Chapter 21
Kallie
––––––––
Half an hour after daylight hit Everstill, Finn paced the kitchen. Kallie cleaned the mug she'd used for coffee and faced him.
From the moment they woke on the couch, where they'd fallen asleep holding each other, he'd grown increasingly agitated.
The whole night had felt like a dream. In his arms, she'd relaxed and slept the sleep of the dead.
It was as if her brain finally accepted that she'd completed everything she'd set out to do, allowing her body to relax.
Finn hadn't moved away from her during the night, and she woke in his arms with an imprint of his shirt on her cheek.
"Go ahead and do what you usually do." She stepped up to him and kissed him softly. "It's okay. I know we need to figure out how we're going to handle everything, but I didn't come here to monopolize all your time. I know you have a job."
He grunted, kissing her back.
She pulled back. "I'll need to find somewhere to live."
"No."
"I never planned to mooch off you." She laughed softly. "I'll get a job and rent one of the houses—"
"Fuck no." His hands tightened on her as he whispered, "I'm not going to let Everstill change you. You'll live here where I can protect you."
She swallowed. There were parts of traveling to Finn that scared her.
It wasn't crossing the veil. The town of Everstill was unlike anything she'd seen before.
She couldn't explain her fear. Maybe it was fear of living somewhere different.
Though she'd spent her life moving from home to home and town to town, she'd never moved to a different dimension.
"Come with me." He laced his fingers through hers and held on like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"Where are we going?"
"You need to see my life." He opened the door. "You can do what I do every day."
He led her outside. She inhaled deeply. The air was clear and calm, unlike when she'd arrived.
Having spent so much time outdoors searching for a way back to Finn, she'd missed being outside. Even when she was young, the outdoors was better than the indoors. It was a way to escape those who didn't understand her.
Outdoors, she felt more in control of her emotions and could think more clearly.
She used to spend her time walking and dreaming of how Finn would greet her when she finally reached him.
She leaned against his arm. Now she didn't have to imagine.
She was here, and she was never going to leave his side.
The warmth of his palm made her giddy, and she walked as close to him as she could. Their arms brushed with every step, and each time, he squeezed her hand. All her life, she'd longed for that familiar touch. She'd never had someone who belonged to her. Now she had Finn.
They strolled toward the center of town. It was hard to ignore how her heart raced just being with him. The excitement for the future was unstoppable.
Finn led her to the restaurant first and introduced her to Vaughn, who was sweeping the steps.
Vaughn dipped his chin and went straight back to sweeping the sidewalk in slow, steady strokes. No smile. No curiosity. No surprise at seeing her.
Just... nothing.
Kallie lifted her free hand in a small wave. "Morning."
Vaughn didn't respond.
Finn's thumb brushed the back of her hand. "Come on."
As they walked, Finn named the people they ran into. They passed Boone mowing a patch of grass outside the courthouse. He lifted a hand in a stiff wave, then pushed the mower, creating another perfect line in the lawn.
Kallie leaned closer to Finn, her shoulder brushing his arm. "Is maintenance his job?"
"Yes, all day long," he said.
"That's a weird way to describe a job." She stopped walking. "Unless he has more than one job."
"Nope. He does the same thing every day." He tugged her hand, getting her to walk again. "Tomorrow, he'll mow the lawn again."
She swallowed. "Grass doesn't grow that fast."
"I know," he said.
She glanced at him again. There was tension in his voice. Apparently, he wasn't immune to the oddness of Everstill.
They reached the store next. There were no cashiers at the registers. Finn led her down an aisle.
"That's Moe. He's cool," said Finn.
She glanced at Finn, wondering what cool meant in a town where it seemed no one talked or laughed. But he never elaborated.
Inside the store, she frowned. There were no cashiers, vendors, or supervisors.
Moe was stacking cans on a shelf, facing each one until they were lined up with eerie precision. He glanced at them, nodded, and went back to stacking. The cans were already perfectly aligned.
The labels were unfamiliar to her, and she'd seen every brand of canned goods while working at the store back home. She squeezed Finn's hand. "Finn... what exactly is Moe's job?"
"Stocking."
"But the shelves are full."
"Yeah." He rubbed the back of his neck.
She stared at him. "Isn't that a little strange to you?"
"No." He paused. "I suppose."
The admission chilled her. She looked at him—really looked—and saw the truth in the way he scanned the street, kept her close, and subtly steered her away from the far end of town.
He wasn't like the others, but she suspected he acted the same repetitive way when she wasn't here.
"I'm different," he said.
She turned into him, stopping him from walking. "What do you mean?"
"The others never change." His Adam's apple bobbed. "There has to be a reason I can see how fucked up it is here when you're with me."
"Finn," she whispered. "We could leave."
He shook his head. "Come on, let's keep walking."
They wandered a little farther. Finn's steps slowed as they neared the edge of town. She had a wild urge to hold his hand and run toward where the black seam had opened.
Finn stopped abruptly and gently tugged her back. "Not that way."
"Why not?"
His jaw tightened. "Just... not today."
She didn't push. Not yet. But the unease in her chest grew.
They turned back toward the center of town. She watched the men as they passed—Boone mowing, Vaughn sweeping, Moe stacking. No one talked. No one questioned. No one changed direction or task. It was like watching a loop on repeat.
"Finn," she asked, "what's your job?"
He blinked. "My what?"
"Your job. What do you do here for money?"
He opened his mouth, then closed it. His brow furrowed. "I... wander."
"That isn't—"
"None of us gets paid. We don't use money." He shook his head, frustration tightening his shoulders. "I walk around all day. Help if someone needs something. Fix things sometimes. But there's no job."
Goosebumps chilled her. The dread settled deeper. Back home, things were different.
"Finn," she whispered, "this isn't normal."
His jaw clenched. "I know."
She slipped her hand into his again, needing the contact, needing him. He squeezed her fingers gently, his thumb brushing her knuckles. Her heart ached for him if this was all he knew.
Everstill was different.
The men were all the same.
And Finn...
Finn feared leaving a town that had stripped him of everything the real world could offer him.