He was probably trying to come up with an excuse toleave.
He shoved his hands into his pockets.“There’s nothing wrong with different.”He rocked his head from side to side as if weighing the words.“At least, there shouldn’t be.”
Elodie exhaled completely for the first time that day.
“I’m Aiden, by the way,” he offered as he turned and clomped back toward the grass.“Not that you can’t call me Your Neighborhood Mohawked Moleman,” he tossed over his shoulder as he motioned for her to follow.“I just figured you’d want something a little more”—he hiked his shoulders—“formal.”
Soggy grass squished under Elodie’s boots as she trailed behind him through the trees.“Elodie.Elodie Benavidez.”She paused alongside him as he surveyed the expansive WillametteRiver.
“Benavidez.Is that Spanish?”
Elodie picked at her fingernails.“I think so.My dad used to try to teach me, but what’s the point in learning a language that Cerberus took down with it?”
Aiden’s gaze brushed over her.“To respect it, I suppose.I mean, itisa part ofyou.”
Goosebumps popped along Elodie’s arms.It was hard to think about the pieces that made up who she was when so much of the past had been gone for so long, weakened by Cerberus and put out of sight by the Key—to keep everyone strong, and safe, and the same, united.There was comfort in unity and comfort in knowing that only here and now remained.Only here and now mattered.
Aiden ran his hands along the faded sides of his curly mohawk.“This place is gorgeous.”With a sudden jolt of energy, he jogged across the lawn past the trees and halted at the thick stone balustrade that guarded the abrupt drop off along the edge of the dark rolling sheet of theriver.
The ground squelched as she closed the distance betweenthem.
He rested his elbows against the gray stone.“Amazing, isn’tit?”
Elodie tried to follow his line of sight, squinting as she looked up the river.“I don’t think I’m seeing it.”
“Sure you are.”He pressed his palms against therain-soakedrock and nodded toward the steady flow of gray water.“Sometimes I feel like no one looks at where we live.They see it, but they don’treally see it.Youknow?”
The swollen droplets had ceased, leaving behind a cool mist on Elodie’s skin as she watched the churning waters patiently carve out a home through the heart of the city.On the far shore, thetree-linedRiverwalk wound past sculptures and beneath bridges.
Elodie’s hair began to curl in the constant moisture, and she tucked it behind herears.
She’d lived in Westfall her whole life and had never stopped to look at what was around her.She’d been too busy constructing a life as empty and hollowas VR.
Aiden ground the toe of his boot against the pavement.“It probably sounds crazy—”
“No.”And if it was, Elodie needed a little bit of crazy in her life.“You’re right.”
A grin plumped his cheeks.“Ever been skateboarding?”
She blinked at the sudden change in tempo.Or maybe it wasn’t an abrupt shift as much as it was a snapshot of the way Aiden viewed the world, like everything could at once be appreciated and playful; understood, yet still a question.
Elodie shook her head.“I usually go skiing or climbing.I went horseback riding once, but it was before all the updates, so it was kind oflame.”
“No, I mean, in real life?”He dug around the inside pocket of his jacket, pulled out a thick, black rectangle, and dropped it onto the sidewalk.The lone pedestrian quickly passing by didn’t seem to notice when the box landed on the concrete with a loud thud.“Tap it,” he said with a slight nod toward the box.“With yourfoot.”
Elodie’s toes squished together in the tip of her rainboot.“What will it do?”
He tilted his chin.“Guess you’re about to findout.”
With the quickness of a snake strike, Elodie kicked out her foot, tapped the box with the thick toe of her boot, and recoiled.
The box flattened against the sidewalk as it unfolded into a smooth concave deck with roundedends.
“No way.”Elodie’s fingers flew to her smile as the board popped up off the ground and a set of chunky neon green wheels appeared on either end.“Where did you findthat?”
“You can find anything if you’re willing to look hard enough.”Aiden’s gaze, deep and warm and sparking with secrets, found hers.“Having a few engineer friends helpstoo.”
Elodie’s cheeks were hot again, and she pulled her attention to the skateboard.“Are you going to...”she shrugged and tentatively tapped the lip of the board with her foot.“Ride it, or something?”
