he wants you to go to whatever college you want.”
“He slaves away because he loves money.”
“Money? Are you serious? If he wanted money, he could sell that farm and retire a millionaire.”
“I guess they can but…” Will looked thoughtful. “I don’t think of them that way.”
They sat together in silence for a long moment.
Gretchen drew in a deep sigh, steeling herself to ask the question that hung over her like a dagger. “Is Asia…” The words hung in the air.
“Gone,” Will told her.
“I’m sorry.”
Will nodded, thinking. “I think she’s probably… relieved.” But Gretchen saw the tears burning in his eyes. “They’re all gone, I think. Even Kirk should stop hearing them now.”
“What happened?” Gretchen asked.
Will looked at her carefully. “You don’t remember?”
She shook her head. “I remember those… things… and I remember Asia was there. But after that…”
Will’s face was unreadable. “There was-” He took a long moment before speaking, as if weighing his words carefully. “There was a gas spill on the bay. The gas-ignited.”
“How?”
Will bit his lip, hesitating. “Must have been a live cable or something.”
Gretchen looked down at the pale blue blanket that was pulled up to her waist. “Will,” she said at last, “there’s something I have to tell you.” She looked up into his eyes. “Will, I was there the night Tim died.” The truth poured from her like pus from a wound. She cringed at what he would say.
Will put his hands to his face. He sighed deeply, then ran his hands through his hair. “I know,” he said at last.
“You… know?” Gretchen repeated. “How?”
“It just-you had to be, right? Someone dragged me from the water to the beach. Who else would have?”
Gretchen touched her forehead. “I don’t remember it.”
“Do you know why you rescued me?” Will asked. “Why me, and not Tim?”
Gretchen felt this question like a stab to the heart. “Because I…” She swallowed, trying to make sound come from her lips.
Will watched her. She knew how badly he needed an answer. But in the end she couldn’t say it-she couldn’t tell him that she would always have chosen Will over his brother. “I don’t know,” she said at last. “Maybe it was too late for him.”
Will nodded. “Asia told me that the seekriegers were drawn to people who were angry, or sad, or feeling something dark, you know. So why did they take Tim?” Gretchen remembered the conversation she’d had with Tim just hours before he disappeared. Tim had told her that he loved her. She’d told Tim that she loved Will.
“I’m sorry,” Gretchen whispered.
“You can’t save everyone, Gretchen,” he told her.
Tears rolled down her cheeks, silent as a secret.
“Stop. It’s okay.” Will put a finger to her lips. “Gretchen…” He held her hands in his large warm ones. “Can I just tell you something? I’m just so glad that you’re here.”
“You are?”
“It’s hard enough without Tim. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you…” He shook his head, unable to say more.
Gretchen looked away, pretending to inspect the pretty wallpaper. She thought about spending the next year in Walfang. Maybe that was what she and Will both needed.
Will leaned forward and placed a warm kiss on her forehead.
“What’s that for?”
Will smiled. “For you.”
Gretchen’s heart fluttered as she settled back against the cool pillow. It was the kiss of a friend, of someone close to a brother. She still loved him beyond that, but she knew Will wasn’t ready for anything more right now. They both had some healing to do.
But, for the first time, it seemed as if that might actually be possible.
As Angus said, the sharks had moved on.
Author’s Note
The allusions to the
Lisa Papademetriou
