Free Somewhere Between Water and Sky (Shattered Things #2) by Elora Ramirez

— crack behind me. Turning around, I see the abandoned building engulfed in fire, Jessa and Ren running toward me.
    “ What-in-the-fucking-hell? ” Ren screams as he jumps into his side and turns on the engine. “ Seriously. ” He shakes his head maniacally. “ That thing just burst into flames. No warning. ”
    He jumps up and down and motions wildly for Jessa to hurry. Time moves slow-but-quick and I feel my vision clouding again. Something isn ’ t right.
    “ What ’ s happening? ”
    Ren turns to look at me as he shifts gears, ready to peel away as soon as Jessa ’ s ready.
    “ No ones knows. It just happened. They say if they can ’ t contain it ’ ll blow. They told us to run. ”
    “ Who? ”
    Ren takes a big breath. Jessa ’ s in her seat now and he ’ s speeding through the dirt trying to get on the street as soon as possible. Her eyes are feral — nothing but fear and confusion. I watch her hands shake as she tries to button her safety belt.
    “ The SWAT team running out of the building. Apparently they went up to the room and the boy was gone — just completely vanished. His sling was the only thing left behind. ”
    Two flashes mean run. I swallow back the despair and force myself not to show any emotion — mirroring the stoic look Ren gives me in the rearview mirror.
    “ So the fire? ”
    “ That ’ s the weird thing. It started downstairs. After you and Jessa left with the officer, and after the SWAT team ran upstairs, something in the lobby caught fire. They still have no idea what happened. ” He shakes his head and lets go of the steering wheel to run his fingers through his hair.
    Glancing at Jessa, he reaches over and touches her knee with the tip of his finger and she grabs it.
    “ Let ’ s just get out of here. ”
    She doesn ’ t respond, just stays silent — forehead pressed against the railing next to her, fingers gripped tight around his hand.
    I can ’ t keep my eyes off the flames, dancing around and under and in between every frame of the building. The firetruck immediately taps into motion, raising ladders and pulling out their hose.
    It doesn ’ t matter though. The flames have spoken. This building will be nothing but ash. I feel the hope of earlier rise with the smoke above us. I grimace and brush away a lone tear falling down my cheek.
    I should have known the silence would burn me.
     
    .::.
     
    The ride home is a silent one. We get to the hotel and Ren pulls up to the front door to drop me off. He glances at me in his mirror again and offers a slight smile.
    “ Thanks for coming with us Stephanie. Sorry things got so … .weird. ”
    I don ’ t respond except for a brief moment of eye contact. I step down from the Jeep and walk toward the front door when I hear Jessa calling my name.
    “ Stephanie! Wait. You left something. ” She reaches down by her feet and sits up again, holding something out of the window. I gasp when I see the familiar black ribbing with the yellow string hanging down from the pages.
    Another journal.
    “ W-where did you get that? It ’ s not mine. ”
    Jessa shrugs and looks confused.
    “ It just showed up — I kicked it by accident on the way home and figured it fell out of your bag when we were leaving the building. ” She moves to bring it back inside the window and I lunge for the journal, grabbing it out of her hands. This one I ’ m keeping. I hug it to my chest and force smile.
    “ You ’ re right. Sorry. It ’ s late and I ’ m not thinking. ” I peek in my purse and glance back up at both of them. “ Not here. ” Lifting the journal by head I laugh. “ Thanks for finding it — and for giving it back. ”
    And then I turn around before they can see me shaking from the inside out. I smile as I walk into the lobby and I keep smiling as I make eye contact with the guy behind the desk.
    “ Good evening. ” He nods.
    I nod back and turn toward the elevator. The double doors. The steel. That ’ s what I want —