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"Hold on to me," she orders, and it takesof doing just that

My hands circle her tiny waist, so sile and delicate But she surges with strength and warmth and power

And I want her

She’s all I’ve wanted for years No nore it

Does she want me?

Would she stand so close if she doesn’t?

I wet e to make my move I lean a tiny bit forward and

Almost throw up on her when the wind yanks us off the mountain

The free fall o-round, and I cling to her, hating ain

Way to be cool, man I’m sure she’s really impressed

I can’t tell if she heard me scream Her eyes are closed, and her mind seems a million miles ahich would be a relief if eren’t on a collision course with the valley floor

"Uh--Audra," I shout,out the wind

She doesn’t blink

I shake her, but she still doesn’t flinch, like she’s decided that plu from a mountain is the perfect time for a nap "Seriously, Audra, this isn’t funny!"

Still she doesn’t respond So I shutto experience what a bug feels when it hits a car windshield But at the last second she whispers, "Steady," and the winds pull up, ain!" I yell between gasping breaths

"Did I scare you?"

"Uh--yeah" I damn near wet myself--not that I’d tell her that

"Let that be lesson nu to teach you will see You have to trustto convince er weren’t the psychedelic kind and I’onna wake up tomorrow and find out this was all a hallucination"

She doesn’t smile Her eyes narrow

"Fine, I trust you" Sheesh

We fly in silence for a few seconds before she whispers, "Release," and shovesas the winds unravel, setting us down in the soft grass of my front yard The house is dark--except for loith the lamp I flicked on after she collapsed on o, not hours

Myis still open Great My roo withtorove

"That’s it? I’m just supposed to sleep now?"

"You need rest To day"

"What about you?" My skin itches just thinking about that pile of pal on "You could stay in my room if you want"

She raises an eyebrow

I feel my cheeks heat up "I didn’t rin stretches across her lips I wonder if she kno to give a full s," she says "I need to see about getting help"

"Oh Right" To fight the psychos co to capture me, for a reason I still don’t understand Yeah--sleep will definitely be a lost cause

"Rest well, Vane," she whispers, then races toward the palrove before I cli thornbushes in the planter underneath I pull theclosed and lock it

The clock on htstand says 1:03 around At the place on the rug where Audra passed out At the thrashed pillows and sheets from when I startled awake

I don’t knohat to do with anything I’ve seen or felt or anything Audra toldif this will be the first night I don’t dreahsome sort of ancient lullaby

I close my eyes and let the whispers carry e

Dreath of my tiny shelter so roove in the floor Finally I collapse to the hard, dirty ground Stalling, like a coward

My eyes start to close and I rip theht for ten years The Gales warnedVane is a round-the-clock job I can’t give in to self-indulgence and risk letting theets to rest The Easterly I sent will sing his overwhel a breeze into a whirl of lullabies He sent one tohis warm, rich voice to the mix

My father couldn’t speak to the birds like ift, but soether we’d sing duets