THIS BOOK WILL KILL YOU

14_synchronicity_

I don't stop running until I'm three streets away. I duck onto my haunches, sobbing into the phone, Flint screaming at me so loud her voice is broken into pieces.

I'm okay, I'm okay, "I'm okay," I manage finally, then I take a breath and I almost believe it. "I'm okay, Flint. I'm okay."

"What was that?" she said. "Christ, Tommi, we must spend too much time together because that was intense. I felt like." I hear her slap her chest. "Christ, what happened?"

"Nothing," I say. "I can't explain it."

A group of kids are watching me from across the street, laughing, and I stand up, turn to the wall. My wrist is throbbing from where it hit the door and I pull it in, pull everything in as close to my body as it will go, folding myself like paper.

"Please," I say. "Something really bad is happening and I don't." A choking sob rocks my whole body. "Please. I need to see you."

Flint sighs, and I can picture her checking her watch.

"Sure, T, now? I got to head to work in a bit."

"Just a bit, then," I say. "Starbucks?"

"I'm already across town," she says. "It'll have to be Breakers."

I nod. It'll take an age to get there from here but I'm not lying, I need to see her. If I'm on my own for much longer I feel like I'm going to shudder right out of this reality.

I feel like I'm going to slip into hers.

"I'll be there," I say. "Thank you."

"What friends are for," she says. And I think she's hung up when she speaks again. "By the way, there was a girl at the party last night, said she spoke to you. Megan."

"Yeah?" I say. "Yeah, Megan. Cara's friend."

"Weird as all hell. She gave me something for you, said she wanted you to have it."

"For me?" I ask.

"'For the crazy girl who was asking about Cara,' is how she phrased it," Flint says. "I'll bring it. She said it was important. I think she went home to get it."

"What is it?" I ask.

"Nothing," she says. "Just, like, papers and stuff. A story, I think, not that it made much sense."

A story.

"Flint, did you read it?"

A burst of static, then something that might have been the pop and whine of a camera flash. Flint's laughing.

"Yeah, of course I did. It was shit. Look, gotta run, see you at Breakers."

The line goes dead.

And even though I don't know quite why, I'm running again.