“Where are we going?” I whispered, tiptoeing over a slick rock.
“Trust, little protégé, trust,” Joaquin said, his grin glowing in the darkness as he looked back over his shoulder.
“Don’t worry. We’re almost there,” Tristan told me.
Suddenly my left foot slipped, and I went weightless, my arms flailing as my heart vaulted into my mouth.
Before I could even scream, Tristan grasped both my arms and hoisted me back up. Dozens of pebbles tumbled down a sharp drop as we grabbed on to each other. His breath was hot on my face, and even in the darkness, I could see the intensity in his blue eyes as he checked me over.
“You’re okay. You’re fine,” he assured me.
I gripped his arms even tighter as the others caught up with us. “If you say so.”
He smiled, his eyes slowly traveling over my face. “I do. This is one of the perks of being dead. You can’t die again.”
“Awesome, no?” Kevin said with a toothy grin.
“Keep it moving, Slimy,” Bea said, nudging him as she rolled her eyes.
“Did she just call him Slimy?” I asked Tristan as Krista slipped past us, too.
“Bea has nicknames for everyone,” Tristan informed me. “You’ll get one eventually, but be warned—most of them are not all that nice.”
“What’s yours?”
“Golden Boy,” he replied somewhat sheepishly.
I smirked. “Ah.”
“Are you two coming or what?” Joaquin complained.
Tristan slipped his hand down my arm and took my hand, wrapping his fingers around mine. “Don’t worry. I’ve got you.”
My heart bombarded my ribs with each beat. “Okay.”
Up ahead, Joaquin flicked on a flashlight. The beam bounced over the jagged gray rocks until, suddenly, he dropped out of sight. The others, I noticed with a start, were already gone. I heard a thump and a squishing sound, and then Tristan squeezed my hand again.
“You have to jump here.”
He leaped down, his arm stretching out straight to keep his fingers twined in mine. I hesitated. All I could see was his face smiling up from a few feet below.
“I won’t let you fall.”
Someone laughed in the darkness, and a few more flashlights flickered to life. When I squinted, I saw Krista, Kevin, and Bea standing there, waiting. I swallowed my fear and jumped. Almost instantly, the soles of my sneakers hit soft, damp sand.
“Rory!” Lauren rushed out of the darkness, slid between Bea and Kevin, and threw her arms around me. “You did your first ushering! Congratulations!” I could smell the alcohol on her breath and felt her fighting for balance. I patted her back awkwardly until she released me. She staggered sideways toward Bea and giggled.
“How did it go?” she asked, looking around at the others.
“He was…reluctant to leave us,” Joaquin said, kneading my shoulders from behind.
The others laughed.
“But Joaquin took care of that,” Tristan said.
“I’ll bet,” Lauren said knowingly. Then she hiccuped and covered her mouth with one hand.
“So, Rory…welcome to the cove,” Joaquin said, smiling as he tilted his flashlight toward his face. The effect was eerie, lighting his mouth and nose but casting his eyes in half shadow. “Check it out.”