flow of gray water. “Sometimes I feel like no one looks at where we live. They see it, but they don’t really see it. You know?”
The swollen droplets had ceased, leaving behind a cool mist on Elodie’s skin as she watched the churning waters patiently carve out a home through the heart of the city. On the far shore, the tree-lined Riverwalk wound past sculptures and beneath bridges.
Elodie’s hair began to curl in the constant moisture, and she tucked it behind her ears.
She’d lived in Westfall her whole life and had never stopped to look at what was around her. She’d been too busy constructing a life as empty and hollow as VR.
Aiden ground the toe of his boot against the pavement. “It probably sounds crazy—”
“No.” And if it was, Elodie needed a little bit of crazy in her life. “You’re right.”
A grin plumped his cheeks. “Ever been skateboarding?”
She blinked at the sudden change in tempo. Or maybe it wasn’t an abrupt shift as much as it was a snapshot of the way Aiden viewed the world, like everything could at once be appreciated and playful; understood, yet still a question.
Elodie shook her head. “I usually go skiing or climbing. I went horseback riding once, but it was before all the updates, so it was kind of lame.”
“No, I mean, in real life?” He dug around the inside pocket of his jacket, pulled out a thick, black rectangle, and dropped it onto the sidewalk. The lone pedestrian quickly passing by didn’t seem to notice when the box landed on the concrete with a loud thud. “Tap it,” he said with a slight nod toward the box. “With your foot.”
Elodie’s toes squished together in the tip of her rainboot. “What will it do?”
He tilted his chin. “Guess you’re about to find out.”
With the quickness of a snake strike, Elodie kicked out her foot, tapped the box with the thick toe of her boot, and recoiled.
The box flattened against the sidewalk as it unfolded into a smooth concave deck with rounded ends.
“No way.” Elodie’s fingers flew to her smile as the board popped up off the ground and a set of chunky neon green wheels appeared on either end. “Where did you find that?”
“You can find anything if you’re willing to look hard enough.” Aiden’s gaze, deep and warm and sparking with secrets, found hers. “Having a few engineer friends helps too.”
Elodie’s cheeks were hot again, and she pulled her attention to the skateboard. “Are you going to …” she shrugged and tentatively tapped the lip of the board with her foot. “Ride it, or something?”
“I’m not, but you are.” He pushed the board in Elodie’s direction. A leaf stuck to one of its neon wheels and deposited it at her feet as it rolled to a stop.
Elodie pulled her arms further up her sleeves. “I don’t know how.”
“I’ll teach you.” Aiden brushed his hand through his mohawk. Rain sprung from his tight curls and dusted the air like glitter. “You’re going to step onto it like this and then push off.” He said as he mimed stepping onto the board with his left foot and pushing against the sidewalk with his right. “When you start moving, pivot and bring your back foot onto the deck.” Aiden shifted his feet and held out his arms like he was flying. “Easy peasy.”
Before she lost her nerve, Elodie sucked in a breath, balled her hands in her sleeves, stepped onto the skateboard, and pushed.
“Make sure you’re solid and balanced before you—”
Aiden’s advice came a second too late. Elodie squealed as the board surged out from under her and careened, riderless, into the grass, and her butt smacked against the concrete. “Ouch,” she groaned as she inspected her hands.
Aiden kneeled down next to her, concern widening his eyes. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, sorry about that.” Elodie grimaced as she got to her feet. “I’m fine. My jacket, not so much.” She offered her ripped sleeves as evidence.
“You sure you’re okay?” Aiden asked as he stepped onto the curved tail of the skateboard. The board pointed straight up and he grabbed the nose.
The underside of the deck was the same neon green as the wheels, and littered with various scratches and divots. What drew Elodie’s attention wasn’t the proof that Aiden had taken similar, albeit far less embarrassing, spills. It was the beautiful, hand painted script that seemed to dance across the board’s middle—after the storm comes the dawn.
“That’s really pretty.” Elodie motioned to the board.
Aiden dropped