Down World by Rebecca Phelps (beach read TXT) 📗

And yet he didn’t seem surprised to see us. Of course, he wasn’t looking at me. He was looking at Robbie. I had grown accustomed to having Robbie by my side again. Somehow, in some way, I guess I had never really accepted him as dead. And so it didn’t take long for my brain to adjust to him being alive again. It was like he was always with me, and now it was just literal.

But of course, it wasn’t like that for everyone. And the reality of what must have happened in this house—the years of grief after the accident that must have rivaled only those in my own home, the self-blame, the heartbreak, and now the worry for Kieren, who according to Christy never left the house anymore—came into clear light the moment I glanced past Mr. Protsky and saw Kieren slumped on the couch.

My family had destroyed this one, just as they had destroyed ours. That one moment in time, the accident, the thing we didn’t talk about anymore, had set us all off into some kind of hellish spiral. And even here in this plane, in whatever pocket of DW we had fallen into, we were still in it. We could never escape it.

“Mr. Protsky . . . ,” I began, because no one was speaking.

“Is it real?” he said, cutting me off. “Are you real?” He was talking to Robbie.

Robbie had retreated somewhere deep inside himself, although he still had the presence of mind to hold Piper’s hand. He nodded, probably growing sick of being asked that question.

Mr. Protsky did something then that I didn’t know he was capable of. He began to cry, but in that way that men do when they’ve been hardwired to know they can’t let anyone see it. His crying manifested itself in coughing and even gasping. It was terrifying to hear, and quickly devolved into a full-on coughing fit from somewhere deep inside his lungs.

“Dad, let them in,” Kieren said. “They’re standing in the doorway. Someone will see them.”

Mr. Protsky still couldn’t speak, but he stood back a bit and let Robbie, Scott, Piper, and me inside.

The door closed and our eyes adjusted to the dim light. Kieren had stood up beside the couch. He looked pale and very tired. I had never seen him like that before, and it took me aback for a moment. I had been worried that he would do something horrible to himself. For years, he had been ready to sacrifice himself to save Robbie, and just when he was about to do it, I had ruined it. He’d probably assumed that I would be trapped in DW forever too.

The relief on his face told me I was right about everything. He smiled when he saw me, and it was like a man trapped in a desert coming upon an oasis—not ready to believe that it was real.

I forgot everything else for a moment and rushed to him. “I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I didn’t mean to push you. I just couldn’t let you do it.”

“I was coming in after you,” Kieren said very softly, his mouth by my ear. I doubted anyone else could hear him. “But my dad found out and stopped me.”

“Let’s all sit down, shall we?” Mr. Protsky said, having recovered from his coughing fit. Robbie finally turned away from Piper, with whom he had been whispering by the door, and he saw me with Kieren.

“What the hell is this?” he asked.

Robbie was looking at us in disgust, and I instinctively stepped away from Kieren. I felt once again like a little girl, like I had tried to cross the street without waiting for Robbie and he was reprimanding me in front of everyone.

“Hi, I’m Piper,” Piper said to Mr. Protsky, her voice taking on its naturally light and infectiously happy tone.

Kieren looked confused, knowing who she was, of course, but having no idea how she’d got there. “Hi.”

“Piper and Robbie . . . ,” I began, not knowing how to explain it. “They’re friends now.” It was an awkward way to sum up something so complicated, but it seemed to suffice for everyone in the room, who had better things to think about.

“M, get over here,” Robbie said, not interested in any of these pleasantries. I did as I was told, walking over to stand near him and Piper.

“Hello, brother,” Kieren said, a smile the size of Texas cracking over his dry lips. “I knew it,” he continued. “I knew I’d see you again. I knew we’d get you back.”

“I’m not your brother,” Robbie said, his eyes boring into Kieren’s.

Kieren didn’t seem surprised that Robbie was angry. It was like he had been expecting it. But there was something otherworldly happening in Kieren’s gaze, like he was a preacher addressing a flock of doubters, certain that with time he could convince them something divine was happening amongst them.

“I understand,” Kieren said, his eyes not wavering. “But that doesn’t change anything.”

“Let’s sit down,” Mr. Protsky said again. “We’ll make a plan.”

“I have to use the bathroom,” Scott said, breaking up the quiet reverence in the room, and relaxing everyone a little.

“I’m hungry,” I heard Piper whisper to Robbie, and Robbie immediately snapped to attention.

“Do you have anything to eat?” Robbie asked, helping Piper sit down.

“It’s okay.” Kieren addressed his dad. The spiritual awakening that had begun when he’d seen Robbie continued to flood his features. “They’re all tired. It’s late.”

“Oh God, I’m sorry,” I said, having completely lost track of time. I turned to Mr. Protsky. “It must be one in the morning. We didn’t mean to bother you.”

“We stay up late here.”

“But I don’t want to wake Mrs. Protsky. We can come back in the morning.”

“We’re divorced,” Mr. Protsky stated, still obviously harboring a grudge over the fact and not making any effort to hide it.

I turned to Kieren, and I felt quite ashamed that I hadn’t known that. Kieren never talked about his home life. In