Chris studies Adam for a minute and then nods. I can’t tell if he’s still suspicious of Adam, but for now he seems to be letting it go.
There’s a long moment of tense silence until Trent bundles up all his trash. “We still have a few hours to kill,” he says. “We should check out the rides. I want to get on that new roller coaster.”
“I’m going to take a walk on the beach, clear my head,” I say, getting up from the table.
Adam jumps up a little too quickly. “I’ll go with you.”
Chris smirks, and he and Trent exchange a look that says they know exactly what’s going on. But they’re wrong. I’m not planning on a make-out session.
I’m going to find the spot where I’ll die.
15:43
Dark waves hit the shore, lit by faint moonlight and the lights from the pier. My shoes sink into the sand as I start toward the first lifeguard tower. It would be romantic except I walk a bit too quickly, just a step or two in front of Adam.
“Where are we going?” he asks, struggling to keep up.
“This way.” My pace increases with each tower we pass. Each step becomes harder, but I keep going.
By the third tower, Adam’s breathing hard. “What’s the rush?”
This is probably not what he expected when he said he wanted to walk on the beach with me. But honestly, I was hoping to do this alone. “I just want to look at something.”
We pass the fourth tower. Almost there. The lights from the pier are distant now, the sand below me gray, the water pitch-black.
Adam catches up to me and bumps my shoulder with his. “Are you dragging me off somewhere so you can have your way with me?”
I can’t help but smile. “Yeah, you’d like that.”
“Very much.”
I wish I were leading him on some romantic rendezvous. But now we’re in sight of the fifth lifeguard tower and I slow, my steps faltering. The tower is empty, and the only thing around us is sand. Far at the back of the beach is an empty parking lot. The pier is a distant vision of twinkling stars. All I hear are the waves and Adam’s heavy breathing beside me.
I walk around the tower slowly, but there’s nothing here. I don’t know what I expected. Some clue to tell me why my life will end here. Some explanation. A puzzle piece. But I’m just as confused as before we got here.
Adam watches me, his forehead creased with worry. “Elena, what is it?”
“This is where I’m supposed to die tomorrow. The place where I…” My voice trails off. “I guess I just wanted to see it.”
“Have you ever been here before?”
“No. I can’t figure out why this is the spot I’d choose. But the file in your future house said it was here by the fifth lifeguard tower north of the pier.”
He takes my hand and pulls me toward him. “It doesn’t matter, because that’s not going to happen. We’re changing the future. I promise.”
“I know,” I say, although I wish I felt as confident as he is. We have a plan, and I think it will work, but doubt still creeps in. The future is a noose around my neck that gets tighter with each passing minute.
“C’mon,” he says, dragging me back toward the pier. “Didn’t you say we should do something fun?”
I suppose he’s right. If this is my last day alive, I should really live it. Up ahead, I see the faint lights of the Ferris wheel changing colors as it spins, and I let Adam lead me toward it.
A few minutes later, a safety bar drops down across our laps, trapping us in the car. It’s barely big enough for the two of us and we’re squished together, our arms and thighs pressed against each other’s. Despite the icy wind tangling my hair, I’m warm all over.
The Ferris wheel lifts up with a jerk, and Adam lets out a little “Aah!”
“Are you okay?” I ask.
He looks a little sick but turns to face me, pointedly not looking down. “Sure, sure, just fine. Why are we doing this again?”
“Don’t tell me you’re afraid of heights.”
“No, of course not.” He peers down for a quick second and then jerks back. “Okay, maybe a little.”
“You’ll be fine. I rode this thing when I was a kid. If it’s been here for thirty-plus years, I’m sure it’s safe.”