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But she was bound to be disappointed in me. After everything I'd done--losing the trackers that Vivian used to trick her way into the Center, freeing Lend and running instead of following protocol, not coming back now that I was safe--no, she wouldn't be happy to hear from me. And then they'd look for me, too. It was best to leave it alone.
“Could I what?”
“Never mind. ” I smiled weakly. “I'm just glad she's okay. You're sure?”
“Positive. And now I'm going to try and get some sleep. ”
“Oh, yeah, me, too. ”
Several nervous and mind-?numbingly long hours later dawn finally came. I was exhausted and angry. I should have lain awake in bed last night because I was too giddy over Lend to sleep--not because I was terrified and paranoid thanks to my creepy sister thing and her little dream visits.
Around seven Lend knocked on my door.
“Yeah?”
He peeked in. Gosh, he was adorable.
“Hey--did you want to come to school with me again? It's only a half day. ”
“I don't really feel well. ” I hoped he could see how regretful I was. This was my only chance to see his mom without having to answer questions from Lend or David. I wasn't ready for questions.
“Oh, sure. Slacker. I'll be back before noon. ” He grinned at me and I felt like the worst person in the world.
“Can't wait,” I said, smiling. I listened until I was sure the house was empty, then threw on a jacket. I tucked Tasey into my pocket. Lend and his dad might be satisfied that Cresseda had banished Reth, but I wasn't taking any chances.
The trail seemed shorter this time, probably because I was nervous about what Cresseda would say. Plus, every cracked twig made me jump, certain that Reth--or worse, Vivian--was going to come sauntering out of the trees.
When I reached the edge of the pond, I stopped, flummoxed. I had no idea how to get her to come up. Lend had skipped a rock, but I couldn't do that to save my life. Frowning, I picked up a likely looking candidate and imitated his expert wrist flick. I was rewarded with a very ungraceful splosh. No skipping at all. I tried again; no luck. This was going to be a long morning. After lobbing in another four rocks, I was ready to give up, when the center of the pond started churning.
Cresseda formed in front of me. The frost was nearly gone and she was much closer this time.
“Oh, umm, hi. ”
“Evelyn,” she said in her melodic stream of a voice.
“I was wondering if you could maybe answer some questions for me?”
She looked at me, grave and sad. “As I said, yours is not a path of the waters. Yours is a path of spirit and fire. ”
“Yeah, but do you know what an Empty One is?”
“You are an Empty One. ”
Okay, not so helpful. “Yes, but what is that? What does that mean?”
“That has not been determined. You have yet to choose, and you
are not filled. ”
My voice caught, tears stinging my eyes. “What if I don't want to be filled?”
“We cannot change our nature. ” As if to demonstrate, she smiled sadly and held out her hand to me. I reached out, hesitant, and touched it. My hand went right through.
“I don't want to be anything. ” The tears started in earnest. “I don't want to be like her, like Vivian. I don't want to hurt anyone. Am I going to hurt people?”
“No one can make you do that, child. You are caught between two worlds, much like my own Lend. You will want the fire, you will want to be filled. It is your nature. I hope you do not fall, but she is much stronger than you are. ”
She smiled at me, reaching out as though she would wipe away my tears. “Cling to what is good in your life. Be good to my son. ” Then the water tumbled down, losing its form as she returned to the pond.
