When All is Null and Void

Chapter Thirty-Four

The sky blazed with exultant glory, ribbons of orange and red and pink filling the world with dying light. Beautiful. Achingly so.

Caleb could only think of the Void. He saw it when they Hopped here. These hours with Danielle, easy and lighthearted as they'd been, weighed like bricks on Caleb. With every blink he saw the inkiness of the cave, the bony fingers of Loss as the monster rose from the great stone pedestal and struck at Carter and Alia. Why did he see it when he Hopped with Danielle?

Lying in the sand, watching those streaks of blinding light fade moment by moment, Caleb wished he could enjoy it more. Enjoy it like Danielle whose laughs were delighted and frequent. Instead Caleb's mood was sour and twisted.

"so thirsty," Danielle said, sighing a little from a few feet away. She sat up and stared at Caleb.

"We can head back." His forearm was half covering his eyes, salt and sun a gentle scent in his nose.

Danielle shot up from beside him, and Caleb flinched at the sudden shadow. "My test! I never went back!"

Relaxing again into the still-warm stand, Caleb lay still while Danielle paced back and forth. The sudden shifts in shade was going to make him sick. Caleb lifted his right hand and wiggled his fingers. She stopped pacing, clapping a hand to her forehead. "I'm such an idiot."

"Not an idiot," Caleb replied, leaning up onto his elbow to squint at her back-lit outline. "Just not used to this." He stuck his tongue out at her and Danielle flicked sand at him with her foot. He spat a glob of saliva out and hacked a cough.

"What about the—" She patted her clothes and clouds of dust tumbled off.

"I expect it'll go away when we get back to the school." He stood. "You'll dry off too."

"Oh," Danielle said, taking a step back as Caleb stepped toward her. "We're going now? I thought we could just..." she paused. "Why are you laughing?"

He shook his hair and sand flew from the curls. "Because you're nervous."

"I'm not nervous," she said, defiant against his ridicule.

Caleb held up his fingers. "Itty bitty bit," he said with a high, squeaking tone.

"Not even." She stepped close to Caleb, grabbed his hand, and the world bent around them. Swirling, dazzling whirlwind of radiance swarmed around them. The air grew bitterly cold around them, and everything seemed much darker compared to the sunniness they'd left. Once more they stood on the front steps of the school. Back into the frigid, rainy day of before. Back in their clothes. The only indication they'd gone anywhere was their slightly sun-kissed skin.

"Good luck on your test!" Caleb said. He Hopped. Danielle was running inside.

Caleb was once more in the living room and was about to greet Alexander when the sharp scent of burnt ozone filled his nose. His body swayed. "No," Caleb grunted, trying to steel his body against the next moments. He had enough strength to fall onto the couch before his body seized up, and he lost control of his limbs.

"Caleb!" Alexander shouted. His strong arms wrapped around Caleb's wrists. "Caleb, calm down," he whispered. "It'll be okay. Come on." He coaxed him out of the seizure slowly, until Caleb regained control of his body. Only then did Alexander slacken his grip. Sweat soaked Caleb's sweatshirt.

"What happened?" A sleepy daze sat on him.

"I was going to ask you the same. You were doing so well."

"You don't have to make it sound like I fell off the wagon or something." Caleb tried to stand but Alexander held him back.

"Where are you going?"