Элизабет Чандлер: Evercrossed

Ivy swallowed hard. What was wrong with her? She had dated Will much longer than she had known Tristan, so why couldnʹt she stop thinking of Tristan?

She remembered what Tristanʹs mother had once said to her: ʺWhen you love someone, itʹs never over. You move on because you have to, but you bring him with you in your heart.ʺ

Ivy had thought sheʹd succeeded in moving on. What pained her even more was that Will thought so too.

Ivy loved Will. But did she love him enough if she didnʹt love him the way she loved Tristan?

Maybe her idea of love was too lofty; maybe she expected too much of herself and Will.

Ivy descended to the sand, then walked to the edge of the water, finding release in the ceaseless rush and draw of the sea.

She had no idea how much time had elapsed, but when she finally returned to the cottage, she saw Beth standing on the front step, cell phone in hand. ʺIvy!

Thank God youʹre back!ʺ ʺIs something wrong?ʺ

ʺWeʹve got to get to Kelsey before she does something stupid. Stupider,ʺ Beth corrected herself, grimacing. ʺGet your car keys. Iʹve got the address, sort of.ʺ

ʺWhereʹs Dhanya?ʺ

ʺWith Kelsey. And only a little more sober than she is.ʺ

ʺWhereʹs Aunt Cindy?ʺ Ivy asked. ʺOut still.ʺ

Bethʹs cell phone rang. ʺHere we go again.ʺ After a moment of listening, she said, ʺDhanya, I told you before. Take the keys away from her. Throw them in the ocean if you have to. No, no! If s not a good idea for you to drive!ʺ

ʺBack in a sec,ʺ Ivy said. ʺShould I get Will?ʺ Beth called after her.

ʺNo, heʹs painting, and itʹll take too long for him to clean up.ʺ

Ivy returned with her keys and wallet, and they sprinted to the car. ʺWhere are we going?ʺ Ivy asked, starting the engine. ʺTo a road somewhere off Route Twenty‐eight.ʺ

ʺBeth, three‐quarters of Cape Cod is off Twenty‐eight!ʺ

ʺShe said Marsala Road. But Iʹve never heard of it.ʺ Ivy entered it into the GPS, with Orleans as the town, then Brewster, then Harwich. ʺNothingʹs coming up.ʺ

ʺShe said they passed a lighthouse. Try Eastham and Chatham — they have lighthouses. Chatham first My cousin always goes where the money is.ʺ

ʺMarsala Road, come on, Marsala Road,ʺ Ivy said

ʺMorris Island Road!ʺ Beth exclaimed suddenly. ʺI bet that was it. She was slurring her words. I think thereʹs a place in Chatham named Morris Island.ʺ

Ivy typed it in.

ʺI have an idea for a new app,ʺ Beth added, ʺone that interprets directions from drunken party girls.ʺ She pointed to the highlighted route on the screen. ʺThere it is, south of the lighthouse.ʺ

Ivy pulled out of the crushed stone driveway and onto Cockle Shell Road. ʺI know the way as far as the lighthouse. Will and I walked that beach tonight.ʺ

Ivy wound her way through the community. Once they got to Route 28, she pushed the speed limit, glad it was 11:50 p.m. and the weekend crowd had departed.

ʺI could strangle Kelsey,ʺ Beth said. ʺI could just strangle her.ʺ

ʺTry to get her on her cell.ʺ

ʺI did — I couldnʹt.ʺ

ʺThen try Dhanya again. We need an address.ʺ

As Ivy drove, she thought about Will. Heʹd be upset with them for not asking for his help. But Ivy couldnʹt ask one more favor, knowing all that he had already done for her, knowing that while she was kissing him, all she could think ofʺSheʹs not picking up,ʺ Beth said. ʺKeep trying.ʺ They drove through the commercial edge of Chatham and passed the lighthouse. Beach houses lined both sides of the road, most of their windows dark. ʺStage Harbor should be coming up on the right,ʺ Beth said, looking at the GPS screen. ʺThere it is. The road weʹre on goes directly to Morris Island. ʺ

A minute later they entered the islandʹs wooded community. Ivyʹs headlights showed a narrow, winding road and stripes of trees. ʺWant me to keep going?

Itʹs not that big of a place, just a few streets,ʺ she said, glancing at the map.

ʺMaybe we can go slowly and listen for the party.ʺ

They rolled down their windows. Ivy slowed to a crawl whenever they saw lights through the trees, and listened intently. The road ended with a pair of driveways. As Ivy turned the car around, Beth tried to call Dhanya again.

“I’ve got her! Dhanya, listen to me. Weʹre close. Whatʹs the address?.. Well, ask somebody! Who the heck is giving the party — they must know where they live!ʺ

Beth turned to Ivy. ʺUnbelievable! Sheʹs trying to find the person whose booze theyʹve been drinking.ʺ Ivy shook her head, and drove slowly down the road they had just scouted. It wasnʹt going to bea fun ride back to the inn, she thought.

ʺIvy, look out!ʺ

Headlights came out of nowhere. The person was driving crazily, as if no one else was on the road. Ivy stepped on the brake, then saw that stopping wouldnʹt help. She had to evade, but the road was too narrow. She accelerated, trying to get to a driveway and pull in.

ʺOh my God!ʺ Beth screamed. Ivy yanked the wheel hard to the right. One moment she could feel the road under her car, the next, it was gone. Two wheels rose in the air as the car rolled, the world of night and trees turning around her and Beth.

ʺBeth? Beth?ʺ Dhanyaʹs voice sounded small and far away as the cell phone bounced around the car.

The driverʹs side slammed into something solid. Steel crumpled inward. Before she could cry out, Ivyʹs world collapsed into a black hole.

FOR A MOMENT, IVY WAS AWARE OF NOTHING BUT darkness. It felt as if all of the nightʹs weight bore down on her, then, unexpectedly, the pressure eased.

ʺBeth? Beth, are you okay?ʺ Her friendʹs eyes fluttered open. ʺBeth. Thank God,ʺ

Ivy said with relief. ʺWeʹve got to get out of this car. My side is smashed in. Weʹll have to use yours, okay?ʺ Beth gazed at her wordlessly. ʺYou with me?ʺ Ivy asked, uncertainly. Beth continued to stare at Ivy. ʺIʹll help you,ʺ Ivy said, trying to pull herself up, but she couldnʹt move. ʺOn second thought, you may need to help me. Iʹm caught somehow.ʺ

Beth looked at Ivy as if she couldnʹt comprehend what she was seeing. ʺWhat is it?ʺ Ivy asked. Beth began to shake. ʺBern? Answer me.ʺ

But it was as if her friend couldnʹt hear or understand what she was saying.

ʺAnswer me! Beth, please!ʺ

Beth opened her mouth. She screamed and screamed.

ʺIf s okay, itʹs okay,ʺ Ivy told her, trying to calm her. But Beth started to sob.

ʺWeʹre going to be okay. Oh, angels, help. Tristan, help. Tristan, we need you,ʺ

Ivy called out.

At last she was free of the thing that restrained her. ʺAll right, now.ʺ She touched Beth, then pulled back, surprised. She couldnʹt feel Bethʹs shoulder. She reached out again and gazed in disbelief as her own hand passed through her friendʹs.

Then Ivy began to understand why Beth had screamed, why she was sobbing.

Free of her body, Ivy was light, as weightless as a moonbeam and floating steadily upward. Looking down, she saw her body in the mangled car, the airbag deployed, and the metal frame of the windshield bent inward. She saw her head against the crushed frame, blood darkening it.

The only pain Ivy felt was an intense yearning for those she loved. Below her, a night mist enveloped Beth and the twisted car. Along the narrow strip of road, another car raced away. The land and sea merged in darkness.

The longing to say good‐bye was all that tethered Ivy to the night below. She spoke the names of those she loved, asking the angels to watch over them: ʺPhilip, Mom, Andrew, Beth, Will, Suzanne..

Tristan. Tristan.ʺ

ʺMy love.ʺ

Ivy held still, suspended within a cathedral of starlight. The old world that turned beneath her grew still, as if time had stopped.