Catching Samuel’s name, I stopped. “Samuel made it?” I asked.
“Sure did.” Heesham grinned. “First day of Search, too. Good karma, man. A good day on Nil.” He hugged Maria, who squeezed him back and laughed.
I didn’t respond. I couldn’t. Stretched to my limit, I ran.
Paddling out, I left Nil behind. For the next hour, I focused on the waves and the rush, and absolutely nothing else.
There was no blood in the water.
CHAPTER
24
CHARLEY
DAY 14, TWILIGHT
The festive air of the previous night was gone.
A small hog roasted on the beachside firepit, and the torches were lit, but the similarity to last night ended there. With three Search teams gone, fewer people were around, and the ones who remained were subdued. Rory was gone, but he wasn’t forgotten.
But he will be, I thought. Because when I passed the Wall, I noticed he’d never carved his name.
I scanned the beach for Thad. I hadn’t seen him since the Cove. I’d worried about him all afternoon, wondering if he still blamed himself for Rory’s death. Plus, there was something I needed to talk to him about—something that had nothing to do with Rory. Unfortunately, Thad was nowhere in sight.
Seeing Jillian and Talla, I waved, but it was Bart who caught my eye. I gave him a noncommittal wave and turned around. Bart was the last person I wanted to talk to. I was certain I’d caught him just as he was about to make a dash for Samuel’s gate, and even though I didn’t mention it, I sensed Bart knew thatIknew. He’d followed me around all afternoon like a puppy, obviously trying to make a better impression.
It hadn’t worked.
Talla intercepted me as I left the beach. Her hair was tied in a tight ponytail, making the bruise on her cheek more prominent.
“Charley, aren’t you going to eat?” Talla never wasted time with hellos.
I shrugged. “I’m not hungry.”
“Doesn’t matter,” she said. “You need to eat when food’s around, especially the good stuff.” She cocked her head. “Or are you avoiding someone?”
Direct, as always,I thought. “Maybe.”
“Well, better confront him now. Don’t let the problem fester. Not here, where time is short.”
Bart was watching us, and for a second, I actually considered taking Talla’s advice. Then I dismissed the thought. I’d spent too long with Bart today as it was, and my gut said confronting him wouldn’t do any good. Sometimes the better course of action was to do nothing, letting worries work themselves out.
Talla made a frustrated sound. “Don’t think, go. Thad’s over there.” She pointed to where Thad stood with Johan in the shadows.
Before I had a chance to tell Talla she’d misunderstood, Thad looked up and our eyes caught. For one long moment, we stared at each other. With a dismissive nod, Thad turned away.
My cheeks burned. I felt eyes on me, but none were Thad’s.
“Thanks, but I’m worn out,” I said. “See you tomorrow.”
Talla followed me. “Charley, stop. Whatever it is, handle it now, before you get hurt.” Her voice hardened. “Or before it hurts someone else.”
I whirled, wondering who she was talking about.Bart? Or Thad?It didn’t matter either way; right now I didn’t want to talk to either one. I just wanted to get away—from the boys, from this night. From Talla. From this entire place.
She stared at me expectantly, arms crossed.
“Thanks for the advice,” I said, doing my best to sound civil and failing. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
