Surfacing - Book One in the Swans Landing Series

Chapter 31

Chapter Thirty-One

“Let’s go over to the mainland this weekend,” Sailor said as she dipped a fry into her ketchup on Friday afternoon.

Dylan glanced at me. “Do you want to go or do you have something else you’d rather do?” he asked.

Sailor glared across the table. “Why do we always have to do what Mara wants?”

My gaze slid across the cafeteria toward the table where Josh sat with his usual group, including Elizabeth. The room was too noisy with conversations all around me to hear what was happening over there, but I had an unobstructed view of him. He always sat at the end of the table, hunched over his food as if to shield himself from them. He rarely spoke as he ate and Elizabeth shot him more than one annoyed glance when he didn’t take any interest in whatever she was talking about.

My plan was to be long gone from Swans Landing by the weekend. The incident with Josh’s mom and the sabotage of Lake’s pots had sealed my resolve. There was no place for me here, and I was certain that Sailor would be only one of many who would not miss my presence.

I had not slept very well the last two nights. The nap at Josh’s house had been the best sleep I’d had in a long time and now I was too afraid to sleep without him at my side.

But I had avoided Josh so far at school the last two days. I averted my gaze from his even though I could feel his eyes boring holes into the side of my head as we passed in the hall. He’d never come after me or talk to me in front of the other kids at school. He never let them know about us. Instead, he let Elizabeth hang onto his arm like she had a right to be there. She didn’t even know him, not the real Josh that I had come to understand.

“You’re free to do whatever you want,” I told Sailor as I pushed the remains of my lunch around on my tray. “I never said anyone has to do what I say.”

Sailor wrinkled her nose in Dylan’s direction. “Some people certainly seem to think so.”

“Mara is new here,” Dylan told her. “And she’s new to this whole finfolk thing. We need to spend time with her to make all of this easier.”

Sailor snorted, rolling her eyes.

“I’m fine,” I said to Dylan, giving him a friendly smile. “Really, you don’t have to hold my hand through this whole transition. I need to figure some things out on my own.”

“I know it’s not easy to adjust to all these new experiences,” Dylan said. “I want to help out any way that I can.”

Across the room, Josh stood and walked over to the trash cans to dump out his tray. I watched as he walked through the room, shoulders hunched and head down, hands buried in his pockets. My mouth went dry and my senses were on high alert, watching for any little sign from him.

Just before he reached the door, he looked up, almost imperceptibly, and his gaze met mine. Then he looked away and left the room.

I practically leaped from my seat. “Um,” I said, stammering for an excuse, “I remembered something I forgot. I have to go.”

Dylan started to stand, but I shook my head. “Finish your lunch.” It came out almost sounding like a command. “I’ll see you in class later.”

I flew toward the trash cans to throw away my half-eaten lunch and then was out the door in seconds. Josh had disappeared, but I had never needed to know where he’d gone to know how to find him. My pulse sounded like thunder in my ears. My resolve was weak, but I didn’t care. I needed to see him one last time. Just once, to remember what it felt like to be close to him before I gave him up for good.