Revel Read Online Free PDF Page B
Author: Maurissa Guibord
along the railing as I walked up the steps with my bag. I wanted to save all of this in my mind, to remember everything later.
My grandmother only watched me silently, her expression grim, then threw open the front door and stood back to allow me to walk in. She came in behind me and heaved the door shut, leaning against it for a moment with her heavy upper body. Then she whirled around, her big hands reaching out. I flinched as my grandmother stumbled forward and grabbed me. With a hoarse sound somewhere between a laugh and a sob, she pulled me close and hugged me.
“My precious girl,” she murmured. She covered the top of my head with kisses and my cheeks with kisses, over and over, and stroked my hair, all the while squeezing me so tight I became breathless. After a time she loosened her grip. She smoothed back my mussed hair and cupped my face gently in her hands. Her gray eyes looked watery and red. She gently pushed my skewed glasses back into place.
“I am so sorry,” she whispered.
CHAPTER 3
I stared at her. “I don’t understand.”
My grandmother gave me the ghost of a smile. “Nope. You don’t. You can’t. Sweetie, you never should have come. But it’s a joy for me to see you.” Her voice roughened. “I’m sorry I acted the way I did, but I thought it was for the best. Helen—” She broke off. “I suppose your mother didn’t want you to ever come here.”
“No. She didn’t. But why?”
“She ever talk about this place?” Her tone was gruff and somehow hopeful.
“No. Not until she got sick. But—” I hesitated. “She wanted to come back.”
Then I explained the way I’d learned about the island. How I’d found some old coins that Mom had collected in the safe-deposit box and used them to pay for my trip.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered again when I was done. “I never thought she’d tell you about Trespass. I never thought I’d see her, or you.”
What had happened to keep Mom away from here? I didn’t know, but the heartache I saw in my grandmother’s face was real. “I don’t think she ever meant to,” I said. “And a lot of what she said was so strange and mixed-up. But she wanted to come back here.” Hesitantly I reached for my backpack and took out my mother’s ashes. They were in a beautiful green porcelain vase decorated with sprigs of yellow and white flowers. “I think she would want these to be here.”
My grandmother nodded and bent her head. “Thank you,” she whispered, reaching out hands that suddenly looked very old and very frail.
We sat on the couch and talked for a long time. “There’s so much I want to know about you,” my grandmother said. “You’ve got another year of high school left. Then what? College, maybe, or work?”
I hesitated. Those kind of questions always put my stomach in knots. “I haven’t decided about that stuff yet. Most of my friends seem to know, but I don’t have a clue, and it kind of freaks me out that I don’t but …”
She took my hand and squeezed it. “Course not. There’s no rush.”
We were both silent. Then my grandmother began again, “I’m sorry you were alone like that, after Helen died.”
“I was okay. Foster care isn’t that bad. But people don’t really want teenagers. Apparently we’re challenging. Kind of like the army.”
And I’m difficult. Too outspoken. Not a good fit
, I added to myself. But there was no need to spoil things.
She smiled. “I know what it is to be alone. I lost Charlie, your grandfather, about a year before Helen left.”
“I wish I’d been able to meet him.”
She gave me a wondering look. “I still can’t believe you’re here.” She held the urn of ashes in big hands that were amazingly gentle. “We could scatter her ashes down at the water’s edge.”
“No,” I said. “She wouldn’t want that. She was always so afraid of the water. But I think she would want to be here, on the island. In this house.”
My grandmother looked at me
My grandmother only watched me silently, her expression grim, then threw open the front door and stood back to allow me to walk in. She came in behind me and heaved the door shut, leaning against it for a moment with her heavy upper body. Then she whirled around, her big hands reaching out. I flinched as my grandmother stumbled forward and grabbed me. With a hoarse sound somewhere between a laugh and a sob, she pulled me close and hugged me.
“My precious girl,” she murmured. She covered the top of my head with kisses and my cheeks with kisses, over and over, and stroked my hair, all the while squeezing me so tight I became breathless. After a time she loosened her grip. She smoothed back my mussed hair and cupped my face gently in her hands. Her gray eyes looked watery and red. She gently pushed my skewed glasses back into place.
“I am so sorry,” she whispered.
CHAPTER 3
I stared at her. “I don’t understand.”
My grandmother gave me the ghost of a smile. “Nope. You don’t. You can’t. Sweetie, you never should have come. But it’s a joy for me to see you.” Her voice roughened. “I’m sorry I acted the way I did, but I thought it was for the best. Helen—” She broke off. “I suppose your mother didn’t want you to ever come here.”
“No. She didn’t. But why?”
“She ever talk about this place?” Her tone was gruff and somehow hopeful.
“No. Not until she got sick. But—” I hesitated. “She wanted to come back.”
Then I explained the way I’d learned about the island. How I’d found some old coins that Mom had collected in the safe-deposit box and used them to pay for my trip.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered again when I was done. “I never thought she’d tell you about Trespass. I never thought I’d see her, or you.”
What had happened to keep Mom away from here? I didn’t know, but the heartache I saw in my grandmother’s face was real. “I don’t think she ever meant to,” I said. “And a lot of what she said was so strange and mixed-up. But she wanted to come back here.” Hesitantly I reached for my backpack and took out my mother’s ashes. They were in a beautiful green porcelain vase decorated with sprigs of yellow and white flowers. “I think she would want these to be here.”
My grandmother nodded and bent her head. “Thank you,” she whispered, reaching out hands that suddenly looked very old and very frail.
We sat on the couch and talked for a long time. “There’s so much I want to know about you,” my grandmother said. “You’ve got another year of high school left. Then what? College, maybe, or work?”
I hesitated. Those kind of questions always put my stomach in knots. “I haven’t decided about that stuff yet. Most of my friends seem to know, but I don’t have a clue, and it kind of freaks me out that I don’t but …”
She took my hand and squeezed it. “Course not. There’s no rush.”
We were both silent. Then my grandmother began again, “I’m sorry you were alone like that, after Helen died.”
“I was okay. Foster care isn’t that bad. But people don’t really want teenagers. Apparently we’re challenging. Kind of like the army.”
And I’m difficult. Too outspoken. Not a good fit
, I added to myself. But there was no need to spoil things.
She smiled. “I know what it is to be alone. I lost Charlie, your grandfather, about a year before Helen left.”
“I wish I’d been able to meet him.”
She gave me a wondering look. “I still can’t believe you’re here.” She held the urn of ashes in big hands that were amazingly gentle. “We could scatter her ashes down at the water’s edge.”
“No,” I said. “She wouldn’t want that. She was always so afraid of the water. But I think she would want to be here, on the island. In this house.”
My grandmother looked at me