Chapter 35
Nathan pulled as close to the door as he could get. “Wait,” he told Grace as she reached for the handle. “I’ll help you.”
He opened the door and looked back toward the road, hoping to see headlights. The rest of the group. But the rain was so thick he could hardly see past the driveway. He ran around to the other side, already drenched, and tossed open the door. “Come on.”
“Nathan.” Her gaze traveled over several feet of rain and puddles to the front door.
“It’ll take too long to get your crutches out and you’ll get all wet.”
“You’re already getting wet.”
“I don’t want you to get hurt.” He looked apprehensively to the sky when lightning flashed again. He reached in and lifted her from her seat.
Nathan jogged quickly to the door, setting her down under the eave. She leaned against the bricks while he searched for the right key.
“My crutches,” Grace said.
He found the right key. “I’ll get them.” He shoved the key into the lock and pushed open the door, helping Grace limp inside. “Sit down.”
She held onto his arm but peered out the door. “Did you see them? Are they still coming?”
“They’re coming,” he assured her. He tried to cover the sudden flicker of worry that went through him. “Stay inside, I’ll get your crutches.”
Nathan ran into the rain and to his truck, grabbing Grace’s crutches from the cab. Grace stood at the door waiting. Her fingers clenched at the doorframe and her eyes remained wide with worry.
Something didn’t feel right to him either. He reached the porch, stepped toward the door and just as he reached it, it slammed.
“Grace?” Nathan grabbed the handle and tried to twist it but it wouldn’t budge. He banged against the door. “Grace! Open the door!”
He heard quiet thumping on the other side and her muffled voice. “Nathan?”
Nathan dropped the crutches and went for his keys again. He dropped them, scooped them up and found the right key. He shoved it into the lock and twisted but nothing happened. “Grace?”
He stepped back. Adrenaline chased all the way through his body. Grace had been right about the star. It wasn’t over.
He put more distance between him and the door, searching his mind for some other way into the house. A car pulled up behind his in the drive and he glanced back. Riley emerged, along with Maddy. His eyes swung back to the car when he saw Elliot and Kara step out of the back seat. Why were they all in the same car?
“What happened?” Riley shouted. He splashed through the rain and the rest of the group followed. They huddled together at the front door.
“I can’t get in.” Nathan yanked the handle. “Grace is in there.”
“The star.” Kara gripped his arm, echoing his thoughts. Echoing his worry. “Something happened with us on the way. We have to get inside.”
Nathan looked to Riley, hoping he had a better idea.
“It’s not real,” Riley said. “As long as we don’t believe it’s real, it’s not.”
~ ~ ~
Grace’s hand ached from banging against the door. She flipped the lock several times and tried the handle, but the door still wouldn’t open. She spun around at a noise further back in the house. The sound of glass breaking.
Her ankle throbbed but she took a deep breath and ventured toward the kitchen, limping slowly away from the door. Her eyes flashed up at the next sound. Motion came from the kitchen. She froze near the stairs, water dripping to the floor and pooling around her shoes. Dan propped his shoulder in the doorway.
He gave her a lopsided grin. “I’ve been waiting for you.”
Grace’s breath caught in her throat at the flash of metal in his hand. He tapped a gun against his thigh.
“No…” She backed up. Her shoes squeaked, giving her away.
He couldn’t be here, he was supposed to be in jail. Why wasn’t Nathan coming?
Grace stumbled over her feet when Dan came at her. She glanced toward the stairs, realized she couldn’t escape fast enough and hurried into the living room.
He came right behind her, light on his feet. She scooted back against the couch. Thunder rumbled outside, and she saw the flicker of lightning through the window. He lifted the gun and it glinted in the light.
Scenes from last night flashed through her mind. Lewis fighting Dan for the gun. Her mother huddled by the window. The star…she’d found the star in Nathan’s jacket pocket. Grace closed her eyes and released a sharp breath.
I know you’re not real, this isn’t real…
A loud bang sounded at the front door. Grace’s eyes popped open. Dan wasn’t there. Riley rushed into the house with Nathan at his side.
They both saw her in the living room and Nathan was at her side in seconds. “Are you okay?”
She nodded.
“You were right about the star.”
She nodded again.
“Grace?”
She met his eyes. “Let’s get all the pieces. We have to get rid of it.”
She limped into the entryway and joined the rest of the group, all dripping from the rain. Leaving a trail across the hardwood floor.
“The piece from last night is here,” Nathan said. “Where are the rest?”
“At the guesthouse,” Maddy answered. “How are we supposed to get rid of them?”
“Put the pieces together,” Kara said. “Like they were before we took them apart.”
Grace nodded. “And throw them over the Falls.”
Nathan looked toward the door, still open from their entry. More thunder and lightning came from outside. “You can’t get to the top of the Falls, Grace.”
“We’ll worry about it when we get there.”
“But–”
“We don’t have any other choice,” she murmured, meeting Riley’s eyes. “Right?”
He let out a deep breath, slid a hand across his face. Water sprinkled to the floor. “Right. But this is it. We stay together and finish it.”
“We should take the truck, then,” Nathan said.
Grace didn’t question how they’d all fit inside. They had to stick together. They waited in the entryway for Nathan to grab the star they’d found in his jacket last night and then faced the storm outside again.
“Your crutches,” Riley said when they’d moved out the door.
“There’s no room.”
“Stick them in the back.” Nathan took her hand. “Just in case. Ready?”
She met his eyes and nodded. Nathan half carried her as she struggled to keep up. He helped her into the cab and she wedged herself next to Kara. Elliot squeezed into the back as well. The trip down the hill was as bad as it had been on the way up. They passed Elliot’s car on the side of the road. Her eyes swung to Kara’s in question, but Kara only shook her head.
“Where are the stars?” Riley asked when they turned down the muddy road toward the guesthouse.
“In a box on the top of my closet,” Grace said, teeth chattering. “I can go in–”
“No, I’ll go in.”
“Not by yourself,” Maddy said. “I’ll go in, too.”
“Maddy–”
“We stick together,” she said firmly. “Grace–your ankle. You should stay here.”
“I’ll come too, then,” Kara said. “So there’s more of us.”
Grace saw her squeeze Elliot’s hand. He nodded.
Nathan slowed in front of the guesthouse and got them close to the door. Grace shifted to let Kara out. “Be careful,” she said, reaching for her shoulder.
“You too.”
~ ~ ~
They burst inside the house and Maddy pushed hair off her face. Riley held her hand in a vice-like grip, staying in front of her. Kara hovered close on her other side.
“Grace’s room.” Riley headed down the hall. “Stay close.”
Maddy shuffled behind him. Grace’s bedroom was dim and Riley flicked on the light. He reached the closet in two long strides. He tossed open the door and fumbled on the overhead shelf.
A voice behind Maddy made her made her jump. She turned and immediately cringed, stumbling back into Kara.
It was her father.
“Nice of you to come back.” He smiled at her, so close she could see his two crooked teeth on the bottom.
“Maddy.” Kara’s voice couldn’t pierce her shock. “It’s not real.”
She heard Riley mutter something and grab her firmly by the shoulders. “Don’t look at him, honey–it’s not real.” He pulled her to his chest. “Hold on, okay? Kara, can you reach that box?”
Maddy gripped his jacket and fought back a shiver. Her stomach turned and she slipped a protective hand over her belly. “It’s okay,” she whispered. “It’s okay.”
Riley looked down at her. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“Got it!”
Maddy lifted her head and saw Kara toss off the lid to the box. She pulled out two pieces of the star and shoved them into the pocket of her jacket. “Let’s go.”
Riley led the way down the hall again, eyes vigilant, keeping the women close. A stabbing pain shot through Maddy’s stomach and she crumbled to the floor.
“Maddy!” Kara dropped down next to her in alarm. “What happened?”
“What happened?” Riley asked. “Is it the baby?”
Maddy gritted her teeth against the pain. “I don’t know. I–” She grimaced as another shot of pain curled her into a ball. Her breath came in a sharp gasp and she wrapped her arms around her stomach. “Riley–”
“We should get to a hospital,” Riley said. He reached down to scoop her up. “Help me, Kara.”
“No!” Maddy gripped his arm with all her strength. “No, I think this is part of it. Just help me up.”
Riley shook his head. “Maddy, we’re going to the hospital.”
She lifted herself onto one elbow and Riley slid his hand beneath her arm. “We need to finish this,” she whispered. “You said so yourself.”
Kara opened her mouth to protest but Maddy dragged herself to her feet.
“I’m okay.” She took a full breath and appealed to Riley. “I promise I’m not going to do anything to hurt the baby. We’ll finish with the stars and then we’ll see.”
Riley held her gaze, searched for the truth in her eyes. Then he nodded. He touched her stomach softly. “All right. Let’s go.”
~ ~ ~
Nathan felt his stomach drop with relief when he saw the three of them come out of the guesthouse. The rain had eased but the road still stood in a few inches of water. The sky rolled with dark clouds and thunder rumbled. They got into the truck.
“The quickest way to the top of the Falls is from the trail by the lake.” Nathan turned in his seat. “Are we sure we want to do this now?”
“We’re sure,” Maddy said from the backseat. Kara reached over and took her hand. Then Grace.
Nathan put his truck in gear and turned toward the lake. His wheels splashed in the water and spun through the mud.
“What happens when we get to the top?” Elliot asked. “Put the stars together? That’s it?”
“Put them together and toss them over the Falls,” Kara told him.
“And?”
Nathan squeezed the wheel. “And know that your lives are not controlled by those pieces of metal anymore. It’s like breaking a contract with what you believed all those years ago.”
The lake was swollen, rising high with rain from two days of storms. Nathan drove the truck to the edge, close to the bridge and the trail to the top of the Falls. Doors opened and he got out, reaching for Grace.
She stood close, eyes moving toward the trail. Then she tipped her chin up and met his eyes. “I don’t think I’m going to be able to use my crutches.”
“I’ll help you.” He’d carry her if he had to. They were going to get to the top of the Falls.
“Stay close,” Riley ordered as he turned toward the trail. “I’ll stay in front.”
“I’ll be in the back,” Nathan said, holding onto Grace.
He looked down and saw her lips pressed together in a hard line. Rain pelted them from the sky, creating a sea of mud beneath their feet. She only had on a thick brace and a sock.
“Grace…”
She looked up, cheeks pale, and a shiver raced through her body. “I’m fine.”
“Hold onto me.” He pulled her closer. “Tighter. I’m going to help you.”
He approached the bottom of the trail with Grace at his side.
“I don’t think the doctor is going to like this.” She cast him a tiny smile and he tried to return it.
He brushed his hand down her cheek. “After today, you’re staying off your feet until this is fixed. No arguing.”
“Trust me, I wasn’t planning on it.”
The trek up the hill took time in the rain, with Grace moving slowly beside him. He worried about Maddy, who gripped her stomach every few minutes. He worried about Kara, who held tightly to Elliot’s hand and didn’t say a word the entire way. And Grace, who didn’t complain the whole time, but he could see the pain written all over her face.
When they finally reached the top of the trail, with their group still intact, Nathan allowed himself to believe that today could be the end of it.
~ ~ ~
Grace couldn’t help but lean heavily on Nathan. She gritted her teeth, every movement sending pulses of pain down her ankle.
The rain slowed enough that visibility increased as they neared the river at the top of the Falls. Their group of six moved to the edge of the water and Grace pointed to the rock they’d stood on as teenagers almost ten years ago and made their wishes. Maddy had wished for a family. A real family to love and be loved by. Kara had wished to leave Serenity Falls forever. To find freedom from a place that had brought her so much pain. And Grace…she’d wished to never be left again. To never again have to feel the hurt of being walked out on.
They’d wished on the stars and believed their lives would change.
“That’s where we stood,” Grace said. High water rushed between her and the surface.
Riley got the idea. They were going to end this the same way they’d started it. “I’ll help you.”
He jumped across first and held his hand out for Maddy. Elliot came next and then Kara.
“Lean that way,” Nathan suggested, holding her hand.
Riley reached out and, with a small hop and some extra helpful hands from Elliot, she was on the rock. Once Nathan joined them, their group was complete.
It had started with three but felt right to Grace to end it with the six of them. Nathan pulled her piece of the star out of his pocket and passed it to her. Kara held out the other pieces. She linked the bottom two and passed it to Grace for the final piece of the star.
When Grace looked up, all eyes were on her. She held the star in the palm of her hand. Lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating the piece of metal.
“You throw it, Grace,” Kara whispered.
Her eyes settled on the star again. The complete product of three metal pieces that had been part of her life and her friends’ lives for years. And she never wanted to see it again.
She lifted her arm, moved closer to the edge and tossed it as hard as she could. It disappeared into the rain, falling to the lake to sink below the surface.
Nathan took her hand as she turned. “It’s over now,” she heard him whisper. “The star isn’t part of your lives anymore. As long as you believe it.”
“I believe it.” Grace buried her cheek against his chest and let out a long, slow breath of freedom.