Kate Brian - Endless

“Everything’s fine,” he said in that soothing tone I knew so well. “There’s nothing sinister going on here—I promise you.”

I watched Sebastian’s shoulders start to relax as he looked deep into Tristan’s eyes. Slowly, Tristan worked his magic on Sebastian until every ounce of his tension and doubt had been ironed away. I remembered vividly what it had felt like the first time Tristan had used his soothing power on me—how peaceful the whole world had become—and I almost felt jealous of Sebastian.

Supposedly every Lifer had this power, but Tristan was the only person I’d ever seen use it.

“You guys have had a rough few days,” Tristan said. “Why don’t you let Fisher drive you back? It’s a long walk, especially with the mud and the downed trees.”

“No way,” Selma said, crossing her skinny arms over her chest. “We’re not leaving here until—”

“It’s just a ride, Selma,” Sebastian said, lifting a shoulder. “What’s the big deal?”

Her jaw dropped, but when Sebastian smiled at her, her indignation quickly faded.

“Okay,” she said finally. “If you say so.”

Tristan clapped Sebastian on the back as he and Fisher headed for the van, Selma trailing behind.

“Radio Joaquin,” Tristan said to Kevin, sliding his hands into his pockets. “Tell him we’re sending the Tses down to see the mayor again.”

“On it,” Kevin said, turning away.

I took a deep breath and blew it out. Crisis averted. For now, anyway.

“Um, guys? Shouldn’t they not have remembered Nick?” Lauren pointed out. “The second he went over the bridge, he should have been forgotten by the visitors.”

A flash of uncertainty tightened Tristan’s face. “Maybe it was because they actually saw him go over? That hasn’t happened before.”

“Or maybe it’s just one more chink in the system thanks to the unbalance of the universe,” Lauren said.

“We’ll figure it out,” Tristan said, rubbing her back. “Hopefully it’s just a blip.”

“Uh, does that happen a lot?” Liam asked shakily. “People freaking out like that?”

“Not often, but when it does, we take care of it.” Tristan gave a wry smile, then turned to me. “Listen, Rory, can we…go for a drive or something? I mean, if you don’t mind me stealing her away,” he said to Liam.

“No, that’s cool.” Liam pushed his hands into the back pockets of his shorts. “I think I’m gonna walk back to town and shake this off. Maybe find Lalani.”

“You should drive down with Fisher,” Tristan said. “I still don’t like the idea of anyone going anywhere alone.”

“Let me know if there’s anything you want to talk about,” I told Liam. “You know where I live, and there’s always the walkies.”

“Thanks, Rory,” Liam said. He lifted a hand to the others in a wave and jogged to catch up with Fisher. Seconds later, Fisher’s van roared out of our makeshift parking area.

“So. You ready?” Tristan asked, holding his hand out to me.

I glanced uncertainly at Lauren.

“Don’t worry about me. I’ve got a couple more people to usher,” she said, waving us off.

It felt good, just to hear someone say that. To have it not be loaded with terror and meaning. The fog was still clogging up the sky, but with each hour the air grew warmer, and I could practically feel the sun trying to make itself known again.

Things really were getting back to normal. And maybe, with Tristan’s help, I’d find a way to get my family back. I took Tristan’s hand and let him lead me away.

So the creepy twins are going in to see the mayor again. I wish I could be a fly on the wall for that particular conversation. I can’t decide whether those two are friends or foes. They ask too many questions—that’s for sure—and questions are usually a bad thing for a person in my position. But then again, if they ask too many questions of the wrong person, perhaps that person will crack and tell them the truth. That would damn them to the Shadowlands, and if I could claim them to my tally, I’d be so much closer to my goal.

I wonder if any of my so-called friends will be stupid enough to talk. There are a few who might be that dense. Maybe I should get them drunk and see if that loosens their tongues a bit. Then I could be done with this mission by the end of the day. As long as it’s not Rory. She’s got another purpose to serve in this. A much bigger purpose.

Tristan put the car in park and killed the engine. The windows were down, and now that we’d stopped moving, the warm, muggy air filled the space between us. He’d stopped with the nose of his SUV near the cliff where I’d once seen Joaquin, Fisher, and half a dozen other Lifers jump over the edge, to prove to me that they couldn’t die. It was the same night I’d confronted Nadia for the first time. Back then I’d thought she hated me because Tristan liked me. I’d thought she was just angry, jealous, and mean.

Now I realized she’d been terrified, pulsating with fear over the world she knew and loved crumbling around her. She was right to be afraid, and now she was gone.

“I can’t get used to it,” Tristan said, leaning forward to look up at the sky through the windshield. “That blanket of fog? For the first time since I arrived here, it really does feel like another world.”

“That’s never happened before?” I asked, fiddling with the zipper on my blue hoodie.

“No. This is new.”

His hands slipped down the sides of the steering wheel and came to rest awkwardly in his lap. He caught me watching them and laughed quietly.

“You have no idea how much I want to touch you,” he said.

My heart turned cartwheels. “Why don’t you?”

He turned to me, his clear-blue gaze seeking something inside my eyes. “Because I don’t know if you want me to.”

I swallowed hard. “Tristan—”

“Hang on a sec,” he said. “Just let me talk.”

I nodded, unzipping my sweatshirt and tugging it free of my arms. The world suddenly felt stifling.

“When I was on the run…hiding out there…knowing everyone I’d ever cared about was hunting me down…I never once thought about myself,” Tristan said. “I never thought about what might happen to me. What they would do to me if they found me. All I ever thought about was you.”

A bubble welled up inside my throat, and I gulped it back, determined not to interrupt him.

“All that matters to me anymore is what you think of me,” Tristan said. “And that you’re happy. That you’re okay. I spent every single night I was gone on that bridge, trying to figure out how to get the damn door or the portal or whatever it is that leads to the Shadowlands to open. Every single night. I wanted to get your dad back for you. Get Aaron back. I didn’t even care if you ever found out that I was the one who saved them. I just wanted it done. For you.”

I took a breath. A single tear spilled down my cheek. He reached up and touched his palm to it.

“I’m sorry that I failed you,” he said.

I let out this weird noise. It was somewhere between a laugh—because how could he be apologizing to me?—and a sob—because there was so much emotion inside me that I couldn’t help but release it. I reached up and held on to his forearm like I was clinging to life.

“Did you find anything?” I asked him desperately. “Anything that could help us?”

His hand dropped from my face and he held my fingers lightly between us, looking down, touching each of my fingertips in turn with the pad of his thumb. He shook his head.

“It’s scary on that bridge. There are these voices—”

“You heard them, too?” I asked.