Keeper(50)

The girl rolled her eyes as if I’d just asked her to analyze War and Peace. “It’s the eleven o’clock freighter,” she answered matter-of-factly.

“Yeah, I got that.” I narrowed my eyes. “But who cares?”

“You’re new here,” the girl spat out, glaring at me like I was an interloper in some secret society. She rolled her eyes again. “It starts at eleven, and then they run every eight minutes. Last man standing wins.”

“Wins what? What are you—” I stopped as two boys stepped over the metal railing and stood side by side in the middle of the track facing the train. Almost in response, the train gave a loud whistle. It was still several hundred feet away, but it was moving fast.

The boys were laughing as they stared down the train, daring each other to move while the rest of the group cheered and placed bets on who would wuss out first. I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or be appalled, but I stayed where I was, watching the boys with wide eyes.

Lainey.

The voice came from behind me. I didn’t have to look to know who it was. “I told you to go away,” I grumbled beneath my breath, refusing to turn around. The train was getting closer, and there was a tangible energy churning through the air. The boys on the tracks were no longer laughing, but focused on the train itself, both posed in a stance that would allow them to jump from either side at the last second.

I stood half horrified, half amazed as the boys played chicken with the train. One of them was swearing loudly and his whole body was shaking from exertion. The train was getting closer, its harsh whistle echoing across the trees. The boy who had been swearing turned and jumped off the tracks shaking his head. The other boy, the one still on the tracks, raised a fist triumphantly in the air but continued to stare at the train—now dangerously close. At the very last second, he threw himself from the tracks and landed on his stomach in the grass while the train roared over the very spot on which he’d been standing. The crowd cheered as he got to his feet and dusted himself off, grinning like a madman.

I was surprised to find myself clapping. The whole thing was incredibly stupid, not to mention dangerous, but there was something about the look in the boy’s eyes, how his whole face glowed. He looked entirely free. I was envious of him for that.

In the distance, another whistle began to sound and the crowd began crowing once more. Two more boys hopped up onto the tracks. I watched as they stood there looking confident and brave, the train barreling down the tracks.

Lainey.

I jumped as the voice called again. This time it was right next to me. I turned my head; Josephine, her mournful eyes trained on my face, was standing on the other side of the girl with the braids. She was close enough that I could swear she was a solid, living person instead of an apparition. Her long, dark tresses were blowing in a breeze I couldn’t feel, and the flames from the bonfire danced in her eyes.

I stared back, but when Josephine took a step toward me, something inside me snapped. “Enough!” I growled. “Leave me alone!”

The girl with braids whipped her head in my direction. “What the hell is your problem?”

I didn’t answer. I was already pushing my way through the crowd. No one tried to stop me, and I wasn’t fully aware of exactly what I was doing until I stepped over the metal rails and felt the wooden slates and the gravel crunch underneath my feet.

Behind me, a murmur of confusion was circulating through the crowd as I walked toward the boys and shoved myself between them.

“What the—?” one of the boys shouted, while the other jumped in surprise. I ignored them. As the light of the next freighter appeared, a rush of adrenaline kicked in, and I took a breath to steady myself.

What are you doing? Get off the tracks! the tiny voice of reason screamed inside my head, but the sense of absolute control swirling around inside me kept my feet grounded.

The train’s harsh whistle sounded again, and my hands began to shake. My breath was hitching in my lungs, but I forced myself to plant my feet. Small bits of gravel dug into the worn soles of my sneakers, but I didn’t move. The two boys were still staring at me as the train continued to wail.

The ball of light from the train’s headlight grew bigger. The sounds of laughter and catcalling drifted toward me as the crowd yelled taunts and encouragements at the three of us on the tracks. A single voice seemed to echo in my ears, louder than the rest—though it couldn’t have been more than a whisper.

Lainey.

Grinding my teeth, I took a step forward. I forced my shoulders back and stood a little straighter.

The train was still several hundred yards away, but I rose up on the balls of my feet, throwing my arms out wide. The beam of light from the train was warm on my face, the scream of the whistle deafening in my ears.

A bit of air whooshed past me as one of the boys behind me jumped off the tracks with a yell. The other swore loudly. The voice in my head screamed at me to move, but the heady euphoria coursing through me held me in place.

Just when the tang of metal hit my nose, I threw myself sideways and off the tracks, only a second or two before the train roared over the very spot on which I’d been standing.

I landed in a soft patch of grass, rolling until I came to a stop on my back. My chest was heaving, but the weight I’d felt from the conversation with Gareth was lighter somehow. I let out a laugh.

That is, until a large hand clamped down on my wrist, yanking me to my feet.