Discovered (The Shalean Moon) Read Online Free PDF Page B

speak to her.”
    ‘No, I hadn’t. I was there to meet you.’
    Rach jiggled her ear. What on earth is up? Is Dad picking mushrooms again?
    “That’s as maybe, Love, but he’s a man and you’re a young girl. He doesn’t need you as a friend; he’s got friends his own age—so no contact.”
    She nodded and tried not to think about Brios. For the first time ever she was interested in a boy—really interested in a boy-girl way, not in a football or rugby teammate sort of way—and her dad was being all caveman about it. There must be some reason other than the age difference, but she had no idea what it was. Did he not want her to get into boys? She was fifteen for goodness sake; loads of her friends at her last school had boyfriends. Even Stacy had gone out with a boy a few times, but according to her, stopped after he’d tried it !
    Definitely not something she should tell her dad. She wondered how she would feel if Brios tried it . Rach thought about it; and then decided she’d better think about it a lot more later when she could concentrate. This growing up business was getting complicated. The feelings she’d experienced when Brios took her hand had been entirely new. Like nothing she’d ever felt before.
    They sat in silence. Her dad looked like he was deep in thought; and she didn’t know what to say. There was no way she was not going to speak to Brios; even if it meant defying her dad for the first time ever. Well, not really the first time she thought guiltily, remembering when she’d had her ears pierced and snuck make-up to school; or the time she’d had a back-ey on the mudguard of a friend’s bike. However, for the first time she knew she was deliberately going to defy him—big time.
    “Do you remember much about mum’s family?” her dad asked.
    Weird, that’s twice today mum’s family has been mentioned .
    Rach shook her head. “Not a lot. Why?”
    “I just wondered that’s all.”
    “Dad.” She put her hands on her hips and glared at him. “You never just wonder; everything you do or say has a reason. You’ve been acting strange since you picked me up at school. Are you worried about your new job, or trying to find a way to hide radishes in my salad?” They both knew she hated the taste of radishes with a passion.
    Rach watched his face crinkle up as he laughed. “No Love, neither of those I promise. I just realized you’re growing up that’s all.”
    “Er, Dad? You’re not going to give me the talk are you?” She mimed quote marks. “’Cos I’ve had it at school, and I am so not interested in anything like that.” She had another thought, “You don’t think I fancy Brios like that do you? Oh, Dad!”
    She gave her dad a hug, hoping the fact that she really did fancy Brios didn’t show in her face.
    ‘Thank you.’
    The voice in her head sounded just like Brios’s sexy Scottish burr. . .
    She tried to concentrate on her dad, and not freak out about the fact that she was hearing voices in her head.
    “Dad, he was just nice to me—friendly. Yeah he’s way cool; and he’s got a great bod—well, what I could see of it; and all the girls fancy him; but as for me … I need friends here, and both he and Leira could be that.” She listened to see if there were any smart comments in her mind this time; there weren’t.
    Is it the water; or the fact the fairies are supposed to live up a nearby hill? I’d better check what I eat and drink a lot more carefully from now on.
    “Hmm,” her dad didn’t sound convinced. “Okay, if you say so. I trust you chicken, but I don’t know him; therefore, what I said still stands; no contact—great bod or not.” He half smiled at her as he said it, but she knew he was serious.
    Now she did feel bad. “Argh, not chicken dad—I’m fifteen; next year I’ll be sixteen.”
    “And your point is?” His voice sounded strange; sort of scratchy and worried.
    She didn’t really have a point, but she wanted to tease him. “I’ll