Balancing Act by Laura Browning Page B

through her along with the ever-growing gnawing feeling that she was trapped. Her teeth chattered and she trembled to such a degree, she dropped the phone to the floor beside her.
    Hang on , one small part of her rational mind urged. Just keep looking outside and hang on. She turned her head away from the solidly shut metal doors to stare at the bright summer day. Cars and people moved about, made smaller by the distance of nine floors. She hated herself for it, but she could not stop the slow tears oozing from the corners of her eyes. She picked up the phone again and hit Redial. She had to leave a message.
    “Seth,” she said in a shaky whisper, all pretense of formality gone. “It’s Tessa. Please call. I…I’m stuck in the elevator. Please, please call.” She disconnected and stared once again out the window. It wasn’t like all the other times. She could see. It wasn’t dark, and it would be an hour, maybe less. They were working to fix the problem. That’s what the security guard had told her. She knew she would get out. It would be okay. They wouldn’t leave her here, wouldn’t forget about her.
    It wasn’t working. Her breathing turned shallower and faster. Time inched by. Tessa pressed her palm flat against the glass and leaned her forehead against it. The coolness of the thick pane did nothing to soothe her. A small, frightened sob escaped.
    Stop it! She hated the feeling of being confined, but she hated even more how the panic made her lose control. Tessa forced herself to take a deep breath, afraid she would hyperventilate. She managed another deep breath. One at a time, she kept reminding herself. One breath at a time. It helped to relax her a little.
    The elevator lurched once and she looked with hope at the floor indicator lights, but then there was nothing. No more movement, and the doors remained as shut as always. She was no longer certain how long she’d been stuck. When her phone rang, Tessa scrambled to find it. Her hands trembled so much she had to hold it with both of them.
    “H-hello.” Her voice was a thin shaky whisper.
    “Tessa.” Seth’s voice was low and calm. “It’s Seth. Which elevator are you in?”
    Tessa tried to choke back a sob, but didn’t quite succeed. “In the elevator with the windows,” she muttered.
    “Are you by yourself?” His voice stroked her frayed nerves, and she latched onto it like a lifeline.
    “Yes.”
    “I’m getting on another elevator in the lobby. How long have you been in there?”
    Tessa sucked in a deep breath and let it out on a shaky sigh. Time didn’t have any meaning for her at the moment.
    “I–I don’t know,” she said at last. “I can’t remember. Please get me out of here, Seth. Please. I thought I could ride the elevator by myself. I thought it would be okay…” She trailed off as her throat tightened once again with panic.
    “It will be. I’m right outside the door now, here on the ninth floor. Okay? Just a few feet away. Can you hang in there for me?”
    Tessa glanced at the doors. Why wouldn’t they open? “I’ll try.”
    “You can stay on the phone with me. Does that help?”
    “Yes.” Her voice shook again. Tessa darted a look from the door back to the skyline outside. If she could just get out.
    “Where do you like to go best with Zach, sweetheart?”
    “What?” She couldn’t get her mind around what he was asking.
    “Where do you like to take Zach when you want to relax and get away?”
    “The beach.” Tessa latched onto the soothing timbre of his voice as if it were a lifeline tossed into a stormy sea.
    “Okay. I want you to close your eyes and think about walking across the sand. Paint a picture in your imagination. It’s early in the morning and the tide is out. The sand is cool against the soles of your feet because the sun hasn’t yet warmed it. You and Zach are hunting for shells. In the distance you hear the gentle slap of the waves as they drift into shore. There’s no one there besides