SKIPPING TIME

Chapter 9.5

Everything happened too fast. Jess watched as Cacee jerked away from the picture, gasped and fell in a dead faint. He caught her before she hit the ground. He started towards the creek to get some water. 

And the clearing imploded.

Cold air shoved against him, forcing his feet to peddle backwards. At the same time there was a relentless pulling, like an enormous vacuum trying to suck him up. In the second it took to scream, the tranquil clearing became a boiling chaos of upended grass and small trees. Mud and branches clashed and whirled in a furious rush of wind. His nose filled with the scent of something burning—not clean, like wood, but the acrid fumes of smoldering chemicals. The air turned dense and jellylike. He took tiny, choking gulps, struggling to draw oxygen from it.

Through it all, he bent over Cacee, trying to shield her from whatever was happening. Fear coiled around him, tight and merciless, pushing him towards panic. Shane's frantic barking cut through the roar of wind, and he felt the dog's teeth lock around the cuffs of his jeans. Instantly, the clearing vanished, and he was in his past. Scenes from his life crashed around him. Over him. Through him. A kaleidoscope of misery that twirled his mind into pieces.

His mother's arms, soft and cool. A monotony of caseworkers, all wearing the same detached expression. The hard courtroom bench, pressed against his legs. Sliced cheese and Miracle whip. A flurry of fists, pummeling him into rough gravel. The jasmine scent of his mother's favorite perfume. Her tears, wet and warm on his face. A pair of indigo eyes staring into his own.

And then. Silence.

Gray.

His mind shifted.

Blurred.

Lingered in a void.

And he forgot about the clearing, about Cacee, about all of it. In his life, none of it had happened yet. Because he was only fourteen years old...

***

Jess stood in the dark hallway, glancing around. The only light came from the reflection of the moon against the mountains of snow outside. Its silvery white fingers crept into the small window at the end of the hallway, casting shadows against the wall. The howling wind tossed a branch onto the roof and Jess jumped and clamped his teeth together, barely catching a curse.

If his foster father caught him going to Chloe's room he'd be screwed. His foster "sister" was worth the risk though. He almost knocked on her door but instead, turned to check the grandfather clock that guarded the stairs. 12:11. He went to brush his teeth again. By the time he returned to Chloe's room the clock read, 12:17. Perfect.

She'd told him to come to her room at exactly twelve. But showing up exactly when she'd told him to would make him look like an overeager loser. He'd put his ass on the line all month to impress her. He wouldn't screw up now. Let her think he hadn't been counting the seconds until midnight. He glanced around one last time before knocking lightly. Chloe opened her door and waved him in. She'd dressed in a low-cut black slinky thing that barely covered her. When she moved, he saw red lace peek out from beneath it. He reminded himself to breathe.

She pouted, "You're late. I thought you weren't coming."

He yawned. "I crashed for a while."

He saw her surprise and smothered his smile.

Chloe leaned around him, pressing her body to his as she made a show of locking her door. "Yeah, me too, so that's fine."

His heart dropped.

Chloe walked away and pulled a bottle of vodka from her bottom drawer, along with a couple shot glasses. She poured both and pushed one towards him.