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SAOIRSE
“So,Saoirse, Éanna tells me you’re in your final year of school, is that correct?” Oliver Devereux glances up from his plate.
My eyes flash towards his wife, and she quickly reads the question brewing in them.
“Remember those weekly calls I told you about?”
I nod.
“Well, most of the time, your mother talked about you and your achievements.”
“You may not know us yet, sweetheart,” Oliver states. “But we know all about you and the fine young woman you’ve become.”
I wasn’t sure what to expect from the eldest Devereux, but it wasn’t the laidback and casually dressed man seated at the head of the table. His grey-blue eyes are almost identical to his son’s. Only, his appear less murderous and far friendlier.
Maybe it’s the way he dotes on his wife, with nothing but love and adoration, that has me so at ease, or the way he listens to his children with his full attention, as though every word that leaves their mouth is precious.
Whatever it is, Oliver Devereux dulls my anxiety with his mere presence alone.
“Yeah, I am. Although, I don’t think I will be going back to school anytime soon. I have to figure out a few things first.”
Like where I’m going to live. How I’m going to survive on no income. Oh, and who the fuck those masked men were, not to mention what happened to my mother!
“Nonsense. You need an education, Saoirse. I’m on theKillybegs Secondary School’sboard. I’ll see what I can do.”
“Sir,” I begin, “I don’t mean to be rude, but I feel like I have more pressing issues than my education.”
He cuts me off before I can protest any further. “Please, call me Oliver. Sir makes me feel old.” He wrinkles his nose in distaste. “Considering I’m only turning thirty-nine, I’d like to hang on to my youth for a little longer.” His smile is genuine, matching his joking tone and the wink he directs my way. “And as far as your education is concerned, your mother would want you to stay in school. So, until we can figure out what happened to Éanna, you’re free to stay here and attend school with Liam and Beibhinn. I won’t force it upon you, but I want you to know the option is there.”
He’s right. My mother always stressed how important it was to finish school and complete my exams, but how could I possibly do that with her gone.
Suddenly, Oliver’s words settle in, and rage, as I’ve never experienced before, explodes from me. “You want to know what happened to my mother? Two men in fucking masks broke into our house. One chased me through the woods, while the other, Ipresume, lit a fucking match, burning down our house and leaving her for dead as it burnt to the ground around her.”
I can feel the weight of Liam and Beibhinn’s eyes on me, boring into my skin as I push from the table, the chair scraping across the floor with the abrupt movement, but I don’t care.
Before I can storm away, Fiadh is by my side, wrapping her arms around me and turning my body to face hers.
“Saoirse, there are things about this life you don’t know yet. Trust me, if I felt like you could handle them all, I would spew it all out, but you’re not ready. Don’t get me wrong; I love your mam with all my heart, but in protecting you, she’s made you vulnerable.”
“Stop,” I cry. “Stop speaking about her in the present tense. She’s gone, and she left me here with nothing but secrets and lies.”
“No, sweetheart.” Fiadh’s eyes soften. “She led you here, to us. People who could protect you at all costs, to the very people you need to figure everything out, just like she always planned.”
Her hands glide up my arms, then stop at my shoulders. She pulls back and holds my gaze. “I know Éanna better than most, and until I see her body or proof that she was in that house when it went up in flames, I will hang on to the hope that she is out there. Trust me when I tell you, I am doing everything I can to find out what happened that night, but for now, I need you to trust me.”
Squeezing my eyes shut, I hold back the tears burning behind my eyes and nod.
Could she be right? Could my mother be alive? Do they have her, or could she have escaped? If so, why didn’t she contact me and let me know she was okay?
On one hand, it’s hard to believe she could have defied the odds, but on the other, I want to think she’s out there somewhere, trying to find a way back to me.
“Listen, sweetie. I know these past few days have been rough on you, but things will only get more intense from here on out.”
“So, enjoy tonight, finish your food, and then Beibhinn will give you a tour of the gate lodge.”
Lifting my palm, I pat beneath my waterline, catching the tears trying to escape. “Okay.”
“Tomorrow, you will start your training, and on Monday morning, you can start school. Trust me. You’ll need that bit of normality to keep you grounded.” She pulls me into her chest. “Your answers will come, Saoirse, but only when you’re ready to hear them.”
