FALL (DIMENSION Series #1)

CHAPTER 49

Derek told The Poet to leave us alone, and she listened. After one final shake of the earth, she took off and left us in peace, or so it seemed, anyway. Things were calm and quiet around us now. We were headed down the mountain and there was no immediate danger as far as I could tell. But he didn't let go of my hand. And because he was holding onto it, I felt like I was floating. And that was pretty much my only awareness, the rest of my mind was blank.

     "You still doing okay?" he said as we got further down, getting deeper into the trees and the long shades they cast. With the late afternoon filtering through the branches, the forest seemed even more mysterious than usual, and more enchanting too.

     "Yeah," I replied and looked into his green-and-gold eyes that sparkled like jewels.

     His face was very close to mine. I wanted him to kiss me, I wanted it more than anything. But knew better than to hope for it. He wouldn't kiss me because that might mark me further. It might flag me to the forces lurking on the other side. A kiss would be like putting some kind of target on my forehead. Eventually, we'd have to find a way around it, of course. It was ironic that we'd have to hide not only from my mother, but also from the evil forces in the secret dimension. It seemed surreal and of course it was.

     He smiled at me and squeezed my hand. I thought I would faint. The way he held my hand was so intimate. If there ever was a substitute for a kiss—this was it. I had a rollercoaster moving up and down my spine. And my heart was suddenly bursting. It felt like it was filling up with flowers—blossoms on the verge of bursting into bloom.

     I wanted to stay in the forest with him for the rest of my life, but of course we reached the jeep in what felt like no time at all. He held open the door for me. I was glad for this chivalrous act but regretted having to let go of his hand.

     "How do you feel about milkshakes?" he asked when we were both seated.

     "I love them," I said, and wondered at his question, but didn't dwell on it. There were many things to think about and to contemplate. A myriad of strange things presented themselves for consideration. I saw Isabelle looking beautiful and confident in her militaristic high-heeled boots. I saw a different dimension that seemed to manifest itself by breaking up the sky into liquidy plates that looked like a series little ponds. And I saw The Poet with her long black hair and her black hat. And I remembered the way the mountain had shaken. But I banished every last one of those thoughts. I wanted to be focused on this moment. The late afternoon light streaming into the rattling jeep and the insanely handsome boy next to me.

     I didn't want to stare at him, but every now and then I stole a look at his face in profile. I thought I'd get used to the perfection of his face over time, and less affected by it. But his face still moved me in the same way. I didn't know much about the future, and also not about life in general. But I knew how I felt about Derek.

     My reverie ended when we pulled into a parking lot. We were right outside Ray's Diner—a popular spot I knew well. I liked the entire establishment—the fifties-looking booths, the burgers and shakes, the large, shiny jukebox in the corner. A real one from the olden days, as my dad liked to say. It still had to be fed quarters.

     "A milkshake and a burger?" he asked and smiled at me.

     "Definitely," I answered as I returned his smile. This was a detour I hadn't foreseen. Another standout moment in my little life so far. Heading into our town's only diner with Derek Nash.

     "What do you want to listen to?" Derek asked and smiled at me.

     "Play me anything from the eighties," I replied as I smiled back at him.

     I'd been here with Nisha and Neal before. And I was sure that Derek had come here with other people too. Maybe even with Isabelle. But I didn't dwell on the thought. This whole experience seemed new now. And of course it was, because it was just him and me now.

     Derek seemed oblivious to the fact that Isabelle liked him. I got the sense that he thought they were just buddies. Maybe it was because he was a guy. But as a girl, I knew what I knew. Isabelle liked Derek and she wanted him. And she viewed me as the competition. And she was right to.

     Of course Isabelle was someone to be mindful of, but there now was someone else too. The black-hatted poet who liked to rattle things. She was evil and she'd lurk on the periphery, along with other forces that I had yet to be introduced to. Things were not as they'd been before. My world had expanded in ways I couldn't have foreseen.

    It was ironic that I'd fallen for Derek Nash—in a way that was irreversible and complete—in the fall. And that I also fell down a mountain and tumbled into this strange new world where the laws of physics as we understood them, didn't apply.

     Derek played me many songs. I tried to make mental notes the titles but they kind of became a blur. As always, his presence made everything else fade into the background. All I knew was that they were happy songs from the eighties. The whole diner was sparkling with light and happiness.

     Our burgers and fries and shakes arrived. I found that I was starved.

     "It's nice to see a girl who likes to eat," he said and winked at me.

     "You haven't seen anything yet," I said and smiled back at him. "I can demolish a family size pizza on my own." And I took a big sip of my chocolate milkshake.

     This is the perfect spot for a date, I thought. Especially for a first date. But I had no such illusions. This might feel like a date, but it couldn't be classified as such. The thing we shared couldn't be labeled. And nor could it ever be. And this didn't bother me. I wasn't a mainstream person and I didn't need labels. I'd never been a school dance, prom kind of girl. I'd not get to dwell in convention. And that was all right. In fact, it was better this way.

     "Thank you for bringing me here, Derek," I said after the empty plates had been cleared away.

     "You're welcome," he said with a smile. "And you actually said my name." His smile grew wider.

     He was right. It seemed I'd lost my self-consciousness around saying his name in his presence. I flushed—the consistent thing in the midst of all the change around us.

     We stayed and talked and listened to more songs. We also had some cokes. A rainstorm blew in and out. From our booth I could see the parking lot dotted with puddles of water. Parking lot lights reflected in each one. It was night now. I had the brief realization that my mother might wonder where I was. But I didn't dwell on the thought.

     There had been a big change in my life. I'd been initiated into something. My old life was over and Derek was here to witness the start of my new life. It felt like I was speeding into unknown territory. Leaving my past behind. I could see my dad and my mother and Jason in the rearview mirror getting smaller. And Neal and Nisha too. They'd still be in my life, of course, but not in this part of it. Not in this part that was sprouting newness like mint-shaded leaves.

     Derek was witnessing my rebirth as a new person. But I knew that the bulk of our lives would continue to be separate. What mattered was that they'd intersect at key moments. And happiness would come to us in slices, like slivers of sunlight moving across a room. And maybe that was all anyone ever really got. Moments of happiness.

     I didn't know what the future held. But this moment right now—sitting in a diner with the boy I adored most in the world—was mine to keep. Years and decades and centuries from now, when mankind might finally have the physics to explain everything—this would still have happened. This moment between two kids who used to be strangers. But were strangers no more.

THE END