Ephemeral

Dare me

"Dare me. Go on, do it. Don't be scared now."

Fiona Silver gave a wide smirk at the boy sitting next to her. As if to urge him, she pressed her foot down harder on the pedal and the car shot forward faster.

Aiden clutched his seatbelt with sweaty hands, fright making his eyes wide and ego his mouth shut. "I-I..."

"I don't think he's cut out for this," Jared Holloway, Fiona's on and off boyfriend let out a snicker. "He looks like he's about to shit his pants."

"No! I'm not scared. I just..." Aiden licked his lips, his heart beating fast as he watched Fiona zig zag the car lightly on the road. He didn't want to die just yet but he didn't think he'd make it out alive tonight.

"Come on guys, cut him some slack. He looks pale as a ghost." Selena Chadwick, the only sensible girl in Aiden's opinion interjected. She raised her brows at him. "If you want we could drop you off here. You don't have to go all the way."

Aiden's mouth dropped open. They were practically in the middle of nowhere, driving up a steep mountain on a speed that was most definitely illegal.

"But there's no taxi for almost a hundred miles!"

"Hey buddy, you wanted to come. No one forced you," Jared clapped a hand on his back.

"But I..."

"So what's it going to be, lover boy? If you wanna be a pussy decide it quickly, cause after this turn I won't stop the car." Fiona cut him off, and then pressed the brakes so hard the entire car jerked forward. Aiden suppressed a wince as the belt dug into his neck.

She raised an eyebrow. "Ten seconds. You in, or you out?"

Aiden swallowed, having difficulty staring her straight in the eyes. They were the bluest eyes he'd ever seen, like the middle of the ocean on a sunny day. But they weren't very innocent like still waters, they were more like a raging storm. And to think she knew he had a crush on her.

"Five remaining," she said impatiently. "Otherwise I'm driving and I won't hold back this time. You better not puke."

Aiden felt sweat run down his back.

"One." He didn't know why they all said it in union but it made him sweat more.

"Two."

"Three."

Fiona started the engine, letting it roar to life.

"Four."

Aiden opened his mouth, let me out on the tip of his tongue.

"Five."

"No wait!–"

The car raced forward and a corner of Fiona's mouth lifted up. "You're too late, darling."

"Now that's what I'm talking about! Take her faster baby." Jared leaned forward and kissed her neck, shooting Aiden a smirk.

Aiden felt sick. He watched the surroundings blur and the vibrations of the car chill him to his core. Every bump made him want to turn back time before he ever agreed to go out with Fiona Silver on a drive. He should've known what he was getting into.

"It can't go any faster or the engine will burn. Don't give her ideas Jared." Selena warned. Deep inside she felt a ball of fear forming, like every time they went on speed drives but she never said anything. She was part of Fiona's group. She was her best friend. She was supposed to be fearless like her.

"Oh I think she'll go faster alright. I just have to handle her right." Fiona let the car go as fast as it could, her blood pumping adrenaline in her veins making her feel on top of the world. This was what she truly cared about: the thrill life could offer, and all the ways she could go about achieving it.

Just as they came to the top of the mountain where the trail ended, she slowed a little and cast a grin at the boy who looked like he was stuck in a nightmare. "This is the best part."

"Fiona I don't think that's a good idea. It doesn't always work..." Selena trailed off at the look she received from Jared and Fiona. Her stomach knotted further. She hated this part.

"I meant, let's do this!" She bumped a fist in the air awkwardly.

"You're turning into a pussy just like him Sel," Jared sneered and squeezed Fiona's shoulder. "Go for it baby."

Fiona led the car off the last bit of trail at the highest speed she could manage, shooting Aiden a look just as she felt something tingle in her chest. Like an electrical shock.

"Oh my god, what are you doing? We're going to fall, this shit is fucking crazy! Let me out! No—let me out..." Aiden stopped shouting, gasping out loud instead.

The car was flying. It was freaking flying. He knew they were going down because that's what cars did when they fell off of cliffs but they weren't crashing down they were...sailing smoothly downward and it should be fucking impossible.

"Told you it was the best part," Fiona grinned and he looked toward her in amazement, suddenly awestruck by the gleam in her eyes. He could've sworn he had never seen anything so beautiful before.

He felt like he had to apologize for screaming like that. He felt like he should've trusted her. "I–"

He never got to finish his sentence. No one could ever know what happened next. But the car tipped down and then it wasn't floating. It was crashing. In the last few seconds before everything burst into flames, there was only thought in Fiona's head.

The tingle in her chest had disappeared.