Current Impressions (30 page)

I knew that my uncle was referring to Kieran
only and not me. I wouldn’t be allowed to attend the elders’
meeting.

“I’ll be there.”

“Did Ula give you the bottle and glasses?” I
asked my uncle.

Kieran gave me a sharp look. “You went
back?”

“Evan hid them near the pier for me. I
didn’t go back to the house.”

“You spoke to the boy again last night?”
Uncle Angus asked in surprised voice.

“Again?” Kieran looked confused.

“Yes,” I said, not wanting to explain the
break up or the dream.

Uncle Angus seemed to sense my predicament.
He didn’t push for details. “She gave them to me. They all
contained the poison.”

My stomach quivered. “Evan told me that he
and Ken each had two glasses.”

My uncle looked shocked. “Impossible. They’d
be dead.”

“Can humans build up a tolerance?” Kieran
asked.

“Not that I’ve heard of,” Angus answered.
“Even a small dose of puffer venom is fatal.”

“Then how could humans survive it?” I
asked.

“Unless they’re not human,” Kieran said
slowly. “How well do you know Evan, Meara?”

“I dated him for over a year,” I said. “I
know his mother and his father. They’re both human, I swear
it.”

Was it possible that Evan wasn’t human? If
either Lydia or Darren were not his biological parents, he didn’t
know. I was sure of it. If he wasn’t human, what was he?

Uncle Angus stroked his beard, staring at
the television. “Perhaps they are, but something is amiss. I’ll
discuss it with your father.”

My uncle gave us a pointed look. Clearly, he
had enough of our company for one day. Kieran stood and stretched,
offering me his hand. “Ready to go, Meara?”

I let him pull me up, then walked over and
kissed my uncle’s cheek. “Thank you for taking care of Kieran,
Uncle Angus.”

“Think nothing of it, my girl.” He beamed at
me and pulled me into a hug, whispering in my ear, “I’m glad to see
you’re feeling better, too.” My cheeks burned, and he laughed
again. Louder, he said, “Off with you two.”

Following Kieran into the hall, guilt hit me
full force. What business did I have making out with him when I
didn’t know where Evan and I stood? We broke up, but then we shared
that dream… although he didn’t ask me to go out with him again. In
fact, he never really mentioned anything about our relationship at
all.

Kieran closed Angus’ door behind us. “You’re
lost in thought again. Are you okay?”

“I think so.” My voice was small and made
him frown.

“Are you worried about Evan?”

“Yes.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll figure it out.” He
reached for my hand.

“Easy for you to say.” No matter what was
happening to Evan, I should be there for him. He was there for me
last year. I certainly shouldn’t have these feelings for someone
else. Guilt heated my face. We walked in silence down the hall
until Kieran cleared his throat.

“Should I apologize for earlier?” he asked
slowly. I knew he meant kissing me on Angus’ couch, and my heart
raced at the mention of it.

“No. I had just as much to do with it as you
did.”

“Do you regret what happened?” He sounded
worried. When I shook my head, he sighed in relief. “Good.”

He stepped forward to kiss me again. I
stopped him with a hand on his chest. “I don’t regret it, and I
want to kiss you, but I still love Evan, too.”

“I know,” he said. “Give me a chance to
change that.”

I touched his cheek and smiled sadly. “I’m
confused. I need time.”

“I understand.” He hugged me. “Want to go
for a walk? I need some fresh air.”

“Sure.”

Taking my hand, he transported us to the far
end of the island. Shadowed by the cliffs, the ground was rocky,
spotted with mossy, green patches. Instead of walking, Kieran sat
on a large, flat boulder and motioned for me to sit next to him. We
sat in silence for a while, but curiosity got the better of me.

“What do you make of everything that’s going
on?”

Kieran shrugged. “I don’t think Ken’s human.
I don’t think Evan is either.”

“What about his parents?”

“What about them? Unless you do a blood
test, you won’t know for certain that, biologically, they’re
related. I know it’s messed up, but it’s the only thing that makes
sense.” He shifted on the rock until he was facing me. “If they
were human, the poison would’ve killed them. Did Evan get
sick?”

“Um… I don’t think so.”

“What happened yesterday while I
unconscious? I know you don’t want to tell me, but I saw the look
Angus gave you. You can tell me. I’m your friend. I want to
help.”

“You want to be more than friends, too.”

“I do, but that doesn’t change this. I’m
here for you.” He took my hands in his. “Tell me or I can’t help
you.”

I told him about the break up and my dream.
When I finished, he looked worried. “Are you wearing the
necklace?”

“My dad asked me the same thing. No, it’s on
my nightstand. Last night, I wasn’t even wearing it. I was holding
it.”

“Will you let me keep it for you?” When I
just stared at him, he added, “Please? I think you’ll be tempted to
use it. I’m not sure it’s safe. If you want to reach Evan, come see
me. I promise I’ll let you, but I want to be there.”

“Do you think he’d hurt me?”

He considered before saying, “Not
intentionally.”

I worried about that. Evan admitted that he
lost control when the voices spoke to him. He admitted that he felt
hatred toward me. That scared me more than anything did.

“I’ll give it to you,” I said. “Come back
with me.”

We transported to my room. I crossed to the
nightstand and picked up the necklace. Sadness overwhelmed me. Why
did it feel like I was saying goodbye to Evan? Tears slid down my
face as I placed the necklace in Kieran’s outstretched palm.

“Anytime, Meara. Just let me know, okay?” He
slid the necklace into his pocket, and then hugged me. Wrapped in
his arms, I was comforted and buzzing with electricity at the same
time. Why was it so easy to be ruled by my heart? Where was my head
in all of this?

“Do you want me to stop by after the
meeting?”

“You have to ask?” I sniffed and wiped my
eyes before poking him playfully in the stomach to lighten the
mood. “I want to know everything.”

“Okay.” He kissed my nose. “Get some sleep.
It sounds like you didn’t get much last night.”

With a grimace, he was gone.

When Meara and Kieran disappeared in the
middle of the dinner, Ken was furious. “Where did they go?” he
demanded at breakfast.

“I have no idea.” Evan couldn’t tell Ken
about Meara’s accusation that Kieran was poisoned. First, Evan and
Ken both drank several glasses of the same wine after they left.
The only impact it had on him was a slight hangover. Second, he was
embarrassed and confused. He broke up with her, but then they
shared that dream. Now he wasn’t sure who was right. He tried to
sort through his thoughts. Ken’s anger clouded the air and made it
impossible to think about anything.

Ted was absent. Evan didn’t know where he
was, but apparently, Ken wasn’t bothered. They spent most of the
meal eating in silence. When the food and coffee were gone, they
headed down to the docks together. Ted was already on the boat and
ready to go.

Evan forced himself not to glance at the
spot under the stairs were he hid the bottle and glasses. He
wondered if Meara already picked them up. Hopefully, they’d give
her whatever information she needed. He wished they could go back
to when things were simpler between them, knowing that he was the
one to create the rift. He doubted if that was even possible. The
best thing he could give her right now was space while he sorted
out whatever was going on with him.

The motor roaring to life brought Evan out
of his reminiscing. It was time to work. He joined Ken at the wheel
as he requested. He showed Evan how to steer the ship, and now he
expected Evan to co-pilot their expeditions.

“Sorry… did you say something?” Evan asked.
Ken had been muttering and talking under his breath for the past
twenty minutes. When he paused and stared at him, Evan assumed he
was waiting for a response to a question he didn’t hear.

“What? Nothing, nothing. I wasn’t talking to
you.” Ken patted his shoulder absentmindedly, although the pressure
made Evan wince. “Just thinking, my boy.”

They anchored at their usual coordinates.
Evan prepared to leave the cabin and go suit up for the dive. Ken
stopped him.

“Ted’s going down alone today, Evan. I need
your assistance here.” Ken squeezed his shoulder and stepped past
him into the doorway. “Wait for me. I’ll just see Ted out.”

While Evan waited, he watched Ken and Ted
talking at the bow. He couldn’t make out Ken’s words, but he was
clearly agitated. He waved his arms and raised his voice at Ted. In
return, the other man cowered under the wrath. From what Evan knew,
the project was successful so far. What was Ken upset about?

“Everything okay?” Evan asked when Ken
returned.

“Fine.” The man’s face was unreadable. “It’s
the last week of our project, Evan. I have a lot of money invested
in this research. I needed to make sure Ted understood the
importance.”

“Isn’t everything going well?”

“It is,” Ken admitted. “This is also the
most critical part. It’s no time to slack off.”

The professor would never slack off. The man
was a workaholic. It surprised Evan that Ken did not realize this.
Weren’t they supposed to be longtime friends and colleagues? Evan
figured it out within a few weeks of school at King’s College. It
didn’t take a rocket scientist to notice that the professor was in
his office, or his lab, at least twelve hours out of every day.

Later that night, Evan wondered why Ken made
him stay behind on the ship. He helped label plant and animal
specimens. It was nothing that Ken couldn’t have completed on his
own. In fact, they were done an hour before Ted returned. He spent
the extra time learning more about the ship’s controls. Ken seemed
adamant that he learn how to control it. He didn’t know why, since
he would be leaving soon anyway.

The evening hours stretched without Meara.
He hoped she was okay. He missed her. Would she contact him once
she had the results back on the wine? What could he possibly do
with that information if she did? Accuse his host of poisoning his
guests?

The next few days passed in a tidal wave of
emotions, all of them rolling off Ken. His temper got the best of
him, and meals were no longer a pleasant affair. He sulked and
ordered the staff around, complaining loudly about their service
and the quality of food. Evan thought the food tasted amazing, but
he didn’t say anything. He tried to be as quiet as possible. His
mission was to eat and get the hell out of there.

The professor was smart. Most of the time,
he gave a passable excuse and didn’t join them. Evan couldn’t do
it. He felt obligated to visit with their host since room and board
were free.

The one thing Ken’s erratic behavior and
stormy moods reinforced was that Evan made the right choice. Meara
wasn’t safe with him. He wasn’t sure he was even safe anymore. Ken
was acting stranger and stranger. While Ken raged, anger tore
through Evan like a living thing, filling his head with violent
thoughts. The blackness intrigued and fascinated him, but mostly
left him scared. Where were these thoughts coming from and why
couldn’t he control them?

Evan tried to talk to Ted about Ken’s
behavior. The professor didn’t know any more than Evan did. His
theory was that Ken was anxious about completing the project before
the two of them left.
Some way to motivate your employees
,
Evan thought.

Wednesday evening, Evan entered the room and
sighed at the two place settings—just him and Ken again.
A few
more days, and I’ll be on my way home
, he reminded himself.

“Good evening, Evan.” Ken smiled as he
strolled into the room. He made a ceremony out of unfolding his
napkin and placing it across his lap as he sat. Snapping for
Stonewall to fill his glass, he didn’t even acknowledge that he was
already by his side with a bottle of Chablis. He was merely waiting
for Ken to sit back so he could pour. Stonewall rolled his eyes,
which surprised Evan. He typically did not let emotions show. Ken’s
behavior must be getting to him, too.

Ken gulped down half the liquid in his glass
before fixing Evan with a calculated look. Frosty cold replaced the
warmth his expression held moments earlier. “Any word from the
girl?”

Annoyance flared with Ken’s refusal to use
Meara’s name, but Evan answered, “No, I haven’t heard from
her.”

“You think she’d at least apologize for her
behavior.” Ken scoffed. “Who leaves a dinner party in the middle of
dinner? No gratitude to the host and no apology.”