Pieces of Hope (8 page)

Ethan
and harm and visited swirled in my head. Though I tried to look calm, my heart
was pounding out a new rhythm. I could hear it thumping wildly in my chest.

Creesie
took a deep breath, and though I hadn’t any idea of
what she was about to say, the hair on the back of my neck rose in
anticipation. “When we visit, the living are actually closer to the place where
we dwell—that is to say, a bit closer to the Station—rather than the world
where they dwell. That said, I would caution you to take care that nothing
happens to Ethan during your visit. If it did . . .”

Her
voice trailed off, but I heard the rest of the sentence in my head.

“There
would be repercussions when he woke?” I winced. Just the idea of causing Ethan
pain gave me a physical reaction. “But won’t he just be dreaming? Surely, no
one can be harmed from a dream!”

“Not
from your average dream, no.”
Creesie
took my hands
in hers. It slowed my pounding heart. “But this isn’t merely a dream, Hope.
It’s a soul-to-soul visit.”

I shook
my head. This couldn’t be happening. Here was the dreaded catch.

“Because
you’ve physically separated from your body, your soul will be visiting Ethan’s
soul. Unlike dreams, a soul-to-soul visit will make perfect sense. It’s
sequential and highly detailed—the colors, the scents, the sounds—the way it
makes you feel. It’s so vivid that the dreamer will believe it’s real.” She
smiled, edging into my thoughts. “And that’s because it
is
real. We may reside on another plane of existence a dimension or
two outside of the living realm, but without question, this world is real . . .
As real as love or hope or joy. As real as you or me . . .”

Great!
Other than getting there and back, I now had a million other worries. What
exactly was this world’s definition of harmful? If Ethan were injured during my
visit, what would be the consequences when he awoke? Other possibilities loomed
in my mind—and I cringed. Could he die? Was that possible? Then again, as
Creesie
had made abundantly clear, nearly anything was
possible here.
  

More
questions than answers collided in my thoughts, but before I could ask any of
them, a pair of small but strong hands shoved me through the glass. “Your
mother was right about one thing,”
Creesie
said
cheerily from the other side. “You worry too much!”

She was
talking about life and death—Ethan’s! Of course, I was worried!

Creesie
shooed me with her hands. Her effervescent smile
returned. “Go on now! And try to have a wonderful time. I’ll be waiting in the
café when you get back.”

Inhaling
a steadying breath, I stepped cautiously down the aisle, picturing only Ethan,
imagining his silky voice in my head.
Creesie
was
wrong about one thing. In ways I’d never dreamt of—ways I preferred never to
think of—I was far more breakable than she could possibly imagine . . . if harm
ever came to Ethan. In some forgotten part of my soul, I knew this to be true.

6
Heaven’s Peak

“Watch
where you’re going, Hope!”

Brody
Alexander shouted from the passenger seat. He yanked the steering wheel of the
Jeep, guiding it safely between the yellow lines as I looked on helplessly from
the driver’s side.

I
glanced quickly in the rearview mirror and caught a glimpse of Ethan’s stunning
face. He didn’t look half as alarmed as Brody seemed to be, and not one-tenth
as alarmed as I was. So much for listening to
Creesie’s
warning about soul-to-soul visits. I’d almost killed Ethan
and
Brody—and I’d only just arrived!

“Did you
forget you were driving or something?” Brody was looking at me like I was an
idiot. I gave him the same look back.

“No, of
course not!” I huffed, trying to figure out how Brody had entered Ethan’s
dream. “Where’re we headed, anyway?” I jerked the wheel back from Brody, and
seeing the speedometer nearing eighty, I eased off the accelerator. We dropped
quickly in speed, and slowly, my heart rate did the same.
           
“Jeez, Hope . . . we’re going
climbing. Ethan’s pick, remember?” A smile slipped across Brody’s face as he
regained his sense of humor. “Or . . . were you too busy staring into Ethan’s
big green eyes to hear me?”

I didn’t
wish to dignify his sarcasm with a comment, or maybe I just knew he was right.
As calmly as I could, I said, “Of course I remember. We’re going to—to—”

Brody
chuckled. “I knew you weren’t listening. Ethan’s found a crag near Rooster Rock State Park
that we’ve never seen. Ring any kind of bells?” he teased, alluding I was sure,
to the wedding variety. “Or have you suddenly contracted old-timer’s?”

“Alzheimer’s,”
I corrected, slipping into my usual role. “And no, my memory’s as good as ever.
Unlike you, I’ve got a lot on my mind!”
Like
saving your skinny butt
. “Now shut up and let me drive, will you?”
  

I stared
a little too long at Brody, but thankfully, I stayed between the lines and he
was too busy messing with the radio to even notice. I couldn’t get over how
much he had changed. His eyes were alight from the inside, and a yellowish
shimmer bounced around him. Was this Brody’s happy-go-lucky soul? If so, I now
understood why Claire needed to be with him, and why I would do everything in
my power to keep them together.

Brody
finally settled on a classic rock station, and an old tune from Boston blared through the
speakers. Feverishly, he pounded out a riff on his impressive air-guitar, eyes
closed in concentration. I beamed at the sight of him—yellow glow and
all—realizing for the first time what an incredible friend he was and how much
I had missed him.

The blue
sky overhead seemed almost transparent as we drove down I-84 with the Columbia River roaring alongside us. The sun bathed
everything in a warm light, and by the looks of the trees, it was sometime in
the late fall. It was the most perfect day I could have imagined, or rather,
since this was Ethan’s subconscious—his very best day—and I hoped it wasn’t
going away anytime soon.

I had so
many questions for Ethan, but they all got stuck in my throat and refused to
come out. Had it been just the two of us, the words might have come easier, but
I was glad that Brody was here as well. He buffered some of the tension—not a
lot—but some. So instead of opening my mouth and saying something stupid, I
relegated myself to long glances in the rearview where Ethan’s limpid eyes
studied me. Though I knew the reason why he stared, the intensity of his gaze
made me self-conscious. His eyes seemed to look right through me. Even so, I
couldn’t stop myself from staring back with equal interest.

We
exited at Corbett, and then looped around a curvy back road for several miles
when Ethan suddenly told me to stop. Before I could grasp what he was doing, he
jumped out of the backseat and pushed open a black metal gate with a small sign
proclaiming no admittance.

           
Weeds stood thick along the narrow road. No one appeared
to have traveled down it in some time, but two thin strips of gravel left a
clear trail to follow. I eyed Ethan with suspicion, but the unexpected return
of his smile only encouraged me on. Once he’d shut the gate behind us, I
slipped the Jeep into four-wheel drive, and edged cautiously up the trail.
Almost immediately, pine trees flanked us on all sides, blocking our view of
anything but their presence and the winding road before us. The higher we
twisted, the more they took on an otherworldly feel—like freakish giants from a
faraway kingdom. As they grew, so did the wind. Up and up and up we went. Many heart
stopping hairpin turns later, the road came to an abrupt end.

I
slammed on the brakes. We were in a small clearing at the very top of the
bluff, barely large enough to turn the vehicle around. I feared careening off
the side, killing my best friend and my dark-haired fairy tale with one
misstep.
 

 
“Be careful, there isn’t a guardrail,” called
a deep voice behind me. Then, “Would you like some help?” The sound of Ethan’s
voice caused shivers to shoot down my spine. In my panic to keep him safe, I’d
nearly forgotten he was seated right behind me.
  

           
“No, it’s okay,” I panted, slightly out of breath. “I
think I’ve got it.” But before I had even yanked up the emergency brake,
unlatched my seat belt, or shut off the engine, Brody released the hatch to
unload the gear and Ethan leaped out with him. I sat there for a few minutes
longer, double-checking for the first aid kit under the seat.
  

“What’s
gotten into you? Ethan’s waiting for you near the crag.” Brody grunted as he
lifted a pack. “Are you on somebody’s hit list?” He snickered as I sneered into
the rearview mirror at him. Maybe I was overdoing it. A little.
 

“Hope,
over here!” Ethan called. “There’s a reason I brought you all this way.” It was
the first time I’d heard that much joy in his voice and it left me speechless
to think I might be the cause of it.

  
I met him on a rocky ledge jutting thirty
feet off the side of the bluff. Stepping onto it was like staring down the gang
plank of a pirate’s ship. Though it wasn’t nearly as narrow—wide enough for
four people to stand side by side—a few missteps and you’d never return in one
piece. The surrounding valley didn’t boast of sharks, but the peak sheared
straight down, sharp and jagged: teeth of an entirely different kind.

While
I’d been told that nothing could harm me here, I wasn’t quite ready to test my
new immortality, or Ethan’s lack thereof. The more I stared off the side of
that crag, the more I realized the possible repercussions. Could Ethan have
picked a worse place for us to visit? Thinking of the numerous—and
horrific—possibilities, I shuddered.

“Don’t
be afraid,” Ethan said, misreading my fear. He lowered his voice so much that
he forced me to come closer. “I wanted you to see the most beautiful place on
earth. It’s a little place I like to call Heaven’s Peak.”

           
He failed to reach for my hand and I sighed with relief;
I didn’t trust my reactions around him. I seemed to vibrate from the inside,
and my hands trembled. If I accidentally jerked, we could both plummet off the
side. Sensing my hesitation, Ethan stepped back, allowing me plenty of space to
step forward. Spreading my feet shoulder-width apart for balance, I stood alone
at the edge for a moment. From here, the sky looked close enough to touch. Its
postcard blue emptiness and wispy clouds enveloped me. The wind whipped my
hair, pressing itself upon me from every direction. I felt like a tiny bird
about to test its wings for the first time. And then I looked down.

The
bluff descended into a lush valley rimmed by a thick forest of pines, firs, and
maples that seemed to be on fire. Shades of cinnamon and scarlet lit up the
valley as far as the eye could see. The sight of it stole my breath away.

           
“Amazing, isn’t it? If you stand here long enough, it
will start to feel like the wind blows through you instead of against you.”
Ethan sounded awed. “Do you feel it?”

Glancing
sideways as he joined me, I definitely felt it, but
it
had little to do
with the wind. That same invisible force I had sensed at the hospital was
pulsing at me again.

           
I took advantage of the moment to gaze at Ethan through
my new eyes. His whole body seemed illuminated by the sun—skin like glistening
honey, shades of gold running through his dark hair, green eyes with honeyed
flecks that danced in the daylight. No one would deny that Ethan’s looks caused
heads to turn in the living realm. But here, he left me breathless, words
failing in their description of him. Human eyes weren’t accustomed to seeing
the beauty of a soul,
Creesie
had said. Well, this
was going to take some time to get used to—along with some concentrated
breathing in and out.
 

           
Without knowing it, Ethan summed up my thoughts
perfectly. ‘“God’s gifts put man’s best dreams to shame.’”

“That’s
beautiful,” I choked. I knew he was referring to our view, but I threw him into
the mix as well. A girl’s best dreams couldn’t possibly compare.

“Elizabeth
Barrett Browning,” he told me, looking out toward the valley. “I guess you could
say I’m part geek.”

With the
wind whipping against my ears, I swore he’d said
Greek
and told him I loved their food. Confusion quickly turned to
embarrassment when I realized my mistake. “Me, too,” I said at last. “Obviously
. . .”

Ethan
aimed a full-on smile at me, and I was thankful my knees were locked or I might
have toppled over the side of Heaven’s Peak. His smile was disarming.
Rewarding, even. Given that I’d seen so few of them, it made me feel like I’d
done something extraordinary.

           
Brody was still pulling gear from the Jeep, and Ethan and
I joined him. Part of our climbing routine involved safety first, but that
didn’t imply that as a superhero inductee—aka, newly detached soul—I couldn’t
show off a little. Monkeys had nothing on me when it came to the subject of
climbing.
  

           
“What’s the
dealio
?” Brody
asked Ethan as he pulled out several long ropes.

           
“We’re going to rap down and then climb back up,” Ethan
said casually.

           
“Dude, you’re crazy!” Brody raised his open palm, waiting
for the smack. “I love it! It’s better than Annihilation Spire!”