Never (Never, #1) (57)

Orson Calhoun stands from the chair he’s reclined in on the bridge.

“’Ello.” He nods.

“Hi.” I wipe my face with my hands and sniff. I know it looks like I’ve been crying. No way to hide that.

“Are y’okay?” He nods at me.

“Is Jamison here?” I look past him to the door to his room.

“Aye.” He nods.

“In there?” I walk towards it.

“Aye, but—” Orson starts but it’s too late.

I swing the door open, and there he is with a girl who I think looks familiar, but I can never remember anything these days. It’s someone. He’s with someone. Bent over a table. She’s fully naked, he’s partially naked, pumping away.

“Oh my god.” I clamp my hand over my mouth, spin around immediately, and cover my eyes too late.

“Bow!” he says, startled.

“Shit. I’m sorry!” I keep walking, quickly as I can, scurrying off the bridge. “I’m—Fuck. Sorry.”

I hear movement after me.

“Thank ye for that,” Hook says to Calhoun as he passes him and jogs after me. “Whoa, whoa!” He grabs my arm and spins me around to face him. “What’s going on? What’re ye doing here?”

I snatch my arm away from him, and his face falters.

“Are ye okay?”

“Fine.” I nod a lot. “I’m fine.” I tell him, except now I’m shaking my head. I’m not sure I am fine. I’m about to not be fine. I need those birds to come back. I’m starting to not be able to see again. I wave my hand vaguely in the direction of his quarters. “Don’t let me keep you from—” I swallow heavy. “Finishing.”

Hook breathes out once, and it’s heavy and he looks down at me with this frown that’s confused and maybe even a bit sad.

“What’s happening?” He looks over his shoulder, bewildered.

“Nothing.” I shrug expressively. “Literally nothing. On all fronts.” I nod to myself. “Clearly.”

He keeps frowning at me. “What?”

I wave back towards the girl who’s now filling the doorway, watching us with a frown. “Enjoy.”

“Aye, sure.” Jamison scoffs, annoyed. “I will.”

I walk backwards away from him and flash him my middle finger before I spin around and walk away.

“I d?nnae ken what that means,” he calls after me.

I spin back around to flash him two.

He throws me an unimpressed look and then walks back to the girl, putting his arm around her, closing the door behind him.

Piano.

I don’t know where to go or what to do. I can’t go back to the tree house. I don’t want to go to the Old Valley. I don’t know how to get home.

I spot a little lizard that’s staring at me from a few metres away. He’s glowing this warm sort of yellowy green, perched at the edge of the dock.

I watch him for a few seconds, and briefly I feel better, distracted by something that’s so strange it demands my full attention, and then the lizard drops off the edge of the dock.

I dart towards it and peer over the edge, but the lizard’s landed in a beached canoe.

He stares up at me, blinks twice. And for some reason, I feel like he’s telling me something.

I look over my shoulder to see if anyone else is seeing this, but there aren’t many people around, and besides, who’s watching a sad, crying girl chase a lizard anyway?

I slip down over the side of the dock and land on the sand.

I stare at the lizard, which stares back at me. “Am I to understand we’re to share this?” I gesture to the canoe.

Quite typically of lizards (and as I suspected), he says nothing in return.

I hold out my hand. “Are you a nice lizard?”

He runs onto my hand and immediately curls up in the palm of my hand.

“Well, at least one of us is set for the night.”

I climb into the canoe, curling into a ball, being careful not to squash my new lizard friend as I do.

Maybe I was wrong. Maybe there is no such thing as fate, and maybe I hate it here.





* * *



* Though I’m not so sure that he noticed.

? And knowing him, I doubt he meant it in the way where a girl might throw with focus and precision and a quiet strength that would go over Peter’s head.

* Much.

* I hope.

* How good of him. How very superior to all the other men I know on this island.





CHAPTER

NINE


“Are ye havin’ a sleep with a lizard?” says a deep* voice I don’t particularly want to hear first thing in the morning, all things considered, though were I being honest, I suppose I’m glad to hear it also.

“No.” I keep my eyes closed for a few more seconds. “I believe that was you.”

Jamison snorts a laugh, and I blink my eyes open, staring at my little lizard friend and my little lizard friend only. He’s still all curled up in my palm, I give him a smile, then lift my hand up to the top of the canoe and let him climb off me.

“Look at ye.” Jamison nods his chin at me. “So at one with nature.”

“Look at you.” I glare at him. “So clothed now.”