Between the Lives - By Jessica Shirvington Page 0,66
bag of supplies.
‘I come here a lot.’
I looked around. ‘Is it safe here?’
He kept unloading things, a bottle of water and a bag of potato chips. ‘There are some homeless people around, but I give them some money or food now and then and they never bother me. We’re safe.’
It certainly seemed as if we had the park to ourselves. It was amazing – the lights of the city bouncing off the lagoon and highlighting the vibrant green foliage of the willow, its leaves just grazing the water’s edge. The famous swan boats that drew in all the tourists were tied up for the night, their craning white necks turned towards us, while the glowing white lamps above the suspended footbridge completed the fairytale effect. And there I was, in the middle of Boston. With Ethan. I felt the oddest sensation then; this scene didn’t belong in either one of my lives. And yet, it felt … right.
He motioned for me to sit and when I did he draped another blanket over my shoulders. ‘Just in case.’
But then he sat down and I noticed that he was the one who looked as if he needed a blanket. His eyes were dark and he looked tired.
‘Are you not well?’ I asked.
‘Fine. I just get bad migraines. It’s annoying, everyone’s always telling me to rest.’ He looked out over the lagoon as a family of ducks paddled by.
‘Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.’
He smiled and my breath caught as the light hit the perfect angle on his face. It was getting harder to ignore the fact that he was utterly gorgeous.
‘You think I’d be better off staring into the clinic’s fluorescent lights with a headache?’ he said, looking amused as he noticed the way I was staring at him.
‘I guess not.’ I averted my eyes and leaned back on my elbows. ‘Aren’t you going to get into trouble if someone catches us?’
‘Probably.’
‘Doesn’t that worry you?’
‘I guess I think some things are more important than simply following the rules.’ He glanced at me with a raised eyebrow. ‘And you don’t seem to fit into any guidelines anyway.’
I blushed, pleased he didn’t just view me as one of the patients. ‘What do you do in the daytime?’ I continued as I wriggled to make myself more comfortable.
He lay back beside me, putting his arms under his head. ‘This and that.’
‘That’s kind of vague. Family? Friends?’ I prompted, eager to know more about him.
‘No brothers or sisters, and I spend all of my time at the clinic, so I guess most of my friends are there. I keep in touch with some college friends, but not as much as I’d like to.’
I was surprised he seemed so isolated, but somehow it only made me feel closer to him. Still, I couldn’t help thinking Ethan had his own fair share of secrets. ‘Parents?’ I asked.
I saw the pain cloud his eyes before he quickly turned his attention back to the lagoon. ‘House fire three years ago. I was away on a camping trip with my girlfriend at the time.’ He cleared his throat. ‘No one could even contact me. I didn’t find out they were gone until four days after.’
My heart clenched for him. It also explained a lot. I wanted to tell him how sorry I was, but it seemed such a useless and empty thing to say. ‘That’s why you’re so … Why you care about …’
He raised an eyebrow again. ‘Whether you live or die?’
I grimaced, but nodded.
‘Partly,’ he responded, pulling out a piece of paper from his pocket. ‘Before I forget.’
He was changing the subject. I looked at the list and held back the sigh. More of the same. Languages and chemical questions mostly, for which I was grateful. At least I didn’t have to work out any long mathematical equations. I memorised the list and when I tucked it away I grabbed hold of Ethan’s wrist, turning it to see the time. Eleven p.m. I bit the inside of my cheek nervously.
‘It’s to the second, I promise,’ he said.
Despite the previous night, I believed him.
‘Will you stay out here, with me? While you … At midnight, I mean.’ He still couldn’t say the word ‘Shift’ – it would mean he believed me, when clearly he was still making up his mind.
Normally I hated being around people when I Shifted. Hated being somewhere foreign. But tonight … tonight I found myself nodding, which seemed to please Ethan greatly.