The Laurinah Chronicles

2: Chapter 15

   Dinah was jammin out to Toxic by Brittany Spears in the car on her way back to the hotel from the grocery store. She was so busy trying to figure out my new life she never got time to let loose and have a dance party in her car.

   She was singing loudly along with the chorus when something appeared out in the middle of the road causing Dinah to slam on breaks. An aged woman with pepper grey hair and a pale complexion was standing directly in front of the car's bumper. Dinah surprisingly didn't need a second glance to tell who it was. Dinah could recognize those bright green eyes from miles away. Lauren.

   Dinah didn't move. She just stared back into Lauren's eyes that were lit up by the car's bright headlights, beckoning Dinah to approach her. She opened her car door, closing it immediately after she stepped onto the hard asphalt. Lauren and Dinah stared deeply into one another's eyes again until Lauren turned and started walking out into the night. Dinah wanted to tell her to stop, but her lips seemed to be paralyzed with shock.

   "L-Lauren!" The older woman stopped and turned slightly to face Dinah again. "Wait." Lauren opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Instead she shut it and waved me on to follow her down the darkened street. Dinah ran to catch up with the woman, but she never seemed to get any closer to her. That's weird. Eventually Dinah grew tired of chasing after Lauren and slowed down to a normal walk. They continued walking like that until they reached a road that wrapped around a small mountain. Lauren stopped at a ledge up as high as one could possibly go, overlooking the city lights below.

   "Why are we up here, Lauren? What happened to the life we had before?"

   "You never lost it, Dinah." Lauren said with a much frailer voice than what Dinah was accustomed to.

   "Then why am I here!?" Why are the triplets in college!? And why are you so old!?"

   "I have you know I'm only fifty-eight!"

   "So!?" Lauren rolled her eyes.

   "Anyway, I'm gonna tell you something you aren't gonna like, Di. Do you trust me?" Dinah hesitated but nodded which then forced Lauren to smile and stroke her cheek softly. "Just follow along, okay? I have to take the leap. A leap over this cliff that is..."

   "WHAT!? ARE YOU HIGH OR SOMETHING!?" Dinah exclaimed."THIS IS CONFUSING ME EVEN MORE!"

   "I know it's been a rough time for you. Just clear your mind of everything that's happened and breathe." Dinah obeyed by closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. Reasoning with Lauren was pretty much pointless right now. While she was breathing Lauren glanced down at her grandmother's ring Dinah was wearing on her finger and smiled. Lauren couldn't believe the younger girl actually kept it! Dinah knew how much the small token meant to Lauren so she wanted to protect it just as she protected Lauren years ago. Dinah looked into Lauren's eyes and nodded as a signal to continue.

   "Let me do this and everything will be back to normal! I promise!"

   "I really don't know, Lo..."

   "This is why you have to trust me." Dinah thought for a moment but began to shake her head violently, riling herself up again. "I know this is insanely hard to understand! Just go with it, please!" Dinah didn't so much as look at the elder woman.

   "If you jump, I jump with you."

   "Dinah-"

   "No Lauren. It's either both of us or neither of us." Lauren gasped at Dinah's bold move. "Please, Lauren. I want this."

   "Okay."

   Lauren and Dinah stood side by side on the edge of the cliff. A sudden blast of fear hit Dinah like a tone of bricks, but she was calmed when Lauren reached for her hand and took it in her own.

   "Ready?" Dinah looked into Lauren's perfectly calm eyes and realized the eagerness behind them. Was she excited to jump to their death!?

   "Ready as I'll ever be." Dinah shakily replied.

  "On the count of three?" Dinah nodded as Lauren began the countdown. "3...2.....1." Dinah felt her stomach drop suddenly as the ground below rose faster and faster.