Read Online Kiera Hudson & The Adoring Artist (Kiera Hudson Series Three Book 3) by Tim O'Rourke - Free Book Online
Authors: Tim O'Rourke
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toward Snake Weed, without a word passing between us.
Chapter Twelve
Snake Weed was just how I remembered it to be. It was surrounded on all sides by rolling hills – hills that I had once marched down side by side with my friends… I pushed those thoughts from my mind. They did nothing to please me. They were just a constant reminder of my past life. A life that I could no sooner go back to than Potter could go back to the time before I arrived at the offices of The Creeping Men.
Together we wandered the few streets that made up the small hamelt. It was near dark now and the streets were deserted and quiet. Cigarette smoke wafted over Potter’s shoulder, leaving a trail of grey behind him. I wanted to reach for him, take his hand in mine and tell him that everything was going to be okay. My Potter or not, I hated the thought of him hurting inside – hurting because of a decision I had made for him – for all of my friends. But instead of reaching for his hand, I shoved it into the pocket of my hoodie. The end of the street widened, leading out into something close to a town square. It was as I remembered it to be, but with one difference. As before, the cobbled square was surrounded by Tudor-style houses and shops. Each of them had thatched roofs and was supported by ancient wooden beams. Over the tops of the houses and in the distance, I could see the peaks of the hills and the mountains that surrounded Snake Weed. But there hadn’t been a statue before. Coming to a sudden stop, I looked across the square at it. The statue was facing away from me, but I knew it was the one that Nev had painted, the one that he came so often to Snake Weed to look at and paint. It was the statue I had once seen in my dreams. Slowly, I crossed the square toward it. My heart was racing fast and I didn’t know why. It was just a statue after all. Several small fountains of water jetted in a constant stream from the base the statue had been erected on. I circled the statue until I was facing it. With my heart racing faster still, I slowly lifted my head and looked up into its face. I stifled a gasp in the back of my throat. The statue did look very much like me. She was naked, long hair trailing over her shoulders and covering her breasts. She stood with one leg bent slightly at the knee, her hands folded in her lap. A set of giant wings protruded from her back.
The water rippled about her feet. At first I thought it was just my own reflection that I could see staring back at me. But it wasn’t – it was Potter’s reflection I could see. I glanced back over my shoulder believing that he must have crept up on me, but he hadn’t. He stood some feet away smoking. He was too far away to have caused a reflection of himself in the water. I looked back, that image of Potter was still there. And even though it rippled back and forth, his dark eyes were boring into mine. He wore that same look of sorrow I had seen on his face when he realised I’d tricked him into getting onto that train.
“Potter,” I whispered.
“Kiera,” I heard him whisper back over the sound of the frothing and tumbling water. Was it really his voice I had heard? I stole another quick glance over my shoulder. Potter was still some feet away. I looked back down into the water. Was I staring into the face of my Potter?
“Where did we first kiss?” I asked the reflection.
His face broke into a sudden smile and I felt my heart somersault in my chest. “How could I ever forget,” he said. “In the gatehouse at Hallowed Manor.”
“What you doing?” I heard someone say.
I peered over my shoulder to see that Potter had joined me in front of the fountain. I looked back into the water but that reflection of Potter had gone. I splashed the water with the flat of my hand, hoping that he might come back, but all I could see were a collection of coins that people had thrown into the fountain, hoping that their wishes would come true. I hit the water again,
Chapter Twelve
Snake Weed was just how I remembered it to be. It was surrounded on all sides by rolling hills – hills that I had once marched down side by side with my friends… I pushed those thoughts from my mind. They did nothing to please me. They were just a constant reminder of my past life. A life that I could no sooner go back to than Potter could go back to the time before I arrived at the offices of The Creeping Men.
Together we wandered the few streets that made up the small hamelt. It was near dark now and the streets were deserted and quiet. Cigarette smoke wafted over Potter’s shoulder, leaving a trail of grey behind him. I wanted to reach for him, take his hand in mine and tell him that everything was going to be okay. My Potter or not, I hated the thought of him hurting inside – hurting because of a decision I had made for him – for all of my friends. But instead of reaching for his hand, I shoved it into the pocket of my hoodie. The end of the street widened, leading out into something close to a town square. It was as I remembered it to be, but with one difference. As before, the cobbled square was surrounded by Tudor-style houses and shops. Each of them had thatched roofs and was supported by ancient wooden beams. Over the tops of the houses and in the distance, I could see the peaks of the hills and the mountains that surrounded Snake Weed. But there hadn’t been a statue before. Coming to a sudden stop, I looked across the square at it. The statue was facing away from me, but I knew it was the one that Nev had painted, the one that he came so often to Snake Weed to look at and paint. It was the statue I had once seen in my dreams. Slowly, I crossed the square toward it. My heart was racing fast and I didn’t know why. It was just a statue after all. Several small fountains of water jetted in a constant stream from the base the statue had been erected on. I circled the statue until I was facing it. With my heart racing faster still, I slowly lifted my head and looked up into its face. I stifled a gasp in the back of my throat. The statue did look very much like me. She was naked, long hair trailing over her shoulders and covering her breasts. She stood with one leg bent slightly at the knee, her hands folded in her lap. A set of giant wings protruded from her back.
The water rippled about her feet. At first I thought it was just my own reflection that I could see staring back at me. But it wasn’t – it was Potter’s reflection I could see. I glanced back over my shoulder believing that he must have crept up on me, but he hadn’t. He stood some feet away smoking. He was too far away to have caused a reflection of himself in the water. I looked back, that image of Potter was still there. And even though it rippled back and forth, his dark eyes were boring into mine. He wore that same look of sorrow I had seen on his face when he realised I’d tricked him into getting onto that train.
“Potter,” I whispered.
“Kiera,” I heard him whisper back over the sound of the frothing and tumbling water. Was it really his voice I had heard? I stole another quick glance over my shoulder. Potter was still some feet away. I looked back down into the water. Was I staring into the face of my Potter?
“Where did we first kiss?” I asked the reflection.
His face broke into a sudden smile and I felt my heart somersault in my chest. “How could I ever forget,” he said. “In the gatehouse at Hallowed Manor.”
“What you doing?” I heard someone say.
I peered over my shoulder to see that Potter had joined me in front of the fountain. I looked back into the water but that reflection of Potter had gone. I splashed the water with the flat of my hand, hoping that he might come back, but all I could see were a collection of coins that people had thrown into the fountain, hoping that their wishes would come true. I hit the water again,
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