Morgan Rice - Resurrected

Scarlet smiled to herself, as she thought of what her reaction must be right now, sitting around the lake with her friends and Blake’s friends, probably waiting for Blake to come back. It probably really peeved her to see him run off after Scarlet.

Finally , Scarlet thought. A small victory.

Deep down, though, Scarlet knew that Vivian, being as vindictive and spiteful as she was, would not let this go so easily. She felt sure she would make it her life’s mission to slander Scarlet, to turn the school against her. She’d probably wage a malicious gossip campaign, and do who knows what to get back at her. After all, Scarlet had embarrassed her in front of her friends.

Scarlet forced herself to snap out of it. Now wasn’t the time to think of Vivian, or of any stress that might come later. Now was the time to live in the moment, to enjoy her time with Blake. Finally, she had what she wanted.

“I know a great spot,” Blake said, reading her mind just as she started to wonder where at the riverbank they were going. It broke the long silence between them. “I think you’ll really like it.”

Scarlet sensed that she would. The further they walked, the more she felt it was just the two of them, the last ones left in the world, leaving everything, all their worries, behind. School, teachers, homework, friends, parents… it all faded with every step they took.

The trees opened up, and Scarlet stood there and paused, amazed by the view. They were at the top of a small hill, covered in knee-high grass and wildflowers, sparkling in the late afternoon sun. In the distance, just beyond it, was the Hudson River. In all her years here, Scarlet had never seen it look so beautiful as it did from this spot, as she looked down on it, with a sweeping view of the trees on both sides of it, of the mountains on the horizon. Scattered clouds filled the sky, and a slow tugboat made its way down the middle of the immense river. She felt as if she’d stepped into a postcard.

Blake tugged on her hand, and they continued down a small, worn path through the flowers, under the open sky, heading closer to the shore. They reached a set of train tracks, about twenty feet away from the river. She stopped, looking both ways, then down at the rails.

“It’s okay,” Blake said. “Trust me.”

He took her hand and led her onto the tracks. They looked quickly in both directions, saw no train anywhere in sight, then sprinted across them, running down the other slope. Scarlet could feel her heart racing and they laughed as they went. In another twenty yards they found themselves at the water’s edge.

There was a small, rocky shore, the waves of the Hudson splashing against it, filled with driftwood, glass bottles, and small piles of burnt logs, remnants of a bonfire. Scarlet walked to the water’s edge, reached down, and felt the waves with her palm. The water was ice cold, as she expected it to be at the end of October. Still, it was refreshing to the touch.

Blake wandered away from her, and for a moment, she wondered where he was going. He stopped at the water’s edge and squatted down, combing the sand with his hand fingers as if looking for something. He was looking beneath the water, every time the tide receded, until finally he found whatever it was he was searching for.

He stood and smiled at her, revealing his perfect teeth, his eyes gleaming in the light. It was a smile that completed her world. He was beaming, and Scarlet could see how genuinely happy and relaxed he was. Happy to be with her, she realized. The thought of it made her feel good.

“Close your eyes,” he said softly. “I have a surprise.”

Scarlet smiled as she closed her eyes. She could hear Blake approaching, his footsteps crunching the rocks and driftwood.

“Hold out your hand,” he said.

She opened her palm, waiting, curious.

After a moment, he placed something cold and damp in her palm. She opened her eyes and looked.

She gasped. He’d inserted into her hand the most beautiful piece of sea glass she had ever seen, completely smooth, worn by the waves of the Hudson. It was a vibrant rose color, and seemed to glow in the fading sun.

Sea glass. Somehow, it felt meaningful to Scarlet, like it brought back memories. Although of what, she didn’t know.

Before she could thank him, he’d already taken her hand and was leading her down the shore.

“This way,” he said.

They twisted and turned along the shoreline, down a narrow path, weaving in and out of the tall marsh. After a few minutes, they turned a bend, and Scarlet was amazed at what lay before them: there sat a small grove of trees, clustered at the shore, their branches leaning over the river. Fruit hung from the branches.

Apples. She couldn’t believe it. An apple orchard, here, in all places, right up against the water.

“The best picking in town,” Blake said with a smile, as he turned to her. “No one else knows about it. They just grow wild and fall into the water. Might as well enjoy it, right?”

Smiling, he took her hand and led her to the first tree. The trees were small, only about twelve feet high, with old, wide branches arching low to the ground. Blake easily stepped up onto one of the branches, then another, and took a seat on a wide branch. He turned and held out a hand for Scarlet.

It looked like fun, and she loved climbing trees.

“I got it,” she said with a smile, and quickly and easily climbed up the branches, until she was sitting beside him.

He looked back at her, impressed by her dexterity.

She reached up and picked a huge, green apple hanging over her head. She had to yank hard to get it off, and as she did, a cluster of apples came falling off their branches, a mini avalanche bouncing all around them. She raised her hand to her head, as one bounced off it. Several landed in the water, bobbing, immediately carried away by the strong tides of the Hudson.

She turned to Blake, in shock, and he looked back at her, equally shocked. At the same time, they both burst into laughter.

“I think you just discovered gravity,” he joked.

They laughed together, as Scarlet watched the apples drift further and further out into the Hudson. As she watched, a large fish suddenly surfaced and took a bite out of one of them.

“Oh my God, did you see that?” she said excitedly, pointing.

Another fish came up and took a bite out of another one. They laughed in amazement.

Blake turned back to the tree, reaching up and carefully picking an apple himself. Scarlet bit into hers. It was the biggest apple she’d ever had, the size of a grapefruit, and the most crisp, too. It was delicious, and she realized how hungry she was. In no time, she ate nearly half the apple, its juice running down her chin.

She suddenly felt self-conscious, wiping her chin with the back of her hand.

“Sorry,” she said, her mouth full.

“For what?” Blake asked, his own mouth full, and with twice as much juice dripping down his chin.

They both laughed.

They finished their apples and both sat there, looking out at the sunset, watching the fading sun over the river.

After a while, strong breezes picked up, whistling through, and she began to feel cold. She was trembling, and buttoned the highest button of her jacket.

Blake reached out and draped an arm around her shoulder.

As he did, Scarlet’s heart started to beat faster. She had never been touched by Blake before, not like that, and the feel of it was electrifying. She was scared; yet she didn’t want him to back away.

She leaned slightly into him, and he kept his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close to him. They sat side-by-side, their shoulders touching. He slowly ran his hand up and down her arm, warming her.