Wander Dust

by Michelle Warren

  Chapter 24: Horseplay

  His warm whispers send waves of emotion leaping through my body. I shudder lightly. In response, he holds me tighter. I close my eyes.

  “It’ll be over quick,” he says. One moment we are upright, and the next we tip over the edge of the catwalk. We tumble down the tube that will connect us from one point to the next, without losing or gaining time. I don’t look, but I suspect the earth does not fold over us.

  “It’s over,” he whispers.

  I peek around and take a deep breath of relief. His landing was so controlled. I never thought about anything other than being close to him.

  Looking around his arms, Perpetua stands in my view, seething. Both of her hands clench in tight fists on her hips. I smirk. I can’t help it. Victory is mine in her little game, even if only temporary. She stomps away, angry.

  Bishop releases me and pats my shoulder twice. Even though she’s jealous of me, he is still hers. I sigh as he meanders away.

  I walk to the far wall, lean against it, and slide down until my butt hits the ground. I draw my knees to my chest and watch Bishop linger with his friends. He’s laughing at something someone has said. I find his smile dazzling. He turns and catches me staring. I quickly avert my eyes, looking down at my fingernails. I chip off a piece of gray polish, but I’m still thinking about him, and I’m certain he’s still looking at me.

  Sam spills herself smoothly onto the floor beside me.

  “That was good. I mean,” she corrects herself, “you did well. I would’ve never been brave enough to do that. I hate heights, too.” She halfway smiles. I realize she saw the anxiety plastered across my face on the catwalk through Bishop’s mind. The invisible chain connects them to each other, and he to me.

  “Thanks.” I try not to act surprised at her uncharacteristic friendliness. I just hope that she’s finally warming up to me. Maybe I’ve won her over with my fake bravery.

  “Where are you from?” I ask her, hoping I can get to know her better, while she’s still in a sociable mood.

  “D.C.” She plays with a white ribbon tied to a long braid at the end of her hair.

  “I lived there once, for a little while. What part?”

  “Downtown, on Capitol Hill.”

  “Me too. Small world, eh?” She doesn’t look up, just sits quietly and rolls her braid between her fingers.

  “Miss it?”

  “I miss my friends and my mom.”

  “Only child, too?”

  “No, I have an older sister, Alex. She’s in college.”

  “A wandering university?”

  “No, she’s a Normal. She’s lucky,” she says sadly. I realize Sam doesn’t want to be here. She wants to be normal like her sister.

  “Except she’d probably wish for this life, if she knew it was an option.” I nudge her arm, hoping to make her feel better.

  “Maybe.” She smirks and looks up. She untucks her legs and brings her knees to her chest, mirroring my stance.

  Together we quietly watch poolside as each team takes their first official skip with their partners from the catwalk. My attention diverts when Perpetua pulls Bishop away from his friends. The two migrate to the far side of the room. A tense conversation ensues. One that I’m trying not to watch, but it’s difficult with her throwing a fit and waving her arms erratically.

  Our team’s turn comes again and I walk over to break up their heated discussion. Bishop looks relieved when I pull him away from her for a second time. And I’m happy to take him.

  From above on the catwalk, we skip again. As quickly as it starts, we land, standing poolside. Strangely, the experience terrifies and excites me all at once. With his arms wrapped securely around me, I reluctantly pull myself away from the warmth of his touch and resume my spot against the wall with Sam.

  Perpetua and Jessica position themselves nearby.

  “I think Sera should skip again, but this time with her eyes open. Don’t you think, Jess?” Perpertua says loud enough for everyone to hear.

  “She’d probably toss her cookies all over Bishop if she did,” Jessica responds, and the two lean into each other, giggling.

  “I know, right? There should be some law against wanderers who are afraid of heights.” Perpetua glances over her shoulder at me. “Sad, it’s really sad.” Her eyes survey my existence.

  I huddle into myself, pulling my knees closer to my chest and look away. Her words hurt because she’s right. No one here seems to be put off by heights but me. And maybe Sam, but she will never have to face her fears.

  Perpetua continues to taunt me. The things she’s saying, well, they’re horrible. On the inside, I want to rip her face off for it. Outwardly, I ignore her and keep my mouth shut. She’s fishing for my angry response; it’s part of her game.

  Finally, Stu walks up to the pool, leans down, and swings his hand across the water’s surface, spraying Perpetua with a handful of water.

  “Jerk!” she shrieks.

  Stu turns to me and smiles. “I’ve got your back, Sera.” He shoots me a one-handed pistol, and then he turns and follows Perpetua to the elevator for their second attempt at skipping.

  I smile. Even with Stu’s overconfident ways, I appreciate his chivalry. Next to me, Sam giggles at Stu’s small gesture. I glance over at her, realizing this is the first time I’ve ever heard the girl laugh. Reading her body language, I can tell she likes Stu. I mean, like, likes him. It seems to fit in my mind. Stu is younger than most of us, fourteen at best, and a year older than Sam. It’s no wonder she feels a connection with him.

  I keep the new information secret when Macey joins us. She plops down on the other side of me. “You’re gonna wanna watch this,” she announces cryptically with a look of satisfaction that she can hardly contain.

  Stu and Perpetua take their place above on the catwalk. They’re not in the bungee harness this time. They’re simply standing on the edge, holding hands. Although I’ve done this twice, it’s hard to watch. It gives me the chills, making my entire body convulse in reaction to the life-threatening scenario. Only in my new, impossible world would teachers ask students to free-fall from five stories above a pool. I squash my shoulders up to my ears and wrap my arms tighter around my knees, remembering the uneasiness of looking down five stories. From the corner of my eye, I see Sam mirror my actions.

  When Ms. Midgenet gives the okay, the pair jumps without hesitation. Sparkles drift through the air just below the dome. At the same time, there’s a huge splash. Water sprays us from the pool, leaving large puddles on the patio.

  I gasp and rush to the pool’s edge in a panic. Are they okay? What happened? My face turns pale at the thought of what could have happened if the pool hadn’t been there. Is it possible to have a landing end in disaster?

  Ms. Midgenet, now next to me, bends down, sticking her megaphone toward the water. “What happened, people?” she screams.

  Perpetua bobs her head above the surface, spitting out a mouthful of water. She screams shrilly in irritation.

  Drenched, Stu drags himself out of the pool, but he’s laughing hysterically.

  “What’s wrong with you? You leech!” Perpetua yells at him, splashing more water in his direction.

  The whole group explodes with laughter.

  “Accident or not, maybe this is karma’s backlash for harassing other students, Miss Gray,” Ms. Midgenet yells at Perpetua through her megaphone. Perpetua’s body recoils from the sound. She pushes her wet blonde mop away from her glowering face.

  Stu rolls off the floor and gives me a wink. That’s when I connect the dots. Their impromptu swim wasn’t an accident. He planned to give Perpetua a water dunking in retaliation for her snarky remarks to me. Stu’s little water splash earlier was simply a diversion to dunk the marble relic into the pool, making it possible to land there. Perpetua never even saw it coming.

  I laugh, hiding my mouth behind my hand.

  Out of thin air, Terease appears before us, dragging Stu
off the water-soaked floor. The laughter halts as her presence steals the daylight, darkening the entire atrium. Even Ms. Midgenet takes a step back in shock.

  “Terease,” Ms. Midgenet says, “I’ve got everything under control. Besides, I think Perpetua really had it coming.” She secures her fists on her hips, taking a defensive pose.

  “Maeve Midgenet, there are extreme consequences for horseplay. I assure you that Stu will get the punishment that you do not have the discipline to give him.” Terease spits when she says the words. A dark fire grows in her inky eyes. “And for the rest of the students,” she whips her perfectly trimmed bob around to engage the group, “although unlikely,” she smirks, “you should endeavor to grow a little backbone.”

  Ms. Midgenet aggressively moves toward Terease in a defiant manner. Terease only laughs, dismissing her challenge. The malicious sound echoes through the atrium. She takes off in a blur, pulling the darkness behind her, with Stu gripped in her slender white fingers.