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We walked back slowly, arms wrapped around each other. We stopped at the top of the
stairs for more kisses, clinging together tightly. It felt so good to be pressed up against him I
forgot all about my problems for a few minutes. My head was spinning and my cheeks were
flushed.
When we walked in the door I was sure Abby would notice something different about us,
but we found her and Dutch even more flustered than we were. Dutch got up and thanked Abby,
telling her to come by early so they could take the boat out. We walked the guys out the door and
watched them drive away.
 That went well, said Abby with a big glowing grin,  Dutch has really good energy.
 Yeah, I couldn t help but return her smile even as I started worrying about the night
ahead. Abby gave me a joyful hug and practically floated off to bed.
I was in a darker place as I repositioned my furniture, afraid I might drown myself in my
sleep. Now I was certain that they were calling me to them, and I was pretty sure that if they got
me into the water I wouldn t be getting out alive. I prayed to be allowed to get some rest, but I
kept my clothes on just in case. Despite my fear of facing the night ahead I was feeling excited,
looking forward to seeing Ethan again.
I drifted off to sleep, thinking about the way his lips felt on mine.
CHAPTER TWENTYONE
HARBOR
It must have been the pain that woke me up.
I was in a dark undersea cavern one second, and the next thing I knew I was standing on the
pavement leading up to the pier. It was a moonlit night, and I glanced down to see my bare feet
standing in a pile of broken beer bottles. I looked around, but found myself alone. As I came
fully awake the horror of my situation began to crystallize in my mind.
Blood started pooling around my feet as I hobbled to a nearby curb to sit. At least I had
pants on this time. I tried to pick the glass shards out of my feet in the moonlight but the dark
blood obscured everything. For a second I was tempted to go and wash them in the sea, but the
prospect of crossing over the sand made me shudder. I was going to have to get home like this,
and I walked painfully on the sides of my feet, leaving a bloody trail on the pavement. I passed a
garbage can where I was able to find some old newspapers.
Paper sticking to the bottom of my feet, I climbed each step in excruciating pain. Clinging to
wooden rails silvered by moonlight, I fought back waves of nausea as I tortuously made my way
back home. When I got to the bathroom I looked in the mirror to see a face so pale it was
ghostly. I think I was starting to go into shock as I rinsed my feet in the bathtub, wrapped them in
towels and limped into my room. The desk and chair had been shoved aside; I tried to imagine
myself moving them unconsciously.
It was four in the morning when I found myself digging tiny pieces of glass out of my feet
with tweezers. Now I was almost grateful for the pain; it kept my mind focused on the task at
hand and away from what might have happened. I dressed my wounds as well as I could with
cotton balls and masking tape, and curled up in bed.
I tossed and turned for a while, nodding off for a few minutes here and there. I wondered if I
should call Ethan and cancel our plans. I knew he d think I didn t want to see him, and I couldn t
bear the thought of that. I spent the whole day in bed, and when Abby came to say goodbye I
pretended I was reading. I showered and redressed my swollen feet, putting socks on over all the
tape.
I arrived at Ethan s to find him waiting out front, leaning against the rail. It was starting to
get dark and I hoped he didn t notice how gingerly I was taking the stairs. He greeted me with a
big hug and a lingering kiss, making me forget all about my throbbing feet.
 Let s go for a walk, he said. Going down the stairs hurt even more than climbing up and I
bit down on my lip to keep from crying out. Ethan took my hand and led me along a dock. He
noticed I was trailing him as we walked and he turned back to look at me.
 Are you alright? I nodded and tried to smile, but he looked skeptical.
 I m just tired can we sit down somewhere? I asked hopefully.
 Sure, there s some benches up here. As we went farther down the dock the crowd [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]