Read Online Island of Silence (Unwanteds) by Lisa McMann - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Lisa McMann
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nebulous spot across the room.
Meghan, grinning, patted Alex’s arm. “That is quite hilarious,” she said. “Good one, Al.”
Everyone was awkwardly silent. Meghan’s smile slowly disappeared. She looked from face to face. “Not a joke?” she asked.
Alex shook his head slightly.
Lani nudged Samheed, indicating she wanted out of the booth. “I have to go,” she said, her voice wavering. When Samheed saw the look on her face, he scrambled to his feet so she could slide out. She shoved past him and ran to the tubes, leaving the others staring, speechless.
Alex just sat there. “Did I miss something? What just happened?” he asked. “Is she sick?”
Megan shrugged, mystified.
Samheed, still standing, looked at Alex and finally shrugged. “I guess I’ll go see if she’s okay, then,” he said. He turned, strode quickly to the tubes, and disappeared.
Throwing Stones
I t took Samheed quite some time to find Lani after checking the mansion and ringing her blackboard to see if she was in her room. He jogged by the gate and asked the girrinos if they’d seen her, but they said only Sean Ranger and a few others had left Artimé that day.
Eventually he saw her outside by the shore. The sea was fairly calm today, and Lani was skipping stones over the water and letting the low waves wash up over her bare feet. Her toenails were painted fluorescent purple.
He walked over and stood next to her, not saying anything at first. He spied a few stones so he picked them up and wiped the sand off of them to see if they were good for throwing. When he had a handful, he offered them to Lani. “These look like they might skip,” he said.
“Thanks,” she said. She took them and gave one a try. It skidded over the water and she counted. “Seven. Not bad.”
Samheed found a few more and tried one himself. His bounced once and plopped into the water with a glug.
“Twist your arm a little,” she said. “Like it’s a throwing star.”
He did what she said and managed three skips. “Meh,” he said. “I was never very good at this.”
“You’re dead-on with spells though.”
Samheed nodded. “True.” When he was out of stones, he wiped the sand off his hands, took off his shoes, and rolled up his pant legs. “Wanna walk?” he said. He started walking slowly toward the jungle.
After a moment Lani caught up to him. They sloshed through the water side by side in silence for a long time, Samheed just thinking, watching the sand that stretched out immediately before him, and Lani with her eyes half-closed, face angled toward the sky.
When they got past the jungle to the lagoon where Ms. Morning’s big white boat gleamed, Samheed pointed to an old downed log. “I sit here sometimes,” he said. “Only when the platyprots aren’t around though. They’re so annoying.”
Lani grinned and sat down. “I know,” she said.
Samheed sat next to her. “Are you ever tempted to give that boat a try?”
“Every time I see it,” Lani said. “You?”
“Yeah.”
They watched the water for a bit longer, and then Samheed spoke again. “So. Did you kill Justine?”
Lani looked at him in surprise. “What? Where did that come from?” she said with a little laugh.
“Well, did you?” Samheed asked. “You did, didn’t you.”
She looked away, trying to hide a grin. And then she shrugged one shoulder and tilted her head, looking out over the water.
Samheed regarded her for a moment, his esteem for her rising mightily, not only because she had the guts to kill the High Priest Justine, but that she managed to keep it to herself all this time.
“Well, you saved Mr. Today’s life,” she said. She leaned toward him and bumped her shoulder against his.
Samheed’s eyes flickered. And for a time on a log in the small and quiet lagoon, next to the vast ocean that seemed to go on forever, the two, each silently remembering the parts that were played in battle with Quill, felt something enormous swell up inside them
Meghan, grinning, patted Alex’s arm. “That is quite hilarious,” she said. “Good one, Al.”
Everyone was awkwardly silent. Meghan’s smile slowly disappeared. She looked from face to face. “Not a joke?” she asked.
Alex shook his head slightly.
Lani nudged Samheed, indicating she wanted out of the booth. “I have to go,” she said, her voice wavering. When Samheed saw the look on her face, he scrambled to his feet so she could slide out. She shoved past him and ran to the tubes, leaving the others staring, speechless.
Alex just sat there. “Did I miss something? What just happened?” he asked. “Is she sick?”
Megan shrugged, mystified.
Samheed, still standing, looked at Alex and finally shrugged. “I guess I’ll go see if she’s okay, then,” he said. He turned, strode quickly to the tubes, and disappeared.
Throwing Stones
I t took Samheed quite some time to find Lani after checking the mansion and ringing her blackboard to see if she was in her room. He jogged by the gate and asked the girrinos if they’d seen her, but they said only Sean Ranger and a few others had left Artimé that day.
Eventually he saw her outside by the shore. The sea was fairly calm today, and Lani was skipping stones over the water and letting the low waves wash up over her bare feet. Her toenails were painted fluorescent purple.
He walked over and stood next to her, not saying anything at first. He spied a few stones so he picked them up and wiped the sand off of them to see if they were good for throwing. When he had a handful, he offered them to Lani. “These look like they might skip,” he said.
“Thanks,” she said. She took them and gave one a try. It skidded over the water and she counted. “Seven. Not bad.”
Samheed found a few more and tried one himself. His bounced once and plopped into the water with a glug.
“Twist your arm a little,” she said. “Like it’s a throwing star.”
He did what she said and managed three skips. “Meh,” he said. “I was never very good at this.”
“You’re dead-on with spells though.”
Samheed nodded. “True.” When he was out of stones, he wiped the sand off his hands, took off his shoes, and rolled up his pant legs. “Wanna walk?” he said. He started walking slowly toward the jungle.
After a moment Lani caught up to him. They sloshed through the water side by side in silence for a long time, Samheed just thinking, watching the sand that stretched out immediately before him, and Lani with her eyes half-closed, face angled toward the sky.
When they got past the jungle to the lagoon where Ms. Morning’s big white boat gleamed, Samheed pointed to an old downed log. “I sit here sometimes,” he said. “Only when the platyprots aren’t around though. They’re so annoying.”
Lani grinned and sat down. “I know,” she said.
Samheed sat next to her. “Are you ever tempted to give that boat a try?”
“Every time I see it,” Lani said. “You?”
“Yeah.”
They watched the water for a bit longer, and then Samheed spoke again. “So. Did you kill Justine?”
Lani looked at him in surprise. “What? Where did that come from?” she said with a little laugh.
“Well, did you?” Samheed asked. “You did, didn’t you.”
She looked away, trying to hide a grin. And then she shrugged one shoulder and tilted her head, looking out over the water.
Samheed regarded her for a moment, his esteem for her rising mightily, not only because she had the guts to kill the High Priest Justine, but that she managed to keep it to herself all this time.
“Well, you saved Mr. Today’s life,” she said. She leaned toward him and bumped her shoulder against his.
Samheed’s eyes flickered. And for a time on a log in the small and quiet lagoon, next to the vast ocean that seemed to go on forever, the two, each silently remembering the parts that were played in battle with Quill, felt something enormous swell up inside them
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