Chapter 18

A couple of subway stops later and they arrived at Dusty's apartment. If Kyera thought that it was in a salubrious neighborhood, then she kept her judgments to herself. Instead, she commented on how brief the journey there had been and how old and interesting the buildings all seemed. Dusty appreciated that she was trying to be nice and not mocking where she lived.

As they walked towards her apartment building, she was glad to have Kyera with her. As much as she'd learnt to walk the streets of New York alone, she still got unnerved when she saw a solitary figure lingering too close. She felt safe to have Kyera with her, it was comforting to sense her presence so nearby.

"So this is it," Dusty announced grandly as they stopped at the stoop leading to the main entrance of the building.

"It's got character." Kyera nodded.

"You think?"

"Sure." Upstairs, in the one-room apartment, Kyera glanced around at the four small walls and then out of the window onto the street below. She was silently taking it all in.

"I know it's small," Dusty said apologetically. "But it's all I can afford."

"Dusty, stop stressing." She turned to face her. "It's me. I don't care what your place is like. What matters is that you're happy here."

Dusty smiled fondly at her. Kyera had never been one for airs and graces. She'd always rather stay in bed with a pizza and a DVD than go out to a fancy restaurant. "I mean, you've done it. You've come and got a job in New York, and now you're living here," Kyera told her. Then her face dropped, and she moved back to the window. "I envy you," she admitted, looking out through the glass.

"It's not as wonderful a life as you'd think," Dusty told her, stepping up close so that they were both looking out on the street beyond. Beside Kyera, Dusty pointed to the spot just down the road where she'd had a gun held to her head. "I got mugged at gunpoint just there," she said, her body breaking out in goose bumps just at the memory.

"Are you serious?" Kyera asked, shocked.

"Yeah, guy came up behind me and took everything."

"Dusty, that's..." Kyera turned, looking at her with worried eyes. The thought flashed through her mind about what she'd have done if she'd lost her. She'd already struggled to come to terms with losing her sister; she doubted she could handle losing anyone else she loved. Kyera shook her head, pushing away the negative thoughts. "You're okay now. That's what matters," she said.

"It made me more self-aware," Dusty noted. "I'm more careful now when I go anywhere." Kyera moved and sat down on a desk chair that doubled as a dining chair. She ran her hands through her hair and looked sadly at the bare wooden floor.

"I'm sorry I didn't call sooner," she said, her voice low.

"It's okay," Dusty told her, positioning herself opposite Kyera on her drop-down bed.

"But I should have called," Kyera continued. "But for a while, I was so mad at you. Mad for leaving, mad for moving on with your life when I couldn't move forward with my own. You somehow managed to put your past behind you, and I envied that."

"It takes time," Dusty said, reaching out and placing a hand on Kyera's knee. "You'll get there. You are getting there."

"Yeah." Kyera nodded, though her eyes looked distant.

"Obviously, my apartment is embarrassingly small, so how about we go to the movies or something tonight?" Dusty suggested.

"That an iPad?" Kyera noticed the device on the edge of her bed.

"Huh? Yeah." Dusty shrugged, handing it to her. "Want to browse online? See what movies are showing?"

"It's a nice machine," Kyera said. "My folks bought me one when I was in the hospital."

"Ashley bought me my last one, which was stolen," Dusty explained.

"How is old money bags?" Kyera asked, not looking up from the small screen she was now skillfully navigating, locating cinemas close by and then checking their showings.

"She's fine," Dusty replied. Normally she'd berate her for calling Ashley a name, but she was just pleased to see some of her old cheekiness return, so she let it slide. "She works in politics now."

"So the country really is doomed?" Kyera smiled wryly.

"She's smarter than you think," Dusty said.

"You'd hope so, considering she went to Princeton."

"So, movie choice, come on, hit me." Dusty leant forward expectantly, still determined to make Kyera trip fun, to not let her dwell on thoughts of her deceased sister or the fact that everyone was moving on with their lives except her.

"There's so many art house cinemas here," Kyera said.

"It's a very diverse city."

"I hope you're taking full advantage of it."

"Actually, I'm not," Dusty said guiltily. "All I do is work. I need you to help me start making the most of living here."

"Okay, well, that starts tonight," Kyera announced dramatically, a flash of her old flair returning. "There's a revival house nearby," she continued excitedly, handing the iPad across to Dusty so she could see the details for herself. "They are showing the original Wicker Man for one week only. I've always dreamt of seeing it on the big screen. We've got to go." She looked at Dusty, and her eyes sparkled with joy. She was finally looking more like the girl she'd met at college, back when her enthusiasm and lust for life was utterly contagious.

She wanted to recapture that magic, to bring her back to life. Dusty looked at the iPad and smiled, not wanting to admit that she'd never before heard of the movie. "That sounds great."

"You've never heard of it, have you?" Kyera smiled, recognizing the vague look in her eyes that she got whenever she mentioned one of her favorite films or bands.

"Nope, never," Dusty admitted, smiling shyly.

"Well, Black Dusty-Rose, prepared to be educated!"