Abandoned warehouse rooftop

Abandoned warehouse rooftop
First appearance	Ten Seconds to Midnight, page 13 December 31, 2012
Related characters	Augustus, Lucy

The Abandoned warehouse rooftop is the flat roof of a disused industrial building along Northern Highway, on the edge of Roseville's urban area. Only two characters have ever set foot on it, Lucy and Augustus, and it is where Lucy attempted to take her own life during her sophomore year.

Description

A large multi-story building with a figure silhouetted on its rooftop.

The building is a large multi-story brick structure with an olive-tan facade, long tiers of multi-paned industrial windows, and a flat roof. Augustus describes it to a 911 dispatcher as "the old furniture place along Northern Highway," near exit 14. The roof is reached from inside, up a metal stairwell that opens onto it through a door. A raised brick parapet runs along the edge, and people can stand or sit on it. The roof overlooks a quiet cityscape, with a large wrought iron fence visible in the distance.

History

The rooftop first appears in Ten Seconds to Midnight, on the New Year's Eve after Lucy learns her family plans to send her away. Augustus, wandering the streets alone, spots a silhouette standing on the roof. He sprints up the stairwell and pulls Lucy back from the ledge. She insists she wasn't going to jump and rages at him for deciding what's best for her. Rather than argue, Augustus leaves the choice with her: "Do what you want. … I'll wait downstairs until you're done." The chapter closes on Lucy sitting on the snowy ledge while he keeps watch below.

Lucy stands alone on a rooftop ledge at night, snow falling around her.

Lucy returns a few weeks later, on the night of the sophomore-year play, and this time she jumps. Convinced that nobody cares about her, she climbs the dark stairs to the roof, steps onto the ledge, and lets herself fall. She survives the fall. Augustus finds her in the snow, begging to die. He calls 911 over her screamed protests and gives the dispatcher the building's location. Readers only learn all of this three in-story years later, in a flashback in Love Again.

Days after Lucy is sent away from Roseville in Leaving Home, Augustus comes back alone. While her friends grieve elsewhere, he sits on the snowy ledge and watches the sunrise.

The ledge also frames Trapped, during junior year. Augustus sits here alone as his memories of Alejandro and Melanie play out, and the chapter ends with him leaning on the ledge, telling the absent Lucy, "I'm glad you made it."

Trivia

• The building is never named on panel. The only in-story identification is Augustus's 911 call, "The old furniture place along Northern Highway. I think it's.. exit 14?" "Warehouse" is the wiki's own label, and the chapter transcripts call it an abandoned factory building.
• The location debuted in real time on New Year's Eve, matching its in-story setting. Veronica's commentary on the following page greets readers with "Hope you guys had a good new year!!!"