The Z Word Read online

  Gareth patted Lani's face. “Are you still with us, sweetie?” Addison came around the bushes and crossed her arms over her chest, emitting a sniffle.

  “Bonnie Bell.”

  Seffy peered at Lani. On a good day she didn't know whether her xippie friend was right in the head. “Bonnie Bell?”

  Lani tilted her head up at Seffy. “Like the pink lip gloss we used in middle school. The sparkly stuff.”

  “Okaaay.”

  “She means the sky, you dolt.”

  Seffy sent Addy a dark look. “Whatever.”

  “How did you two get here?” Gareth brushed some dirt from Lani's cheek.

  Addison scrubbed the tears from her face. “I don't know. One minute I was visiting Lani at Euphoria's—”

  “You mean hitting her up for a free spa treatment.”

  “Sef,” Gareth said in a low voice.

  “Yeah, shut up, Sef.” Addy took a deep breath. “The next minute there was this huge roar and we were yanked, thrown, whatever, from where we were. We woke up right here on the ground.”

  “That's what happened to me, too,” Seffy said, nonplussed. “How weird is that?”

  Turning to Gareth, Addison pushed her hands through her hair. “What happened? Where are we?”

  Lani smiled, staring up at the sky. “It was so cool. There was this white light, then an explosive noise, and flashes like disco lights from an 80s nightclub.”

  Addison scanned their surroundings. When she turned back, there was moisture in her eyes. “I guess I was too freaked to take in all the details, but yeah, that sounds about right.”

  Lani threw her arm over her head and began to sing.

  “I am breathing and the earth glows for me right now all at once I'm in this place.”

  Seffy's brows went up. “You're going to sing? God, all we need now is a herd of unicorns.”

  Addison regarded her as if she were insane. Shouldn't she be directing that look at Lani instead?

  Lani's thready voice ascended. “Misplaced in a different sphere, many miles from earth but what about it? I am breathing, I am breathing I AM BREATHING!”

  “Okay, so you're breathing.” Addy looked at Gareth. “This is what I've been dealing with instead of figuring out where the hell we are.”

  Gareth's gaze softened at Lani. “I remember that song, too. But sweetheart, we have a big problem to deal with.”

  “Disco,” she whispered. “I miss it.” Lani struggled to her feet and began a slow spin, singing,

  “I am breathing.”

  Seffy looked around in alarm. “Okay, this needs to stop now. Someone might hear you.”

  “It looks like we're pretty much alone out here in case you haven't noticed.”

  “Yes, Addison, I noticed. But we can never be too careful even if it's pretend.” Seffy pinned Lani with a gentle glare. “Understand?”

  Lani didn't appear to hear her, but spun into a kind of skip-dance, her arms outstretched. “Don't you guys hear it?” She twirled past, her feet kicking up a cloud of sparkle dust. “Don't you remember the old days?”

  “Lani,” Addison said, “this is not the time for nostalgia. This is the time for panicking!”

  Lani's blue eyes came to rest on her. “Panic?”

  Addison clenched her fists. “Look around! Something bad has happened!”

  The brunette pressed her hands together. “Or, this is a new opportunity we've been presented with.”

  “Have you been sniffing the botanicals again? We're in the middle of a crisis!”

  “Addison,” Gareth said, rubbing the back of his neck.

  Seffy tucked her hands in the kangaroo pockets of her top. “Okay, we're all stressed out. We just need to stay calm and...wake up.”

  Addy spun around, her green eyes flashing. “So you're the leader now? And where's Verity? I thought she was with you.”

  Seffy stared at her for a long moment. “I don't know where she is.”

  The redhead shoved her hair behind her ear with shaking hands. “I just think you're getting high-handed.”

  “We're in the middle of a friggin' dream. I'm sorry you didn't like my tone.”

  “You think this is a dream?”

  Seffy regarded Addison with mounting fury. “And here I thought you considered yourself the smart one of the bunch.”

  Addison rolled her eyes. “God, one of you is mental and the other is just plain nuts. I don't know which is worse!”

  Gareth came up to them with Lani in tow as she continued to hum and swirled her hands about. “Okay, we don't know what happened or where Los Angeles went, but if we're all here together, on some level it's reasonable to think we'll find Verity, too. So let's look before it gets dark.”

  “Verity?” Lani's expression faltered and her movements ceased.

  Addy crossed her arms, her face pale under the dirt. “She was with Seffy.”

  “Look, I don't have a clue where she is.” Seffy struggled to maintain a blank expression under Addison's penetrating stare. “Anyway, this is stupid.”

  “Interesting,” Addy said. “And I see you didn't waste any time.”

  Seffy blew out a tired sigh. “What are you talking about?”

  Addy's gaze swiveled to Gareth before returning to hers. “You know what I mean.”

  Seffy made a face. “I'm ignoring that.” She turned to the others, deciding if she couldn't wake herself up, she might as well avoid Addison's veiled accusations. “Let's go back up onto the hill. We'll have a good vantage point up there. Maybe we'll see Verity in the distance.”

  “I hope for your sake we find her.”

  “God, Addison, what is with you?” Seffy pivoted and marched back up the hill, the soft dirt sending up little glistening clouds under each step. Her throat was parched, her body ached, and now to complete the package, she had a serious pain in the butt following right behind her. Just like in real life—except for that whole sparkle dirt and pink sky part.

  When she reached the top of the hill, she did a full sweep and saw nothing but colored sand, rocks, small fires, and inconsequential piles of debris. It just couldn't be West Hollywood, even in a post-apocalyptic scenario. For one thing, there'd be more survivors. And maybe a burned-out food coach or two.

  The others reached the summit and stood following her line of sight.

  “No Verity?” Lani asked.

  “I don't see another soul,” Seffy said, moistening her dry lips. The big magenta sun quavered low in the sky. Light-headed and shaky, she wished she'd splurged on that pumpkin cranberry muffin for breakfast. Instead she'd had ice water with lemon. Dieting never seemed to do any damn good anyway and this just proved it. Then again, a lot of things might've changed had she known she was going to survive an explosion-thingie. Seffy smacked her hand against her forehead. Get a grip. This isn't real.

  “It'll be dark soon,” Gareth said, coming up behind her. “Maybe we should try to look for shelter.”

  Addison let out a sharp bark of laughter. “I'm looking. Not exactly seeing.”

  “Well, let's walk toward the sun to make the most of the remaining light,” he said, anxiety bleeding through the evenness of his tone. “Looks like there might be another hill in the distance. Maybe there's something at the bottom of it.”

  Addison pursed her lips. “Fine.”

  Seffy pulled in a deep breath, wondering if the air was eco-friendly, and trudged down the hill toward the setting orb. As the others followed, she tried to make sense of their predicament. How could any of it be real? If there had been an explosion, there'd be more evidence—like raging infernos, twisted buildings...dead bodies. And the sky wouldn't be the wrong color. Ergo, dream.

  Pushing a windblown lock of hair from her eyes, she focused on a point in front of her, noticing it didn't change much over the course of a mile or so. Lani continued to hum that tune, which probably explained why her skin felt full of the crawlies. Verity's last words rang in her mind. It's not the end of the world. But it just might be
if Lani persisted in bringing up those stupid songs. Some things were best left in the past. As they'd agreed.

  “Do you think it runs?”

  Seffy turned to Lani. “Huh?”

  Lani pointed down the second hill. “There's a car down there behind those trees. Maybe it can take us home.”

  Seffy refrained from pointing out that cars in dream world blast zones didn't run. They mostly loomed, or in this case, squatted...menacingly.

  “Looks like a Caddy,” Gareth said. “An old one.”

  They headed down the hill and toward a straggly grove of pine trees, which cast long, gnarled shadows in the purpling light.

  “A Coupe de Ville,” Gareth said. “Circa 1971.”

  “Uh oh, maybe this is real,” Seffy said. “My dream would've featured a BMW 650i.”

  “Good choice,” Gareth said, a tense smile pulling at the corners of his mouth.

  “Will it drive?” Lani asked in a nervous voice.

  “Doubtful,” Gareth said, sounding discouraged. “But it will be a good place to spend the night.”

  “Spend the night?” Addison said, her eyes shiny with moisture. “Are you serious? Let's keep walking until we find civilization—”

  “Or at least a modestly priced hotel,” Seffy said, raising a brow.

  “With a pool,” Lani added.

  Gareth turned to Addison and put his hands on her shoulders. “Look around you,” he said gently. “We can see for miles. There are no roads and we don't know what direction civilization is in.”

  Addison chewed her lip, tears spilling down her cheeks. She dashed them away with the back of her hand. “It just feels like we're totally giving in here and going all survival modey.”

  “It's getting dark. We just need a place to regroup and figure out what happened and how to get home.”

  “And then what?” Addison said, her voice shaky. “What happens in the morning? Help arrives?”

  “We wake up,” Seffy said. “We go back to our real lives, and refrain from wallowing in the past as we've agreed.” She cleared her throat. “Besides, I have an audition I cannot miss.”

  “Another 'audition'?” Addy said. “Watch out for that casting couch, sweetie.”

  Lani gasped. “What a horrible thing to say!”

  “Addy,” Gareth chided, making her blush. “We're supposed to be supporting each other with our goals, remember?” He turned to Seffy. “That's great news about the audition. You didn't mention it earlier.”

  Seffy lowered her eyes, her pleasure at his warm tone at odds with what he didn't know. There were a whole lot of auditions she hadn't mentioned to him. Maybe it was because she never got the gig...or worse.

  Gareth sighed. “Look, I know we're all scared and upset, but let's take it down a notch, okay?”

  Addison looked away, her mulish expression contrasting with the trembling of her chin.

  Seffy didn't want to feel a pang of sympathy for the redhead. If only Addison understood the challenges of trying to get an acting gig when millions more wanted the same thing—which sucked. But Addison was apparently too busy with her successful exercise classes at an exclusive club to worry about stuff like that. Seffy pushed a lock of hair from her face. She needed to make that audition. If she was chosen for the part, it would take her one step further from all she longed to leave behind...not to mention alcohol-induced dreams and grouchy friends.

  And maybe it would bring her one step closer to Gareth's admiration.

  He pulled Addy close in a side hug. “At least we're together. That's something to be thankful for.”

  Addy shrugged away from his touch. “Except for Verity.”

  “Except for Verity,” he echoed in a hollow voice. He shook his head. “You know what, I'm just going to assume she's okay, wherever she is. I mean, she's not the only person who didn't show up with us. We have to assume L.A. is fine and we're just...someplace else.”

  Addison shot Seffy a sharp look. “Which means Verity is probably drinking a tonic tea at Elixir right now, all safe and sound. Right, Sef?”

  “I told you, I don't know where she is!”

  “I think you do! I think you're hiding something!”

  Seffy gritted her teeth. “Hey, if anyone has secrets around here, it's you.”

  “What's that supposed to mean?”

  Seffy refrained from answering, knowing she'd earn a dark look from Gareth.

  Lani clasped her hands together, her pretty face pinched. “What if this is L.A? All that's left of it?”

  “I thought you said this was a new opportunity?” Addy said, her lip curled.

  Lani dropped her gaze and plucked at the folds of her skirt.

  Distancing herself from Addison's insinuations and Lani's fears, Seffy walked up to the old car. She peered in the dusty windows and tried the rusted handle. She was shocked when the door creaked open. Beating away some of the cobwebs and dust on the seats, Seffy stuck her head inside for a quick look. “It's got a leather interior.”

  Gareth joined her perusal then checked along the dash and visor for keys, but found none. His lips quirked in a humorless smile. “It works in the movies.”

  She sighed. “Yeah.”

  “And unfortunately, I don't have a clue how to hot-wire a car.”

  “Me, neither.”

  He slammed the front door shut.

  “Anyway,” Addison said, “the thing is probably full of snakes.”

  Seffy edged away from the car. “Hey, you'll freak Lani out.”

  “Lani's already freaked,” Lani said. “Gareth, can you check for snakes?”

  He nodded and grabbed a stick from the ground. After poking and prodding under the seats, he declared the car snake free.

  “You just stirred up all the black widows.”

  “Okay, Addison,” Seffy said, glaring, “you can sleep outside with the wild animals.”

  “There aren't any wild animals in WeHo, dummy.”

  Gareth's brows lifted. “You weren't with me on the Strip last weekend.”

  Seffy rolled her eyes. “You guys, none of this is real.”

  “Maybe we're in some other dimension,” Lani ventured, blinking hard. “You know, a time wrinkly thing.”

  “Gee, I thought Gareth was the only one in touch with his inner geek,” Addison said.

  “Hey!” Gareth said with mock offense. “Let's not get nasty.”

  Lani lifted her lips in a wobbly smile. “So we're not mad anymore? I just wanted things to be the way they used to be. I miss the old us.”

  “I'll be sticking to the new and improved version, thanks,” Seffy said, wondering why they were having this conversation in the first place.

  Addison looked up. “What does it mean when the sky turns green?”

  Seffy looked up. Indeed it was. And green coming off of purplish-pink just could not be good. “Can this dream get any creepier?”

  “Why do you keep talking about a dream, Sef? Wake up!”

  Seffy sent Addison a weary look. “I plan to, real soon. And when I do, hopefully you'll be gone from the house so I can get some peace and quiet.”

  “Gareth, she thinks this is all in her head.”

  Gareth turned from Addison to Seffy. “This isn't a dream, Sef. We're really here in this place—wherever it is.”

  “Want me to give you a hard pinch?”

  Ignoring Addison, Seffy said, “I'm going to get in this old beater and close my eyes. When I wake up, I will regale this bizarre dream to you all over bubble tea and muffins in the morning and you will think it's hilarious.”

  “No one except you drinks bubble tea anymore,” Gareth said with a weak grin.

  “A dream,” Addison said. “Leave it to Sef to go into denial mode during a crisis.”

  Seffy was about to deny the charge, but instead slid into the backseat of the car. The leather was warm, the air musty. Exhaustion made her sink into the squeaky upholstery. Lani scooted in next to her, her hair emitting a passion fruit scent. “You using
a new shampoo?”

  Lani's bright blue eyes shone in the gloom. “Yes, it's one of the new botanicals the spa is carrying.”

  “It smells a lot better than the inside of this car.” Are smells common in dreams?

  “And it's on sale.”

  Seffy laughed, then her smile faded. “When I wake up, I'll buy some.”

  Lani looked down at her hands. “Yeah.”

  “Addy, after you,” Gareth said.

  “Should you and I sit in the front?”

  Gareth wrinkled his brow. “Since it seems like we're in some kind of desert, we might all want to be together for warmth if it gets chilly.”

  Seffy suppressed a snarky comment about Addy's machinations and tried to get comfortable. Lani leaned her head on her shoulder as the other two got in and pulled the door closed.

  A muffled silence fell once they were settled.

  “I'm hungry,” Seffy said after a minute, hoping to lighten the mood. “Think there are any sushi restaurants around?”

  “Look at the bright side, Sef. This way you might lose that last fifteen pounds you're always yammering about.”

  Seffy mashed her lips together. She'd always been jealous of Addy's whipcord lean physique and the redhead knew it.

  “Not nice,” Lani scolded in a sleepy voice.

  “Agreed,” Gareth said from the other side of the seat. “Let's not get into body image issues tonight.”

  At his wry voice, Seffy felt a pang of pity for the man. He sounded more like a brother than a roomie. She wondered if he'd ever think of her as more than a friend—at least while Verity was out of the picture.

  Seffy leaned her head against the back of the seat and watched the remnant of the neon sun sink below the horizon as an eerie green glow descended on the land. Where in the world are we? When will I wake up?

  Her heart began to pound out an odd rhythm. She swallowed hard, her throat dry.

  Lani's voice broke the silence. “Is it the end of the world?”

  No one answered the question.

  Chapter Two

  Seffy groaned, wondering why her pillow felt so hard. She opened her eyes and lifted her head up, only to realize she'd been leaning against a window. A greenish-blue glow streamed in through the dirty streaks on the glass as the events of the previous day filtered through her foggy brain. She twisted her head. Lani, Addison and Gareth were still asleep, slumped together on the bench seat.