Page 68 of One Impossible Moment
She pulled a jacket from the bottom of her pack.Spreading it out, she ran her hand over the fabric.She wore it everywhere for a year until her last foster mother threatened to throw it away if she didn't stop wearing it.
"My old jacket?"He chuckled."I had you wear it when..."
He sobered.She swallowed hard.That had been a hard day for both of them when he pushed her through the rift.She hadn't wanted to leave him.
Finn sat beside her on the floor and picked up the gum with careful fingers.He turned it over, studying the package.
"These are things I carried with me every time I went searching for the road to bring me to you.If I ran out of water in my bottle, I could chew gum," she said gently, watching him examine the map next.
He frowned at the lines and symbols, tracing a road with his thumb."It's...familiar," he murmured, but uncertainty in his voice told her he didn't fully remember.She felt a pang of fear, wondering how much Everstill had taken from him.
She lifted the phone again, the screen still dark, and Finn's gaze snapped to it."Be careful with that," he said quietly, tension creeping into his voice.
She frowned, confused by the warning."It's just a phone."
"It's something from outside," he murmured.
She reached for his hand, threading her fingers through his, needing the contact.He squeezed back.She leaned into him, letting his warmth steady her, even as her mind spun with questions she needed to ask.
"Everything is controlled here."He glanced at the phone, then back to her."We don't know what will happen because you've brought these things into Everstill."He paused."What if you're forced to go away because Everstill doesn't want these things here?"
"I'm not leaving you," she whispered, more for him than for herself.
Finn pulled her closer and kissed her forehead."I'd feel better if I knew what would happen.I need to know how to protect you."
The phone beeped softly, its screen lighting up with a dim glow, and she exhaled in relief.Before she could open her contacts, Finn snatched the phone from her.
"What are you doing?"She reached for the phone.
Finn held it against his chest as if it were dangerous.His dark gaze conflicted, and he slowly shook his head."This could take you away from me."
The honesty in his tone made her slow down.He wasn't being dramatic.He was terrified.
She blinked."Finn...it's just a phone."
"I don't know how it works," he admitted."If you talk to people outside Everstill, the veil will get angry."
She stared at him, trying to make sense of what he meant.The veil wasn't a person.It wasn't alive.Was it?
"What do you mean?"she whispered, stepping closer.
Finn looked away, frustration tightening his features.She hugged her middle.He was always confident and brave.She hated seeing him bothered by something beyond either of their control.
"I don't know."He paused."I just know this place doesn't like anything from outside."
His uncertainty scared her more than a clear answer would have.If Finn didn't know, then no one did.
She gently took the phone back from him, her fingers brushing his.He didn't stop her this time, but his eyes followed every movement as if he expected something terrible to happen.She sighed and turned the screen toward him."It doesn't matter.The phone isn't working," she said."There's no connection.I should've known, but I hoped..."
She'd hoped for a lifeline, but Everstill had cut her off completely.
Finn frowned, confusion flickering across his face."What does that mean?"he asked.
She tossed the phone back into her bag, thethudlouder than she'd meant."It means the phone won't work here.I can't call anyone.It's like the world outside Everstill doesn't exist."
A sudden crack of thunder shook the house, the sound rolling through the walls like a warning.Kallie jumped and grabbed Finn's arm, her fingers digging into his skin.He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close and steadying her.The storm outside felt too violent, too perfectly timed.
Her heart pounded as she pressed closer to him."Finn...what if you're right?"she whispered."What if I'm upsetting the veil?"
