Praying I’ll find her safe and sound.
A loud crack erupts as lightning forks through the sky, spearing the earth in the distance.
My whole frame seizes, breath caught in my throat.
Surely, lightning wouldn’t strike a person on the shore.
A tree, I tell myself. Or a boat mast. A telegraph pole. Anything.
As fresh thunder shakes the earth, I run.
35
Of My Dreams
Lily-Anne
I drift in and out. Delirious, I think, because I’m dreaming again.
This time, it’s you, Brandon. You’ve found me.
We’re outside. It’s bitterly cold. My hair is wet, heavy against my collarbone. I can’t lift my head. I can’t even open my eyes. Everything aches, stiff and unresponsive.
Your hands are warm. Too warm against the cold. The panic in your voice cuts through the fog.
“Lily. Are you alright? Christ, you’re frozen. Can you open your eyes? Please—look at me.”
I can’t, but I manage a sound. Something small.
You’ve never called me just Lily before. The thought surfaces, oddly disconnected, before the world tilts and your arm slides around my waist.
When you try to lift me, my ankle spasms. Pain explodes and I cry out, clutching your shirt.
“I know. I know—I’m sorry,” you say, breathless. “But I have to move you.”
You haul me upright and pull me into your arms. I shake, waiting for the pain to ease. It doesn’t. Your voice keeps breaking through, urging me to stay awake.
You’re swearing under your breath. Scared.
“The ambulance should’ve been here by now,” you mutter, voice cracking.
Other voices drift in. Sean. Ellenor.
Your tone changes—commanding. “Sean, bring the van closer. We need to get her off the beach. And take her guitar.”
“What if she’s hurt her back?” Ellenor asks.
You don’t answer immediately.
“She’s frozen,” you finally say. Then, quieter: “And I’ve already moved her.”
“My vote is the van,” Sean says. “It’s starting to rain again.”
You move me again. Too much. Pain rips through me, and I scream.
Then I’m being carried.
Your coat presses against my cheek. Your heartbeat is steady beneath my ear. My leg hangs uselessly, every step sending a dull throb through me.
