Now, though, it wasn't. It was a little chilly, and the sun wasn't high in the sky. It was in the early stages of setting, coating everything in twilight. And as she continued walking forward, the wind picked up even more. Strong enough to lift her hair and blow it about her face.
Jones didn't answer, so she kept moving till she was right next to him. She knelt at his side, yet he still didn't acknowledge her. He just kept staring off into the distance, his gaze so heavy, she wondered if it was the cause for the sun finally setting.
He looks ... sad.
“Are you okay?” she asked. He took a deep breath.
“No. No, I'm not.”
“What's wrong?”
“Everything.”
“Jones,” she sighed. “No more talking in circles, okay? You're upset. Let me help you.”
He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Instantly, a shadow fell over the land. She looked up and saw heavy clouds rolling across the sky. All the colors were being muted, the red poppies and the pink magnolias losing their shine.
“You're not the only one I help,” he whispered. She was stunned.
“I'm not?”
“No.”
“But ... you're always with me.”
“Yes, and I'm also with other people,” he explained in a slow voice.
Adele sat back against her heels, a little rocked. She knew it was ridiculous, but the information upset her. Hurt her. She'd thought she was special; that what they had was special. Stupid, really. She could blink her eyes and move across space and time. Of course Jones could be in more than one place at a time.
Not a knight in shining armor – more a like a fairy godmother for hire.
“I had no idea,” she finally responded in a hoarse voice.
“There's a little girl. I told you about her, Marigold? The eight year old. God, you would've loved her. So funny. And smart! But she couldn't ... she couldn't open her eyes ...” his voice trailed off.
“What do you mean? She died?” Adele tried to clarify.
Lightning suddenly split through the clouds, startling a shriek out of her. Then she stared at where the bolt had ripped across the sky. There was a literal tear in the clouds, and from it, gray was pouring out onto the landscape. The already muted colors were soon covered, everything becoming an old black-and-white film right before her very eyes.
“She's gone. Forever. And I know it's not my fault, but god, I tried so hard. You just don't understand, Adele. If that happens to you ... I don't know what I'll do.”
He still hadn't looked at her. Lightning had ripped a hole in the sky and everything was now in black-and-white, yet still Jones stared off into space. She shuffled around so she was almost kneeling in front of him, right on the edge of the cliff, her feet hanging out into open air.
“I'm not going anywhere. You're the one who disappeared. I don't want to go anywhere,” she promised as she reached out and gripped his hands.
He finally turned to look directly at her, and she was stunned by his emerald gaze. Everything else – his skin, hair, clothing, they were all the same shades of gray as everything else. But his eyes, those were still warm and green, and they pierced right through her.
“That's the problem. You have to go. You have to open your eyes,” he stressed, his fingers clenching her own
“I don't understand. My eyes are open! And I don't want to go without you!” she insisted.
“But you can't stay with me, Adele. That tree is bigger, the roots are deeper. It's not long now.”
“Why can't you ever just say what you mean!? I hate riddles! And I hate the color gray, and I hate that you're with other people when you're with me, and I hate that you were gone for so long, and just please, please tell me you'll never leave again. Please tell me I can stay with you. Please tell me what -”
Adele was babbling, she knew, but she couldn't stop herself. So she was thankful when he cut her off and yanked her close. He sat up at the same time, and before she even realized what was happening, he was kissing her.
Finally.
The last time – the only time – they'd kissed, he'd disappeared forever. This time, she was determined to make the most of it. They both shifted onto their knees, arms going around each other, and when she gasped at the intensity of his hold, his tongue slipped into her mouth. She moaned and curled her fingers in his hair, praying the moment would last forever.
Ah, but this place is the anti-prayer. So shall you think it, so shall it not be.
Jones' hands had moved to cup either side of her face. He pulled away, then leaned back in for another slow kiss. Tried to say something, then kissed her again. Once more, and she could just feel it – it was the last one.
“I wish we could stay here forever,” he whispered, pressing his forehead to hers.
“Me, too,” she whispered back. He grabbed hold of her wrists and gently removed her arms from around his neck.
“But it can't be. You either go forward, or you go back. You can only stand still for so long, Adele.”
She didn't even know what he was talking about, and she knew he was right. The storm above them was getting worse. Something was coming. Eternity waited for no one, not even her, it seemed.
She squeezed her eyes shut tight.
“I tried, Jones. I tried to stand still with you. I tried to get caught in the now with you.”
“I know you did. And now I want you to try something else,” his voice was so low, she could barely hear it over all the thunder.
“What?”
“I want you to concentrate. And then, I want you to open your eyes.”
She bit into her bottom lip and turned her head, brushing her nose against the side of his cheek so she could remember the feel of him. Inhaled deeply so she could remember the smell of him. Then she took an even deeper breath and did as she was told.
She concentrated on the ground below her. Listened to the storm raging above her. Felt Jones' body heat in front of her.
And she also remembered. Could hear her brother Ocean laugh in her ear, the sound made such rare appearances. Could picture her brother River standing in front of her, looking so serious and concerned. Could feel her brother August around her, giving her one of his big hugs.
The wind around them didn't lessen in intensity, but it did slow down. Or time slowed, she couldn't be sure. There was a terrific booming noise, followed by the sound of something ripping. At first, she thought it was the sky – the storm must have really been opening up. Then she felt a tremor in the ground under her, and she knew what it was.
The giant tree was finally tipping over. It groaned as gravity took hold of its weight and pulled it over the edge of the cliff. She could actually sense the roots being ripped from the earth as the tree made a swan dive.
And as the roots came free, they tore apart the face of the cliff. She could feel the ground crumbling away from her, could tell she was falling. Jones held onto her for as long as he could, but just as his arms were about to reach their limit, gravity took over once again and yanked her away completely.
And she fell and she fell and she fell.
14
“What the fuck is going on here?”
Ocean's voice echoed across the parking lot.
Charlie was standing near his car, looking exactly like a kid who'd just gotten caught with his hand in the cookie jar. The strawberry blonde girl, Tabitha, was standing in front of him. Their arms were around each other, and though they weren't kissing at that moment, it was obvious what they'd been doing before Ocean had entered the scene.
“Ocean, it's not what you-” Charlie began speaking fast. Tabitha turned a bright shade of red and stepped away from him.
“We weren't doing anything,” she babbled. “It wasn't ... we didn't ... he wouldn't ...”
“Not what I think? Your girlfriend is in a fucking coma and you're fucking cheating on her? With her friend?” Ocean yelled. Tabitha's chin started to wobble, a sure sign that tears were imminent. Unfortunately for her, he couldn't care less about a crying woman.
“It's not what you think,” Charlie repeated himself, then he turned and started hurrying towards the hospital. Towards relative safety. “I should've said something a long time ago, I'm not -”
“This looks fun.”
As they walked through the hospital doors, Zoey's voice was the first thing they heard. She and August were coming from the cafeteria, so the two groups joined together as they all made their way to Adele's room.
“Charlie's red,” Zoey continued. “Ocean's red, and Tabitha's ... are you crying?”
“Charlie boy here,” Ocean sneered, “is fucking around while Adele's in a coma. He and this chick were just making out.”
“What!?” August exclaimed. Zoey groaned and rubbed her fingertips across her forehead.
“Seriously, Charlie? You had to do it here?” she asked, turning to the right and leading them all down a hallway.
“Oh, fuck off, Zoey!” he snapped in return. “It wasn't like that, and you know I'm not cheating on -”
“Not cheating? Then what the fuck would you call it?” Ocean demanded.
They all came to a stop just outside Adele's open door, and Charlie turned to face everybody.
“You know what, Ocean? I'm sick of you always treating me like shit. Since you first met me, all the way until now. Who the fuck are you that you think you can talk to me like this and accuse me of something you don't even know anything about?” Charlie asked. In response, Ocean grabbed him by the collar and yanked him close.
“I'm the guy who will break your face for cheating on his sister – that's who I am.”
Chaos broke out. Tabitha got in front of Charlie, begging Ocean not to hurt him. August was pulling at Ocean's arms, telling him to calm the fuck down. Zoey informed Charlie that really, he only had himself to blame – so in return, he threatened to pick her up and throw her out of the hospital.