Letting out a long, uneven breath, I return to the sofa and snatch upA New Dimensionagain, flipping straight to the epilogue and scanning over its contents with revitalized determination.
Third paragraph down:
So yes, in short, what I’m getting at could be summed up in one, tiny, six-lettered word: glitch. A wrinkle in the afterlife, a kink in the system—call it what you will, it all boils down to the same thing. Not everything is the clean line we think it up to be. Even in the afterlife, mistakes are made, and I’m just one of countless individuals to have witnessed proof to this very fact.
The question remains: is there a solution? Is there a means of solving such an enormous and vaguely understood issue? The answer lies in the very definition of the word. Glitch:a sudden malfunction or irregularity. How does one get something to function properly that, scientifically speaking, doesn’t even exist in the first place? Simple—you don’t.You’ve got to get a grasp on it first.
I pause, my finger going back to the six-letter word. Glitch. Well that’s a polite way to say we’re fucked, isn’t it?
Chapter 45
Lou Adaire, if there’s one thing I can teach you right now it’s this: never spring into action without a foolproof plan.
Oh, Grams. You’d be so disappointed right now.
This is probably as far from being planned out as it could get. In my defense, I doubt even she would be able to come up with a decent course of action for this sort of thing.
I step into my room and lock the door behind me, then take a deep breath. I don’t know why I’m suddenly feeling nervous about this. Maybe it’s because he already made it clear he was saying goodbye. That he never intends to see me again. Did he really expect me to be all right with that, though? Doesn’t he know I need him to be okay in order for me to be okay?
I clear my throat, going for strong and confident. “De—Enzo?” No answer, but that was to be expected. “Enzo, I know you can hear me.” Silence.At least I hope you can. I walk a few steps further into my room, scanning it for any signs of him. “I just want to talk, okay?”
I close my eyes, picturing him listening somewhere. Picturing his face, those green eyes, those lips I’ve kissed and want so badly to kiss again. Just once more.
“Please.” The strong façade falters as quickly as I’d slipped it on. My voice breaks when I speak, betraying me. “I-I’ve been reading Mr. Blackwood’s books again, you know. He’s really onto something. I mean, I don’t have enough to know exactly how to fix this yet, but I think . . . I think we can figure it out. Together. And I’m—I’m scared of running out of time to do it.” I wander toward the bed, lowering myself slightly so I’m resting partially against it. I fidget with the ring around my finger. “I do have an idea, but I need to tell you in person.”
I don’t think the ‘we should just let the switch happen, swap places’ card will go over very well any way I play it, but I feel like something like that should at least be said face to face. Maybe if he sees how much I mean it, how desperate I am to see him get the life he deserves, then maybe I’ll have a better shot at convincing him.
Not going to lie, a part of me still hopes if we really put our heads together, we can find some way for us both to stay here, in this world. Some way to be together. But that’s also the part of me that believes in fairytales, so I’m not putting all my eggs in that basket.
“Enzo, please.”
Nothing.
“Just hear me out.”
Silence.
I take another breath, this time out of frustration. He can’t go on ignoring me forever. Or can he? I frown. When I glance down at my ring, an idea crosses my mind. It’s not a foolproof way to reel him in—sorry, Grams—but it’s pretty close.
“Okay,” I murmur, nonchalant, as I pull away from the bed. “I’m just going to come find you, then. Looking for an entrance to your world as we speak.”
I don’t know the first thing about finding an entrance. I wouldn’t even know if such a thing is possible, since I’ve only ever wound up there by accident in the past. In reality, I’m walking aimlessly around the room, trying to appear like I know what I’m talking about on the off chance he can see me.
“Hmm, this feels like a good spot.” I stop before the fireplace, miming in the air and looking like an idiot. “Yup, I can glimpse it now. Okay, stepping on through. See you soon.”
Still no response.
Apparently I’m not the most convincing liar.
Giving up, I let out an exasperated noise and throw my hands in the air. “Are you really just going to ignore me forever? Is that what we do now?”
And nothing. This is getting ridiculous.
Why did I think he’d come? Of course he’s not going to show up just because I ask him to. Not when he thinks it’ll only hurt me. I shake my head, shoulders slumping in defeat. If he won’t talk to me, the only other option I have is tracking Mr. Blackwood down. He’ll have a far better shot at figuring this out than I do on my own.
Whirling around toward the door, my breath catches in my chest when I’m hit by a wall of black. There’s no warning this time. No blurring of colors. No furniture fading from view. In the blink of an eye, I’m no longer in my room. The darkness snakes around my boots, sliding inside them and slowly up my legs. A clammy coldness forms over my skin. Then under my skin. A sickening feeling stirs in the pit of my stomach as the realization of what I’ve just done slaps me across the cheek with the force of a speeding train.
This wasn’t supposed to happen. It wasn’t even supposed to be possible. Just goes to show how far gone I really am if I can summon that world as easily as Enzo can.
