You're Not in This Alone

The boat glided through the eerily calm waters without making as much as a small splash. Lance was sitting in the back of the small wooden craft next to Miranda, who was easily pushing the boat through the Venice canals with nothing more than her mind. Gerard sat next to me in the front. I was wrapping both of my arms around his right arm and leaning into his side as we watched the city pass smoothly by.

All four of us had been rendered speechless after a few minutes. Although the sun was shining brightly and there were barely any clouds in the sky, the city was dark. I was sure that Nadia and Ethan had cleared most of the city of bodies before they’d sent us here, but an almost undetectable stench still remained. I wondered where they put all the bodies, but the thought made me gag.

Gerard squeezed my hand, but he didn’t have any words of comfort.

“The city is pretty,” I admitted out loud without looking back at Lance and Miranda. “I just wish I’d been able to see it when it was full of life.”

“I know what you mean,” Miranda agreed.

“After a few seconds of silence, Gerard asked, “So how’s everyone doing without us?”

“Surprisingly well, although Sarah keeps complaining about missing you two,” Lance replied. “When you go back, tell her we said hi,” I suggested. “It might make her feel better. Has Skyler been keeping her company?”

“Those two are always joking around with each other,” Miranda answered. It made me feel like Gerard and I had been gone for more than a day.

“What about Grace and Jason?” I prompted.

“As inseparable as ever,” Lance said. “Sometimes I wonder about them. They act as if they’re one person.”

“They practically are. Who’s cooking the meals?” I continued.

“Faith and Tristan have taken charge of most things,” Lance informed us. “They’re the next oldest after you. Well, except for Shelby and Leo who are older than all of us, but they show no desire to take charge of anything.”

“Still, everything seems a little bit off without you two,” Miranda added. “It feels like our leaders are missing.”

“Leaders?” Gerard ask, sounding surprised.

“Since you arrived in Catskill, you’ve mainly been the ones to call the shots,” Lance explained. I opened my mouth to defend myself, but he continued, “Whether there are thousands of people or fourteen people, there are always natural leaders. You’re both valuable to all of us because you usually know the right thing to do. We need leaders.”

“I…” I trailed off, not knowing how to respond. “Thank you,” I finally managed to force out.

“Thank you.” Miranda echoed.

I turned around to smile at her, putting my left hand on the bench I was sitting on.

Miranda jumped, her eyes darting from my hand to Gerard. The boat slowed down; Miranda was no longer pushing it forward. “Ebony!” she exclaimed. “Is that…” She got up and came closer to examine my hand. “Is that an engagement ring?” Lance moved forward with her, making the boat rock.

I grinned. “As a matter of fact, it is. Isn’t it pretty?”

“It’s gorgeous!” she corrected me. “Did Gerard just give it to you?”

“I gave it to her last night as an early birthday present,” he answered for me.

“Congratulations,” Lance told us warmly. Miranda nodded enthusiastically.

“Thanks,” I said. Miranda and Lance sat back down in the back of the boat, and we continued moving. Gerard kissed me on the cheek, and we were all quiet again.

A few hours passed before Lance asked if we wanted lunch. Miranda stopped the boat and we sat in the center. Lance must’ve told Nadia that we were ready for lunch, because several sub sandwiches appeared in front of us.

“Tell them thank you,” Gerard said. Lance nodded.

As we ate, I watched how Lance and Miranda leaned against each other. Once again, it reminded me of Gerard and I. I broke the silence by apologizing, “I’m sorry I’ve always been so disapproving of your relationship. It was hypocritical, judgmental, and wrong. I’ve just been worried about, well… I don’t know.”

“It’s okay,” Miranda said. “You had the same response many adults did. We’re used to it.”

I frowned, but we finished eating, and then we continued exploring Venice. When we arrived back at the house, Lance said, “Dinner is waiting inside. Nadia is going to teleport you two home tomorrow at noon so that you can help decorate for the party.”

“Thank you guys so much,” I said. “We appreciate all of this. Make sure you pass that on.”

“Oh, we will,” Miranda assured us.

“Have a fun night,” Lance said. He winked at Gerard before they disappeared in front of our eyes. Gerard chuckled, and I blushed.

We ate as much of the generous dinner as we could and then went upstairs. Gerard waited in the bedroom while I went to take a shower. When I returned, I saw that he hadn’t moved an inch. He was passed out peacefully on the bed, without a hint of a nasty nightmare.

I couldn’t bear to wake him up, so I covered him in the sheet and carefully slipped into the bed next to him after setting my ring on the dresser I wasn’t nearly tired enough to sleep yet, so I put my cheek against his and listened to him sleep. Whatever nightmares he had had before weren’t disturbing him now.

Maybe he was dreaming of the past, when we only had to worry about doing our schoolwork and not sticking out too much. Maybe he was dreaming of the day we met or our first kiss when we were only twelve. My mom had walked in on us and ruined the moment. Looking back, it was comical. I hoped he was dreaming of something from my perspective. Maybe then he’d see how much I really cared about him.