The Dare

by Melissa Faye

  I backed off towards the bar with Harrison on my heels.

  “What now?”

  I fumed.

  “We have to get him alone,” I muttered. “But he’s not interested in a fight. He’s gonna try to avoid us, and it won’t be hard.”

  “Can’t you, you know...” He mimed pulling a trigger with his pointer finger.

  “No. If people knew about the time travelers...they’d want to know who’s gonna win big games. They’d want to know how they die. It would be out of control. People can’t see who Smith is or what I’m doing. It was bad enough last week with that woman and her hologram...”

  Harrison’s jaw dropped. “She was a time traveler? I thought that was a publicity stunt.”

  I tapped my fingers on the bar and watched the group gathered around Smith. The drinks were piling up, and the bartender was working double time to serve them.

  I texted Ridge.

  Can’t get the guy alone. Dared someone to jump subway tracks.

  Stay close. You’ll figure it out.

  It was another hour before the group headed out in a large crowd. Harrison and I followed, and I was jostled around by the drunks. Harrison tried to pull me out of the way but I shrugged him off.

  “What do you think you’re going to accomplish?”

  “I don’t know, but we can’t leave, can we?” I asked.

  Harrison ran ahead and I followed. He stopped next to the kid who took Smith up on his dare and pulled him aside. I noticed the kid was wearing a t-shirt from the bar.

  “Hey,” he snapped. The guy smiled at Harrison as if he expected more applause for his bravery.

  “You’re gonna get yourself killed if you do this,” Harrison growled. The man tried to walk off but Harrison stayed close and pointed at Smith. “That man climbed to the top of the Brooklyn Bridge this morning. Did you see what happened to the other guy?”

  “Lay off!” The man looked around to see if anyone was listening. “I’ll be fine, and I’ll make some money off of it.”

  He darted away into the crowd as we descended into the train station.

  Subway traffic was light for a weeknight. Heat tended to hang around the subway tunnels, and the occasional rush of air from the trains only served to push more muggy air onto my face. One of the few women in the group almost tripped on the stairs down to the N train, but no one seemed to care. The cheering settled into something more ominous. I supposed it was becoming more real to everyone. They were probably going to see someone do something stupid. And they might see someone run over by train.

  Harrison and I stayed towards the back of the crowd as Smith chose the tracks. He stood at attention, waiting for everyone to look his way, and pulled his new friend forward.

  “What’s your name?” he shouted as another train passed.

  “Jeremy!” the boy replied.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, Jeremy and I are about to leap across these two tracks in a row.” Smith talked as if he was ringleader of a circus. I supposed the stunts were at least as death-defying. “Jeremy, who do you want to go first?”

  Jeremy gestured widely across the platform. “Go ahead!”

  “I’ll tell you what.” Smith held up a hand so everyone would stop talking. “Someone will call out when they see the R train coming on the second track. They’ll time how long it takes me to get over the tracks. If you can beat my time, I’ll pay you $10,000.”

  Jeremy’s face lit up, and he pumped his fist in the air. I noticed a wobble in his step as he backed off for Smith to get ready; he had too much to drink. My heart raced.

  Smith rallied the crowd as we awaited the main event. A clock above the second track told us there were two minutes until the next train arrived.

  “You don’t have to do this!” I yelled towards Smith, cupping both hands around my mouth to carry my voice further. “You’re going to get someone killed!”

  Smith laughed and pointed me out to the crowd. “My young friend here thinks this is foolish of me. What do you think?”

  People jeered and booed, turning my way to see who was trying to ruin the fun. I stood my ground, though I felt my face glow red.

  One minute until the train came.

  Smith was having a great time. He did some warm up runs towards the first platform, where a train had only passed a moment earlier. He ran up to the ten foot gap, then stopped abruptly, backed up, and did it again.

  A noise rumbled in the distance, growing louder as the second train approached. One member of the group had walked all the way down the platform so he could see exactly when the train was within sight. All eyes were on him, including Smith’s. I felt my heart race. My heart almost stopped when the man nodded towards us. The train was coming. Smith took off.

  I’d never seen someone pass by me in such a flash. Smith leapt over the first set of tracks, his arms high in the air as he arced above the space and stuck the landing on the other side. He didn’t stop. He sprinted across the second platform and took off again. I could see the train now. Smith leapt and landed right before the train whooshed past.

  “There’s no way.” Harrison had his arms crossed and shook his head back and forth. “There’s no way Smith could have pulled that off. That was...that was...”

  I sprinted over to where Jeremy stood. He was taking his warm up paces now, too, though he’d have some time before the train came again. The clock read seven minutes now.

  “You don’t have to do this,” I cried. Someone booed me but I ignored it. “That guy – Smith is an athlete.”

  “I ran track all through college,” Jeremy boasted. “I even did long jump for a semester. I got this.”

  “No way.” I tried to cling on to his wrist and hold him back from the stunt. Harrison saw what I was doing and came to help, grabbing Jeremy’s other arm.

  “You’re gonna be killed,” Harrison added. “You are going to die if you do this.”

  “Get off me!” Jeremy’s eyes bulged out and I saw a flash of fear cross his face. He was too far in to back out now. He looked around at the crowd and tried to shrug off Harrison’s grip.

  I felt jostling behind me as someone pulled me off Jeremy. Harrison was pulled off too. We were pushed aside. I struggled to get back into the crowd but someone else pushed me to the ground. I attacked, lunging for whoever came at me, trying to strike. I had trained in martial arts for years and was ready for a fight. No one was interested, though, and hands pushed me back. Harrison barely caught me before I could hit the ground again.

  “We should go!” Harrison yelled as the train pulled up on the nearest tracks again. “I don’t want to watch this!”

  “Stop him!” I yelled back. “He’s gonna kill himself because Smith thinks it’s fun to play with us. You have to stop him!”

  Harrison waved his hands in the air uselessly. “I can’t, June! I’m sorry! They won’t let us get closer!”

  I rifled through my messenger bag. I could use the Some Gun on Jeremy and Stun him, but people would see. He might even get shot onto the train tracks. I could use the Cage of Light function, but I couldn’t encase him in light with so many people around. I could try to send Smith back to his Present, but he was too far away. I might hit someone else or even a train. I’d never hit anyone from my Present before with my Back-U-Go button and wasn’t entirely sure what would happen. Maybe they would disappear and reappear in the same place. Maybe worse. Another reason why I needed Smith alone.

  There would be one moment when all eyes were off Smith and on Jeremy. If I can get to him in time...

  I sped towards the nearest stairs and took them two at a time. Harrison called out from behind, trying to stop me, but I kept going. On the upper level, throngs of people passed by from a different subway line. I pushed through them, looking for the stairs that would take me to Smith. Even if other people were on the platform with him, I reasoned, they wouldn’t be watching once Jeremy started running.

  By the time I pushed past the crowd and sprinted down the steps, t
he timer read one minute until the train came.

  “Smith!” I yelled as I ran towards him. “Smith! Stop this! Stop this or I’ll send you home right now!”

  There were at least twenty people in my way, and no one interested in the small teenaged girl running at full speed across the platform. I shoved past them as I heard the train’s arrival. I was only a few feet away from Smith when I heard people screaming. I couldn’t help it; I turned to watch.

  Jeremy took off at a sprint. He was fast, but his pace was still noticeably slower than Smith’s. He launched himself over the first set of tracks and landed awkwardly on his tiptoes, waving his arms in the air to try to regain his balance. Too slowly, he straightened up and sprinted towards us. The train conductor honked frantically when he saw people crowded by the edge of the platform.

  “Stop!” Everyone around us was yelling now. The train was too close and too fast. “Don’t do it!”

  But Jeremy didn’t listen. He got to the second set of tracks as the train approached and leapt. His jump was too short. He screamed and hit his head against the edge of the platform, then fell back onto the tracks. The train couldn’t stop in time.

  Chapter 5

  I couldn’t hear anything besides people screaming in all directions. Smith’s face was eerily calm and composed. He met my eye as my fingers found their way into my bag again. Smith looked around pointedly with a raised eyebrow. “In front of all these people?” he mouthed.

  He turned towards the stairs, and Harrison and I hurried to keep up. He killed that man for his own amusement. He let that man die. I felt my anger boiling inside my chest as I ran. People poured down the stairs to see what was happening, and I wedged myself between them. Harrison called out directions; he could see over people’s heads when I got lost in the crowd. We followed Smith across the station towards one of the other train lines. The crowds were thinner, and I watched Smith head downstairs towards a new set of tracks.

  We bounded down the stairs after him. Harrison stepped aside so I could take the lead. I jumped down the last three steps and landed with a thud. My messenger bag swung precariously around me, falling halfway down my arm. I looked around and couldn’t see Smith.

  Until he rammed into me. He pulled the bag off my arm and threw it aside, then he grabbed me around the waist. I gasped as I was pulled off the ground. My feet dangled in the air. Harrison ran over but Smith pulled me towards the edge of the platform.

  “Back off,” Smith sneered. Harrison jumped backwards. I struggled against Smith’s arms, but I couldn’t unhook his grip. I kicked out, but he dodged my feet. I noticed a dozen other people on the platform. They were hesitant. Some approached us slowly; some stood in horror as Smith held me over the edge of the tracks.

  “I think I like you,” Smith whispered in my ear. “I don’t know what you think you’re going to do, or how you think you’ll send me back. But I will stay here as long as I want.” He turned and shot a glare towards Harrison, who was inching towards my bag. Smith shook his head.

  “Move closer and I’ll drop her.”

  Harrison backed up again, cowering.

  “I’m going to hang around here for a while longer, I think,” Smith continued. His breath was warm against my face, and I pulled harder on his fingers. “You’re welcome to play my games with me, but don’t do anything stupid.” I grimaced with disgust.

  “I told you. I’m enjoying myself. I’m making some money. It’s amazing the lack of security your people have set up around your banking systems. I take what I want. Then I win some pocket change from my drunk friends. I can pay people to take risks they never would have the guts to take if I wasn’t around. Then I can go back to the bank for more. I could stay here for years, I bet.”

  My heart pounded. He was going to get more people killed. I looked at Harrison hopelessly. He was backed against the wall now, hands at his sides. Worry lines creased his forehead.

  “I do like you though,” Smith said almost to himself. “You’re cute, do you know that? I’d like to see you again, I think. I’ll be at a bar in midtown tomorrow night – do you want to join me? It’s called Four Kings. You should come. But believe me when I tell you: if you try to interfere with my games again, you will regret it.”

  Tears stung my eyes. I could still hear shouting from the tracks where Jeremy was killed. I thought I could hear someone talking over the loudspeaker. I clawed at the man’s hands. My scratches left thick red and pink lines behind. My nails caught on something unexpectedly. A silver band around Smith’s wrist – nothing I’d ever seen before. The surface was strange. It wasn’t decorative; it was a material I’d never seen before. I knew it was some kind of technology and stopped scratching him so I could get a look.

  Without warning, Smith turned back towards Harrison and unceremoniously threw me hard. I hit the wall headfirst, taking Harrison down with me. Harrison pulled me towards him, and I gasped for air. Everything looked fuzzy. “Get my bag!” I commanded.

  Harrison picked up my bag from where Smith had thrown it, and I tried to stand up. I looked around. Smith was long gone, but people on the platform ran towards me. I waved them away. Harrison ran back towards me but I turned away from him and threw up against the wall until my stomach was empty.

  I kept waving the strangers away. Harrison crouched down next to me, assuring people I would be fine. I touched my scalp and felt faint when my fingers came back bloody. I tried to focus on staying conscious while Harrison pulled me up and helped me walk back up the steps and outside into the night air. I fell over on a nearby bench and took out my phone.

  “Ridge?”

  “June? Did you send him home? Are you alright?”

  “No, I –“ I looked up at Harrison. He looked at me pitifully, and I could only imagine what shape I was in to cause that face.

  “I’m gonna go to the hospital, I think. Will you meet us there?”

  “Us? The hospital? Who are you with?”

  I passed the phone to Harrison and leaned over to rest my head on my knees.

  Harrison spoke with Ridge for a few moments, then we hobbled together towards a nearby emergency room.

  IF YOU HAVE A HEAD injury and enough blood, those ER doctors will see you right away. They gave me something that eased the pain in my head and put me in a much better mood. Then I was sent for an MRI to make sure my head was okay.

  Ridge finally found us while an overly friendly intern stitched up my forehead. Harrison stood to shake his hand.

  “I’m Harrison, sir,” he announced. “We spoke on the phone earlier?”

  I giggled. “You met him before! With the beetles! Ridge almost tricked you into giving him a back massage!”

  Harrison’s mouth opened and closed; he was unsure what to say.

  Ridge looked at me and back at Harrison. “No, June, of course we haven’t met. I’m Ridge.” They shook hands. Ridge glanced at my forehead but quickly turned away; he didn’t like blood.

  The overly friendly intern spoke up. “She has a small concussion, but the symptoms won’t last. She doesn’t even need to stay here overnight. She shouldn’t be by herself tonight, though, and we’ll prescribe a higher dosage of acetominaphin. Other than that, I have some documents you can take home that will describe how to manage a concussion.”

  Ridge filled out paperwork while Harrison teetered awkwardly on the edge of the bed.

  “Did you call your grandparents, June?” Ridge asked. He was scolding me; he knew I hadn’t.

  “They don’t need to know, Ridge. That’s why I have you!”

  “You should call your family,” Harrison jumped in. “They’d want to know.”

  I shook my head, which made it feel wobbly again.

  “June doesn’t like to worry her grandparents,” Ridge explained. “Especially when she’s...especially when she doesn’t want to explain what she’s been doing.”

  “They don’t know about the time travel part of your life?” Harrison smirked. “Your superhero identitiy?”r />
  Ridge’s eyes narrowed.

  “June, have you been talking to Harrison about this again?”

  “Yes, but I couldn’t help myself. He keeps figuring things out, and it’s too hard to lie all the time.”

  “Again?” Harrison stood up. “When did you tell me before?”

  “Oh it’s nothing, sit down.” I waved him back towards me until he sat on the bed again. “You helped me and Ridge when Ridge was rice, and then I erased your memory.”

  Harrison leapt back up again, and Ridge placed a fatherly hand on his shoulder.

  “Do me a favor, son. Wait to ask June about this until she’s off the painkillers.”

  Harrison’s mouth was still open, but he nodded.

  Harrison refused to go back to the dorm. He followed Ridge and me back to Ridge’s place where I planned on staying the night. Ridge sent a few sidelong glances my way, gesturing his head towards Harrison on the subway, but I didn’t want to talk about it. At some point, I’d have to decide how much I wanted to involve Harrison, but not this week. Right now, I had to figure out a way to send Smith home.

  Ridge wanted me to take his bed but I insisted on sleeping on the couch. Harrison still wouldn’t leave.

  “Ridge, would you please tell June she has to let things go with – with – this traveler?” Harrison paced back and forth across Ridge’s small apartment. He was several inches taller than Ridge, and seeing him there felt out of place. Ridge busied himself with a pillowcase.

  “I can’t let him stay here. I told you.” I sat cross-legged on Ridge’s couch and pulled my knees to my chest. My head ached, but I had shaken the fog from the painkillers they gave me at the hospital. Ridge slapped my hand away when I went to touch my stitches again.

  “This isn’t your job. We can call the police!”

  “No we can’t.” I rubbed my eyes. “Harrison, the police aren’t going to do anything. They fined him for climbing the bridge, but they can’t stop him from pressuring people to get themselves killed. You were there. That kid chose to jump the tracks.”