Finding Sky by Joss Stirling Read Free Book Online Page B

strong wind and I was sure it would collapse on our heads.
    ‘I don’t want to talk about it.’ I marched ahead, making for the empty-framed window overlooking the valley. ‘Forget it.’
    ‘Hey, I’m talking to you.’ He caught my arm, but seemed to reconsider. ‘Look … er … Sky, isn’t it?’ He cast his eyes upwards as if seeking guidance, not quite believing what he was about to do. ‘I’ve got to tell you something.’
    The breeze got under the eaves, making the tin roof creak. I suddenly realized just how far we were from other people. He released my arm. I rubbed at the places where his fingers had dug into my skin.
    He frowned, reluctant even to speak to me, but made himself do so. ‘There’s something you need to know.’
    ‘What?’
    ‘Be careful at night. Don’t go out alone.’
    ‘What do you mean?’
    ‘The other night I saw … Look, just be careful, OK?’
    No, not OK. He was one scary guy.
    ‘You’ve got that right.’
    What? I hadn’t said that aloud, had I?
    He swore and kicked the broken mining gear in frustration. The chain clanked to and fro, reminding me of a body swinging on a hangman’s scaffold. I hugged my arms to my chest, trying to make myself a smaller target. This was my fault. I’d done something—I don’t know what—something to set him off.
    ‘No, you haven’t!’ He said the words sharply. ‘None of it is your fault, you hear?’ He dropped his voice. ‘And I’m just scaring the hell out of you, aren’t I?’
    I froze.
    ‘Fine. I’ll leave.’ He strode off abruptly, disappearing between the empty buildings, swearing at himself under his breath.
    So, that went well.

 
    Three weeks into the semester and high school had proved to be mostly fun apart from the weird feeling left over from Zed’s warning. What was that boy on? And what did he think he had seen? How could it possibly have anything to do with me not going out after dark? The last thing I needed was some bad boy to take an unhealthy interest in me.
    I tried to shrug it off. Too much else was going on. I had a few bad moments with some of the students teasing me about my accent and ignorance of things American, but on the whole they were OK. A couple of the girls in my social studies class, including the cheerleading Sheena—ones I’d privately tagged as Vampire Brides due to their preference for blood-red nail varnish—stole my ID off me for a joke when they’d heard me moaning to Tina about how bad my picture was. Unfortunately, the Draculettes agreed with me and dubbed me the ‘blonde bunny’ when they saw my photo, which I found more than annoying. Tina advised me to let it pass, arguing it was more likely to stick if I made a fuss about it. So I bit my tongue and kept my school swipe card hidden at all times.
    ‘Activities day next week—Juniors can choose to go rafting,’ Nelson told me one Friday afternoon as he walked me home. He was on his way to fix his grandmother’s lawnmower for her. ‘Wanna come?’
    I wrinkled my nose, imagining Robinson Crusoe lashing together tree trunks. ‘Rafting—you have to build one or something?’
    He laughed. ‘This isn’t the Boy Scouts of America, Sky. No, I’m talking white-water, white-knuckle, high octane excitement on the Eyrie River. Imagine an inflatable boat with room for six or seven. You’ve got the main man on the rudder at the back, the rest of us with the paddles sitting on the sides, just barely holding on as we plunge through the rapids. You’ve gotta give it a try if you want to count yourself a Coloradan.’
    Whoa, high school wasn’t like sixth form college after all—this was immense. I could see the images flashing before my mind now as I expertly navigated my way down a foaming river, saving the child/dog/injured man, music swelling to unbelievable heights, heavy on the strings, tight with tension …
    Yeah, right.
    ‘They’ve got a beginner’s level?’
    ‘Nope, gonna send you down the trickiest run with no