moment-to-moment need, anyway.
Heather took her hand away from the wall for a moment. Bad idea. Then someone walked into her shoulder, hard, and Heather decided that the wall was the safest place for her, at least until she found someone to talk to.
When had this party gotten so crowded? Everywhere Heather looked, there was an unfamiliar face, and the place was starting to get unbearably hot. Probably because of the smells. All kinds of scents -- perfume, colognes, alcoholic beverages, processed food, and smoke -- were choking the oxygen out of the room. They seemed to make the place even warmer, combining to form a thick cloud that locked in the heat like the greenhouse effect.
Air. Air would be good.
"Hey, Heather."
She looked up to find Charlie hovering next to her, a semiconcerned smile on his lips.
"Where's Gaia?" Heather blurted out, forgetting momentarily that she was having breathing issues.
"I think she left," Charlie said, leaning one shoulder against the wall. He took a sip of his beer and grinned at her, his eyes sparkling. "Doesn't matter, anyway. I've been wanting to talk to you all night."
"Really."
It was a line. Even through her inebriation, she could spot that one from a good ten yards. But it didn't matter. Gaia had obviously pulled a Gaia and done something repelling to scare Charlie off. Why Sam was immune to her freakishness was beyond Heather.
Sam. What was going on between him and Gaia? It was something. She knew there was something on his side because he'd told her. Actually
told
her. But was there something actually
going on?
And if so, was it something big? Or something minuscule? Was it even real?
"Heather?"
No. It was real. It was in his eyes. Her eyes. Maybe Gaia had gone to find him. Maybe they were hanging out together right now. Kissing. Holding hands. Laughing at her.
Maybe they were in love.
"Heather?"
"Do you want to go somewhere?" Heather asked, her eyes truly focusing for the first time in over an hour.
Charlie's smile was practically blinding. He really was hot. Hotter than Sam, maybe. Certainly more wanted than Sam. Certainly more here than Sam.
"I have the perfect place." There was a flash of something in Charlie's eyes as he said it. Something disturbing enough to make Heather's heart skip a quick beat. But it was just a flash. And it was just Charlie. And Heather just wanted to get out of this room. He held out his arm, just like an old-fashioned gentleman, and Heather only stumbled a little as she took it.
FIFTEEN MINUTES
GAIA COULD HAVE SWORN SHE smelled the gas before she even heard the crash. She and Ed had just made it across Fifth Avenue when a moving truck skidded through a red light and fishtailed, taking two cabs and a VW Beetle with it. There was a huge cacophony of screeching metal, shattering glass, and earsplitting screams and then an odd sort of silence.
"Oh my God," Ed said, his voice sounding like it came through a black tunnel to reach her ears.
That was when she heard the baby wailing.
Ed grabbed at Gaia's fingers, probably predicting what she was about to do, but she twisted out of his grip easily. She busted through a group of onlookers, half of whom were gaping, the other half helpfully dialing 911 on their cell phones.
"Huge truck --"
"Fire starting --"
"Get an ambulance here as --"
A few words repeated themselves in Gaia's mind as she skidded toward the crumpled, flipped silver Beetle.
Gas. Fire. Baby. Mother. Explosion. Orphan.
Gaia hit the ground on her knees, ripping gaping holes in her pants. The grit and slimy grime of the street pressed their way into the wrinkly flesh around her knees, along with a few pieces of glass. Some part of her brain registered the fact that that was going to hurt later. All she could consciously deal with at the moment was the sight of a red-faced, screaming baby, relatively unharmed, hanging upside down in his car seat.
And the sight of a woman, knocked out, bleeding from the forehead, pressed at
Heather took her hand away from the wall for a moment. Bad idea. Then someone walked into her shoulder, hard, and Heather decided that the wall was the safest place for her, at least until she found someone to talk to.
When had this party gotten so crowded? Everywhere Heather looked, there was an unfamiliar face, and the place was starting to get unbearably hot. Probably because of the smells. All kinds of scents -- perfume, colognes, alcoholic beverages, processed food, and smoke -- were choking the oxygen out of the room. They seemed to make the place even warmer, combining to form a thick cloud that locked in the heat like the greenhouse effect.
Air. Air would be good.
"Hey, Heather."
She looked up to find Charlie hovering next to her, a semiconcerned smile on his lips.
"Where's Gaia?" Heather blurted out, forgetting momentarily that she was having breathing issues.
"I think she left," Charlie said, leaning one shoulder against the wall. He took a sip of his beer and grinned at her, his eyes sparkling. "Doesn't matter, anyway. I've been wanting to talk to you all night."
"Really."
It was a line. Even through her inebriation, she could spot that one from a good ten yards. But it didn't matter. Gaia had obviously pulled a Gaia and done something repelling to scare Charlie off. Why Sam was immune to her freakishness was beyond Heather.
Sam. What was going on between him and Gaia? It was something. She knew there was something on his side because he'd told her. Actually
told
her. But was there something actually
going on?
And if so, was it something big? Or something minuscule? Was it even real?
"Heather?"
No. It was real. It was in his eyes. Her eyes. Maybe Gaia had gone to find him. Maybe they were hanging out together right now. Kissing. Holding hands. Laughing at her.
Maybe they were in love.
"Heather?"
"Do you want to go somewhere?" Heather asked, her eyes truly focusing for the first time in over an hour.
Charlie's smile was practically blinding. He really was hot. Hotter than Sam, maybe. Certainly more wanted than Sam. Certainly more here than Sam.
"I have the perfect place." There was a flash of something in Charlie's eyes as he said it. Something disturbing enough to make Heather's heart skip a quick beat. But it was just a flash. And it was just Charlie. And Heather just wanted to get out of this room. He held out his arm, just like an old-fashioned gentleman, and Heather only stumbled a little as she took it.
FIFTEEN MINUTES
GAIA COULD HAVE SWORN SHE smelled the gas before she even heard the crash. She and Ed had just made it across Fifth Avenue when a moving truck skidded through a red light and fishtailed, taking two cabs and a VW Beetle with it. There was a huge cacophony of screeching metal, shattering glass, and earsplitting screams and then an odd sort of silence.
"Oh my God," Ed said, his voice sounding like it came through a black tunnel to reach her ears.
That was when she heard the baby wailing.
Ed grabbed at Gaia's fingers, probably predicting what she was about to do, but she twisted out of his grip easily. She busted through a group of onlookers, half of whom were gaping, the other half helpfully dialing 911 on their cell phones.
"Huge truck --"
"Fire starting --"
"Get an ambulance here as --"
A few words repeated themselves in Gaia's mind as she skidded toward the crumpled, flipped silver Beetle.
Gas. Fire. Baby. Mother. Explosion. Orphan.
Gaia hit the ground on her knees, ripping gaping holes in her pants. The grit and slimy grime of the street pressed their way into the wrinkly flesh around her knees, along with a few pieces of glass. Some part of her brain registered the fact that that was going to hurt later. All she could consciously deal with at the moment was the sight of a red-faced, screaming baby, relatively unharmed, hanging upside down in his car seat.
And the sight of a woman, knocked out, bleeding from the forehead, pressed at
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