Sojourner Read Online Free PDF Page B

the floor, passed out.
    Dreading the embarrassment, I open the door and slip into the hall to find Celia standing next to the bathroom door and Lev just across, one shoulder leaning on another door with his hands deep in his jean pockets.  He wears a white knit shirt and different jeans.  His bare feet seem pale against the wood floor.  He straightens his posture when he sees me and pulls his hands free.
    I step into the hall, my feet unsteady just like my muddled thoughts.  Immediately his hand touches my arm, bracing me.  Our eyes meet, and he reads my face.
    “You don’t look so good, Elizabeth.”  He guides me into the living room and eases me onto the sofa.  One wall has a massive bookshelf with lots of leather bound books.  An old framed map hangs on another wall.  On the fireplace hearth, scattered amid all the pictures of Lev and Celia, I see an old compass, and an ancient camera.  The strangest thing is that I don’t see a television or a stereo system.
    Celia brings a bowl of chicken soup.  “Sorry that it’s instant, but at least it’s warm, right?”
    “Right.”  My trembling hands take it, and Lev hovers, probably expecting Ms. Graceful will dump it.
    “What a day to take a swim,” Lev says, raking his fingers through his hair.  “I don’t know what you Texans do, but we generally discourage swimming on snow days.”  As he moves his hand, I see the bracelet even clearer, but I can’t tell what it says, at least not until I catch his wrist and read it for myself.  Expecting to find his full name, the word etched in a cursive font is “hesed.”  I stare at the bracelet for a moment longer, trying to recognize the word, but I don’t.  So I look up at him from where he has decided to perch on the armrest of the sofa.
    “What does that mean?”
    “Love.”  He nods to my soup.  “You should get some of that down before it gets cold.  Nothing like chicken soup after it’s lukewarm.”
    Nodding, I pick up my spoon and fill my mouth. As soon as the broth and noodles hit, the warmth suffuses through me.  I continue eating, with Lev and Celia hovering, her watchful blue eyes vigilant.
    “Where am I?” I ask, as Lev takes the empty bowl from my hand and gives it to his sister.
    “Would you like some pound cake?” Celia asks, taking the empty bowl.  “We just picked some up from the store.”
    “No, thanks.”
    Lev gives her a strange look, shakes his head, and then turns back to me.
    “The house in the cemetery.  Are you warm enough?”
    I nod.  “Yeah, how is that possible?”
    “My father is the groundskeeper.”
    At the mention of the word father, I all but jump up.  “Oh no.  My guardian is probably freaking out.  How long have I been here?”
    “An hour or so.”  He shrugs, as though he’s not sure.  “Your clothes are in the dryer.  They should be dry for you to take home, except your parka.  But I have a coat you can use.”  I look at the sweats, and Lev catches my drift.  “Don’t worry about changing right now.  You can bring them to school.”
     “Thank you.  For everything.”
    Lev chuckles and stands.  “A ‘thank you.’  For everything no less?  I figured after school you’d be ready to kill me when you found out I was the snitch about the mirror.”  He reaches for my hand to help me up.
    “So it was you.”  I look at the sweatshirt, bothered by the length of the sleeves.  Lev also notices this and rolls one up first and then the other.
    “Yep.”  He arches one eyebrow in a challenge.  “Still, I owe you one.  You falling in the pond was my fault, actually.”  He looks over my head, out the window where the snowfall has picked up considerably, confirming Jimmie’s promise of winter  in Massachusetts.
    “Your fault?”
    “I was supposed to have fixed the handrails last summer but didn’t.  So you slid right into the pond and I had to fish you out.”  Our gazes lock, and as I stare at his beautiful face that