Dark Water Rising by Marian Hale Page B

furniture that stood between us and Ezra, but there was no sneaking up on the man. He heard us coming, and when he saw Josiah, he dropped his armful of litter and laughed out loud.
    I stood back a moment, watching Ezra and Josiah hug and laugh and hug again, then I bolted up the steps, forgetting all about my aches and pains, lost in one thought, one wish.
    I burst through the screen door and saw Aunt Julia scooping mud from the kitchen floor and scraping it into a bucket. She just stood there for a moment, mouth open, blinking at me.
    “Oh, sweet Jesus,” she whispered. The muddied dustpan hit the floor, and she threw her arms around me. “We thought you were dead.”
    She turned me loose and cradled Josiah’s face in her hands. “Thank God you’re both safe.” She pulled us through the dining room, toward the parlor, hollering all the way. “Everyone, come see! Come see who’s here!”
    We picked our way across the muddy warped floor, and before we got to the parlor, Andy and Will let out a whoop. “It’s Seth and Josiah!” they yelled. I heard feet on the stairs, and seconds later Matt and Lucas had me in such a tight hold I could hardly breathe.
    “Mama, Papa,” I gasped between squeezes, “Ella Rose—are they okay?”
    “Sure, they’re all okay,” Matt said, grinning.
    Then Mama was there, wrapping her arms around me, covering me with kisses, leaving my cheeks wet with her tears.
    “Where’s Papa?” I asked.
    She hesitated, then smiled up at me. “We expect him soon.”
    She’d said it with conviction, but I’d caught themoment of uncertainty. I’d seen the shadow in her eyes.
    I glanced at the broken windows, the shredded curtains, the muddied carpet and furniture. I saw the hole they’d chopped in the floor to let in the rising water so the house wouldn’t float away.
    But I didn’t see Kate.
    I jerked back around to Mama and noticed for the first time that her eyes were red and swollen. Aunt Julia’s were, too. My heart splintered, and I swore I could hear it breaking apart, just like the crunching of houses I’d heard during the crystal lulls last night. I remembered the child on the beach, the sand on her lashes and cheeks. I saw the mangled snake of debris, heard Sarah Louise Ellison’s faint calls all over again, and the room swam. Mama called my name, but I couldn’t answer.
    She slid her hand over my forehead. “I bet you boys haven’t eaten a thing these past two days.”
    “No, ma’am,” Josiah said. “There weren’t much to be had.”
    In Josiah’s apologetic tone, I glimpsed just how much he’d been watching out for me since we’d left work yesterday. I pushed Mama’s hand away. I couldn’t think about that now. “I’m okay, Mama. Just tell me about Kate.”
    “Kate?” She gave me a puzzled look, then sighed with understanding. “Oh, Seth, you needn’t have worried. She’s asleep upstairs. Ella Rose is up there, too, looking after Elliott for your Aunt Julia.”
    I closed my eyes and let her words settle inside me. They were all safe. But when I glanced at Aunt Julia, I knew there was more.
    “What else?” I asked, looking from face to face. “Where’s Uncle Nate? And Ben?”
    Aunt Julia’s eyes filled with tears, and Mama pulled in a deep breath. “Your papa has been out looking for them all day,” she said, “for Mr. Covington, too. None of them made it home last night.”
    I remembered the flying slate, the rushing water, and I put my arms around Aunt Julia. “Josiah and I made it back,” I whispered. “They will, too. We’ll head out right now and help look for them.”
    Josiah nodded, but Aunt Julia gave us a grateful glance and said no.
    “The streets will soon be far too dark and dangerous.”
    “That’s true,” Mama said. “Besides, you boys have to rest and eat something. Hopefully, your papa will come home soon with good news.”
    “And if not,” Aunt Julia said, “maybe you can look for them in the morning?”
    I hugged her