Mom had been lying all these years, too? What if all her threats about diseases and insanity were some perverse desire to keep me the way she wanted me — normal and perfect. She’d struggled for so long for the town’s acceptance. Maybe this was all just one more piece of that. Myra lying I could believe — she was an evil old witch. But Mom wasn’t like that.
The green wicked witch image popped back into my head, making my breath catch.
“I see your real face,” I said to Zach.
He looked confused.
“Superimposed over the scars, I see the face you would have had, your whole face.”
His mouth opened like he wanted to say something, but he didn’t.
“It’s … you’re beautiful,” I whispered, looking down at my hands.
He shook his head. Tried again to speak. There was heat betwee n us — like an echo of the fire. My shield was weak.
“I should go,” I said. Something more than just his tug pulled at me as he sat there, not knowing what to say. I smiled at him. “Get some sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow night.”
He nodded and lifted a hand to wave.
I walked slowly back through the trees and boulders and up the hill to my house. My head felt too full of mixed up thoughts. I wondered if this w as a preview of what Gran felt — as if there was just too much to think about, and it was hard to find any one strand that held together.
Chapter Eleven
Way too early the next morning Luke shook me awake. “Get up, lazy.”
I opened one eye. “What are you doing here?”
“Kidnapping you,” he said. “Come on, we’re going to the river.”
“I can’t,” I mumbled, turning over. “I have big plans today.”
“Big plans? Okay, let’s hear it.”
“I’m stalking Old Myra Clay to convince her to let me work for her.”
He knocked on my head. “Hello! It’s Saturday! I have no clue as to why you would want to work for that old hag, but regardless, it’s the weekend and you deserve to have a little fun. So get your ass out of bed and let’s go.”
“Since when do you come by to take me to the river on a Saturday morning anyway? Mom put you up to it?”
“No!”
“Liar.”
“Nuh-uh,” he teased.
“Yuh-huh,” I played along.
He grabbed the extra pillow on my bed and whacked me with it. “So who cares anyway?” he said. “Point is your favorite brother is here wanting to spend time with you. Why complain?”
“Point is my brother is being forced to babysit me cause Mom is worried I’m losing it.”
“Is that why?” he asked, blowing his own cover. “Why would she think that? I mean you’ve always been weird, but I don’t see anything different than usual.”
“Ha ha. She thinks I’m heading for Meadowland. Maybe I have been acting weirder than usual lately, but I have my reasons.”
“I’m sure you do.” He pulled the quilt off me.
“Are we really going to the river?” I asked. It wasn’t often he came around to hang out.
“I’m game if you are,” he said.
“No girlfriend tagging along today?” I asked.
“Nah. Just you and me, kid. Get moving.” He grabbed the Green Day CD he’d given me for my birthday off my shelf on his way out. “Hey, can I borrow this, and is there any pie in the fridge?” He didn’t wait for an answer to either question.
While he scrounged for baked goods, I got into a bathing suit. Guilt curdled up inside me. It wasn’t like Zach could take a day off of life and go lie in the sun. Even if I did find a way to free him from Myra Clay’s, would he ever go out in public with those scars?
Luke’s jeep refused to start. “Let me,” I said. Directing the energy of The Hollow, I turned the key and it started right up. He rolled his eyes.
On the way to the river, Luke and I bickered over radio stations and which beach to go to. We finally decided on Hummingbird Cove, where the water was gentle, the rocks were big enough to sunbathe on, and the hummingbirds endlessly flitted. When we got there, he hopped out
The green wicked witch image popped back into my head, making my breath catch.
“I see your real face,” I said to Zach.
He looked confused.
“Superimposed over the scars, I see the face you would have had, your whole face.”
His mouth opened like he wanted to say something, but he didn’t.
“It’s … you’re beautiful,” I whispered, looking down at my hands.
He shook his head. Tried again to speak. There was heat betwee n us — like an echo of the fire. My shield was weak.
“I should go,” I said. Something more than just his tug pulled at me as he sat there, not knowing what to say. I smiled at him. “Get some sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow night.”
He nodded and lifted a hand to wave.
I walked slowly back through the trees and boulders and up the hill to my house. My head felt too full of mixed up thoughts. I wondered if this w as a preview of what Gran felt — as if there was just too much to think about, and it was hard to find any one strand that held together.
Chapter Eleven
Way too early the next morning Luke shook me awake. “Get up, lazy.”
I opened one eye. “What are you doing here?”
“Kidnapping you,” he said. “Come on, we’re going to the river.”
“I can’t,” I mumbled, turning over. “I have big plans today.”
“Big plans? Okay, let’s hear it.”
“I’m stalking Old Myra Clay to convince her to let me work for her.”
He knocked on my head. “Hello! It’s Saturday! I have no clue as to why you would want to work for that old hag, but regardless, it’s the weekend and you deserve to have a little fun. So get your ass out of bed and let’s go.”
“Since when do you come by to take me to the river on a Saturday morning anyway? Mom put you up to it?”
“No!”
“Liar.”
“Nuh-uh,” he teased.
“Yuh-huh,” I played along.
He grabbed the extra pillow on my bed and whacked me with it. “So who cares anyway?” he said. “Point is your favorite brother is here wanting to spend time with you. Why complain?”
“Point is my brother is being forced to babysit me cause Mom is worried I’m losing it.”
“Is that why?” he asked, blowing his own cover. “Why would she think that? I mean you’ve always been weird, but I don’t see anything different than usual.”
“Ha ha. She thinks I’m heading for Meadowland. Maybe I have been acting weirder than usual lately, but I have my reasons.”
“I’m sure you do.” He pulled the quilt off me.
“Are we really going to the river?” I asked. It wasn’t often he came around to hang out.
“I’m game if you are,” he said.
“No girlfriend tagging along today?” I asked.
“Nah. Just you and me, kid. Get moving.” He grabbed the Green Day CD he’d given me for my birthday off my shelf on his way out. “Hey, can I borrow this, and is there any pie in the fridge?” He didn’t wait for an answer to either question.
While he scrounged for baked goods, I got into a bathing suit. Guilt curdled up inside me. It wasn’t like Zach could take a day off of life and go lie in the sun. Even if I did find a way to free him from Myra Clay’s, would he ever go out in public with those scars?
Luke’s jeep refused to start. “Let me,” I said. Directing the energy of The Hollow, I turned the key and it started right up. He rolled his eyes.
On the way to the river, Luke and I bickered over radio stations and which beach to go to. We finally decided on Hummingbird Cove, where the water was gentle, the rocks were big enough to sunbathe on, and the hummingbirds endlessly flitted. When we got there, he hopped out
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