Chapter 3

The cliff wasn’t marked on any map. It was just a jut of rock at the far edge of town, hidden behind overgrown brush and a dirt path that most people ignored. To Clara, it was freedom. To Lana, it was adventure. To both of them, it was theirs.

Clara kicked at the rocks as she climbed, the soles of her sneakers slipping on the loose dirt. “Fuck this hill,” she muttered under her breath. Her baggy hoodie dragged against the thorn bushes, snagging at her sleeve.

“Come on, grandma,” Lana called from above, her voice bright, teasing. She had scrambled ahead like she always did, fast and reckless, hair flying behind her. “You’re slower than a damn snail.”

“Eat shit,” Clara shot back, panting, but her lips twitched.

By the time she reached the top, Lana was already sitting at the edge, legs dangling over the abyss. The wind whipped around her, tugging at her T-shirt, her hair a wild halo in the dying light.

“Careful,” Clara muttered, dropping beside her. “One gust and you’re toast.”

Lana grinned without looking at her. “Then you’ll have to jump after me.”

“Fuck off.” Clara shoved her shoulder lightly, but her chest tightened anyway. Jokes like that always lodged somewhere deeper than they should.

Below them stretched the town—tiny houses, glowing windows, streets like veins. Farther off, the dark line of the forest pressed against the horizon. Up here, it all felt small, far away. The cliff gave them distance, a place above it all.

Lana leaned back on her hands, squinting at the sky. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

Clara followed her gaze. The sun was bleeding into the horizon, painting everything in bruised gold and deep purple. “Yeah,” she admitted, then added, “but you’re blocking the view.”

Lana snorted. “Wow. Romantic as always.”

They sat in silence for a while, the kind of silence that wasn’t empty but full. Clara picked at the frayed seam of her hoodie, stealing glances at Lana. The way the fading light brushed against her cheekbones, the way her eyes caught fire when she laughed.

Clara looked away quickly. Fuck, stop staring.

“So,” Lana said suddenly, her voice lighter than her eyes. “What would you do if one day I wasn’t here?”

Clara stiffened. “What the fuck kind of question is that?”

“Just curious.” Lana smiled, but it was thin. “Like, if I disappeared. Moved away. Or…” She trailed off.

“Don’t,” Clara snapped. “Don’t say shit like that.”

Lana tilted her head, watching her. “You’d miss me though, right?”

Clara wanted to spit out a joke, to roll her eyes, to say something sharp. But her throat closed. The truth burned at the back of her tongue, dangerous, unspeakable.

“Yeah,” she said finally, voice rough. “I’d miss you.”

Something flickered in Lana’s expression, gone in an instant. She looked away, hugging her knees to her chest. For the first time that evening, her smile didn’t reach her eyes.

They stayed like that until the sun sank completely, shadows crawling over the cliff’s edge. Down in town, the streetlights blinked awake, one by one.

Lana exhaled, long and shaky. “Sometimes… sometimes I feel like I’m wearing a mask. Like if I take it off, nobody will like what’s underneath.”

Clara turned her head sharply. “Who gives a shit about masks? You’re fine the way you are.”

“You don’t get it,” Lana whispered.

Clara’s chest ached. She wanted to reach out, to grab Lana by the shoulders, to shake the sadness out of her. Instead, she muttered, “Then make me get it. I’m not going anywhere.”

Lana’s smile returned, soft but fragile. “You’re a terrible liar.”

Clara scowled, but the words landed deep.

The air grew colder, the night pressing in. Clara pulled her hood up, shivering. Beside her, Lana leaned closer, their shoulders brushing.

Neither of them moved away.

After a while, Lana whispered, “Promise me something.”

“What?”

“If I ever… fall, you’ll remember me.”

Clara’s stomach twisted. “Shut the fuck up, Lana.”

“Promise,” Lana insisted, her voice fierce now, almost desperate.

Clara stared at her, heart pounding. The wind howled across the cliff, carrying their breaths away.

“Fine,” Clara growled. “I promise. But you’re not going anywhere, so stop talking like a fucking maniac.”

Lana smiled faintly, eyes shining with something Clara couldn’t name. “We’ll see.”