Page 16 of Leveling

Chapter 11

Luna rolled onto her back, and stared at the dripping, stained, broken ceiling tiles. Last night, with the lantern and the dark and the rain, the room had looked so—romantic. Last night, with the conversation and the laughs and the bedding, Beckett had seemed so—safe.

Now he was rolled away. Gone.

The day’s dawn was subtle and gradual, drawing her to the bank of windows. She was joined, after a few minutes, by Beckett, returned, and they stood together watching the sun break over the horizon, bright and glorious.

Luna said, “It’s odd to watch the sun rise through a window, like it’s separate. When I wake up on my board, it’s as if the sun is personally rising for me, just me. The heat and light, I can feel it, smell it, hear it.”

“The closest I can offer you is the roof,” Beckett gathered up their things. “I’ll feed you then you can begin your journey east...”

“I need to check on Steve, first. I’ll put him in the water and do a sprint around the perimeter, get my blood flowing before breakfast. Would you like to come?”

“Um, I ought to, uh...”

She smiled, “No worries, it’s just that I have to. Everyone knows if you don’t get wet every couple of hours you lose your ability to talk to dolphins.”

Beckett chuckled, “You talk to dolphins?”

Luna smiled a big smile, “If they’re local.” They parted on the stairs.

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