Eliza's Shadow by Catherine Wittmack Read Free Book Online Page A

soon.” Mr.
Palmer said kindly.
    I stood and stumbled out of the room, the thick
scent of burning wood lingering in my nose and mouth.
     
    * * *
     
    After convincing the nurse that I needed to go
home, I sped across the school parking lot and headed towards the shore. I
needed fresh air and lots of it.
    Cool wind blew in gusts off the water, whitecaps
rippled along the surface. I climbed onto a large boulder and watched the
bubbling tide fan across the beach.
    What was happening to me? I thought pitifully. The
moment I’d arrived in Port Rune so many years ago, my life changed. I felt
different. It was as if I’d boarded a life raft that was slowly drifting away
from a sinking ship. The longer I stayed in Port Rune with Jane, the further I
drifted from the worry and pain of my mother’s disappearance. But now, my
security was disintegrating. Every time I was in the vicinity of Ren I lost
control and worse, the mess of unanswered questions about my life was coming
after me like a man-eating shark. Who was Ren Alden to have that power?
    My moment of solitude was broken by a voice.
    “Eliza? Is that you down there?”
    I turned toward the voice and cringed.
    Ren scrambled down the rocky path. His eyes bobbed
up and down between the footpath and me.
    As leery as I was of him, I couldn’t deny the
spark of anticipation I felt when he said my name. My chest tightened as the
distance closed between us. The tingling vibrations I always felt in his
presence intensified as he neared my spot on the rock. When he finally reached
me, he climbed up a neighboring boulder, planting himself within arm’s length.
    His cheeks were flushed and he panted, catching
his breath.
    My heart beat like a hummingbird.
    “What are you doing here?” I asked.
    He sat with his arms flung around his knees and
stared out at the sea.   “Wondering…if you’re feeling better?” He asked
unconvincingly.
    His gaze faltered. For the first time I noticed
how thick his eyelashes were as they fanned over his cheeks.
    Despite his charm, I had to keep my guard up. I
squinted defensively at him.
    “Who are you? Really?” I asked evenly, searching
his eyes.
    Ren flushed deeper and broke my gaze to stare at
his feet before speaking. When he lifted it, bold confidence had returned.
“I’m… at least I think… I am your pharos.”
    At that I rolled my eyes and gritted my teeth.
Everything dark about my past was rising to the surface, like bodies from a
sunken ship and the mysterious catalyst, Ren Alden, sounded as crazy as I felt.
    “Look, I don’t know what a pharos is but whatever
it is you’re doing… I want you to stop.” I said my voice shaking.
    Ren sighed and shifted uncomfortably on his
boulder. He looked out at the ocean in silence.
    With every wave that hit the beach, I grew more
concerned.
    His silence spoke more than any words he could
say. It meant I wasn’t wrong to believe he had uncovered something in me. Or rather,
unleashed something on me. It meant he knew he was affecting me. And he knew it
was unpleasant.
    The tumult of emotions I’d felt over the last
twenty-four hours anger, fear, attraction battled each other to exhaustion
until finally, I came to the conclusion that he wasn’t going to apologize.
Despite that, I was still drawn to him.
    “So, if you’re not going to stop, are you going to
tell me why?” I asked defiantly.
    Ren’s head snapped around.
    “You think I can control it? Look, Eliza, I’m
sorry but I can’t.” He said defensively.
    Then his gaze fell to his lap and he pressed his
lips together hard.
    “I’m sorry the boli upset you. I only brought it
to class because I knew it would get your attention. I thought it would help
you understand.” He said remorsefully.
    I shook my head in disbelief.
    “Ren, I don’t even know what happened back there
except that I totally lost touch with reality. Every time I see you, I feel
like I’m out of control, like I’m going crazy. How is that supposed to