes back into nineteen twentyfive. That’s what you saw.”
Brandon shakes his head slightly, anger flaring in his cheeks.
“I’m not stupid, Cass.”
“I know you’re not. That’s why I’m being honest with you.”
“I’m not stupid!” He slams both hands on the steering wheel.
“Then believe me.”
Brandon huffs. Then shaking his head again, he revs the
engine to a start.
“I told you it would be hard to believe, but that doesn’t mean
it isn’t the truth.”
He jams the car into gear and spins it back onto the road, the
wheels screeching in protest.
“If you give me some time, I’ll tell you everything I know.”
The car burns back down the street. Brandon radiates fury. I
anticipated this reaction, but he’s headed back to my house. Is
he going to tell my mom everything I just said? I need time to
get him on my side.
“Give me a chance to prove it to you, at least,” I say.
Whitehot silence.
“It doesn’t make any sense to me either, okay? But it is what
it is. I can’t change the facts to make them more believable.”
I can’t handle his wordless rage right now. I can’t handle any
of it. It’s all too much. I wish I was back in Nowhere, Ohio,
wondering what college I’ll go to and what I want to be when
I grow up.
“Are you going to tell my mom I’m insane?” I ask, tears stinging
my eyes. “Are you going to turn me in to the police or something?”
In response, Brandon pushes down on the accelerator.
“Do whatever you want, okay?” I snap. “At this point, I don’t
even care.”
The sandcastle Lawrence and I have been living in is
finally toppling beneath the wave of reality. We couldn’t
keep this secret forever. Brandon will march and tell Mom,
who will drag me to some nice shrink, and Lawrence will
die on that beach tomorrow. Brandon pulls the car up my
driveway. I wipe away the tears on my face. They won’t do
me any good now.
He slams on the brakes and unlocks the doors, but doesn’t
put the car in park. “Go,” he says, staring out the windshield.
A flicker of hope lights in me. “You’re not…going to tell my
mom what I’ve said?”
Finally, Brandon looks me in the eye. He doesn’t seem as
angry as I thought. More confused.
“I don’t ever want to talk about it again. And I don’t ever
want to talk to you again. As far as I’m concerned, this conversation, that conversation on the beach, none of it ever happened. Deal?”
I nod, blinking back surprise. “Are you sure you’re not going
to tell anyone?”
“Goodbye,
Cass.”
“I just—”
“Goodbye.”
I stumble out of the car. “Okay, bye.”
Before I can give him a final wave, Brandon zooms away.
Watching him speed down the driveway, I’m not sure what
to feel. I guess it should be a relief, but I also can’t completely
relax. It’s almost too good to be true…
Rubbing the shiver off my arms, I head back to the house.
Mom’s still gone, so I go straight for the beach. I just want
some time with Lawrence.
Passing through the bushy path, however, the hairs
on the back of my neck stand on end. Something’s off.
Something’s wrong.
Another step and I see them.
Lawrence and Mom. Standing together on the beach.
They both look up at me at the same time. Lawrence’s expression says it all. Though Mom’s furious, thin-pressed lips do a good job as well.
At that moment, part of me gives up. Maybe destiny is