Current Impressions (3 page)

Ula saw me looking at the titles. “I added
some that I remembered from your room,” she said. “Though you can
certainly expand your collection.” When I looked at her, my eyes
filled with tears. She frowned. “You hate it.”

I shook my head and sobbed harder. “I love
it,” I finally managed. “It’s one of the nicest things anyone has
ever done for me.”

Ula crossed to me and pulled me into her
arms. She was slightly shorter than I was, but I still felt
comforted. Who knew I had such a great aunt?

“We want you to feel welcome here,” she said
as she stepped back.

“I do,” I answered honestly. “Thank
you.”

She wiped her eyes, and I realized she was
just as affected by all of this as I was. She tugged my hand. “Come
on, we still have lots to see.”

We finished the tour of the second floor.
The halls connected, resulting in a floor plan that made a large
square. Each corner emptied into a stairwell, the inner portion of
the floor contained the second of the common rooms.

“This one is exclusive to our family,” Ula
said. “There are two more areas for the rest of the clan in the
cliffs.” When I asked how much family we had, Ula told me not to
worry. I’d meet them all later, and I’d already met the scariest of
the bunch, which was Brigid. I laughed and wondered at Ula’s
ability to make me feel so at ease.

“We’ll go up now,” she said. “The top floor
belongs to David and Angus, but that’s where the study is,
too.”

“Is my dad in his room?” I hadn’t seen him
since he brought me to Ula. Judging by the darkening sky, that was
several hours ago.

“Probably not,” she said. “I’m sure he went
to see the others. We’ll go there next.”

I nodded and tried to calm my jumpy stomach.
I was nervous about meeting everyone. I had no idea that so many
Selkies existed, let alone would live together on this island. How
would the others feel about me? Would they accept me as one of
their own? Ula didn’t seem worried, and for that reason, I thought
maybe I should just let it go. She’d tell me if I had a reason to
be scared.

We didn’t go into David’s quarters, but I
could see they took up half the third floor. Angus’ quarters were
about half the size of David’s, and the remainder of the floor was
the study, which we did go into.

My eyes widened when I entered the room. The
last time I’d seen that many books was in a library. Books, maps,
and globes crowded the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves that surrounded
the room. There were no windows in here, but it was well lit
nonetheless. Throughout the center area were comfortable chairs and
side tables.

“I spend a lot of time here,” Ula said. “By
your reaction, I’m guessing you will, too.”

“It’s amazing,” I said, running my finger
along the spines of several books. The collection was vast and
eclectic.

“While I’d love to stay here now,” Ula said,
“it’s time I take you to meet the others. Are you ready?”

I took a deep breath. Was I?

“They’ll love you, Meara.” Ula’s confidence
reassured me. “Just like we do.”

I braced my shoulders. I could do this.
“Lead the way.”

Evan watched Meara dive
in, fighting every muscle in his body that wanted to follow her.
Less than two months
, he thought. In six weeks, he’d be in
Scotland with Professor Nolan, and he’d find her. No matter what it
took, he would find her.

A seal’s head broke the surface. He didn’t
know if it was David or Meara, but when a second seal popped up, it
reassured him. She’d done it. She’d Changed. How much the
transformation changed her remained to be seen. Still, he took
comfort in knowing that she wouldn’t drown or freeze to death in
the Atlantic. For the moment, she was safe.

He walked slowly back to his car, in no
hurry to drive home. He already knew what he’d tell everyone. That
he dropped David and Meara off at the airport and, right now, they
were on their way to Scotland. It wasn’t too far from the
truth.

He wished school wasn’t over. It would be
nice to go back to the privacy of his dorm room. His mom was great,
but she smothered with her concern, and his sister, Katie, usually
meant well, but she was often just a brat. Professor Nolan offered
to help him get one of the few exclusive apartments on campus, but
Evan declined. His mom would be heartbroken if he didn’t come home,
at least for this summer. Next year, maybe he could finagle it.

It surprised him how quickly his parents
agreed to the internship. He hadn’t expected it, and he’d prepared
a list of reasons why he should be able to go. He didn’t even need
to use the list once. They both agreed almost immediately that it
was a great opportunity for him, and he should take it. He wasn’t
sure if they realized he planned to see Meara or not, and if that
factored into their decision, but he didn’t really care. In the
end, he got what he wanted, and that was all that mattered.

He parked the car and moved to get out, but
a flash of white on the backseat caught his eye. Meara’s sweater.
He didn’t remember her taking it off. Reaching between the seats,
he picked it up. Evan held it to his nose and closed his eyes.
Sunshine and fresh air—she always smelled like that to him. She
didn’t wear perfume, but she didn’t need to. Her scent was
mesmerizing enough.

He took the sweater with him and shoved it
in the picnic basket before going into the house. He didn’t want
Katie to see it and tease him, but he also didn’t want to let it
go. It was all he had of Meara now.

Ebb and Flow, his springer spaniels, greeted
him at the door, tails wagging and tongues hanging happily. He
scratched them both generously before heading toward the staircase.
He’d drop his things off in his room first.

The house was quiet. The graduation party
must have ended, and Meara’s grandparents already gone home. He
knew his dad was leaving for a business meeting in Toronto, and
more than likely, his mom was in the kitchen baking for tomorrow’s
breakfast. Evan’s family ran a bed and breakfast. With his dad’s
sales job and travel schedule, his mom handled most of the
day-to-day responsibilities. Thinking of it made him feel guilty.
Most summers, he and Katie helped when they could. This summer, Mom
would only have Katie most of the time, and she wasn’t that much
help.

“What’s in the basket?” Katie stood in her
doorway, arms crossed.

No such luck avoiding her
, Evan
thought as he shrugged his shoulders. “Nothing really, just some
dirty glasses and a picnic blanket.”

Katie’s eyes filled with sympathy. She knew
Meara left with David, but she didn’t know the real story. “I’m
sorry, Evan. I know you’ll miss her.”

“Yeah. Thanks.” He was anxious to put the
basket in his room before she asked to take a look, but he didn’t
want to show it. “Where’s Mom?”

Katie lifted her shoulder. “I dunno. I was
on the phone with Brian.”

Nodding, Evan tried not to let his
irritation show. Sure, Brian was Katie’s boyfriend, but he was also
Evan’s teammate. Evan liked Brian as a friend, and even better as a
hockey player. He’d hate to deal with the fallout if they broke up.
He never talked with Brian about his sister, though. That would be
too weird.

“I’m just going to go in my room for a bit…”
Evan stalled. He really didn’t want Katie to follow him.

Katie studied him, and then nodded. “Yeah,
okay. I’ll go down and help Mom.”

Once Evan closed his door, he sagged against
it. He hadn’t realized how hard he avoided fighting with Katie. She
was always asking about what Meara’s secret was, and he refused to
say. It wasn’t his secret to tell, but he was growing tired of her
questions. He certainly didn’t have the energy for it now. A
nagging headache thrummed behind his right eye. He’d noticed it on
and off over the last month. Painkillers didn’t seem to help. He
wasn’t worried, though. Probably wasn’t anything more than
stress.

He put the basket on his desk and pulled out
Meara’s sweater. Tucking it under his pillow, he sprawled across
his bed and promptly fell asleep.

I could only stare in
shock at the bodies crowded below me. We’d walked through the
tunnel that connected the fortress to the cliff. It emptied onto
the balcony where Ula and I stood. The cavern was filled with my
father’s people. My people now, too.

Ula waved. A few people in the crowd waved
back or raised their hands in greeting. Most watched me with
caution.

“Meara!” My dad surged forward, climbed the
stairs, and embraced me. Moving behind me, he announced, “Clan of
Ronac, meet my daughter, Meara.”

“All hail Meara! Long live Ronac!” came the
immediate reply. It reminded me of something I’d only seen in
movies. Once again, I felt like I was in the midst of a medieval
ritual, not the twenty-first century. I looked to my dad for
guidance, and he took my hand.

“Come,” he said, “and let everyone meet you.
They have planned a feast in your honor.”

Until that moment, I hadn’t noticed the
smoky smell of roast meat or the sweet tang of wine, but now the
scents mingled enticingly. Although I’d recently eaten, my stomach
growled. The journey had been long, and my body was not yet
recovered. I could eat more. No problem.

The crowd parted, and families sought to sit
together. The room was set for a banquet. Long tables were piled
high with platters of carved meats, steamed vegetables, and sweet
fruits. Children snuck rolls from covered baskets. Three young boys
in particular tossed them back and forth across the table, their
mother scolding to no avail.

“The triplets?” I asked Ula, remembering how
she had told me about them earlier. I already knew the answer. They
were identical.

The boys, as if they heard me, ran over. Ula
grabbed the first in a hug and spun him around. “This one’s grown a
foot in the last month.” She ruffled another’s hair. “And you,
Thomas, have you lost another tooth?”

As he grinned like a jack-o’-lantern, I
leaned close to her and whispered, “How can you tell them
apart?”

She shook her head and laughed. “Give it
time, and you’ll be able to, too.” She turned her attention back to
the boys. “Owen, Thomas, William.” She nodded to each in turn.
“Meet my niece, Meara.”

“Pleased to meet you, Meara.” They said it
unison as though rehearsed. One boy lagged slightly behind, and the
one with the missing teeth elbowed him. They couldn’t be more than
five years old, and they were all elbows and bony knees.

“Nice to meet you, too,” I said. They openly
stared at me as only little kids can do. Finally, Thomas assessed,
“She’s not bad. For a girl.” The other two nodded, and they took
off, running back to their mother.

“Imps,” my dad said. I sensed he loved them
like his own. He looked at me. “Are you hungry, Meara? I know you
slept through lunch.”

“Ula brought me more food when I woke up,” I
said. “But I can always eat.”

I followed my dad to a table that was
elevated on a platform. Most of the chairs were positioned to face
the hall. We were going to eat on a stage?

“Don’t worry,” Ula whispered in my ear.
“It’s not so bad once you get used to it.”

Dad took the furthest seat and motioned for
me to sit next to him. Ula sat on my other side. Brigid walked
toward us, her arm in the crook of an old man’s elbow. He was old,
but not frail. Tall with heavily muscled arms, I could only assume
this was Angus. When I caught my aunt’s eye, she nodded at me. I
saw her lean in and say something to the old man. His eyes rose
until he held mine. Was it my imagination, or did he seem pleased
to see me?

As they took two of the remaining empty
seats, I asked Ula who else would be joining us.

“Paddy.” She shrugged. “If he ever takes the
time to join us and eat. Most days, he just has his meal back in
the kitchen.”