For The One(74)

Suddenly, I was on the move, but not under my own power. Those arms were still around me, holding me fast against a hard, broad chest. I could feel William’s warm breath on my wet face.

“I’m sorry, sir. You can’t go in this way—”

“We’re going back inside,” he said with fierce determination. “She’s frightened by the fireworks.”

The voices sounded so far away, and all I could think of was whether or not I was strong enough to draw my next breath. Amazing how sounds could carry you straight back to your worst nightmare, and when they did, that’s all you could hear or see. It was like I was there again, in that small apartment, trying to call out to Maja, her not answering me. The smell of plaster and old wallpaper paste invading my nostrils.

“Follow me through the exit,” a voice said.

The booming, cracking and popping continued, but the terrifying sounds were fading. I peeled my eyelids open just enough to see that we were once again inside the exit room of the Haunted Mansion.

William spoke quietly and kissed my hair. I nestled against him with a whimper, unwilling to be a grownup just yet. Closing my eyes, I pressed my cheek to his collarbone. “Wil…”

“Hold on to me for as long as you need,” he whispered against my ear. I was barely aware of the crowd filing past us. The thudding of my own heart and the desperation of my own breath were the only sounds I could hear.

“Please don’t let go,” I said through my chattering teeth.

“I won’t. I won’t ever.”

“Can—can we just stay here ‘til they stop?”

There was some more discussion with someone I couldn’t see, and then William was speaking against my ear again. “The fireworks should be over in about six minutes.”

“Thank the goddess,” I said.

“Do you want to stand now?”

“No…if that’s okay with you.”

“You’re no heavier than my armor. It’s okay with me.”

“Thank you so much.” I relished the feel of his solid arms around me, his hard chest pressed against my cheek. Relaxing, I closed my eyes.

I could stay here and let him hold me for a week, though his arms would surely break off by then. He would probably try it anyway. I smiled at that thought.

“I hardly did anything,” he replied.

I forced a small laugh. “We were coming here today to help you, and you ended up helping me.”

He paused for a moment, then asked quietly, “Are you okay now?”

I nodded, that foggy feeling of old memories fading away along with the panic. “I’d forgotten all about the fireworks show. I’m usually either inside a shop or attraction, or over in the other park, California Adventure, where the fireworks are farther away. It brings back a lot of memories. Bad memories.”

“Is that what the shelling sounded like?”

Now that the booming had faded, I could think more objectively about what happened, talk about it like I always did—as if it had happened to someone else. “They sounded almost exactly like that. And I still hear them sometimes in my nightmares.” I blew out a breath. “Every day we’d hear about a neighbor or friend whose house had been completely destroyed. It felt like you were a sitting duck, waiting for your own doom.”

William kissed my hair again and I melted against him. And apparently, once I’d started talking, I couldn’t shut up.

“And snipers…there were snipers too. One day we were at a park and Zora, my sister’s best friend, was shot. Just out of the blue. Right in front of us. She was dead in minutes. I didn’t even know what had happened, and Mama wouldn’t tell me.”

His arms tightened around me, and I realized in that moment that I didn’t want him to let go, even though I was now past my initial panic. It felt too good. He wasn’t saying anything, which prompted me to continue.

“One night, the building next to where we lived was bombed. The ceiling in the bedroom where my sister and I slept caved in. We were buried under plaster. It wasn’t serious and we weren’t injured, but it was terrifying. I just remember feeling like I was going to die. There was no electricity and everything was pitch black. All I could hear was my sister breathing and whimpering. That was the final straw for my parents.”

“But you made it through,” he said, kissing my hair again. “You’re safe. You’re here now.”

I shook my head. “I can’t believe how that one thing—hearing those fireworks—can take me straight back to that night.”

“War is a terrible thing. Especially for children.”