The Portals ( book 1 )

∞13∞ Absolutely Terrifying

It was hotter than yesterday. Keira had changed into a sleeveless khaki shirt similar to Zach's. Coupled with her jeans, it made this traveler/hitchhiker combo that would either make a statement or make you look like a hobo. She hoped she looked the former, though she sincerely doubted it. "Since when have I started caring what I look like anyway?" she wondered. Despite the light fabric, she could feel her back turning damp. She had wound her hair into a bun about an hour ago, and the loose strands at the nape of her neck were sticking to the skin. Every few minutes, she reached up to wipe off the slick drops of sweat rolling down her brow. She was sure she would be sunburnt soon.

The one thing she desperately wanted wasn't her bed, or her bookshelf or the Fuschia cupcakes from Hickey's Sweet Treats.

No, the first thing she wanted was a shower.

Then the cupcakes.

She felt her tongue getting moist. For a second, she thought that even her mouth was sweating now, but then she realized that it was the thought of the cupcakes. "Stop thinking about cupcakes!" she chided herself.

In an attempt to distract herself, she tried to "enjoy the view". On her left was dry, still, sandy sand. On her right: more dry, still, sandy sand.

She missed the oaks on Livingston Avenue, Berkeley, New Jersey. Home.

She missed the crystal blue water from the big wheel in the Casino Pier at Seaside Heights. She went there with her dad, and sometimes with Lola and Steph. They jumped off the wooden slats onto the sand on days when the pier got too crowded, and ran down Breakwater beach in their flip-flops, with Lola's Labrador, Brick.

She missed the woods at Potter's Creek, with their tall dense trees that barely let in the sunlight.

Thinking about all the places she loved made her smile, a wide smile that lights up your face all of a sudden and makes your cheeks hurt, and you can't stop smiling even though you look ridiculous. As suddenly as it had come, the smile reduced, till it was a shadow of its former brightness. The ocean and the park and the woods had fallen away and the sand was all she could see once again.

She had never appreciated her variety of landscape back home this much. When you were surrounded by bleak and dead environment for so long, wouldn't it eventually start to kill you inside too? She wasn't sure how much longer she could take it.

She shook off the sand on either side of her and trained her eyes on the gently curling blond hair in front of her.

"Zach?" her voice was soft after staying quiet for so long.

"Yes?" he asked, without turning around.

"Have you ever been down South? Where it's greener?"

He let out a sigh. "No."

"You've lived in the desert your whole life?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes."

She paused and then continued. "Doesn't it get... I dunno..."

"Boring?" he completed. His voice was flat, like he was tired, it was unwavering. "When you've known nothing else, you expect nothing else."

"But do you want nothing else?" she asked softly.

"It doesn't matter what I want," he said a little sharply, immediately regretting it when he felt her flinch behind him. "You've done it again Zacharo," he thought. "She was just being nice."

"I'm sorry," he said as sincerely as he could.

She shrugged. "That's okay," her tone was slightly flatter than before, "If you don't want to talk about it you can say so."