Page 42 of The Darkest Parts of Me

Then, almost as if I can feel a reassuring hand on my shoulder, I keep going. My legs are light but strong. I don’t know what to make of what’s happening on this mountain, but the closest thing I can call it is a spiritual awakening. Whatever it is, it gets me to the end. When I turn the final corner, I’m welcomed by the setting sun’s rays. Most of the group has their backs turned, looking out toward the overlook.

The first person who spots me is Tasha, and I hear her before I see her. “Maven!” she yells. A few people look our way, but I don’t care if we have an audience as she runs to me with tears in her eyes. My eyes fill with tears of their own. She pulls me into a tight embrace.

“Were you worried about me?” I ask through a chuckle.

She squeezes me tighter. “Maybe a little, but I knew you could do it,” she says as she pulls away. My eyes dart ahead. “It’s even better than I imagined,” she says, following my gaze to the edge of the mountain. “Come on.” She takes my hand and we walk side by side, arms linked together.

The vista slowly comes into view, step by step, and soon, all I see ahead of me is majesty and wonder.

I had an image in my head of what the overlook of Solitude Ridge would look like, but in person, it leaves me speechless. The sweeping, vibrant colors, ranging from deep red to bright yellow, cascade over the hills—the beautiful colors brilliant against the dark green of the evergreen trees.

I lean on a nearby rock, slowly lowering myself to sit. My eyes sting with tears. It’s so beautiful, and I can’t believe I made it.

It is overwhelming.

I don’t know how long I sit, but suddenly, I remember who else I want to see. I stand, and the first person I notice when I turn around is Renn. Before I know what I’m doing . . . I run to him—my achy legs not nearly as sore as they were seconds before. He wears an expression somewhere between relief and joy, and the closer I come to him, the wider he smiles. I wrap my arms around his neck, and he lifts me off my feet and spins me before placing me back onto the ground.

“You did it, Maven. You did it,” he says into my hair. I feel his broad chest move in and out, inhaling me, and I don’t care if I smell of dirt and sweat. I can sense it on him too, but for some reason, the salt and earthiness adds to his already intoxicating scent. I let go of his neck and lean back to look into his shining, green eyes. I try to think of something to say—something equally profound that can match the feelings flowing through me, but I’m at a loss for words. Renn seems to be as well, because he just beams down at me, the brightness in his eyes lighting me up inside.

“Let’s get a picture!” Tasha calls out to us, interrupting the moment as she pulls out her phone and hands it to someone nearby.

Renn moves to step away, but I pull on his arm, encouraging him to stand next to Tasha and me. He parts his lips to protest, but doesn’t as Tasha pulls me to stand beside her so that I’m nestled between the two of them. The woman holding Tash’s phone takes a few photos, rotating the phone to give us a variety, then hands it back to her.

“Thank you so much!” Tash says while I still have my arm looped around Renn’s. I slowly let it drop to my side. “Ooo, these are so good!” Tasha exclaims, swiping through the pictures and handing the phone to me to look.

We all have huge smiles on our faces, the backdrop of the overview behind us breathtaking, but the only thing I focus on is the three of us—my best friend on one side of me and Renn on the other. At this moment, the word friend seems so small compared to what they both are to me. Tash is more like a sister, and Renn . . . I don’t know exactly. I pray I can hold on to this feeling long after the day comes to end, but no matter what, I will always hold this memory close to my heart.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Renn

Maven arriving at the overlook is a memory I want etched into my mind forever. The pure joy lighting her face was more striking than the view that took almost three days to get to. While everyone looked out to the vista, I couldn’t take my eyes off her. She was unmatched by the beauty that surrounded us. She was transcendent. I had never seen or felt anything like it before as I watched her from afar. I wanted to give her a moment, but when she finally turned around to search for me—when she ran to me . . . neither one of us hesitated to hold on to each other . . . It was perfect. The way her body lined up with mine; how I didn’t pause to pick her up off her feet and hold her tight against me. Just thinking about it makes my chest ache. For a moment, it felt like there was only her and me on top of that mountain, a feeling I didn’t realize I had been chasing this whole time until she was in my arms.

We spend the rest of the day lounging and drinking in the scene, and I’m just as surprised as everyone else when the sun begins to set and we realize we still have to set up camp. At least we still have a couple of days here to relax and enjoy.

We set up camp a good distance away from the outlook—firstly for more even ground, and secondly for safety, because in the pitch black, it would be easy to accidentally get too close to the ledge. By the time dinner is consumed, the tiredness has set in with everyone, including myself. Maven and I exchange glances across the fire. She’s so different from how she appeared last night. Now she’s smiling and laughing—happiness radiating off her even under the cloak of night. I’m proud of her, and if I wasn’t already entranced, this day would have made it undeniable.

The alarms on the ship echo throughout the labyrinth of hallways as crewmembers run for the nearest escape pods. We’ve all been trained for a variety of emergency situations, but to actually live it—it’s something else entirely, and it doesn’t matter how many times I relive it in my dreams, it never makes it easier.

I’m sprinting down the white hallways, the shiny surface of the floor showing my reflection as my boots pound onto the floor. I turn the corner, and instead of seeing the next corridor I see . . . Maven. She has her back to me, and she is looking over Solitude Ridge’s outlook, the perfect picture of how she looked when she made it to the top. The ship slowly fades away around the edges of my dream as I approach her, and when she turns around to face me, her expression goes from full of happiness to confusion as she takes me in.

“Renn?” she asks, looking me over slowly.

I glance down and see my uniform, the dark-blue, form-fitting outfit made of sleek material, with my badge engraved with the insignia of my rank on my right shoulder. I look back up, meeting her confused, bright eyes.

“Maven, I can explain.”

She steps backward, putting a hand up. “Who are you?” she asks, her voice trembling.

“Maven. Please,” I beg, reaching for her, but she keeps moving backward toward the edge.

“Who are you?” she screams, her eyes full of fear.

“Maven! Stop!” I reach for her, but she disappears over the side of the cliff. I leap to catch her, but instead of falling over the edge with her . . . there are hands on my shoulders shaking me.

“Renn! Renn, wake up!”

I open my eyes, sitting up in a panic. Maven is kneeling beside me, her eyes wide in shock and worry. My heart races, a trickle of sweat on my brow.

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