Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon Read Free Book Online Page B

desperate to know them, to answer them.
    “Come on, Meg; I think your sailing career is over. Let’s get you home.” Dad turned to Adam. “Thanks again, Adam; I can’t tell you how grateful I am. She’s all I have and so, so precious.” He said it with such emotion. I felt a mix of intense embarrassment and love for my poor dad.
    “No problem, Mr. Rosenberg. I completely understand.” Adam strode across the room and firmly shook Dad’s hand.
    I struggled to say something, anything. But the words wouldn’t come. I just stood there, looking at him awkwardly, then shuffled out of the room.
    I caught a last look at his exquisite face. He had one hand in his hair and the other held the back of his neck. His eyes, clouded by confusion, followed mine until the door closed silently on his gaze.

Five
AFTERMATH
    S chool on Monday was all drama, drama, drama. Everyone wanted to hear what had happened and how the heroic Adam had come to my rescue. I didn’t really want to relive the experience—it was embarrassing the first time around and it became more so with each retelling.
    After first period, Caitlin grabbed my sleeve and pulled me into one of the girls’ bathrooms.
    “So, what happened after Adam carried you off?” she asked.
    “I passed out, I think. I just remember waking up in the clinic.”
    “Did he say anything? Did he mention the accident?”
    “No. Why?”
    She leaned back against a sink and chewed on her bottom lip for a second. “I swear to God, I saw the freakiest thing.”
    “What do you mean? What happened?”
    “Well, after you fell in, I couldn’t see you for a few seconds. I was shouting and grabbing at the water, but there was no sign of you. Within seconds Adam had dived in and swum to you. Like, I mean, seconds . I’ve never seen anything like it. Then, before he got to you, there was a glow in the water. It’s hard to describe. It looked like a golden light just below the water’s surface. Then suddenly, there you were. I could see you perfectly, but here’s the weird thing. You weren’t in the water. You were under it, but not in it. Your hair was hanging down normally and … and … well, you looked content. I swear to God … I’m so freaked out right now. Nobody else saw it. I’m beginning to think I imagined it all. I was hoping you might remember.” She ran her hands through her hair, shaking her head.
    “Caitlin, don’t stress yourself out. Maybe it was the sun playing tricks on the surface of the water.”
    “Maybe you’re right. It all happened so fast,” she muttered, looking confused.
    The door to the bathroom swung open and Jennifer flounced in. “What are you two doing skulking in here?” She went into a stall and slammed the door shut, but kept talking. “Did you guys hear about Killian’s dog? He followed Killian to school today and one of the school buses ran over him.”
    “Oh, no! Is he all right?” Caitlin gasped.
    “The bus was doing the poor dog a favor, if you ask me. He’s so decrepit! He should have been put down years ago,” Jennifer replied.
    “No, you numpty. I meant Killian,” Caitlin said in exasperation.
    “Let me finish! Anyhow … Áine arrives just as it happens and runs over to help the poor mutt. She just put her hands on his head and hey, presto, the dog stood up and headed off home.”
    Caitlin and I exchanged startled glances as Jennifer flushed the toilet, opened the door, and walked over to a sink. “How freaky is that? I mean, I could have sworn the wheel rolled over the dog. Then the thing just gets up and trots off. There is something strange about that girl. She’s working some kinda voodoo, if you ask me.” She looked at us with her face all scrunched up. “You don’t find that odd? Am I the only one who thinks it highly unlikely the bus missed all of the dog’s vital organs?”
    “It’s a possibility,” I piped up.
    “Well, I think it’s weird. But then, when have the DeRíses ever been normal?” Jennifer