too, Morveren.”
“Bran,” says Jenna, with an almost inaudible touch of pleading in her voice. Bran turns to her. I can’t really describe how it happens, but his whole face softens. It’s a bit like the way that Jago Faraday has a smile that only Jenna ever gets. Just for a moment Bran looks like a different person.
“You want to come for a walk, then, Jenna?” he says, pronouncing her name as if it’s a jewel. Jenna glances quickly at me, at Bran, and at our cottage wall as if the answer is written there.
“Um… where to?”
I fold my arms and give Bran a “you’d better watch yourself with my sister” glare.
“Maybe along the strand a way?”
I’d forgotten how Bran always calls it “the strand” the way Mrs Bassett does, and all the old people. It sounds funny when he’s so young and hard, with his shoulders hunched in a leather jacket which no one round here would be able to afford. Jenna blushes more, from panic. Keep him away from the pool, Jenna. Jenna hears my thought – probably it’s her own thought too.
“Let’s go the other way, Bran,” she says, “past the harbour.”
Bran shrugs again. “All right then. Not a lot of choice in this dump, is there?” He always talks like that about the Island now, since his mum left, and it always makes me angry.
“Marazance is the best place for your dad’s business, I know that,” I say.
“Don’t, Mor,” says Jenna quickly.
“One of these days someone is going to shut that mouth of yours for you,” says Bran, very quietly and looking only at me.
“It won’t be you,” I answer.
“I’m not coming anywhere with you, Bran, if you talk to Morveren like that,” says Jenna.
“I don’t know why you bother so much about her. ”
“What you say to Morveren is the same as saying it to me.”
For a moment I think Bran’s going to leave. No one tells him what to do. But then, as he stares at her, a small smile curls his lips as if he’s just found another thing about her that he likes.
“Right then,” he says casually, and without looking at me, he walks away with Jenna. Jenna glances back with an expression I can’t read. Is she nervous or a bit apologetic – or does she actually look quite smug?
I want to go back to Malin, but I can’t risk it while Bran’s on the Island. What time is it? I go round the corner so I can see the face of the church clock.
Half-past two. But that’s impossible. It was dawn when we went out this morning. If the church clock’s telling the right time, then Jenna really was waiting for six hours. But all I did after she left was get the live water for Malin – and then pour it – and then I went down into the pool with him. All that can’t have taken more than an hour. Two at the very most. Maybe I fell asleep when I was watching him… But I’d know if I’d been asleep…
Time must have rushed forward, like a wave. If I’d been able to see the church clock then, would the hands have been whizzing forward with the minute hands crossing over the hours like in a cartoon…?
I stare up at the church clock, trying to think it through.
“Jenna?”
I spin round. “It’s Morveren, Dad.”
“You had me caught that time. You had just that dreamy look Jenna gets.”
“I was thinking about how time works.”
Dad laughs. “It goes too fast, I do know that. Where’s Jenna, then?”
“Oh – she’s at home I think.”
“Right. I’d better get on. Billy’s boat is in the yard and I said I’d give him a hand with the anti-fouling paint.”
Dad’s always helping people out with stuff. He and Jenna have a lot in common. They’re kind, and people feel easy with them. But they also both have hidden depths. For example, Mum loses her temper easily, but it doesn’t last long. She’ll be in the middle of shouting at you when she suddenly notices that there’s a flower on one of the new roses she planted, and she’ll rush out to look at it and then a little while later you’ll
“Bran,” says Jenna, with an almost inaudible touch of pleading in her voice. Bran turns to her. I can’t really describe how it happens, but his whole face softens. It’s a bit like the way that Jago Faraday has a smile that only Jenna ever gets. Just for a moment Bran looks like a different person.
“You want to come for a walk, then, Jenna?” he says, pronouncing her name as if it’s a jewel. Jenna glances quickly at me, at Bran, and at our cottage wall as if the answer is written there.
“Um… where to?”
I fold my arms and give Bran a “you’d better watch yourself with my sister” glare.
“Maybe along the strand a way?”
I’d forgotten how Bran always calls it “the strand” the way Mrs Bassett does, and all the old people. It sounds funny when he’s so young and hard, with his shoulders hunched in a leather jacket which no one round here would be able to afford. Jenna blushes more, from panic. Keep him away from the pool, Jenna. Jenna hears my thought – probably it’s her own thought too.
“Let’s go the other way, Bran,” she says, “past the harbour.”
Bran shrugs again. “All right then. Not a lot of choice in this dump, is there?” He always talks like that about the Island now, since his mum left, and it always makes me angry.
“Marazance is the best place for your dad’s business, I know that,” I say.
“Don’t, Mor,” says Jenna quickly.
“One of these days someone is going to shut that mouth of yours for you,” says Bran, very quietly and looking only at me.
“It won’t be you,” I answer.
“I’m not coming anywhere with you, Bran, if you talk to Morveren like that,” says Jenna.
“I don’t know why you bother so much about her. ”
“What you say to Morveren is the same as saying it to me.”
For a moment I think Bran’s going to leave. No one tells him what to do. But then, as he stares at her, a small smile curls his lips as if he’s just found another thing about her that he likes.
“Right then,” he says casually, and without looking at me, he walks away with Jenna. Jenna glances back with an expression I can’t read. Is she nervous or a bit apologetic – or does she actually look quite smug?
I want to go back to Malin, but I can’t risk it while Bran’s on the Island. What time is it? I go round the corner so I can see the face of the church clock.
Half-past two. But that’s impossible. It was dawn when we went out this morning. If the church clock’s telling the right time, then Jenna really was waiting for six hours. But all I did after she left was get the live water for Malin – and then pour it – and then I went down into the pool with him. All that can’t have taken more than an hour. Two at the very most. Maybe I fell asleep when I was watching him… But I’d know if I’d been asleep…
Time must have rushed forward, like a wave. If I’d been able to see the church clock then, would the hands have been whizzing forward with the minute hands crossing over the hours like in a cartoon…?
I stare up at the church clock, trying to think it through.
“Jenna?”
I spin round. “It’s Morveren, Dad.”
“You had me caught that time. You had just that dreamy look Jenna gets.”
“I was thinking about how time works.”
Dad laughs. “It goes too fast, I do know that. Where’s Jenna, then?”
“Oh – she’s at home I think.”
“Right. I’d better get on. Billy’s boat is in the yard and I said I’d give him a hand with the anti-fouling paint.”
Dad’s always helping people out with stuff. He and Jenna have a lot in common. They’re kind, and people feel easy with them. But they also both have hidden depths. For example, Mum loses her temper easily, but it doesn’t last long. She’ll be in the middle of shouting at you when she suddenly notices that there’s a flower on one of the new roses she planted, and she’ll rush out to look at it and then a little while later you’ll
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