there!”
Nothing happened for a moment; then the leaves rustled and Kirk dropped to a lower branch. He hung for a moment and jumped in front of Jefferson. Kirk looked up at the football player, who was almost a head taller than he was.
People had stopped to stare, but Kirk’s expression was innocent. “What’s wrong?”
“You were up in my tree!” Jefferson exclaimed. “What if you broke your neck? You’re on my property—my family is liable.”
“I just wanted a view.”
“Of what?” Jefferson demanded.
“The meteor shower,” Kirk explained. “There’s supposed to be one tonight.” He gazed helplessly at Gretchen. “Isn’t there?”
“What?” She shook her head, clearly confused, and Will didn’t know whether to throttle Kirk or offer to take him home. God, why did he have to be so weird? Still, Will got the sense that Kirk really was trying to be normal—that the poor spaced-out kid didn’t have any idea that most people don’t climb trees at a keg party.
A ripple of surprise ran through the crowd, and when Will looked up, he saw silver rain falling fromthe black night sky. Like shimmering fireworks, the translucent tails drifted across the darkness as the brilliant heads descended toward the horizon.
“It looks like the stars are falling into the river,” Angus said, and Will was shocked that his friend had managed to capture the poetic essence of what was happening. It did look as if the stars were falling into the river, and the water reflected their light, rippling and dancing like silver flames.
“Fire on the water,” Kirk whispered, and Will saw Gretchen shudder.
The shower didn’t last long—not more than twenty seconds—and when it was over, the partygoers burst into applause, as if Jefferson had planned the spectacle for their entertainment. Then the chatter began again, this time at increased volume.
Kirk looked at Gretchen then, his large eyes resting on her with an unreadable expression.
“What is it?” she asked.
“It’s nothing,” Will said, before Kirk could answer.
“Wow!” Angus said. “Wow! That was awesome!” He clapped Kirk on the shoulder and said, “Aren’t you sorry you weren’t up in that tree?”
Kirk looked at him, then turned away, letting Angus’s hand drop from his shoulder.
Angus opened his mouth, as if he might call Kirk back, but Gretchen touched his arm. “Don’t,” she said.
Angus looked at her serious face. “Okay,” he said.
“You don’t look so good,” Mafer told her, and Gretchen squeezed her eyes shut.
“I have a headache,” she admitted.
“Let’s get out of here,” Will suggested.
“Okay,” Gretchen said faintly. She let him drag her away, much to his relief.
They climbed into the Gremlin, and Gretchen sat behind the wheel. It was quiet, and the noise from the party provided a low murmuring background to the darkness that surrounded them.
Gretchen put her hands to her face.
“Are you okay?” Will asked, touching her shoulder, and she leaned into him. She was crying, softly, making no sound, just the gentle, shaky intake of breath. “Hey,” Will said. “Hey.” And he wrapped his arms around her.
“Fire on the water,” Gretchen whispered.
“I know.”
“I remember it. The night on the bay.”
Will felt deafened by his own heart. “You do?”
Gretchen shook her head, her eyes closed against his chest. “Just now. I’d forgotten—but now I remember.”
“What else?” His voice was a whisper, faint and strange to his own ears.
“I remember those things.”
“The seekriegers. Sirens.”
“And … Asia was there. Wasn’t she?”
Will couldn’t speak. He nodded.
“And they all died. They died in the fire.”
Will nodded again, still mute.
“But—” She looked up at him with those limpid blue eyes. “Why was Asia there? Was she one of them?”Her face was a shifting kaleidoscope of confusion, fear, pain.
“No,” Will said.
“How do you know?”
“She told
Nothing happened for a moment; then the leaves rustled and Kirk dropped to a lower branch. He hung for a moment and jumped in front of Jefferson. Kirk looked up at the football player, who was almost a head taller than he was.
People had stopped to stare, but Kirk’s expression was innocent. “What’s wrong?”
“You were up in my tree!” Jefferson exclaimed. “What if you broke your neck? You’re on my property—my family is liable.”
“I just wanted a view.”
“Of what?” Jefferson demanded.
“The meteor shower,” Kirk explained. “There’s supposed to be one tonight.” He gazed helplessly at Gretchen. “Isn’t there?”
“What?” She shook her head, clearly confused, and Will didn’t know whether to throttle Kirk or offer to take him home. God, why did he have to be so weird? Still, Will got the sense that Kirk really was trying to be normal—that the poor spaced-out kid didn’t have any idea that most people don’t climb trees at a keg party.
A ripple of surprise ran through the crowd, and when Will looked up, he saw silver rain falling fromthe black night sky. Like shimmering fireworks, the translucent tails drifted across the darkness as the brilliant heads descended toward the horizon.
“It looks like the stars are falling into the river,” Angus said, and Will was shocked that his friend had managed to capture the poetic essence of what was happening. It did look as if the stars were falling into the river, and the water reflected their light, rippling and dancing like silver flames.
“Fire on the water,” Kirk whispered, and Will saw Gretchen shudder.
The shower didn’t last long—not more than twenty seconds—and when it was over, the partygoers burst into applause, as if Jefferson had planned the spectacle for their entertainment. Then the chatter began again, this time at increased volume.
Kirk looked at Gretchen then, his large eyes resting on her with an unreadable expression.
“What is it?” she asked.
“It’s nothing,” Will said, before Kirk could answer.
“Wow!” Angus said. “Wow! That was awesome!” He clapped Kirk on the shoulder and said, “Aren’t you sorry you weren’t up in that tree?”
Kirk looked at him, then turned away, letting Angus’s hand drop from his shoulder.
Angus opened his mouth, as if he might call Kirk back, but Gretchen touched his arm. “Don’t,” she said.
Angus looked at her serious face. “Okay,” he said.
“You don’t look so good,” Mafer told her, and Gretchen squeezed her eyes shut.
“I have a headache,” she admitted.
“Let’s get out of here,” Will suggested.
“Okay,” Gretchen said faintly. She let him drag her away, much to his relief.
They climbed into the Gremlin, and Gretchen sat behind the wheel. It was quiet, and the noise from the party provided a low murmuring background to the darkness that surrounded them.
Gretchen put her hands to her face.
“Are you okay?” Will asked, touching her shoulder, and she leaned into him. She was crying, softly, making no sound, just the gentle, shaky intake of breath. “Hey,” Will said. “Hey.” And he wrapped his arms around her.
“Fire on the water,” Gretchen whispered.
“I know.”
“I remember it. The night on the bay.”
Will felt deafened by his own heart. “You do?”
Gretchen shook her head, her eyes closed against his chest. “Just now. I’d forgotten—but now I remember.”
“What else?” His voice was a whisper, faint and strange to his own ears.
“I remember those things.”
“The seekriegers. Sirens.”
“And … Asia was there. Wasn’t she?”
Will couldn’t speak. He nodded.
“And they all died. They died in the fire.”
Will nodded again, still mute.
“But—” She looked up at him with those limpid blue eyes. “Why was Asia there? Was she one of them?”Her face was a shifting kaleidoscope of confusion, fear, pain.
“No,” Will said.
“How do you know?”
“She told
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