All Naomi could do was gape at the scowling Lyla before her. This was impossible. This wasn't real. Lyla was dead. Naomi had just gone to her and her mother's funeral because she was dead. Or at least she had been, maybe, because she was definitely standing in front of her right now and she didn't look happy.
Lyla tilted her head at her, the frown on her face deepening. "Well?" she prompted, jutting out her hip.
Naomi launched herself at the girl, wrapping her arms tight around her in a bearhug. Lyla let out a soft "oof" at the impact. Apparently she hadn't been expecting Naomi's loving assault. That was fine, because Naomi hadn't expected Lyla to come waltzing into her bedroom first thing in the morning the day after her own funeral.
"I'm so sorry," Naomi whispered against her neck. Truth be told she wasn't even sure what she was apologizing for. It just felt like the right thing to say.
Lyla laughed in response and it brought a warm, fluttery feeling to Naomi's chest. It was one she never thought she'd feel again. Tears sprang to her eyes, but for the first time in a week they were tears of pure joy. "It's fine, I know you're not a morning person," Lyla replied graciously.
Naomi pulled back, slightly confused by that statement. "Uh, yeah," she agreed. It was an accurate claim, she just didn't know why Lyla was bringing it up now. "So, what brings you by this early?"
"I knew it!" Lyla suddenly gasped, pointing at her like this was some kind of gotcha journalism and she'd just scored big. "Oh, I so knew you forgot!"
"Forgot what?" Naomi was positively baffled at this point. What could she be forgetting?
"'Forgot what?'" Lyla mimicked, dropping her voice an octave to sound more like Naomi. She shook her head, an affectionate smile on her face. "I swear, you've got the memory of a goldfish. We've got that really cool park to explore! Remember?"
Naomi stared blankly at her. It wasn't that park explorations first thing in the morning were so unusual. It was just that they most certainly did not have anything planned for today. They hadn't had any plans together for a week. That was just the way things happened after somebody died.
'Unless…'
Unless what happened with DJ last night wasn't a dream. Unless she'd been sent back in time to save Lyla and now she was waking up on a morning before her death. It seemed highly unrealistic, but was it more unrealistic than Lyla suddenly waking up from the dead and deciding to drag Naomi to a park?
"Wow," Lyla said, letting out a dramatic sigh. "Alright, so you clearly forgot all about our conversation last night. I guess I could forgive you. Only if you get dressed though. Not that I don't completely appreciate the view, I just think you'll want to look more modest before we go out in public."
Naomi frowned, glancing down to see what she was wearing that was so scandalous. Her face instantly turned redder than Lyla's hair as she realized the problem was more like what she was not wearing. She was standing there in front of Lyla wearing nothing but her undergarments. With a shriek she hurried to hide in her closet, slamming the door so Lyla couldn't see her. Why did she have to sleep in just a bra and underwear last night? Why couldn't she have worn her pajamas to bed like a normal person?
"Aw, Nomes," Lyla chuckled, using a rare nickname. "Y'know, you've honestly got nothing to be ashamed of."
"Shut up," Naomi sighed, burying her face in her hands. She was embarrassed enough without Lyla's commentary.
"I'm serious," her friend continued. Naomi could actually hear the smirk in her voice. "I wish my boobs looked like that. And your abs? Holy smokes! When did you get abs?"
"Lyla, I am begging you to stop talking," Naomi groaned through the door. Luckily Lyla obliged and Naomi managed to grab a shirt off its hanger and a pair of jeans off the floor. She dressed quickly in the dark, not willing to open the door even a crack until she was decently covered. Of all the ways to greet Lyla, hugging her almost in the nude was not her top choice.
Once she had her shirt over her head and her jeans buttoned and zipped she cautiously slipped back into her bedroom. Lyla was sitting on her bed, her phone in her hand. When she heard the click of the closet door she glanced up. A smirk settled over her features as she took in Naomi's awkward movements. "Hey, gorgeous," Lyla greeted her with a wink.
"Where's this park of yours?" Naomi asked, electing to ignore her previous comment.
Lyla bounced up from the mattress, making the skirt of her creamy white dress swish across her knees. "C'mon. I've got the Impala today, so we can drive straight over."
Naomi followed her out to the car. She was trying so hard to match Lyla's enthusiasm. After all, her best friend was back from the dead; she should be ecstatic. Instead she found herself completely on edge. If she'd really been sent back in time, that meant one of these next few days would be Lyla's last… again. Naomi needed to find out which day she was currently in so she could figure out how much time she had left to save Lyla and her mom.
As soon as she slid into the passenger seat her nose was met with the strong scent of cinnamon. It was enough to distract her for a moment. She inhaled deeply, letting the warm smell slip a smile onto her face. She looked over at Lyla, waiting for an answer to her unasked question.
"It's in the glove box," Lyla told her.
Naomi grinned and popped it open to reveal a blue cardboard box. Inside was a delicious cinnamon roll, still warm and dripping with icing. She peeled the plastic fork out of its wrapper and stabbed it into the pastry, stuffing a piece into her mouth. A soft groan left her lips. She'd barely eaten this past week. A meal like this was basically a gift from the gods.
"Is it good?" Lyla asked her, an amused look on her face.
"You have no idea," Naomi told her, her voice slightly muffled from the bite still in her mouth. Leave it to Lyla to sneak in the perfect treat to bring her back to herself. It was such a normal thing, Lyla bringing her a cinnamon roll before driving them to a park. It was exactly the type of memory Naomi had missed the most after Lyla had died. Simple moments like this, the two of them alone together.
A soft hand slipped into her own. Naomi glanced over to see Lyla watching her, concern shining in her eyes. "Naomi, is everything okay?"
Naomi nodded and forced a smile on her face. It wasn't like she could admit to Lyla what was wrong. 'Yeah Lyla, everything is fine now. See, you were dead for awhile there but a demon sent me back in time so now I can save you and keep you and your mother from dying this time.' Maybe not the best way to go about that. So instead she told her, "Everything's great." Which wasn't technically a lie. For the time being, everything was great.
Though she wasn't sure Lyla entirely bought her deception. The girl fixed her with a piercing stare to try to get her to say more. Naomi held her ground, knowing there was no way Lyla would ever believe her anyway. Lyla gave in with a shrug. "If you say so," she said, turning the keys in the ignition to start up her mom's Impala. Naomi leaned forward to click on the radio as she backed the car out of the driveway, earning her some serious side eye from the driver.
"What?" Naomi demanded, sifting through the different stations. A lot of them were on commercials for some reason.
Lyla shook her head at the girl. "Why don't you just use your phone like a normal teen?" Lyla teased her, passing her the auxiliary cable for the car's stereo.
"Give me your phone," Naomi said, plugging in the cord. "I don't have any music downloaded on mine."
"That's a sin," Lyla told her firmly. Keeping one hand on the steering wheel, she dug her phone out of her back pocket and handed it over to Naomi. "Play something good though."
Naomi laughed. "Are you telling me you have bad music downloaded on your phone?"
"Never!" Lyla gasped, feigning insult. "I just haven't updated my playlists in awhile."
Naomi fell silent as she scrolled through the songs. Apparently Lyla had an ear for the older generation. There was a lot of Queen and Michael Jackson. A fair amount of Elvis and the Beatles. Naomi couldn't help but chuckle as she suddenly came across a very nostalgic-inducing song by pop singer Katy Perry. "Having 'Firework' in your phone? Now that's a sin," she commented.
"Whatever," Lyla scoffed, not taking her eyes off the road. "Ten year old me was totally jamming out to that hit."
"Not a hit," Naomi corrected with a grin.
"Yes, a hit!" Lyla argued. She reached a hand over, shaking her palm at Naomi. "Give me my phone. We'll see if you don't call this a hit."
The phone made its way back to Lyla as Naomi complied with her request. Odd techno music filled the speakers of the car as the song began to play. It wasn't until Lyla began to sing along however that Naomi burst fully into laughter. It was totally endearing, seeing firsthand that Lyla still knew all the lyrics to the song. She lifted a hand off the steering wheel to pump her fist wildly in the cramped car as she belted out the song.
"'Boom! Boom! Boom!'" Lyla sang much louder than was necessary. "'Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon!'"
She looked over at Naomi expectantly as the song came to an abrupt close. Clearly she was expecting praise from Naomi, and she couldn't help but smile at the thought. "Eh, I still say the song is not a hit," Naomi told her. She put her hands up in surrender as Lyla aimed a frown at her. "Does it help if I think you make it way more enjoyable to listen to?"
"No," Lyla scoffed, pretending to be upset with her. "It doesn't help your case that you managed to notice such an obvious fact."
Naomi laughed. "Right, my bad." She picked Lyla's phone back up and began scrolling through the songs again. She was determined to pick an actual good song, one that was more than just nostalgia. It took a minute or two longer than she'd anticipated. Most of Lyla's modern artists were more pop singers, which was decidedly not to Naomi's taste.
Lyla huffed at her from the driver's seat. "Would you just pick something?" she whined, turning her blinker on as she steered the car to the left.
"It's not my fault you don't have any good songs," Naomi told her, continuing to scroll. She let out a sigh. "Seriously? No Drake. No Beyoncé. What's wrong with you?"
"What are you talking about?" Lyla questioned, taking a second to give Naomi a hurt look. She shook her head as she returned her gaze to the road. "I have 'Sandcastles' in there somewhere. I downloaded it last week so it should have been right there at the top."
Naomi scrolled back up to the top. Sure enough it was the third song from the top, right underneath two new releases from Ariana Grande. It wouldn't have been Naomi's first choice, but it was better than just about every other song she'd seen in Lyla's playlist. She gave Lyla a satisfied smirk as the opening piano notes started to sound. Just as the first lyrics started to play, Lyla slowed the car to a stop and turned the keys. As the car shut off, so did the song. Naomi turned to give her an appraising look.
Lyla shrugged at her obvious disappointment. "We're here," she explained and she opened her car door.
"Wow," Naomi uttered in amazement as she unbuckled her seatbelt. "I cannot believe you just cut off Beyoncé like that. Just so you know, that is by far the ultimate sin."
She climbed out after her friend and finally caught her first glimpse of the park. There was a large open field littered with wildflowers that fought to be seen over the swaying green stalks of the tall grass. It all stretched out onto a hilltop that had such a steep drop that, from where Naomi stood in the parking lot, gave the appearance of being a spot where the earth simply ended. At the peak of the hill grew a wild elm tree. Hanging from one of the lower branches was an actual tire swing.
Naomi turned to Lyla, not sure what to say. Lucky for her, Lyla piped up and said, "I know it's a little underwhelming. Just trust me, okay? Follow me."
Before she could protest, Lyla grabbed her hand and tugged her up the hill. It wasn't until they reached the tree that Naomi saw the giant hole in the ground. She eyed it warily as they approached. "Is this safe?" she started to ask, but before she could finish her sentence, Lyla dropped her hand and sat down in front of the opening.
"See you on the other side," Lyla told her with a wink. She gave herself a little push before she slid forward down into the pit.
"Wait!" Naomi shrieked. "Lyla!"
She rushed over to the edge, trying to process what she'd just seen. It wasn't until she was looking down at it from directly above that she noticed the inside of the tunnel was coated in a smooth metal. Naomi stared at it for a minute, following the path with her eyes as she realized that it was an underground slide. It stretched too far into the dark for her to see where it went and if it ended aboveground or under. She crouched down, still feeling slightly uneasy about things.
"What's the hold up?" a voice suddenly asked, floating up from the other side of the slide.
Naomi rolled her eyes. She didn't need to see her to know it was Lyla down there. "Oh, you know. I was just a little concerned that you'd died!" she yelled back down. 'Again,' her mind silently added.
"No worries, I'm alive!" Lyla's voice supplied. "Get your butt down here!"
"Bossy today," Naomi muttered, but she decided to do as she was told. She sat down all the way like Lyla had, feeling a stick poking her through her jeans. With a quick breath in she shut her eyes and pushed herself down the slide. Dirt dropped on her as she shot down, and at one point something short and thin brushed against her cheek. She supposed it could have been a root, but her fearful brain told her it might have been a spider's web. Suddenly the slide curved and sunlight hit her directly in the face before she was dumped unceremoniously onto a patch of grass at the end of the slide.
She leaned her head back, grateful to be on solid ground. A shadow moved over her and blocked the sun. Naomi cracked open an eye, not at all surprised to see that the shadow belonged to Lyla. The redhead was grinning at her and extended a hand to help her up. Naomi took it, allowing herself to be yanked to her feet. She took a moment to pat the dirt off her pants before meeting Lyla's eager gaze.
"You have to admit: it's pretty cool," she said, clearly enthusiastic about the deathtrap she'd found for them. "I mean, how many underground slides do you know about?"
"This one's the first," Naomi told her honestly. She wasn't entirely sure she liked it, though she wasn't about to tell that to Lyla. And anyway, despite her initial fears it had been pretty cool. As much as she wasn't a fan of being in cramped, underground spaces, having a long slide down a big hill wasn't a bad idea.
Besides, it was worth it to see Lyla's beaming expression. She was still going on about how she'd found out about it online and heard that the guy who'd built it had done it for his daughter who'd wanted to explore the bottom of the hill but the father was worried about her falling if she tried to climb down the steep incline. Naomi smiled at her, happy to see Lyla so excited about something again. A wave of sadness swept her suddenly as she remembered that she could still lose Lyla again; she hadn't saved her yet. She still wasn't even sure what day she was on, or how much time she had left to change what was going to happen.
A sudden touch against her arm made Naomi flinch. Lyla let her go, giving her an odd expression as she took a step back. "Is everything okay?" she asked, her story about the park long forgotten. "You seem off today."
Naomi shook her head, determined not to get into it. Things hadn't changed since the last time Lyla had asked. There was still no way she could explain it to her. Naomi would just have to do better at hiding her unease. "I'm good, I just… I wish I could draw the tree. Up there with the tire swing? But I forgot to bring my book," Naomi lied.
"Oh," Lyla said and Naomi was surprised to see her smile. She ushered her over to a set of wooden stairs nailed into the hill, a couple yards over from the slide. Lyla grinned as she led the way back up. "Y'know, it just so happens that I brought the sketchbook you left at my house last weekend. I even have some pencils somewhere in the back of the Impala."
"Really?" Naomi asked, actually surprised at that.
Lyla nodded, and a swell of gratitude rose up in Naomi's chest. She had of course been lying about how badly she'd wanted to sketch the tree, but the fact that Lyla had brought along some supplies for her in case she actually did want to draw was very touching. Once they reached the top of the hill again Lyla fished her keys out of her pocket and pressed the unlock button. Naomi hurried over to the car and grabbed her sketchbook and pencils out of the backseat. She sat down facing the tree and as quickly as she could began to sketch it out. She outlined the elm and the tire swing, and even began making marks where she would add in some of the flowers later. If she tried to finish the drawing right there, she and Lyla would likely be at the park for a couple more hours.
Deciding to be nice, Naomi closed the book on her unfinished sketch. She looked up and laughed to see Lyla swinging gracefully in the tire. There were already black marks on her dress from it, but Naomi didn't want to dampen the mood to tell her. Besides, as far as she could tell they'd wash out of the fabric easily enough. There wouldn't be any harm in allowing her to keep rocking back and forth, a smile claiming her lips as the wind tousled her hair back with every swing.
Lyla caught her eye as Naomi struggled off the ground to stand. She hopped easily from the tire and ran to stand beside her. "Can I see it?" she asked eagerly.
Naomi grinned and shook her head in response. "It's not done yet," she explained.
"Young artists nowadays," Lyla sighed, putting on a fake accent. "So particular about their work."
"You'll like it more when it's finished," Naomi promised, following her back to the car.
Lyla didn't respond as she got in the driver's seat. She did, however, pull up a new pop song and blare it as she pulled out of the parking lot. Naomi groaned at her, still smiling as they made their way back along the road. While Lyla was focused on the road-- and her song-- Naomi allowed her mind to wander back to the problem at hand. She felt like her best bet would be to start with how many days she had left, that way she wouldn't be caught off guard. The problem there was that try as she might to recall these events she couldn't remember a single day in which Lyla had taken her to an underground slide.
Before all this, Naomi had not considered books of science fiction to be something to live by. However, with the time travel aspect now involved in her life she wondered if those books might offer her some advice. For example, she knew that a theme in several of those stories involved messing up the timeline. Of course, in those scenarios the goal was to avoid that while for Naomi that was actually the whole point. But she also thought about how a lot of times, the characters would change so much by the simple act of going back in time. Just them being there had been enough to change certain events. She had to wonder if that's what was happening now. Maybe just by going back to this day, she'd changed the course of how it was supposed to go.
She couldn't decide if that was good or bad. It at least gave her hope that she wasn't part of a fixed timeline. That was the plot of some of those books, too: that no matter what you did to change things, the future would also turn out the same. At least now she knew that wasn't the case. In her reality, she had an actual chance to change things. The bad news was that that might make it harder to figure out how Lyla was going to die in this version of events. It made things slightly more difficult in regards to Naomi figuring out how much time she had left to save Lyla and her mother.
It wasn't until the next stoplight that Naomi figured it out. The arrow signaling them forward turned from yellow to a red light as they reached the intersection. Instead of slamming on the breaks, Lyla hit the gas and shot them forward as she turned the wheel to the left. Just then a familiar looking truck coming the opposite way sped forward, almost ramming into them. Naomi remembered that truck. She remembered the angry driver inside of it. And she remembered going home that night only to be woken up gently by her father the next morning with awful news.
Which meant Naomi knew what day she was on now. She knew how much time she had left to save Lyla and her mother. She didn't like the answer, because now she knew she had less than twelve hours to figure out how to stop Lyla's death and she still had no clue where to start.