The Gate

11. The Embrace of Death

A Few Hours Ago

Rowan didn't understand why her little brother refused to go to bed at this hour, but it didn't hurt to use Ivy's idea and take him on a walk. Nothing really happened within the gate, so being out at night wasn't that big of a deal.

Rowan supposed that Jane-Anne wouldn't agree that Atalka was one of the safest places to live. She had an experience that proved otherwise. Despite the fact that Jane-Anne has had several lapses in judgement recently, she never deserved being attacked by some crazy neighbor.

Last year was a blur. The attack. Carter. Jane-Anne's betrayal. Three best friends irreversibly broken.

Rowan's little brother, Charlie, ran ahead of her so he could get to his favorite swing. There wasn't any competition for it, but that didn't stop his determination. Rowan laughed to herself before sitting down on a bench just below a streetlight, keeping a watchful eye on the swings.

As she finally settled down, Rowan's phone rang, startling her.

"Jane-Anne?" Rowan asked, seeing the name flash on her screen. That was the very last person she expected. "Hello?"

"Hi Rowan." Jane-Anne's voice sounded tired.

"Why are you calling me?" Rowan asked. The words came out a bit harsher than expected, but she couldn't help it.

"I think I screwed up." Jane-Anne confessed. "I'm trying to please people and somehow it makes everything worse. I just need..." She trailed off. "I want to fix everything, but I don't know what to do."

"You're asking the wrong person," said Rowan. "Get some sleep." She had no idea where this was coming from, but Jane-Anne always acted on her first thought. She was all desperate instinct and absolutely no logic.

"I can't." Jane-Anne complained. "I have a headache." Rowan could care less about Jane-Anne's headache right now, but didn't have the heart to hang up. "What happened to us?" Jane-Anne continued. "We were best friends."

"Let's review, shall we?" Rowan asked, starting to get annoyed. "You told me that I hover, but you're perfectly fine with Kiara and Taylor nearly suffocating you all the time; you can't keep a single thought to yourself, and just a few days ago you started a rumor against Ivy because she exchanged three words with your crush. Do you want me to go on?"

"Okay, I think I get it." said Jane-Anne.

"Everything that you do contradicts something else." Rowan continued. "I mean, who are you without someone telling you what to think? First it was me and Carter, but then you decided to distribute those flyers all over the school-"

"That wasn't me!" Jane-Anne nearly shouted.

"So you say." said Rowan, unimpressed. "It doesn't matter. I don't know who you are sometimes, and we practically grew up together."

"I didn't know that you thought that." Jane-Anne mused quietly. She sounded like she was going to start crying.

"Are you okay?" Rowan asked, regretting her outburst.

"I'm sorry, it's the headache," said Jane-Anne. "But you're right. What should I do?"

"I don't know." said Rowan, massaging her forehead. "Maybe you should talk to Ivy. Then you can work your way up to Carter."

"Carter's never going to forgive me," said Jane-Anne. "It would take something seriously dramatic. Do I have to get attacked again?"

"That's not what I'm saying at all." said Rowan. "I'm just saying that you need to be patient." Patience wasn't Jane-Anne's strong suit, but Rowan didn't see any other way for Carter to come around besides time.