Jennifer Smith - The Geography of You and Me

On the first day of September, the world went dark.

But from where she stood in the blackness, her back pressed against the brassy wall of an elevator, Lucy Patterson had no way of knowing the scope of it yet.

She couldnt have imagined, then, that it stretched beyond the building where shed lived all her life, spilling out onto the streets, where the traffic lights had gone blank and the hum of the air conditioners had fallen quiet, leaving an eerie, pulsing silence. Already, there were people streaming out onto the long avenues that stretched the length of Manhattan, pushing their way toward home like salmon moving up a river. All over the island, car horns filled the air and windows were thrown open, and in thousands upon thousands of freezers, the ice cream began to melt.

The whole city had been snuffed out like a candle, but from the unlit cube of the elevator, Lucy couldnt possibly have known this.

Her first thought wasnt to worry about the violent jolt that had brought them up short between the tenth and eleventh floors, making the whole compartment rattle like a ride at an amusement park. And it wasnt a concern for their escape, because if there was anything that could be depended on in this worldfar more, even, than her parentsit was the buildings small army of doormen, who had never failed to greet her after school, or remind her to bring an umbrella when it was rainy, who were always happy to run upstairs and kill a spider or help unclog the shower drain.

Instead, what she felt was a kind of sinking regret over her rush to make this particular elevator, having dashed through the marble-floored lobby and caught the doors just before they could seal shut. If only shed waited for the next one, she wouldve still been standing downstairs right now, speculating with Georgewho worked the afternoon shiftabout the source of the power outage, rather than being stuck in this small square of space with someone she didnt even know.

The boy hadnt looked up when shed slipped through the doors just a few minutes earlier, but instead kept his eyes trained on the burgundy carpet as they shut again with a bright ding. Shed stepped to the back of the elevator without acknowledging him, either, and in the silence that followed she could hear the low thump of music from his headphones as the back of his white-blond head bobbed, just slightly, his rhythm not quite there. Shed noticed him around before, but this was the first time it struck her how much he looked like a scarecrow, tall and lanky and loose-limbed, a study of lines and angles all jumbled together in the shape of a teenage boy.

Hed moved in just last month, and shed watched that day from the coffee shop next door as he and his father carried a small collection of furniture back and forth across the gum-stained sidewalk. Shed known they were hiring a new superintendent, but she hadnt known hed be bringing his son, too, much less a son who looked to be about her age. When shed tried getting more information out of the doormen, all they could tell her was that they were somehow related to the buildings owner.

Shed seen him a few more times after thatat the mailboxes or crossing the lobby or waiting for the busbut even if shed been the kind of girl inclined to walk up and introduce herself, there still was something vaguely unapproachable about him. Maybe it was the earbuds he always seemed to be wearing, or the fact that shed never seen him talking to anyone before; maybe it was the way he slipped in and out of the building so quickly, like he was desperate not to be caught, or the faraway look in his eyes when she spotted him across the subway platform. Whatever the reason, it seemed to Lucy that the idea of ever meeting himthe idea of even saying something as harmless as hellowas unlikely for reasons she couldnt quite articulate.

When the elevator had wrenched to a stop, their eyes met, and in spite of the situation, shed found herself wonderingridiculouslywhether he recognized her, too. But then the lights above them had snapped off, and they were both left blinking into the darkness, the floor still quivering beneath them. There were a few metallic sounds from abovetwo loud clanks followed by a sharp bangand then something seemed to settle, and except for the faint beat of his music, it was silent.

As her eyes adjusted, Lucy could see him frown as he pulled out his earbuds. He glanced in her direction before turning to face the panel of buttons, jabbing at a few with his thumb. When they refused to light up, he finally hit the red emergency one, and they both cocked their heads, waiting for the speaker to crackle to life.

Nothing happened, so he punched it again, then once more. Finally, he lifted his shoulders in a shrug. It must be the whole building, he said without turning around.

Lucy lowered her eyes, trying to avoid the little red arrow above the door, which was poised somewhere between the numbers 10 and 11. She was doing her best not to picture the empty elevator shaft below, or the thick cables stretched above them.

Im sure theyre already working on it, she said, though she wasnt at all sure. Shed been in the elevator when it got stuck before, but never when the lights had gone out, too, and now her legs felt unsteady beneath her, her stomach wound tight. Already, the air seemed too warm and the space too small.

She cleared her throat. George is just downstairs, so

The boy turned to face her, and though it was still too dark for details, she could see him more clearly with each minute that passed. She was reminded of a science experiment her class did in fifth grade, where the teacher dropped a mint into each of the students cupped palms, then switched off the lights and told them to bite down hard, and a series of tiny sparks lit up the room. This was how he seemed to her now: his teeth flashing when he spoke, the whites of his eyes bright against the blackness.

Yeah, but if its the whole building, this could take a while, he said, slumping against the wall. And my dads not around this afternoon.

My parents are away, too, Lucy told him, and she could just barely make out the expression on his face, an odd look in her direction.

I meant cause hes the super, he said. But hes just in Brooklyn, so Im sure hell be back soon.

Do you think? she began, then paused, not sure how to phrase the question. Do you think were okay till then?

I think well be fine, he said, his voice reassuring; then, with a hint of amusement, he added: Unless, of course, youre afraid of the dark.

Im okay, she said, sliding down the wall until she was sitting on the floor, her elbows resting on her knees. She attempted a smile, which emerged a little wobbly. Ive heard monsters prefer closets to elevators.

Then I think were in the clear, he said, sitting down, too, his back against the opposite corner. He pulled his phone from his pocket, and in the dim light, his hair glowed green as he bent his head over it. No signal.

Its usually pretty iffy in here anyway, Lucy said, reaching for her own phone before realizing shed left it upstairs. Shed only run down to grab the mail, a quick round trip to the lobby and back, and now it felt like a particularly bad moment to find herself completely empty-handed.

So, the boy said, tipping his head back against the wall. Come here often?

She laughed. Ive logged some time in this particular elevator, yes.

I think youre about to log a lot more, he said with a rueful smile. Im Owen, by the way. I feel like we should probably introduce ourselves so I dont end up calling you Elevator Girl whenever I tell this story.