The Metropolis Series #2: Quinn Beyond Bounds
22. Acrophobia

AND SO BEGAN the story of how Julio didn’t want to go anywhere near Rachael’s house, but one night, Viv had a wager: She would take over the dishes for one night if he confessed his feelings, two nights if Rachael returned them, and three nights if he received a hug or perhaps a kiss on the cheek. If he chickened out, though, he would have to take over the dishes for a week. It was preposterous, but Viv was serious for a nine-year-old. Besides, he didn’t like doing the dishes.

What was worse was the way Viv had threatened him.

“What if another guy takes her?” she had asked.

She didn’t need to say more. Julio had heard that an American boy also had the hots for Rachael. Now he really needed to go.

Rachael’s house was only a few blocks away, but I could imagine how much of an eternity it felt for him. He walked uneasily down a suburban street where kids were playing badminton and hopscotch long after sundown.

I didn’t understand why I had these visions. Viv had just told me what the result of the wager was before heading back to her room (shh, I’m not spoiling), and just as I was finally able to doze off, I had found myself here, following a young Julio to Rachael’s place.

Julio stopped at a compact, two-story house with beige walls, large sliding windows, and a red-tiled roof. He shuffled to the front gate and rang the doorbell, fidgeting as he waited for Rachael or her grandma to answer the door. Her parents were away, Viv had said. They were both working abroad.

Beyond the gate, a screen door opened, and Rachael stepped out into the pavement in a floral top and shorts. She smiled. “Julio, hey! What are you doing here?”

In contrast to Rachael’s giddiness, Julio placed his hands into the pockets of none other than—you guessed it—a hoodie. It was gray with a red shirt tucked underneath. “Hey, Rachael,” he said. “Uh… can we talk?”

Rachael looked puzzled by Julio’s nervousness. “Yeah, sure.” She opened the gate for him. “Come in.”

Now, Viv had told me about Rachael’s favorite place in the entire house. Rachael had brought Julio there a couple of times—much against his will.

For one thing, I heard he was afraid of heights.

The scene shifted, and I was no longer on the ground. I found myself on top of a tree—and I yelped. I made the mistake of looking down, seeing that I was probably two stories above the turf. Instinctively, I grabbed the tree’s trunk. I suddenly regretted my statement about my irrational fear of trees; I hope I didn’t jinx myself.

I held on, slowing down my breathing. When I felt that a sufficient amount of my composure had been restored, I looked around—not down, not anymore. It appeared that I was behind Rachael’s house. I think I saw a tree peering over the roof when I had been by the front gate, but overall, my memory was failing me.

There was a window on the roof, which probably led to some sort of attic. The lights turned on, and the window opened. Much to my surprise, Rachael and Julio climbed onto the sill and took a seat that could result in a twenty-foot drop. Julio acted rationally, securely placing his legs in an Indian sitting position and holding on tightly to the sill. He looked like he was concentrating, trying his best not to fall. Rachael, however, let her feet dangle freely in the open air, peace taking control over her body.

“So,” Rachael began.

Julio was so startled that he almost tumbled off the roof.

“What did you wanna tell me?”

Julio clutched his chest, trying to catch his breath. “Yeah, okay, but did it have to be up here?”

“You said that you wanted to talk about something important, didn’t you?”

He nodded.

“Then what better place than here?” Rachael paused, gazing up into the darkness. “The sky’s beautiful tonight, isn’t it?”

There weren’t any stars. In the city, all that was present was a dull black and blue sky shrouded in wispy clouds. Nevertheless, the moon made up for the stars’ absence, making the sky look magnificent.

Julio smiled dreamily. The look on his face made it seem like he had forgotten about certain death lingering at the bottom.

“Yeah…” he mused. “Just like you…”

Now it was Rachael’s turn to almost fall off the roof. “What?”

Julio’s eyes grew wide. He turned away instantly. “It—it’s nothing.”

Rachael didn’t buy that. “Julio…”

“It’s just… you’re—no. I’m…” He took a deep breath, bracing himself for what was to come. “You know what, I’m going to say it straight: You’re beautiful, Rachael. Y—you… make my head spin, my stomach flip, my soul sing… everything. And up here, I realize that I should no longer be afraid—because I have already fallen, and it’s scary and exciting all at the same time.”

Ms. Louise was wrong. Julio wasn’t that good with words, but it was better than anything I could do.

“But I’m not talking about falling down…” Julio went on, letting his words flow as he let go of the roof, taking Rachael by the hand. “It’s a different kind of falling…”

At that moment, it was either he jumped off the roof or got this over with.

“It’s falling in love… with—with you.”

And he chose the latter.

There was a pause, and only the soft chirping of crickets could be heard. The moon appeared to glow brighter despite being shrouded in mist, but Julio never took his eyes off Rachael, waiting for her reply.

Her silence was foreboding.

Julio let go of her hand. “And that’s it,” he said. “Good night, Rachael.”

Morosely, he began to climb back into the window. One night of not doing dishes? That sounded great, but it wasn’t good enough for him. He walked with his head low and his hands in his pockets.

Meanwhile, Rachael appeared to be pondering his words, swinging her legs from up above the roof. Then, she jolted.

“Julio, wait!” she called, charging into the window.

Gingerly, I crouched down on the tree branch to get a better view of what was going on, praying that I didn’t fall. In this part of the story, I could imagine a very flustered Julio telling Viv what the result of his confession was, because when Rachael chased after him, she approached him apprehensively, her eyes straying away from his face.

“I—I have something to tell you, too,” she said.

Julio furrowed his brows. “What is it?”

But she didn’t exactly say anything. She placed a hand on Julio’s chest and pressed her lips against his.

The gesture looked sweet and fervent, but with a tang of ambivalence. When they pulled away, however, they simply found themselves looking longingly at each other. Then, Rachael gasped, tugging on her hair as if she was suddenly embarrassed with herself.

“I—I’m so sorry,” she said, averting her eyes. “I didn’t mean to…”

Julio chuckled, smiling as he stroked her cheek. He then turned her head slightly so that he could see straight into her eyes again.

“Hey, it’s okay,” he said. “That was… great.”

Rachael’s eyes sparkled. “Really?”

“Yeah.”

Then, they were both completely dazed, and they kissed once again on that cold night.

Viv might not have included it in the wager, but when she found out that Rachael had kissed her brother that night, she offered to do the dishes for an entire week.

And she couldn’t have been happier.

I then wondered what the Author’s purpose was for bringing Rachael back into the Metropolis. She would soon have her memory wiped by the Lethe, replaceing love with Curtis, leaving Julio distraught, alone, and heartbroken.

From the looks of it, he just seemed to be making a fool out of everyone.

Mid-thought, the branch I was on suddenly snapped, and I found myself plummeting to the grass below.

It hurt. A lot.

The branch hadn’t completely broken off, though. It was now dangling loosely from the top of the tree, taunting me. Having enough of it, I shifted my sight to my surroundings, realizing that I was no longer at Rachael’s.

The firecracker whizzing across the sky was a dead giveaway.