Beautiful: Truth's Found When Beauty's Lost Part 2

James: Meet me tonight at Tonya's.

He was trouble, she could tell already. But a little trouble might be nice about now.

Megan: I'm not wearing the dress.

James: I'll take you in any color you want.

Trouble, here I come.

They stood in a single line along the edge of the bluff. No one spoke for a moment as Ellie, Ryan, Tank, Kevin, and Bly stared down at what had once been an arm of Lake Shasta. Ellie had never seen anything like it. The lake was gone. Only a wide, shallow river remained. If not for the I-5 bridge and signs that said Lakehead, she wouldn't have believed this.

Bly broke the silence. "This is the lowest the lake has been in sixteen years. A bunch of old bridges and roads are visible that were under the water since the dam was built in 1945. There's even an old tunnel and a complete metal bridge out in the center of the lake."

"Where?" Tank asked.

"Just around the corner." Bly wiped his forehead as he always did when he gave one of his lengthy explanations.

Ellie loved Ryan and his friends for the way they took a scrawny childhood friend and kept him near. Sure, they loved it when he drank and they asked him questions of philosophy or to recite some poetry, which wasn't really n.o.ble. But they cared for him. He was their small Irish bard. And they protected him in a way that reminded her more of a parental guardians.h.i.+p than the usual guy bond.

"Good research, Bly," Kevin said, smacking him on the back and making him lose his balance. Kevin grabbed his s.h.i.+rt. "Whoa, there, little fella."

Ellie could just imagine Bly tumbling down the hillside into the stream below.

"My family camped up this arm of the lake a few years ago," Ryan said, taking Ellie's hand. "It's got to be down over a hundred feet."

"A hundred and fifty, and expected to drop even more unless we get rain," Bly called as he hurried by.

The guys raced ahead down an old stairway toward the shallow river that wound along the bottom of the canyon.

"So this is what it looked like before the dam was built," Ellie said, amazed by the surreal knowledge that under normal conditions they'd be going underwater right now.

"Look what I found," Bly yelled, holding up a square gla.s.s bottle. "I think it's an antique. Maybe an old cowboy drank it."

"Yeah, a cowboy who liked Jack Daniels."

"Jack Daniels?" Bly looked at the bottle again in disappointment.

The steps descended sharply, narrowing to nearly straight down. Ryan held Ellie's hand tightly. She'd traded her black heels for an old pair of her flip-flops Ryan had found nearly forgotten in the corner of his trunk, left there after one of their summer outings. The guys had already scattered in their exploration.

"We'd be underneath hundreds of gallons of water by this point," Ryan said, pointing to the waterline above them.

"Hey, over here!" one of the guys called from around the bend.

"Come on, Els." Ryan tugged at her hand.

"Go ahead. I'll be there soon."

He gave her a quick exploratory look, then nodded and hurried off like a kid running toward a carnival.

Ellie stepped carefully along the rocks. She wished she were in jeans and a sweats.h.i.+rt, but she had to admit Ryan had brought her to a great place. She slid on her b.u.t.t, careful not to catch her skirt as she went down a drop of slick rock. The earth all around held a red hue, and along the edges of the stream, pools of water were bloodred from the mineral deposits.

"It looks like we're on Mars," she said, though no one was near enough to hear. Only the thick pines that crowded together on the top half of the surrounding mountains reminded her that she was on earth. The line between the two was sudden where the waterline should be, creating a sharp contrast between this former underwater world and the earth world above it.

The bracelet slid low on her wrist. Her grandfather was dead. The funeral was over. Ellie had to get back to her old self again. Organized, focused, dependable. Remembering what needed to be done and doing it. Homecoming and then winter formal were coming. She'd stepped out of being the chair so that she could focus on the food drive and actually enjoy the dance. Her gold dress was already on hold, and it was stunning and eye-catching, something she didn't usually wear. But it was senior year, so why not step out further-or so she'd thought on the day she'd picked it out. Today it didn't appeal to her. She wondered if she and Ryan would even be together in the months ahead.

She reached the wide but shallow river that ran along the bottom of the canyon. Downstream, the green rafters of the ma.s.sive highway bridge towered above the rippling water.

"We're at the bottom of the lake," Kevin yelled, then acted as if he were swimming. "Where did all that water go?"

"Probably being drained down to Southern California and all those city dwellers," Tank said in disgust.

"We're in the second year of a drought," Bly relayed.

The guys continued to yell back and forth as Ellie watched a flock of Canada honkers fly loudly overhead in their V formation.

"The fish must be crowded together closer to the dam. It'd be easy fis.h.i.+ng," Kevin said.

"Let's go fis.h.i.+ng," Tank called.

"I need my pole."

"Els, you've got to come see this," Ryan called, jumping over rocks to reach her.

She walked carefully along the rocks. One step sank her foot down into the mud. Around the bend where the river deepened and looked more like the lake, she reached Ryan. Rising from the muddy blue water were steel girders with both ends unattached. It looked like a bridge sitting alone like an island, with no road connecting either side.

"What is it?" she asked in amazement, grabbing Ryan's hand as he started to slide while coming up the muddy slope.

"It's the old railroad bridge," he said.

"Hey, look over there." Bly pointed farther down and near another bend. "I think that's Tunnel No. 7."

"This is incredible," Ellie said. She'd grown up water-skiing, wakeboarding, and boating all over this lake. And all that time there were bridges, old roads, a town, railroad trestles, and tunnels beneath the surface, forgotten and encased in time and water.

"The town of Kennett was located a few miles south," Bly said in his tour-guide voice.

"Can you see the town now?" Ellie asked, wondering how it could have survived sixty years underwater.

"No, but I heard you can see part of a tower used in the construction of Shasta Dam and a few buildings on the hills surrounding Kennett. Kennett wasn't some little no-name town. It was pretty busy. It had a copper-smelting factory. But I think it was a pretty rough place. There were dozens of saloons, and it was notorious for its fights."

"Sounds like my kind of town," Kevin said with a wide grin.

Ryan held Ellie's hand tightly as they stared across the water at the bridge. "Just imagine Model T Fords driving up and down this canyon, or even further back to stagecoaches and wagon trains."

Ellie unconsciously touched her wrist and knew something was wrong. She looked down. "Where's my bracelet?" she said to herself, turning her arm this way and that.

Ryan grabbed her wrist, then looked down at the red earth. "You had it in the car. Maybe it fell off in there?"

"No, I had it on while we were walking. I noticed it, was thinking about it."

"We'll find it, then. Hey, guys, Els lost her bracelet."

The guys immediately jumped into action.

"Was it valuable?" Kevin asked with his eyes toward the ground.

She nodded, unable to speak.

"It's very valuable," Ryan said in earnest.

The guys looked for a time, running up and down the slope, mostly in places Ellie hadn't been. She and Ryan carefully retraced her steps as best they could remember. Soon the others lost interest, and it was just her and Ryan going over and over her steps, searching for a glint of gold among the rocks.

"It'll be dark soon," Ellie said after a while as the last of the sun fell behind the mountains.

"My dad's neighbor has a metal detector." Ryan was already punching numbers into his cell phone. "We might find a fortune of stuff out here while we're at it."

She knew he was trying to lighten the mood. But a panic fluttered in her stomach. It was the first heirloom she'd been given, from a grandmother she wished she had known. Her grandfather's death allowed it to be hers. And now so quickly, she'd lost it? This meant something. Something bad.

Ellie wasn't superst.i.tious, not usually. Her faith was in G.o.d-she truly believed that G.o.d loved her, and she tried to love Him back. She lived with the secure sense that He would take care of her life in the ways she could not. She knew losing a bracelet didn't signify anything other than a loose clasp.

So why was it having this effect on her entire body? Her stomach hurt, and her hands were shaking so badly that Ryan grabbed hold of them and pressed his large hands around them while he talked on the phone, detailing what they needed and asking if that could happen tonight.

"My dad's neighbor isn't home now, and Dad's leaving early for a business trip to Sacramento. But we're set for Sat.u.r.day. He said he'd rent another metal detector if he needs to. So don't worry, 'k, Els?"

She nodded and couldn't respond for a moment, feeling the tears well up in her eyes. "I should go home."

"Are you okay?"

"It's been a long day," she said as he put his arm around her waist.

"Hey," he called to Bly. Tank and Kevin had run ahead to check out Tunnel No. 7. "We're going. We'll catch up tomorrow."

Bly nodded, and Ellie tried to wave good-bye, but the weight of loss was heavy upon her. Heavier than the funeral. What kind of person felt more sorrow over a lost bracelet than over the death of a grandfather? Grandfather Edward was gone, and there'd never be reconciliation; there'd never be peace in the memory of him. And now it was as if he'd won again. The bracelet was gone.

"We're going to get it back. I promise," Ryan said, and for a moment she almost believed him.

They drove back in a comfortable silence with the music loud and soothing at her back. Ellie stared out the window, trying to rid herself of the sick feeling. And somehow the drive through the mountains and down into the valley did relax her, until they pulled in front of the small gray-and-white two-story house with the driveway still packed with cars. For a moment she saw it as a stranger might, just another average house with a lawn that was due for a mowing and shrubs that needed reshaping, but otherwise cute and pretty for the somewhat common neighborhood.

"You know," Ryan said as she turned to him, "there are two times you're the most beautiful."

She couldn't help but smile at the way he said this. "When are those?"

"When you get all dreamy and deep in thought-like just then, when you were staring out the window. Right now, with that doubtful look on your face, that's another story. Doubtful-not your best look."

Ellie gave him a little punch to his arm, and he gave an exaggerated wince.

"And the other time," he said, laughing, "is exactly right now, when you're smiling. That smile could stop a guy's heart."

He reached to turn off the ignition, but Ellie stopped him with a hand on his arm.

"Don't come in. I'm going to bed as soon as possible." She leaned her head back against the headrest. The seats were warm, and a light thump beat through her back from the stereo's ba.s.s. She breathed in deeply and wished to stay there, safe and warm, with the faint scent of Ryan's cologne. The windows were up, their little s.p.a.ce encapsulated. He patted his shoulder, and she leaned her head to rest there, a gesture that was familiar and still as comforting as the first time she'd leaned her head against him during their first movie date.

"It's okay. It'll be okay."

And she wondered what he meant by that. Was he talking about the loss of her bracelet or life in general?

He motioned toward her house. Mom was peering out into the darkness and gave a wave for her to come inside.

"I'm guessing I have lots of old relatives who missed me this afternoon."

"I don't mind coming in," he said.

"Thanks. I just want to say h.e.l.lo and then get to my room-or rather, Megan's room. My room continues to be overrun with old people. I'll need to air out flowery perfume for the next week."

"By the way, we are going out tomorrow night."

Ellie smiled. "Is this the promised date?"

"It is. It's the special night."

Her smile wavered a moment. "The special night?"

Before he could respond, Mom flicked the porch light on and off.

"We'll stop by Mitch's dad's house later. We don't have to stay long, but Mitch would be hurt if I didn't bring you by, when he's only down for the weekend."

Stopping by a party that would have all the usual high-school party elements sounded as appealing as a game night with her parents and their church friends. But "the special night" held its own stress. What exactly did Ryan expect on such a night? He knew where she stood, yet he also bragged about his ability to charm the coat off a homeless man in winter-which he actually had done for a fund-raiser scavenger hunt the previous winter. He'd given a better coat back to the man-goose down and with a hood-and the entire act became a cla.s.sic story among the staff at the mission.

Tank said Ryan only volunteered in order to get in Ellie's pants, and that no girl was worth charity work. But Tank's theory was proven false in the six celibate months of their dating.

"You do remember that I was on the committee of SADD? Parties don't usually like to see me coming."

"It'll be short, just a few minutes there."

They kissed good-bye, and Ellie thought how entwined their lives were now. They planned the weekends together; they kissed good-bye; he had expected to come to the funeral, and she would've had him there if the funeral were for anyone other than her grandfather.

Ellie got out of the car and closed the door. She bent to wave once more, and Ryan motioned her to his window.

"Hey," he said, "I'm going to say this now because you've had a bad day with the funeral and I want you to know, but it's not for you to stress over. Just accept it and move on from there."

"Uh, okay."

"I'm going to say this and leave so you don't have to respond."

She waited.