Page 32 of Tracking Snow

Above that, no stars. The dark just closes over.

Massive leaves shift somewhere up in it, rustling.

I gasp and grab his arm, unable to help myself. I am so taken I almost don’t notice him looking at me rather than the room.

"You like this," he states though I feel there is a question underneath it.

"Of course I do," I breathe. "This is amazing."

"It’s just a lie."

I face Six. "A lie? It’s not a lie."

"Yes, it is. I can make you see anything but the truth. It’s a dirty magic. I shouldn’t have it. No one should." There is a bitter darkness in his tone, as he glances about at the gorgeous vista he just made with absolute loathing.

"At least it’s not Seven’s power," he says with a quietude that makes me still. "Nothing is worse than what he can do."

I open my mouth to ask but hesitate. There is a weight in Six’s tone that stops me. Every time Seven comes up, the air seems to thin, like something enormous is pressing down on it from above. I don’t know what Seven can do. But I know Six is afraid.

It takes a few more moments for me to finally find my voice. "Your power allows people to see what they could otherwise never see. I mean, I’ll likely never get to see a tropical forest like this in real life," I say, looking about the magical land in wonder again. "But here I am, surrounded, transported, immersed in a world I normally wouldn’t have access to. That's incredible."

A line cuts between Six’s brows as he frowns, but he looks like he’s thinking.

"Don’t you ever think to just use it for yourself? To escape?"

"Escape what?"

"Escape life." To make my point, I guide him so we are both reclining on my bed, back against the wall, legs out. "We can’t stay in our lives all the time. It would kill us. Our brains, our memories, our expectations, they never stop. And if we let them, they can grind us down into little nubs. Everyone needs to escape from their own life to get a break from the bullshit inside of us, to expand and feel what’s possible. That’s why people read books, watch movies, go to museums. This is just a super immersive, cool way to do it. Like when you’ve had a crappy day, don’t you just conjure up a beach and pretend you are on vacation, relaxing?"

Six doesn’t say anything. My guess is he is processing what I just said. But I don’t waste the moment. Vines hang low enough to grab. Moss climbs the nearest trunk in a thick wet shag, and something small scurries up it and is gone. Something with wings crosses over us and keeps going. Outside, a car rolls past and rattles a window I can't see anymore. It makes me want to light an earthy-scented candle and turn on some ambient noises to match what I’m seeing.

"Can I kiss you?"

I stiffen. The question is so plain, forthcoming, it kind of shocks me.

Six is staring down at me with a similar blunt expectation.

"Yes," I whisper, anticipation strangling my throat.

Even with fireflies dancing around us, the leaves tossing overhead in a wind that never reaches my skin, I close my eyes as we lean in.

His kiss is soft, experimental. I let him lead, explore as he kisses me a second time, angles his head a different way so our mouths slide hot and perfect against each other. He lifts a hand to my jawline, causing me to melt into an incoherent puddle.

A moan slips free when he latches onto my lower lip, kissing and nibbling with pure focus and intention. A spark shoots through me, causing all my nerve endings to tingle and dance.

The fire of want in my belly grows hotter. I want more. I want all of him, but this is so perfect I can’t bring myself to break the moment.

His power is fantastic.

Chapter 11

Punishing Ourselves

ONE

You shouldn't have done that, I scold Four.

He won't speak to me after what Seven did to him.