LEMNISCATE by Murgia Jennifer

Author:Murgia, Jennifer [Murgia, Jennifer]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Lands Atlantic Publishing
Published: 2011-03-20T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Two

My hand trembled as I pulled my cell phone from my purse. It was a good thing I had entered Ryan’s number into my address book, because there was no way I could keep my fingers steady and drive at the same time. On a normal day, I would text, but today was anything but normal. It required hearing another person’s voice, a live body on the other end.

Breathe, Teagan. Just breathe.

The instant he answered, I began rattling off the last hour and twenty-or-so minutes. I recounted seeing Garreth in the parking lot and the ever-growing distance between us, that Brynn got ditched by her friends, as well as the strange invite into her house.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“I guess so.” Really, I was fine, just shaky. “But Ryan, the sand. It was the same as what we found on the floor of the study.”

“Maybe it’s just a coincidence?” Ryan responded, but I could hear the worry in his voice. “I would invite myself over but . . . my dad is home today. Otherwise I would. You know that, right?”

“I know, thanks.” I could hear movement on the other end, like someone shuffling. An angry voice boomed in the background that I surmised was Ryan’s father.

“I gotta go. I’ll call you later.” Ryan breathed into the phone and moments later, there was silence.

I pulled into my driveway and walked quickly up the chipped concrete sidewalk to the back porch. The air was turning, feeling damp and chilly. I turned the key in the lock, eager to get inside.

Once I was in the calm silence of my bedroom, I threw myself onto the bed, closing my eyes to the day. I had been alone in the house a million times before, but today it seemed quieter than ever, and instead of feeling safe and secure, I felt tense and agitated. It’s just because Mom is further away than usual, I thought to myself.

No, that wasn’t it, although that was the case. Strange things were happening in Hopewell. Heck, strange things were happening to me. I took stock of it all. Brynn’s befriending me for a day, the strange black sand in her room and the study, not to mention that Hadrian had resurfaced in my life. Then there was the tiny matter of Garreth, which deep inside my heart was not tiny at all.

It felt huge. Crater-sized.

I decided to head downstairs to boil some ramen noodles. After carrying the meager dinner up to my room, I settled myself at my computer desk and attempted to busy myself with schoolwork. But my brain wouldn’t cooperate. Instead, I found myself opening my inbox and soon my fingers were typing a new message to Claire. At this point, I realized opening up to Claire was like a diary for me, soothing my anxiety, and the best part of all, was that no one would ever find my pathetic entries. My mother could come in and snoop all she wanted.

“Never underestimate the power of the delete button,” I said out loud to myself.

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