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“I…” I looked down at myself, then back up again. “I don’t really knowwhatI’m doing here. Or even where here is. Do you know where we are?”
He squinted at me as if I were crazy before telling me, “We’re at the beach,” as if that should be obvious.
I rolled my eyes. “Right.” I never would’ve guessed.
As I glanced around again, it finally struck me that no one else was nearby. This kid had just been standing here by himself, staring out at the water. “Are you out here alone? Where’s your family?”
“Oh, my brother’s headed this way,” he answered easily enough, motioning down the strip of sand. “I was just waiting for him. Hey”—he tipped his head at me—“do you need some help? I bet he could help you. He’s the most helpful guy ever.”
“I…” I glanced around for this mysterious brother, not seeing anyone before I said, “Yeah. Yes, I think I need help.”
I’m not sure what I needed helpwith, but if I could find anyone who gave better answers about what was going on than this kid, that would be awesome.
Because I had a lot of questions.
“Great!” The boy brightened and started away, waving for me to follow. “He’s this way. Hurry. I’ll take you right to him.”
“O…okay. But—hey! Wait.” He raced off so fast that I had to run to keep up, and even as I did, he disappeared ahead of me into the dark. One moment, I could see his blond head bobbing in the moonlight. The next—he was gone.
“Little boy!” I cried, starting to panic.
“Hayes,” I heard him call from ahead of me. “My name is Hayes.”
So I yelled, “Hayes! Wait for me.”
“Well, stop dawdling. I don’t want to miss him.”
Grumbling under my breath, I hurried faster until—suddenly—the terrain under my feet switched from sand to…
I glanced down, not surewhatthat was. It was prickly and sharp and—what in the world?
I was jogging on shingles, like shingles that people put on the roofs of their houses.
Plowing to a stop, I glanced around to realize I was indeed on top of a house, and I’d been about to run right off the edge of it.
“What the…?”
I lifted my arms to catch my balance and regain my equilibrium which seemed to take a dramatic nosedive.
But this was wrong.
This was all just…wrong. I’d just been on the freaking beach. I was sure of it.
Hadn’t I?
Beginning to breathe a little harder, I glanced around until I found the beach still there, butIwas farther away. I was now on top of one of the cottages I’d noticed when I’d first woken.
“Okay, then,” I announced aloud with a steadying nod. “No more alcohol for me.”
After creeping to the edge of the roof and peering down at the ground below, I swallowed thickly and retreated again.
“Hayes?” I called tentatively, hoping the towheaded boy would reappear, but he was long gone.
I shook my hands at my sides, beginning to freak out. “Someone?” I hollered. “Anyone?”
But all the someones and anyones in the world appeared to be gone, too.
“Great.” I heaved out a calming breath, not sure what to do now. I was stuck on a freaking roof in the middle of the freaking night next to a freaking beach.
