Each dawn broke sooner than the last; each noon came faster still.Stop!I wanted to shout. But we couldn’t stop the clock; we could only hope to beat it. Time only slowed during that excruciatingly long moment when we grasped that noon had passed and Thad was still here. That moment felt like an eternity, until a mix of guilt andregret and worry came to wash it away. Then time sped right back up, like pressure made the minutes fall faster.
Trying to relax, I focused on the ocean. Usually the waves were a sure-fire cure, peaceful and rhythmic. But not tonight.
Camped on the north shore, nights here were unnerving, creepier than nights near the City. With clouds to the east blocking the stars, blackness saturated the night, the sky, even the sea. Right now, the invisible ocean crashed incessantly against the rocks, furious and impatient.
Blocking out the sea, I switched to my charts, mentally reviewing my latest notes. Using the storm theory, our gate sightings had definitely increased. But it still wasn’t enough. I knew it wasn’t enough, because Thad was still here.
He should already be gone.
Instead, he lay beside me, one arm slung across my waist, eyes closed, jaw relaxed. Sleep softened his ever-present intensity. For countless minutes, I watched him sleep, forcing the moment to slow, trying not to freak out.
He’d challenged me, weeks ago.If you really believe in us—that we’ll both make it—it doesn’t matter if we wait.
I hadn’t brought up making love again; neither had he. But I thought about his words, more often than he knew, because they went so much farther than just the physical. Wait to make love, wait to dream. Wait to plan. Wait to talk about the future, because lately it hurt too much.
He should already be gone.
The thought crept back in, persistent and disturbing.
What are you missing, Charley?Finding a gate was one thing; catching a gate was another thing altogether.
“We’re doing everything right, aren’t we?” I whispered. Silence answered me, punctuated by waves beating against the rocks, crashing like fear.
Aren’t we?
CHAPTER
53
THAD
DAY 351, DAWN
Using a wooden knife, Charley peeled the rind off a mango in a few slick swipes.
“Tell me again,” she said, licking juice off her finger. “They say that the best way to memorize something is repetition before you fall asleep and again when you wake up.”
I didn’t need to repeat it; I had her address down cold. But I knew she needed to hear it.
“Charley Crowder. Eighteen Mountain Laurel Drive, Roswell, Georgia.”
“Again.”
I laughed, and repeated her address. “Now you.”
Charley said my address, then handed me a slice of mango. “I’ll call you as soon as I catch a gate.” We both knew our cell phones were long gone. Lost, or canceled, or both. But families don’t move, not when their kids are missing. “I promise.” She grinned. “I’ve always wanted to see Canada. I’ve got a tack on Vancouver on my wall map. I just need to move it over a speck to get to your house.”
“Speaking of maps, did you pack yours?” I asked.
“Got ’em right here.” She patted her satchel.
“Let’s pack and roll.”
She smiled. “And pray the gates roll, too.”
My gut clenched. Charley had switched the words from hope to prayers, revealing the desperation behind her casual reply.
Dropping my pack, I wrapped her in my arms. “They will,” I whispered. “I’ll make it.”
