Contact (Encounter Series Book 1) by Joanna Homer

Author:Joanna Homer [Homer, Joanna]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2016-10-07T04:00:00+00:00

26

As a little girl I dreamt of someone telling me there had been a mistake and my dad was still alive. I would imagine all kinds of different scenarios, but they all ended with discovering he hadn’t died and I was so blissfully happy. And now Jack Cartwright stood in my kitchen telling me exactly that.

Funny how it felt nothing like my daydreams.

I gripped the worktop to steady myself. Of all the things I thought he might say, I had not seen that coming.

“W-what?”

Jack opened his mouth to repeat himself, but I held up an unsteady hand. “Don't say it again.”

The room was quiet, the only sound my heartbeat thundering in my ears. Jack watched me, apprehension etched on his face, as I tried desperately to get myself under control.

I focused on my breathing and, after what might have been seconds or minutes for all I knew, I steadied myself enough for the conversation to continue.

“Are you sure?” I managed in a steadier voice.

Jack nodded. “I wouldn't tell you if I wasn't dead certain. He works at Project Equinox. I guess that's the real reason they asked us to protect you.”

Another sonic blast. I stared at Jack blankly, trying to let the enormity of what he was saying register.

Strangely, there was no denial, no questioning what Jack said. I immediately knew he was telling the truth, but it left me numb.

My dad was alive. I rolled the notion around my head. This is what I had wished for since I was a little girl. I just told Jack as much. So why did I feel hollow inside? I should be doing cartwheels, jumping for joy. But I wasn’t.

Everything bad in my life happened after my dad died because my dad died. My mum, Stan, Meadow View—it was all a consequence of his death. And the truth was that he had been here all along. So what, he’d chosen to leave us? Did he realise what I went through, but had left me to it? For what? Why?

“A member of Project Equinox?” I repeated.

“The head actually. Henry Walter.”

I dropped my head into my hands for a moment before looking back up. The blows just kept coming. “The guy you hate?”

Jack wrinkled his nose. “I don’t hate him, but he’s not my favourite person, no.”

“When did you find out about this? You said you didn't know?”

“None of us knew, I swear. When we came to Burnt Oak we looked at your family history, but there was nothing suspicious about your dad’s death. We had no reason to suspect anything or investigate further. He covered his tracks well. When you said the necklace came from your dad we dug around a bit more, and bingo. It didn't take long once we knew where to look. We’ve put a few roadblocks in place just in case Dray gets onto the same track. But I wanted to tell you; after how upset you got at the whole mind-reading thing I didn't want to lie to you.

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