Page 1 of Meet Me on Greenwood

Prologue

Ididn’t know how to make my body do what it needed to do to survive. My legs tangled and my arms splashed wildly as I tried to find an anchor. The sun dimmed above me as the air left my lungs in a scream. Ocean water rushed into my open mouth.

A man’s hand broke the surface and pulled me upward. I landed against the hull, water burning my throat, until I was over the edge of a boat and his hand was on my back, firm and steady until I coughed up the whole of the sea.

"I’ve got you," he said.

I blinked at him, blurry-eyed. He looked young with a russet beard, but most of his face was shaded by the brim of his hat.

He turned away and called to my mother. "She’s here. I’ve got her."

Mother looked back at my sister Bri before swimming the short distance to the man’s boat. I reluctantly climbed back into the water and into my mother’s arms.

"Thank you," she said, studying the man who’d rescued me for just a moment longer than necessary. If I didn’t know any better, I would think it was recognition that flickered across her face.

"Ma’am," he nodded, then started his boat back up and jetted out to sea.

Mother kept staring until my frantic grip nearly sank us both. She held me against her, one hand beneath my back and the other cradling my legs. Her mahogany eyes seemed pensive, though one side of her mouth turned upward in amusement. "What a nice man," she said.

Bri splashed happily in a circle around us. I felt the surge of red, hot fire claim my cheeks as I held back my rage. I hated her a little for how naturally she took to the water. It was the kind of anger that made me want to go back to shore and give up trying. I would never move with the grace that she did, like the water welcomed every stroke instead of fighting it.

"It’s not fair!" I cried, watching my sister. The beach wasn’t far, but it might as well have been miles away with how awkwardly I swam.

Mother pulled me into the crook of her neck and held us both up. How she did so with such ease, I had no idea. I was almost too big to be wrapped in her arms like this.

"Just relax," she coaxed. Despite my clumsiness, I was grateful to be sharing this space with her. Today was one of her good days, and I soaked them in whenever I had the chance. "What’s wrong, sweetie?"

Everything. The relationship between her and Father had grown strained, weighed down by conversations that they never shared but seemed to cause them both misery. I often felt so distant from her, as if she was on a different wavelength than the rest of us. I couldn’t say that, though. It would worry her. Worse, it might even turn this very good day into a terrible one, and I couldn’t risk that.

"Why is Bri such a better swimmer than I am?" I pouted.

Cradling my face, she lowered me just enough so I could look into her eyes. It was always a shock how much Bri favored her, as we were twins. Fraternal, but still. I’d always looked more like our father.

"Because she is of water, just like me." She put my hand against the stone that hung from a chain around her neck. "It is in her blood, passed down from generation to generation."

"Am I not a part of this blood?"

She leaned back and laughed, really laughed. It wasn’t cruel, but amused, as if I had said something innocently funny. "Of course. But you are of fire. You and Bri balance one another. The universe wanted it so."

I scrunched my face, unsure of what her words meant. Instead of asking, I clung to the cool surface of the stone pendant. "Where did you get this?" I asked. I’d seen her wear it occasionally over the years, but it was only recently that she’d taken to wearing it every day.

Mother was quiet for so long, I regretted asking. I didn’t want her to retreat into her sadness again.

"It was given to me," she said finally, "and one day, I’ll tell you and your sister about it."

She pressed her lips to the top of my head, and I relaxed in her arms. I almost didn’t notice that her hands were beneath me, allowing me to float.

"It keeps me here with you," she whispered. "You are brilliant and clever, Gema, and one day, it will ask you to use that fire you have inside you. One day, baby, you may very well need this amulet, and it will be waiting for you. When that day comes, you will know its name, and it will know yours."

I didn’t know what she meant—I was just grateful to be with her. As she waded back, she gave me space to navigate the water on my own. Between paddles, I noticed the clouds gathering in a thick gray blanket. It would rain soon, and lightning would force us to leave the water.

"Gema," Mother said.

"Hmm," I murmured.

"No matter where life takes you—remember this. Remember me."

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