Curse Of Wexkia Read Online Free

way. We’ll talk about him another time, when you get a little older.’
    Ugh. They were getting along great before the stranger turned up. Now it was all different. He acted as if he didn’t know she was old enough to go out into the world on her own so she was more than old enough to talk about some poor man’s accident.
    He patted her knee.
    At his touch, the atmosphere surrounding Nell prickled. Her senses had definitely heightened. Maybe an electrical storm was on its way.
    Clasping his hands, he rested his forearms on the table. His shoulders appeared heavier than the last time she saw him. Maybe he couldn’t find what his company wanted on his trip.
    ‘Nellen, it’s important that you listen to me.’
    He rarely used her full name. She lifted her head. He looked tired and troubled all of a sudden. She couldn’t remember detecting other people’s moods before. Maybe it was because she was about to turn seventeen. People probably gained a type of sixth sense as they grew older.
    She wished he would hurry and tell her what was going on so she could tell him all her news.
    A frown reappeared between her father’s brows.
    He had more than the visitor on his mind. Great. He probably didn’t want to hear anything she had to say, about university or especially, her dreams. The last time she told him about them, he was more irritated than worried. He didn’t want to hear how she flew with four magnificent wings or swam with strange sea creatures. If she told him those dreams had become nightmares, he’d probably dismiss them and tell her to forget about them again. It probably wouldn’t matter how old she got, he’d still treat her like a child.
      Bored, she studied his hands. His fingers were long and smooth like a pianist’s might be. She inspected his other features.
    She wasn’t sure how old he was. If she asked him, he’d shrug the question off and say, ‘Forty-something.’ She sighed. He never really answered any of her questions.
    He moved his chair closer and Nell breathed in hisaroma. He always had the scent of the ocean around him. Sometimes she wondered, was it cologne or did he naturally smell of the sea – clean and salty?
    ‘You need to stay close to the house from now on.’ His blue eyes didn’t flicker. ‘I don’t want you to go any farther north than the Frederick’s and no more than fifty metres south.’
    That meant she would be stuck there with nothing to do. ‘Why?’
    His lips narrowed. He wasn’t going to answer that question either.
    ‘Because I said, that’s why.’
    ‘Have I done something wrong?’
    He smiled. ‘No, you haven’t done anything wrong.’
    Great. Grounded without a reason. ‘How long? From now until I go to uni?’
    Her father’s expression was confused. ‘University?’
    ‘JCU of course. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. I wanted to go there because Sam was already. I got my acceptance just before Christmas.’
    ‘I’ve never given you any reason to believe you would be going to university. Why would you think such a thing?’
    ‘Because pretty well everyone goes now days and Annet helped me apply.’
    ‘You won’t be going anywhere this year, not to James Cook University or anywhere else. You will continue to be schooled at home by correspondence. If Annet can’t spare the time to help you anymore, I will.’
    The kitchen dimmed even further at her father’s words. Not go to uni? Stay at home? Her insides were as empty as the beach. Hot tears pooled in her eyes.
    ‘You’re treating me like a child, Dad. Do you even know that I’m nearly seventeen?’
    Through the haze, the anguish on her father’s face confused her. Why would he look like that? He was hurting her, she wasn’t hurting him. Her hands shook as she rubbed them together, so she wiped them on the sides of her jeans hoping the movement would quell her tears. She didn’t want to cry. She wanted to be angry.
    ‘I’m sorry, love. I probably should have told you