Jesse yells into the night, a joyous howl barely discernible amid the thunder of the train. And to her own shock, Ella joins in.
When the train is gone, they both fall on their asses, sapped by the adrenaline rush, laughing hysterically.
They sit on the dirty concrete slab for a long time, saying nothing.
Jesse dumps the contents of her backpack, snatches up a pack of Skittles, and tosses it to Ella.
In that moment, Ella realizes that shoplifting the snacks is part of the ritual.
“First time you ever catch a train?” Jesse asks, chewing on the candy. She grasps her phone, like she’s battling with herself about whether to check it. It has a large plastic case in the shape of Hello Kitty. She’s clearly not one of those teens who is glued to her phone, which is a good thing, Ella has learned from her practice. Jesse shoves the phone back into her bag.
“Yes, I’m a catching-a-train virgin,” Ella says. She’s never heard of the reckless activity before. But one thing she’s learned in her practice is that in small towns with no organized teen activities, kids improvise.
“I love it here,” Jesse says, still smacking on the candy, her lips bright red from the dye.
Ella assesses the area. The grungy platform. The train tracks strewn with trash. Even the woods look ratty and bleak.
“What do you love about it?”
Jesse looks up at the starless sky. She doesn’t answer. Ella isn’t sure if it’s because she doesn’t want to share or just has no idea why she loves it here.
They sit awhile longer.
Ella’s coming down. From the adrenaline crash. Or maybe it’s a sugar crash from the candy. She stands, dusts off her jeans, signaling it’s time to go.
Jesse glances up at her. She’s cultivated a tough persona. But right now, she looks like a vulnerable little girl.
Ella is surprised when she sees a tear roll down Jesse’s cheek.
“Are you okay?”
Jesse brushes the tear away. “Last night…” She shudders.
Ella doesn’t say anything. She wants her to finish.
“Last night,” she says again. “About what happened.” She swallows hard. “I lied.”
DAY 2
CHAPTER 22
ELLA
“You lied about what?” Ella asks.
It’s just after midnight and Ella hears another train in the distance, the only other sound insects in the dense forestland surrounding the rail yard.
They’re interrupted by the rotating cherries of a police car on the dirt road at the far side of the tracks. Jesse jumps to her feet. There’s a crackle of a police radio, flashlight beams.
Before Ella has time to protest, she’s chasing after Jesse, who’s running through the weeds, down an embankment, and onto the tracks. Soon, they’re both sprinting—breathing heavily, their pace panicked—into the gloom.
This is crazy. She should stop; she’s the adult. She can’t run from law enforcement. But her legs keep pumping, trailing after Jesse, who jackrabbits ahead, the only sound their shoes pounding gravel between the long beams of iron.
They’re trespassing. Ella has placed herself in a difficult position. So she runs.
It goes on like this, making their way along the grim trail—past graffitied walls, piles of garbage, overgrown shrubs—until the police lights disappear behind them.
Jesse takes a sharp left off the tracks through a path stomped into the weeds. A chain-link fence stops them, but this one’s low, and Jesse vaults over it. Ella isn’t so graceful.
They’re in an industrial area now. In the distance, a dilapidated warehouse and figures huddle in front of a fire dancing from a metal drum. This isn’t right. It isn’t safe.
“They’re harmless,” Jesse says, as if reading Ella’s thoughts, or more likely, her stiff body language.
“We need to get out of here, Jesse. I’m not comfortable with—”
“Suit yourself.”
“Wait,” Ella calls after Jesse, who’s marching toward the fire.
Ella checks her phone. It’s already on low-battery mode and will shut down at any moment. She taps on the Uber app. The nearest car is thirty minutes away. She wonders if an Uber driver would be foolhardy enough to venture here at this hour. She orders the car, then follows after Jesse, who’s approaching the group, masked by smoke wafting from the barrel.
When Ella catches up, she realizes they’re kids. A boy and a girl. They can’t be more than fifteen years old.
It’s unclear if they know Jesse. But she’s surely been here before.