Bluehour (A Watermagic Novel) Read Online Free Page B

about saving my
life. How could that be? She was unfathomable. I just wanted to get
away from her.
    I was surprised to see how little she seemed
to care about what others thought of her. She was frank in her
statements and her facial expressions seemed genuine, even caring
which was very different than the way most teenage girls of beauty
acted. I respected her for that.
    “You heard my warning,” she reminded me and
then strode away in a fluid manner past the crowd, her sheer gown
blowing in the wind.
    The crowd broke up, gossiping amongst
themselves. Some kids even patted me on the back and praised me for
being a “kick-ass-fighter.” I didn’t respond; I abhorred the
attention.
    I had enough excitement for the night; I was
ready to leave. My thoughts drifted and I looked over at the
boulders where the rest of the très beaux were. They were watching
me. A chill ran through my body. I sensed that there was something
very dangerous about them that their beauty could be a disguise
that concealed qualities much more threatening than was
apparent.
    There was something wrong with them. I knew
that. They were too clannish, too interconnected. It was like they
were one mind acting together. Out in the water, they had all
turned at the same times to catch the same waves. That wasn’t
normal. Usually people didn’t ride in one line the way they
did.
    Laurent was peculiar. He found my sapphire
ring in the ocean. How probable was that? It was possible, but very
unlikely to retrieve such a tiny item in a vast sea.
    And earlier, it seemed like he threw that
stone so far, all the way into the ocean. Maybe that was nothing; I
certainly could have imagined that.
    But, moreover, his behavior toward me was so
strange. His tease with the ring in his fist held out before me
seemed so playful, like a fun game, but a moment later, when my
finger touched his palm, he reacted with such utter repulsion. I
was entirely confused.
    As much as I wanted to leave, I didn’t want
to go home and face my dad. I didn’t want to be punished. I felt
his rule of keeping me out of the ocean wasn’t fair. Just because
his shipmates drowned in the waters near Catalina Island didn’t
mean I was going to drown. If he was so worried about me dying,
then why did he allow me to swim in the pool? His story didn’t make
sense. There must be more to it than he had expressed.
    Agatha put her arm around my shoulders. “You
okay?” she asked in a gentle voice.
    “I am, but I’m not. You know what I mean?” I
looked at her.
    “Story of my life,” she said with a smile.
“Come on—let me take you home.”
    We gathered our things and Danny walked us to
Agatha’s Volkswagen. As we approached, I noticed the parking lot
was dark and quiet. I could have heard a pin drop. For a moment I
stopped to gaze at the sky. The stars twinkled magnificently and
the full moon gave an ominous feel to the setting. I was glad to be
away from the crowds of kids. And now I wanted to go to bed so I
could replay the entire evening in my mind and make sense of it
somehow.
    Before we left I asked Danny the names of
each of the French exchange students again. He described them all
and told me their names. I wanted to know who was who in my
mind.
    This time Agatha drove. It was better that
way. I wasn’t in the mood to be my wild self on the road. Most of
the drive we were silent. I think we both had a lot on our
minds.
    But, as we neared my apartment complex, I
asked her, “What did you say to my dad when you went off by
yourselves?”
    She laughed uncomfortably. “I didn’t say
much.” She blushed a little. “I told him that if he made you go
home then Danny would go off with his friends and I would be all
alone. I think he knows that I’m not popular and I think he felt
sorry for me.”
    I shrugged. “Well, that makes sense. I think
my dad would be empathetic to that. He really likes you. Your
happiness matters to him. But, you were talking to him for a while.
I feel like