A Girl Called Fearless by Catherine Linka Read Free Book Online

scissors and snipped at the rosebush.
    Yates ducked down and crept behind Mom’s headstone. The falling sun sculpted his arms into light and shadow, and I caught myself staring.
    â€œYou know Hawkins is on our Enemies of Freedom list. We’re going to fight his election.” Yates said.
    â€œGood. Someone needs to stop the Paternalists.”
    He rested his back against the stone and I worked my way around the rose until he was so close we were almost touching. From here, I had a clear view of Roik tapping away on his phone, playing a game.
    â€œI’m so happy you came,” I said, “but why did you chance it?”
    â€œI thought you could use someone on your side. And with Dayla gone—”
    A smile bloomed on my lips. “Yeah, thanks.”
    He reached up and squeezed the ends of my fingers, and suddenly the air felt charged, and I couldn’t look straight at him. I wasn’t used to this closeness after years of looking at him through a window.
    Yates cleared his throat softly. “This thing with Hawkins must seem unreal,” he said.
    â€œIt’s like watching my life being taken away.”
    â€œWhen’s the Signing?”
    â€œTwo weeks.”
    â€œTwo.” Yates swore under his breath. “Just like what happened to Becca. You need to go back to church.”
    â€œIt’s too painful. All the memories.”
    â€œI’m serious. You need to go.”
    I glanced at Yates’s T-shirt, relieved that even though it was black, it wasn’t the one he wore nonstop after Becca’s death, the one with the quote from Poe: “I became insane with long periods of horrible sanity.”
    Memories strobed in my head. Yates collapsed on our doorstep holding Becca’s cardboard box. “Becca wanted you to have these.” Roik letting him in even though I wasn’t allowed visits from boys. Yates disappearing into a hospital, and Roik refusing to take me to see him.
    Suddenly, I guessed why Yates wanted me to go to church. “You want me to meet Father Gabriel, the priest who kept you from—” Killing yourself.
    Yates winced. “Father Gabe’s a good guy. I think he could help you.”
    â€œBut I don’t think I’d ever—” Be that desperate?
    â€œFather G helps people in lots of ways.” Yates rested his hand on my foot. “I thought maybe you could give him a chance.”
    Yates was risking a Tasing from Roik, so the least I could do was meet Father Gabe. “Okay. Sure.”
    Yates tugged my shoelace until the bow fell apart, and then smiled like he used to when I was ten, daring me to retie it.
    Roik was still absorbed with his phone. I bent down to tie my shoe. Yates leaned over and stretched out his hand, and I was intensely aware of his strong fingers and the vein tracing across the back of his hand.
    He touched the silver dolphin hanging from my neck and bounced it lightly on his fingertips. “Becca would be happy to see you wearing this.”
    Yates’ eyes met mine, and I rested for a moment in their deep blue. The charge was still there, but it felt safe somehow. Yates was my oldest friend and he understood what I was going through, and he’d do everything he could to help me.
    â€œMiss Avie!”
    I bolted upright. Roik was waving me back to the car.
    â€œComing!”
    I slapped grass off my skirt and Yates handed me the pruners. “Women’s mass is at nine. Can I tell Father Gabe you’ll be there?”
    â€œYes. Okay. Fine.” Yates worshiped Father Gabe, but I didn’t see how meeting him was going to do a thing. Still, I hadn’t been back to church in forever. Maybe it was time.
    Roik was hoofing it up the path. “Now get out of here, will you?” I told Yates. I grabbed the blanket and shook off the grass, then hurried down to meet Roik halfway.
    He tossed the blanket in the trunk, and I crawled into the backseat and stuck my