“Yeah, right through it,” Liam said, as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world. “Hit the kitchen floor on my butt. It hurt, too, which surprised me, though I later found out it was all phantom pain. An illusion.”

Brett’s brows shot up. “Illusion?”

“Yeah, turns out it wasn’t real. Couldn’t’ve been, because I was fine. But it felt real enough at the time to knock the wind out of me. I remember lying there, looking up at the ceiling like an idiot. Moggy was watching me, his face a perfect picture of disdain. Mutt, on the other hand, just looked confused, then glanced up at the ceiling as if trying to figure out how I’d come through it.”

Liam chuckled at the memory, though it still didn’t make sense to him. “There was a faint afterimage where I must have come through, but the ceiling was perfectly intact.”

“And you didn’t think this was… strange?” Brett asked, eyebrows raised.

“Oh, I knew it was strange,” Liam replied. “I grabbed a towel, ran back upstairs, and checked the bathroom. Everything looked normal. I even turned off the hot water and checked the tub for any signs of damage, but there was nothing. Not a single clue that anything unusual had happened.”

Brett leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, clearly still processing. Liam simply shrugged, looking bemused.

“As I was saying…” Liam continued.

***

Liam finished drying off, got dressed, and was slipping on his pants when he felt the ring in his pocket. The events of the previous evening hit him like a punch. He bolted downstairs, throwing open the front door, though a small part of him already knew what he’d see. Sarah’s car wasn’t there. Not that he’d expected it, but the sight still hit him with a pang of disappointment.

He looked around for his phone, but it was nowhere to be found. Then the memory of his plunge off the cliff rushed back. He hurried out to the garage to check his bike, his heart pounding. But there was Poppy, looking immaculate. He circled her, searching for any sign of a 200-foot drop, but there was nothing. Not a scratch. Not even a bent mirror. He let out a shaky breath. That part must have been a dream, he thought, reassured.

His helmet was missing, though. After a quick search, he found a spare, strapped it on, and called out to his two watchful guardians, Moggy and Mutt, who were staring at him from the window.

“You two take care of things while I’m gone, okay? And no parties.” Moggy and Mutt exchanged a glance, and Mutt barked once in reply, as if to seal the deal.

Liam took off, retracing his search for Sarah - her mother’s place, her flat, her favorite haunts, coffee shops, the bookstore, the park. Still nothing. With each dead end, his pulse quickened, and he felt the cold grip of worry tightening around him.

***

“And that brings us here. You’re my last resort, man. I need your help. I don’t know what to do.” Liam said, his words tumbling out in a rush. “I must have really messed up. I’m worried.”

Brett leaned back, his expression calm. “Relax, Liam. Sarah didn’t disappear.”

“What do you mean?” Liam demanded, his tone rising. “I’ve checked everywhere. She’s gone.”

“She’s not gone, man. She’s asleep in the guest room,” Brett replied with a smirk.

“Are you serious?” Liam didn’t wait for a response. He shot up and bolted out of the room, reaching the guest room before Brett had a chance to stop him. He flung the door open - and there she was, just like Brett had said, asleep, as lovely as ever.

Brett’s hand found his shoulder, quietly guiding him back and closing the door behind them. Sarah didn’t even stir. She’d always had the gift of sleeping through anything.

Back in Brett’s office, his brother pulled another drink from the fridge, this time a beer, and tossed it to him.

“Thanks,” Liam muttered, his voice dazed.

Brett let the silence linger, giving Liam time to process before continuing. “She’s alright,” Brett finally said. “Pretty shaken up over everything, though. She wasn’t sure if she’d made the right choice.”

Liam glanced up, worry tightening his features. “She’s okay?”

Brett nodded. “Yeah, just needed some space. So, you two got into a big one, huh?”

Liam sighed. “Yeah, the worst one. Actually, it’s the only fight we’ve ever had.”

Brett let out a low laugh, amused. “Wait, seriously? I always thought you two were just putting on a show - that all that lovey-dovey stuff was for the crowds, and behind closed doors, you were a normal couple, tearing into each other now and then. So it was all real? You two were actually that perfect?”

Liam shook his head slowly. “Yeah, perfect.” He paused, correcting himself. “Or… we were perfect.”

“What do you mean were?” Brett pressed. “You can’t just give up on that.”

“I don’t know how to fix it, man. I don’t even know what happened.” Liam rubbed his temples, frustration building. “The day was going perfectly. I was all set to propose, and then everything just… fell apart.”

Brett raised an eyebrow. “Propose? You were finally going to do it? About damn time.”

Liam nodded, pulling the ring out of his pocket, the weight of it heavy in his hand. He’d been absentmindedly fingering it the entire time they talked. Brett let out a low whistle.

“Nice one, bro. That’s beautiful.”

“Yeah, but-” Liam trailed off, feeling the bitterness of what could have been.

“No buts. Start from the beginning. I already heard her side of the story, but I want to hear yours.”

“I told you, I don’t remember all of it.”

Brett crossed his arms, not buying it. “Come on, don’t give me that. Tell me what you do remember. Start there.”

Liam let out a slow breath. “You know I don’t get angry easily. It takes a lot to set me off.”

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Brett nodded, his face serious.

“Well, something about what happened with Madame Maev… it just ticked me off. I can’t even tell you exactly why. All I know is, I was mad, and I wasn’t going to let it go. Like a dog with a bone, I just kept digging, making things worse every time I opened my mouth. And Sarah… she kept acting like she was hiding something. Both her and Maev were. It felt like I was missing something important, and it just drove me crazy. Before I knew it, we were back at my place, she was crying, I was furious, and then… she was gone.”

Brett took this in quietly, nodding. “Yeah, she came straight here. Said she couldn’t go anywhere else. She knew if she stopped at her place or her mom’s, you’d find her.”

“Well, of course, I would’ve found her!” Liam said, frustration flaring up. “I wanted to fix things.”

“Yeah, that’s the problem.” Brett leaned forward, his voice steady. “She needed to talk, but not to you. She needed space from you. This was your first real fight, and from what you’re saying, you don’t even know what you were fighting about.”

Liam stared at him, the sting of his words hitting home. “And you do?”

Brett hesitated, but nodded. “Yeah.”

Liam leaned forward, eyes intense. “Then don’t leave me hanging. Tell me why. How do I fix this?”

Brett gave him a sympathetic look. “It’s not for me to tell you, man. That’s something you’re going to have to hear from her.”

Liam deflated, leaning back in his chair. “She doesn’t want to talk to me.”

“I know. You’re going to have to give her some time.”

“How much time?” Liam asked, his voice subdued.

“Give her a couple of days,” Brett replied. “She needs time to clear her headspace. Not everyone’s like you, able to bounce back so fast.” He shot him a pointed look.

“Alright, I can do that. Can you at least tell me that she’s okay?”

Brett nodded. “She’s okay. Just give her some time.”

Liam made to stand, but his vision blurred, and his knees buckled. The room tilted, fading in and out, until Brett grabbed his arm and steadied him back into the chair.

“What was that?” Brett asked, his face darkening with concern. “You almost blacked out.”

Liam shook his head, trying to clear it. “I don’t know. That hasn’t happened to me in… a long time.”

“So it’s happened before? Like, before yesterday?” Brett’s frown deepened.

“Yeah, but it’s nothing. It always passes. I just haven’t had anything like this happen in ages.”

“And now it’s happened four times in a day. Liam, you’re ice-cold. You should go to a doctor,” Brett said, getting up and staring out the window at the early morning light.

“Relax, I’m fine. There’s nothing to worry about,” Liam insisted.

“Could this have anything to do with that fall you mentioned?” Brett asked, still gazing out the window.

“It’s not likely. That was a dream or something, remember?”

Brett glanced back at him, unconvinced. “Are you sure? I mean, you look okay, but maybe you have a concussion or something.”

“For the last time, I’m fine. Besides, it started back at Madame Maev’s place, right? So it couldn’t have been the fall.”

“Yeah, I guess…” Brett’s tone held a note of skepticism. “Humor me, though. Walk me through it all again - from the moment you saw that guy in the middle of the road to when you were pushing your bike into the garage.” He returned to his desk and leaned forward, watching Liam intently.

Liam shrugged, rolling his shoulders as if to shake off the memory. “I don’t know if there’s much more to tell. I mean, maybe there’s one thing. But like I said, it felt like a dream.” Brett nodded, and Liam continued.

“I was leaning into the turn, knee practically scraping the road, when I saw this shadowed silhouette, just standing there. Right in the middle of my line. I managed to avoid him, or I thought I did. But as I passed, I swear that guy… touched me.”

Brett’s brow furrowed. “Touched you? Like, how?”

“I don’t know. It was like this faint breath, almost like a whiff of… desert sand. Ancient, like a tomb.” Liam’s expression twisted, disturbed by the memory.

Brett interrupted, incredulous. “Have you ever been in a desert tomb?”

“No, but I know what it smelled like. Can I finish?”

Brett raised his beer in a gesture to continue.

“Anyway, the guy - or whatever it was - touched me. And I swear it felt like his breath smelled of ancient sand, like he’d walked straight out of a crypt. It was cold, and… soft. Gives me chills just thinking about it.”

He paused, letting out a breath. “Then he was gone. I was so freaked out, that I missed my turn and went straight off the cliff. End of story.”

“That’s the part I don’t get. How are you sitting here now, if you went off a 200-foot cliff? That’s impossible.”

“Not impossible. Just improbable.” Liam tried to sound confident. “There are stories of people surviving falls from planes without parachutes. I only fell 200 feet. It’s not that unlikely.” He sounded as though he were trying to convince himself as much as Brett.

“And then you were just pushing your bike into your garage?” Brett pressed.

“See for yourself. Poppy’s perfectly fine. Not a scratch on her.” Liam nodded toward the window, where Poppy was parked.

Brett glanced out, then back at Liam with a puzzled expression. “Yeah, I saw her. She’s flawless. But what about what happened in the shower?”

“Oh, that,” Liam dismissed, shrugging.

“Yeah, that. You know, the part where you fell through the floor.”

“There’s no proof of that.”

“But you told me it happened,” Brett said, a little exasperated.

Liam lifted his hands in surrender. “Listen, I don’t know, alright? It’s been a weird 24 hours.”

Brett shook his head, muttering, “Bro, what the eff?”

They sat in silence, each nursing their beer and turning over the surreal events of Liam’s story in their minds.

Then Brett leaned forward, his gaze sharpening. “I know what you need to do.”

Liam perked up, hopeful. “About Sarah? You’ve got a plan?”

Brett waved his beer dismissively. “No, not about Sarah. We already have a plan for that. Remember? Give her a couple of days.”

“Oh, right.” Liam tried to mask his disappointment. “Then what are you talking about?”

“You need to go back to where it all started,” Brett said, leaning back with a look of satisfaction.

“You mean… Madame Maev’s?” Liam asked, confused.

“No, dummy. I mean the cliff. You need to prove, once and for all, whether you actually fell or if it was all in your head. I’m sure there’ll be some sort of evidence there. And if there’s nothing, well, then you’re right - it was just a dream.” Brett’s expression shifted to one of smug satisfaction.

“And if I did fall? What then?” Liam asked, a hint of apprehension creeping into his voice.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”

Liam took a deep breath, then stood up and moved toward the door.

“Not that way. I think I heard Sarah’s door open,” Brett warned.

Liam hesitated, his impulse to see her clashing with the need to give her space. “Right, yeah. You’re right.”

“Exactly how do I get out of here then?” Liam asked, looking around for another exit.

Brett grinned, walking over to the window and opening it. “That’s super easy - barely an inconvenience.”

Liam joined him by the window and looked out. A vine-covered trellis stretched up the side of the house, the wood sturdy and thickly wrapped with climbing plants.

“That’s doable,” Liam said, nodding as he climbed out the window. He paused, gripping a thick vine for balance. “Feels like we’re kids again, evading curfew.”

Brett laughed, reaching out to fist-bump Liam before starting to shut the window. Then he paused, leaning out again. “Hey, bro, about that psychic you went to?” He waited for Liam’s nod. “I’m pretty sure she told Sarah some things. Things that might have contributed to the whole fight. Might be worth checking her out too.” Brett ducked back inside but reappeared a second later, handing Liam a piece of paper through the window.

Liam accepted it without thinking, about to ask its significance, but Brett had already closed the window. From inside, he heard his brother call out, answering a female voice. Liam couldn’t tell if it was Sarah or Whitney, but either way, he figured he’d better get a move on.

Looking down at the paper in his hand, he noted the strange, intricate patterns decorating its back. Flipping it over, he found himself staring at the Ace of Spades tarot card. What in the hell? He pocketed it with a frown and began his descent.

About halfway down the trellis, he caught sight of Sarah playing with Brett’s two daughters. She looked… happy. He zoned out for a moment, watching her laugh and smile, her face softer than it had been in ages.

A loud squawk jolted him back to the present, and he glanced up to find a large black bird perched just inches from his head, its beady eyes fixed on him.

“Beat it, bird.” He scowled.

As if insulted, the bird launched itself directly at his face, feathers flying as it swooped close. Startled, Liam swiped at it, losing his grip and tumbling off the trellis with a yelp. He landed on the ground in a heap, dazed and muttering, Maybe there is something wrong with me; this is nuts.

Getting to his feet, he brushed himself off and searched for the offending bird, spotting it winging away to the west, toward the coast. “Damned bird,” he muttered.

He shook off the fall and mounted his bike, setting off for his first stop - the Great Ocean Road.