Chapters (38)
“We were testing you.”
“To see how quick you were.”
“Not very.”
“But he caught on quicker than some.”
“True, but I’m not impressed.”
“Me neither.”
“It could be worse.”
I wanted to grab one of them, pull him off his skateboard, and shake something helpful out of him, but I knew that would be counterproductive. Impulse control was key here. Instead I took a deep breath and tried to find my happy place. Or at least my less-miserable place.
“Look, I know something’s broken, and I know I broke it. If you can help me fix it, then I’m all ears.”
Then the three stopped circling. They hopped off their boards in unison, kicking them up into their arms, and stood there. Somehow, though, it still seemed like the world was spinning around me. Optical illusion. I’ll go with that.
“All ears,” Edd said without the slightest bit of irony. “If you’re not careful, you might be.”
I released a shuddering breath. He was dead serious.
“What the hell is going on?” I asked, trying to meet each of their identical gazes. “Don’t you think I deserve to know?”
They were silent for a moment, studying me. Two of them looked to the leader, who stepped forward. Ed held my gaze a moment more, and sighed. “The best way to explain your circumstance is probably the worst thing we could tell a human being.”
“Understood,” I said, bracing myself. “Tell me anyway.”
Ed looked to the other two, to make sure they were all in agreement. They seemed to be, although reluctantly. Then Ed turned to me, and said:
“You, Ashley Bowman, have become the center of the universe.”