43.
At the end of the hall, a light grew brighter.
It’s never good to walk toward the light, but that’s what I did.
The hall dead-ended in a tiny room with three doors leading out of it. A lamp in the corner cast shadows over the floor.
I closed my eyes, thinking this was just a bad dream and I’d wake up any second.
But it wasn’t.
I sighed and opened my eyes. As much as I didn’t want to, I had to read Jag’s note. I pulled it out of my back pocket. His handwriting still made my breath catch, but when I opened it, I wanted to cry.
The paper contained two words: Fly, babe.
I shredded it into little pieces. Fly? The stupid boy wanted me to fly? I’d fly off the handle when I caught up to him. Then he’d see me fly.
A slight glow under the middle door caught my eye. I flattened myself on the floor and peered under the crack.
Blue light pulsed gently.
Under the door on the left, green light blared in a steady stream.
Only darkness existed under the door on the right.
I stood up, trying to think what the colored lights could mean.
I ruled the right door out. I was sick of living in the dark.
So, blue or green?
I tried to explore with my mind, but came up blank. That stupid purple pill. I knew I shouldn’t have taken it. I couldn’t feel anything.
Randomly, I stepped to the left door and twisted the knob.
Inside the room, an ascender ring stared up at me.
Right. Like I wanted to go up when I’d just spent who knows how long spiraling down those stairs. I turned to leave the room.
One problem: no door.
“I hate you, Jake,” I muttered.
The upward thrust of an ascender always causes me to duck my head for fear of smashing into the ceiling. But I dissolved away without injury.
I landed in a featureless room with no windows. Gray cement stretched from wall to wall. Turning slowly in a circle, I looked for any sign that this room had an exit.
Yeah, it didn’t. Fan-freaking-tastic.
I leaned against the wall. Definitely real. Keeping my fingers pressed against the plaster, I slowly approached the corner. Around the room I went—until my fingertips ran over a tiny bump in the third wall. I dropped my hand to where the doorknob would be. I twisted it, and the door swung outward.
I stood on the threshold of a towering building. The pale sand glittered far below, and my stomach clenched. I gripped the doorframe as the landscape started to spin. White lines crowded into my vision. I couldn’t breathe.
But across the very windy channel lay the city of Seaside.
Fly, babe.
Damn you, Jag Barque! Damn you straight to hell.
I don’t do heights. And floating with the wind? That isn’t my thing either. Once upon a time I’d wished I could fly up to touch the stars. Now I just wanted to curl up in a bed on the ground floor and forget about everyone and everything.
“How the hell do I fly?” The wind didn’t answer. No one did, which only reminded me of how alone I was. The cruel breeze sounded like laughter as it whipped through my hair.
Suddenly my light backpack seemed very heavy. I pressed my body against the far wall. Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and tried to find the wind. I didn’t feel anything.
A scream erupted from my throat. I ran as fast as I could and pushed hard with my right foot at the edge of the room.
I plummeted, face-first, toward the churning ocean waves. They didn’t seem calm anymore. Now they threatened my entire existence.
The backpack pressed me down, urging me to go faster. I spread my arms and legs, trying to catch a current.
A strong gust pushed into me and I begged it to keep me aloft.
It ignored me. Time slowed down.
The water slapped me with enough force to render black sparks in my vision. The backpack dragged me further underwater. I twisted and tumbled in liquid darkness, trying to find the surface.
I couldn’t.
Everything looked the same. Navy blue. Airless.
Refusing to give up, I kicked harder. The backpack grew heavier. I managed to free myself from it.
The bag drifted down—the same way I’d been swimming.
Salty water filled my lungs.
I twisted away from the sinking pack and kicked up.
Slower. And slower.
Until I couldn’t kick anymore.