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“She has that effect on everyone,” Liam said, misreading my expression as general intimidation. “She’s not the warm-and-nurturing type, but she’s fair and she doesn’t get pissed for no reason, and she’s always willing to help if you need it. She’s just not friendly about it.”
I wondered how much of that was different for her son.Something in the tight way he looked at her told me her standards were even stricter for family.
“So. You ready for Belaya Skala?” Liam asked. I must have looked uncertain, because he laughed. “Don’t worry. The only thing over there is a bunch of birds and graves.”
“Graves?” I asked.
“Well. Not literally, I guess. They never did find the bodies,” he said.
“Which ones?” I asked.
“It’s a bit unsettling that you have to ask,” he replied.
“More than a bit.” We stepped out into the hall. “Nice to meet you, Moriarty,” I called.
And then in a crooning, feminine voice, plucked from my memory and garbled by time, the raven replied. “Bye-bye, little bird.”
7
LIAM WALKED MEout of the building and down a trail that snaked along the cliffside at the northern end of the island. Despite the clouds in the east, the sky above the island was clear, and the sun made the water gleam. Still, the wind threatened to push the storm our way, so we were both wearing rain shells just in case.
“What do you think Abby’s deal is?” Liam asked as we walked, picking our steps carefully along the steep path.
I gripped the strap of my bag in a stranglehold and tried to sound casual. “You heard her. Some school project.”
“Seems like a lot of effort. And over the summer too.”
“Maybe it’s one of those funky private schools for rich kids,” I said.
“I doubt it. I’ve gotten kicked out of several of them. I like to think I can spot their denizens, and Abigail Ryder doesn’t fit the bill.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Does that mean you’re rich?” I asked, hoping to get him off the subject of Abby and talking about himself. With most people, it was the quickest way to derail a conversation you didn’t want to have.
“Old family money,” Liam said. “Tainted money, according to my mother, since the only reason we have it is that my grandfather died before he could disown her. She gave most of it away, but Dr. Kapoor convinced her to use some for my education. Whenever I get kicked out, Mum’s torn between disappointment and glee that I’m squandering her father’s money.”
“Did he disown her because of Dr. Kapoor?” I asked, genuinely curious now.
“No, it was because she argued against the Oxfordian theory of Shakespearean authorship in her thesis.” I stared at him, and he laughed.
I rolled my eyes. “You know, it’s not fair. With that accent you sound very authoritative.”
“Only to an American. Though this country is growing on me for that very reason.”
Down at the dock, Kenny was packing gear into a skiff with the nameKATYDIDstenciled on the side. Kenny looked up as if surprised to see us. For a minute I wondered if he hadn’t known I was coming, but then I realized it was his default expression.
“Oh, hey. Good morning, you two. Sophia, I forgot to ask if you like coffee.”
“Yep. But I left mine in the car, sadly,” I said.
Kenny bent over and extracted a long thermos from anarmy-green bag. “Vital scientific equipment. Never leave base without it.”
“You’re a treasure,” I told him, meaning it.
Kenny smiled. “We look after our own out here. And you’re one of the flock now.”
I wished in that moment that I was really the person I was pretending to be—a girl with a passion for birds and a bright future ahead of her. But without a past, I couldn’t have a present, much less a future. I didn’t know who I was—or who I wanted to be.
I helped hand Kenny the last of the bags, waiting as he maneuvered each into place in an arrangement that seemed to be exacting but looked like a messy heap to me.
