happened?” I demand. “You disappeared. You vanished. You…”
“Dissolved into the background?” he asks, his voice trembling.
“Yes…”
“I didn’t disappear,” he says. “You did. I was shouting your
name. Didn’t you hear me?”
“I did until you melted into nothingness.”
He shakes his head, dazed. “I was here the whole time.”
“So was I!”
“Then what happened?”
“I don’t know!” I shout. “I have no idea. I’m freaking out
here as much as you.”
We’re both quiet for a moment, breathing hard and waiting for the other person to figure this all out. Lawrence looks
toward the hedges, and I follow his gaze.
“Maybe it was an entirely random event,” he says. “A heat
wave. A pulse of energy.”
He starts toward the bushes. I grab his hand. “What are
you doing?”
“I want to see…”
“Don’t get too close!” I insist, pulling him back.
He taps his fist to his mouth, his brow furrowed with concentration. “What if…what if we try it again? See if the same
thing happens?”
“Are you crazy?”
“It’s worth a try.”
“No,” I say firmly. “What if you disappear, only this time you
don’t come back?”
Lawrence considers this. Then, without answering, he steps
toward them again.
“Don’t!” I shout.
“I have to see.”
His hands brush along the coarse leaves. He bends to examine the trunks and roots, grinding a pinch of sand between
his fingertips.
“It looks normal to me,” he says. “I think we need to try
again.” He stands and holds out his hand. “Come on.”
“You’re insane,” I say, folding my arms. “I’m not going anywhere near that path.”
“So you’re planning to spend the night on the beach? We have to
go through there sooner or later. We might as well try it together.”
I shake my head, but somehow my feet move toward him.
This is stupid. This is Russian roulette. Something seriously
weird is going on, and we’re asking for a second helping.
“One test,” I say. “And we come right back to the beach if
anything weird starts to happen.”
He nods, taking my hand. His palm is sweaty. His eyes
glint with nervousness and excitement. I don’t know why
he’s so eager to dematerialize again.
“On three,” he says. “This is crazy. You are crazy.”
“Whatever you do, don’t let go of my hand.”
For as long as your hand exists . “We’re crazy.”
“One…two…three.”
The pathway ahead of me blurs as we step through the
narrow corridor. Within three steps, Lawrence starts to go
fuzzy. I gasp. “It’s happening.” “Do you feel anything?”
“Why would I? You’re the one disappearing.”
“Keep going,” he says, though his voice is becoming more
muffled.
“We should stop.”
Even though he’s fading before my eyes, I can still feel his
grip on my hand. He pulls me toward the lawn.
“Lawrence, I’m freaking out. I want to go back.”
“Keep going!” His voice is garbled and faint. Vanishing.
I stumble into the yard, pulled by the fading shape in
front of me. His grip lightens, like sand sifting through
my fingers. My pulse is pounding in my head. My ears are
ringing.
“Stop!” I shout. I make out the slightest suggestion of his
silhouette before he’s gone.
“Lawrence! Go back to the beach! Hurry!” Frantic, I
smash through green branches until, gasping for breath, I
collapse onto the sand.
What is happening? I’m losing it. I am legitimately losing it.
Or maybe I’m not. Maybe this is the end of the world. Not a
big bang but a whimper. Everyone just vanishes. It would make
a fantastic sci-fi novel.
Two hands clamp down on my shoulders. “Cassandra.”
Screaming, I whirl around. Lawrence is on his knees before
me, panting and pale, but flesh and bone.
“Did you see Ned?” he asks.
“What?”
“Ned.”
I blink. “What are you talking about?”
“Ned was on the back lawn. You didn’t see him?”
I stare at him, my brain unable to handle all of this. I feel
sick, light-headed. I bend forward to keep
“Dissolved into the background?” he asks, his voice trembling.
“Yes…”
“I didn’t disappear,” he says. “You did. I was shouting your
name. Didn’t you hear me?”
“I did until you melted into nothingness.”
He shakes his head, dazed. “I was here the whole time.”
“So was I!”
“Then what happened?”
“I don’t know!” I shout. “I have no idea. I’m freaking out
here as much as you.”
We’re both quiet for a moment, breathing hard and waiting for the other person to figure this all out. Lawrence looks
toward the hedges, and I follow his gaze.
“Maybe it was an entirely random event,” he says. “A heat
wave. A pulse of energy.”
He starts toward the bushes. I grab his hand. “What are
you doing?”
“I want to see…”
“Don’t get too close!” I insist, pulling him back.
He taps his fist to his mouth, his brow furrowed with concentration. “What if…what if we try it again? See if the same
thing happens?”
“Are you crazy?”
“It’s worth a try.”
“No,” I say firmly. “What if you disappear, only this time you
don’t come back?”
Lawrence considers this. Then, without answering, he steps
toward them again.
“Don’t!” I shout.
“I have to see.”
His hands brush along the coarse leaves. He bends to examine the trunks and roots, grinding a pinch of sand between
his fingertips.
“It looks normal to me,” he says. “I think we need to try
again.” He stands and holds out his hand. “Come on.”
“You’re insane,” I say, folding my arms. “I’m not going anywhere near that path.”
“So you’re planning to spend the night on the beach? We have to
go through there sooner or later. We might as well try it together.”
I shake my head, but somehow my feet move toward him.
This is stupid. This is Russian roulette. Something seriously
weird is going on, and we’re asking for a second helping.
“One test,” I say. “And we come right back to the beach if
anything weird starts to happen.”
He nods, taking my hand. His palm is sweaty. His eyes
glint with nervousness and excitement. I don’t know why
he’s so eager to dematerialize again.
“On three,” he says. “This is crazy. You are crazy.”
“Whatever you do, don’t let go of my hand.”
For as long as your hand exists . “We’re crazy.”
“One…two…three.”
The pathway ahead of me blurs as we step through the
narrow corridor. Within three steps, Lawrence starts to go
fuzzy. I gasp. “It’s happening.” “Do you feel anything?”
“Why would I? You’re the one disappearing.”
“Keep going,” he says, though his voice is becoming more
muffled.
“We should stop.”
Even though he’s fading before my eyes, I can still feel his
grip on my hand. He pulls me toward the lawn.
“Lawrence, I’m freaking out. I want to go back.”
“Keep going!” His voice is garbled and faint. Vanishing.
I stumble into the yard, pulled by the fading shape in
front of me. His grip lightens, like sand sifting through
my fingers. My pulse is pounding in my head. My ears are
ringing.
“Stop!” I shout. I make out the slightest suggestion of his
silhouette before he’s gone.
“Lawrence! Go back to the beach! Hurry!” Frantic, I
smash through green branches until, gasping for breath, I
collapse onto the sand.
What is happening? I’m losing it. I am legitimately losing it.
Or maybe I’m not. Maybe this is the end of the world. Not a
big bang but a whimper. Everyone just vanishes. It would make
a fantastic sci-fi novel.
Two hands clamp down on my shoulders. “Cassandra.”
Screaming, I whirl around. Lawrence is on his knees before
me, panting and pale, but flesh and bone.
“Did you see Ned?” he asks.
“What?”
“Ned.”
I blink. “What are you talking about?”
“Ned was on the back lawn. You didn’t see him?”
I stare at him, my brain unable to handle all of this. I feel
sick, light-headed. I bend forward to keep
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