Black River Falls by Jeff Hirsch(36)

Hannah was standing behind me, but I almost didn’t recognize her. She was in shorts and a blue T-shirt with a picture of a rabbit on it. Her hair was pinned behind her ears, turning her face into a pale moon.

“You all right?”

“I . . .” I turned to look around at the barren campsite. “Where is everything?”

“I was just—I’m moving my things down into Astrid’s cabin.”

There was an ache in my throat as I said, “You’re leaving?”

“No, I’m just—”

“When did you decide to do that?”

“This morning. I asked her and—”

“You asked her?”

Hannah’s jaw tensed. “They have a spare cot, and I thought? . . .” Her voice was like a steel wire that had been stretched too tight. “I thought it made more sense that way. For me to be down there with everyone else. I just came back for my—”

She pointed behind me. Her backpack was leaning against some bushes. I hadn’t noticed it earlier. I picked it up, then returned to Hannah and held it out to her.

“Card, you’re not . . .” She trailed off. She was looking at me strangely, but I didn’t know why. “You’re not wearing your mask.”

I lifted one hand, and my bare fingers brushed against my lips. I hadn’t even realized. I set the pack down and backed away from it until I felt stone against my legs. I sat down and found myself wedged between the two boulders. Something in me eased from being surrounded by them. I drew my knees up to my chest and held them close.

Hannah collected the bag, but didn’t leave. She stood by the trail, fidgeting with the strap, twisting it back and forth. Our moment standing in the moonlight the night before came rushing back to me, but it was all mixed up with looking down at that burned earth and learning about the great secret of the world.

She asked again if I was okay, but I couldn’t speak, couldn’t even move my lips, so I nodded instead.

“It’s just . . . you look pale, and your eyes are—did you sleep last night?”

“Yo! Hannah! Time to get moving! The natives are getting rest—”

Greer came up the trail at a run and stopped behind Hannah. The palm of his hand hovered over her lower back. “Oh! Hey there, buddy! Damn, you look like crap.”

“Greer,” Hannah said.

“What? Have you seen him?”

“He says he’s fine.”

Greer left Hannah and headed for me. “Okay, well, I’m glad you’re here! That Raney guy came up this morning to bring us those clothes he promised, and he said the Marvins are throwing this big picnic thing down in the park today. The word is that there’ll be barbecue! Now, Hannah thinks . . .”

Greer kept talking, but I dropped my head, curling my hands around the back of my skull. An ache had begun behind my right eye, and my nostrils were full of the stink of charred wood. Greer’s voice turned into a knifelike buzz, and then Hannah joined in too. Monument Park. Games. A party. It was the same thing over and over again. Time had folded into a loop, tied itself into a knot, and still they talked.

“You can’t go!”

Shouting like that made my head pound, but it was worth it. Silence. Finally. Greer looked at me and then at Hannah, a half smile on his face, as if maybe there was a joke he just wasn’t getting.

“Oh!” he said. “Don’t worry, me and Hannah figured out a whole new disguise for her. Way better than the last one. And besides, even if those creeps recognize her, there’ll be so many people around, they won’t dare do anything, right? I mean it’s not every day that the kids get to go to a party. A real party with—”

“What did I just say? You’re not going.”

“Excuse me?”

I sprang off the rocks and stabbed my finger at Hannah. “What do you think’s going to happen if Raney sees her?”

“You said Gonzalez could cover for us!”

“As long as we’re not stupid.”

Hannah said, “We’re not going to be stupid. We’re going be careful.”

“Careful? You’ll be careful? A party? You think this is a joke?”

“I don’t think it’s a joke. I think—”

“Guys!” Greer shouted from the sidelines. “Come on. Let’s—”

“What?” I said. “You think the Marvins are doing this out of the kindness of their hearts? Throwing you a party? Giving you presents? This is for them. They want something, and they’re using this to get it. How can you not see that? How can neither of you see that?”

“Using it to get what?” Hannah asked. “What could they possibly want from us?”

I steamrolled past them toward the trail. “It doesn’t matter. You’re not going, and that’s it.”

“Come on, buddy, wait—”

Greer’s hand grazed my shoulder. I jumped away from him. The muscles in my arms and my back tensed, like a steel spring twisted down tight. I thought of Dale and Tommasulo and remembered how good it felt to let go completely. My hand became a fist.

“Card!”

Hannah was standing just behind Greer, presenting a united front. The two of them against me. The world shifted on its axis. I stepped back slowly, putting more distance between us.