Page 62 of Always Be an Us

Declan

It’s only after I get near the top of the hill that I consider that this whole thing might have just been a ruse.

Up to that point, I was willing to give it the benefit of the doubt. Even though the more I think about it, the stupider I feel. I haven’t believed in the existence of the Rainbow Pearls so far, but there was something about Rick’s gaze that convinced me to at least give it a shot. He didn't look like a man who believed in bullshit, and he spoke like he'd certainly seen them before.

So I drive my Jeep up the rocky trail, which seems to get narrower the farther I get. In an inverse relationship, the surrounding trees get thicker, blocking out what's left of the sunlight and only allowing hints of the orange sky. It's the only way I can tell when the sun begins to set.

Still, I keep going.

The Jeep got stuck a few times in marshy ground that I was concerned might be quicksand. But I’m able to rev it out and continue my climb. I don't stop, even though the fraction of my brain that houses common sense is screaming at me to do so. I should get out of here, and find my way back down, but I don't.

If there's a Rainbow Pearl anywhere in the vicinity, I will find it.

At least for Amelia, I need to try. If I find nothing by the stream, then oh well. I can rest assured that they don’t exist. And I'm almost certain they don't.

But if they do exist, then my father and everyone else in this town is right after all...

Then I will make Amelia’s day by getting her one.

That thought sustains me even after my car sinks into yet another ditch, this time with two front tires. This time I’m shit out of luck. No amount of revving can get it out. It only seems to sink deeper.

At this point, the sun has sunk behind the trees, and the darkness clouds the forest.

I take a break and glance at my phone that I mounted on my dashboard, with a picture of the map Rick highlighted for me. I'm close to the first stream and my phone tells me it's only five-thirty. It shouldn't be this dark yet. The phone also tells me there’s no cell service, which means no calling to ask about the weather conditions.

In hindsight, I should have asked before I went on this fool's journey. But here we are now.

That’s what you get for heading into the middle of the forest on the word of a man who clearly didn’t like you.

I should have known something was up when Rick suddenly started being helpful, even pulling out a map and annotating it for me. People don't often change their minds that quickly.

And I’m not typically so trusting, but I suppose this town has softened me.

No, not this town. Someone in it. Emma, of course.

I sigh and finally get out of the car, glancing around. Looks like I’ll have to continue to rest of the trip on foot. Luckily, before coming here, I stopped by the hotel to change out of my suit and loafers into a t-shirt, sweats, and sneakers. My other attire would have made this journey even more excruciating and probably more dangerous.

It's too dark to make much of anything through the trees, but I hear the subtle trickle of a stream nearby. Mixed in with the scent of dirt and grass, I think I can smell the slight tang of petrichor.

Which means it might rain. That can't be good.

If I do manage to find a rainbow pearl, it will be a long trek down the forest. Then again, it will be a long trek anyway so I might as well see if I can make this entire trip worth my while.

I start toward the sound, taking my time to avoid slipping. One hand shields my face, from the low branches slapping at me. My feet crunch against dead orange leaves, rustling in the breeze and singing with insects.

At some point, a bug embeds itself underneath my collar and starts trying to make a feast of my skin, before I smack it. Sweat slicks down my back from the humidity, and the more I think about it, the air becomes heavier.

It's definitely going to rain.

And then finally I reach a clearing, where I see a small stream on some rocks. The water is clear enough for me to see the rocks underneath, but I squat anyway, to inspect it closer.

A part of me thought it would be obvious, some magical glittering stones beneath a pretty stream.

But no. It's just an average-looking stream with some average-looking rocks.

A distant rumble warns me before I look at the sky. Through the branches, I make out the clouds shifting, warning me the start of the rain is close. And from the looks of it, it's not going to be a light summer shower.

Amazing.

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