Carrier of the Mark. Leigh Fallon

not fair.” I stumbled in my haste to get up off the gangway and teetered on the edge. He jumped down and steadied me.

      “You were saying?”

      “Oh, nothing.” I was furious at myself for still aching to touch him.

      “Wait,” he said, rubbing his jaw. “I’m sorry.”

      “You should be.”

      He laughed and turned off the flashlight. It took a few moments for my eyes to adjust to the darkness again. “I mean it,” he said softly, very close to my face.

      I could hardly breathe. “Forget it,” I managed, and turned to flee.

      But he was quicker; he caught my hand and spun me back to him. “Honestly, I’m sorry.” He lowered his eyes to mine. “But the marina is not the place to be hanging around after dark.”

      I lifted my chin defiantly. “You’re here, aren’t you?” I looked him straight in the eye.

      He held my glare for a moment or two; then his eyes softened. All traces of my irritation melted away as he moved closer.

      I felt like we were being pulled together by some unknown force. With his face now only inches from mine, I could feel his hot breath on my lips; it tickled the end of my nose. Every nerve in my body was screaming for me to throw my arms around his neck, but his eyes held me still. My lips parted, eager to taste his breath on the tip of my tongue.

      His eyes shifted and flickered up toward the pier. He took a step back, the spell broken.

      “Yeah, but I work here,” he said softly. “See you at school on Monday.”

      He walked back down the gangway into the shadows and disappeared into the blackness.

      “Megan,” my dad called from the pier. “Are you down there?”

      “Yeah, Dad,” I shouted back, still looking in the direction where Adam had disappeared.

      “Come on. It’s getting late.”

      “I’m coming.” I ran up the gangway to the gate and into my dad’s view.

      My crow swooped up the gangway above my head and landed on the gate by my dad.

      “What is it with these Irish birds?” my dad said. “They’re persistent, aren’t they?”

      “You’ve noticed too!” I blurted out. “I thought it was just me. That crow is a menace. I swear he’s been following me.”

      “Have you been reading Stephen King again?” he asked, laughing. He threw his arm over my shoulders and changed the subject. “I didn’t get a chance to talk to you much at dinner. How’s school been?”

      “It’s fine. I wish people would stop talking about my stupid drowning incident, though.”

      He chuckled. He knew I despised being the center of attention.

      “Caitlin was talking about going into Cork City tomorrow. Can I go with her?”

      “Sure. You haven’t been outside of Kinsale since we got here, and you need to learn how to get around.”

      “Great! I’ll let Caitlin know I can go. Thanks, Dad.”

      “Come on. Let’s get back to the car; it’s getting cold,” he said, pulling me closer. “Did you see how tall that guy from the guards was?”

      “I did. He was pretty hard to miss. And it’s pronounced Guard-ee, Dad. The ‘i’ with the fada on it is pronounced ee.”

      “Since when do you know so much about the Irish language?”

      “Since I discovered half the population of the school has unpronounceable names,” I said, laughing.

      Seven

      CORK CITY

      

e walked toward me, holding me in his gaze, his eyes wide with intensity. His pupils were dilated black and deep, ringed by a circle of yellow that fanned into the green that made up his irises. The green was enclosed by a thin black ring, encasing all that intensity, holding it there. They shimmered. I tried to take a step forward and realized I was underwater. He held out his hand to me. I couldn’t grasp it.

      “Don’t leave me,” I screamed over and over. My head was swirling. “Come back.”

      “I’m here, Meg, don’t worry,” my dad said, sitting at my bedside. Confused, I glanced around the room. It was a hospital room.

      “You came back to me …. I thought I lost you,” he said, smiling at me with sad eyes.

      My eyes flickered behind him. The gray monk stood there with a hand on my dad’s shoulder. His eyes gazed at me softly and he smiled gently before dissipating into a shimmering mist.

      I threw myself forward and nearly tumbled out of bed. My breath was ragged, my head disoriented. Glancing around, I saw that I was back in my bedroom at home. A dream. It was only a dream.

      Breathing a sigh of relief, I allowed my head to drop back onto my feather pillow. My damp hair clung to my cheeks and I rubbed it off in irritation and threw back the duvet. Needing air, I crawled out of the bed and opened the window. It blew fresh and salty onto my clammy face, and I breathed deep as the memories of my encounter with Adam last night washed over me.

      “Good morning,” I croaked at the crow who was sitting on my windowsill, as I’d known he would be. He cocked his head and bowed it a little, then flew away. “See you later, Winky.” I watched him soar down toward the harbor, until he was just a dot in the distance.

      My cell phone vibrated on my bedside table with a message from Caitlin.

      On my way! Will be at your place in ten. Be ready.

      Crap! I’d better hurry. I chucked on what I was wearing last night, giving it a quick sniff to make sure it didn’t smell like fish; then I pulled on my Converse and ran down the stairs. I gasped in horror as I caught sight of myself in the mirror. Whoa, hair. Calm yourself. I quickly pulled it into a ponytail and slicked on some lip gloss and mascara. Just as I was finishing up, there was a knock at the door.

      “Hi,” Caitlin sang, sticking her head into the hall. “Bring your raincoat; it’s starting to drizzle.”

      On the way out, I noticed a white envelope with my name on it. Inside there was a wad of euros and a little note.

      Have some fun on me!

      Dad, you’re the best, I thought as I pocketed the cash.

      “Let’s go,” I said, and pulled the door firmly behind me.