Into the Mist (Into the Mist 1)

“Then what did I see? What was that glowing thing? And those sparks you tossed into the air tonight?”

“Yeah, I want to hear more about what you saw. But not here. Not crouched in a girls’ bathroom, like freshmen cutting class.”

“Stella’s asleep. I don’t think we should wake her,” said Karen as she stood, tossed the wad of teary and snotty toilet paper into the toilet, and flushed.

“Hey, come with me to the roof! I was just going up there when I heard you crying,” Mercury said.

“The roof? How?”

“Come on! I just saw the access door while I was filling up my water bottle. But, shh. I’m pretty sure we’re not supposed to be up there.”

Karen’s lips flattened as she pressed them together.

“Be a rule breaker with me—just this once,” Mercury grinned.

“Well, okay, but I have a feeling this won’t be just once.”

Mercury hooked her arm through Karen’s, much like she did with Stella. “There’s nothing wrong with being a rebel—as long as you’re rebelling against the right things.”

“And going on the roof is one of those things?”

“Tonight it definitely is,” Mercury said.

They padded to the door, which was chained closed with a padlock.

“Well, I guess that’s that,” said Karen.

“Nah, hang on.” Quietly, Mercury pressed the metal handle of the door and breathed a sigh of relief as it gave way and opened the few inches the chain allowed to show a stairwell that led up. “All I need to do is get this chain off, and we can go up there.”

“But how—”

“I’ve got this.” Mercury took the simple padlock in the palm of her right hand. She closed her hand over it and squeezed as hard as she could—and the metal lock shattered.

Karen squeaked. “Oh my Lord!”

“I forget how strong I am now.” Carefully, Mercury drew the chain from around the doors and then opened one of them all the way. She motioned Karen through before she bent and propped the door open by catching the chain in it. “That’s in case it locks behind us. I could probably pull it off the hinges, but that would definitely wake everyone.”

The school was only one story tall, so it was an easy climb to the rooftop access door, which was also chained and padlocked shut. Mercury broke that lock too, and used the chain to prop that door open. Then they were out on a wide widow’s walk with high, brick railings on either side that led to the tall dome of the gym, and the air conditioner and heating units lined up there like metallic soldiers.

Karen gazed up. “The stars!” she said in a hushed voice. “They’re magnificent.”

Mercury tipped her head back and stared up at a fat full moon the color of heavy cream. Without light pollution, the stars were so brilliant they left spots in her vision when she looked away from them. “One fall, Stella and I went to Cody, Wyoming, to the Buffalo Bill festival they have up there. The stars were my favorite part of the entire trip. It was like I could reach out and touch them. These are even more spectacular.” Mercury sat with her back against the lip of the roof and patted the space beside her. “Karen, I’d like to ask you a question that might seem a little too personal.”

“All right. I’ll answer it if I can.”

“Why didn’t you dance tonight?”

Karen moved her shoulders. “Because a father’s voice is difficult to drown out, even by wine and eighties and nineties hits.”

“I’m sorry,” Mercury said.

“As am I. Maybe someday he’ll be silenced, but that day wasn’t today.”

“Well, I hope that day comes for you soon. So, let’s talk about the rest of it.” Mercury turned to face Karen.

Karen sat primly beside her, buttoning her cardigan to keep out the chill night wind. “You mean the glowing and the sparks?”

“I do. I’ve never seen either of those things.”