The twins mutually agreed to attend the ren faire. Well, Julio decided for Liz and demanded she come with him in order to 'take her mind off things'. She'd nearly scoffed in his face, but ended up driving them anyway just so he wouldn't have anything to lord over her head with later on. They'd found a cheap outfit at the local thrift store (with Liz thinking of Aspen the entire time they browsed the aisles, wondering if her girlfriend would be upset at not being able to come along) and curled each other's hair as a last-ditch effort to look somewhat medieval. And presentable.
It was almost boring without Aspen. The food was bland no matter how much seasoning she added, and the shows just felt stupid and repetitive. After an hour, Liz begged Julio to leave. "Please, hermano, this is just making me miss her more."
He looked at her appraisingly. "Fine. Rhys is back at the ticket booth, I'll see if I can hang out there for a while. Be safe, okay?" Her twin's arms squeezed Liz, then pushed her teasingly toward the parking lot. "See you, hermana!"
Her hand waved limply back. As soon as she got in the car, Liz revved the engine and began the drive back toward the gorge, hoping it would be late enough when she got back to not be noticed sneaking back into the reservation.
On the way, she turned on another playlist (Desert Tunez; yes, she isn't very original. Sue her) and tuned out to the sound of Eric Clapton's greatest hits. The dunes whipped past and wind pelted her turquoise locks in sync as Liz lowered the car's top and belted along to one of her favorites, Tears in Heaven.
"Beyond the door, there's peace, I'm sure..." Her eyes clouded, just a bit, and Liz shook her head as a warning to herself. "God, don't be a baby. Just focus on getting home."
The glare of headlights almost blinded her when she glanced at the rearview mirror, and she laughed nervously, just a little, then sped up.
"Jeez, this guy is really riding my ass..." Her focus shifted away from the road in front of her in order to respond to the tailgating truck, and that's when a burnt umber Cadillac XT4 swerved from the oncoming lane straight into the front of Liz's red Mazda, knocking her out cold and shattering the windshield in the process.
YOU ARE READING
desert gorge
Mystery / Thrillerat the age of sixteen, the world feels so small-but elizara sanchez is about to learn how much smaller it can get. in the rural town of desert gorge, arizona, you don't just leave; you get the hell out before it's too late. when liz's queerplatonic...
