Chapter 16

Evelyn

 

Graham didn’t let go.

Evelyn grinned. Together, they stepped into the stream. Currents of water splashed past her ankles and bubbled up to her knees. The iciness of the water sent a chill up her spine.

“Now what?”

She bit her lip at how quickly the needle of the compass spun. The object warmed in her palm. Blue sparks sprayed in the air, tickling her hand as they fell back down, and sizzling when they disappeared into the water.

The section of the stream that bubbled around them began to transform. The clear water bled ribbons of blue, bubbling and frothing until the spray of water matched the spray of sparks from the compass’s center.

Trembling, Evelyn sucked in a breath.

“Do you think we’ll get pulled under?”

She gave his arm a squeeze.

“Graham? Are you listening to me?”

His breath came out in a whisper. “Is this what it felt like when you were sent here?”

“No, not at all.”

She twisted her head around, taking in the sprays of water and light swirling around them. Holding the compass securely in her palm, she pressed herself to Graham’s chest.

“You should go back to the cottage,” she said. “I don’t want you to get hurt—what if we drown?”

His lips were set. He worked his jaw before answering. “I promised I’d see you safely as far as I could, and right now I’m not convinced you’re safe.”

Water droplets and beads of blue light brightened into a warm, eerie glow.

Evelyn inhaled a humid lungful of air.

Then, as if the stream finally decided it wanted its water back, all at once, the ground beneath them softened, sinking Evelyn and Graham until the current ran past their waists.

With a sloshy, wet slurp, they, the compass, and the water were swallowed inside, followed by the light and their screams.

 

Though she trembled all over, Evelyn’s eyelids were stiff as ice, framing her open eyes. But she couldn’t see past swirls of blue.

The chill numbed her arms and fingertips.

She couldn’t tell whether Graham was still there.

Her lungs burned for air. Just as she was about to gulp in a mouthful of liquid, her head broke the water’s surface.

She choked and coughed. Her head fell under again, but now she knew there was air above her. She let herself float. This time when she surfaced, she relaxed her breathing and moved her arms back and forth. Though her feet and legs were heavy, weighed down by wet boots and jeans, she kicked until she was gently treading water.

“Graham?” she whispered.

Droplets rolled across her lips. The water didn’t taste salty like she’d been used to at the Jersey shore. Freshwater. Are we back at Lake Erie? She twisted around where, instead of waves, she saw a flat structure that stretched across the lake. A pier.

And a body floating on the water.

“Graham!”

She swam to him. His lips held a slight sheen of blue.

Wrapping an arm around his chest, she half swam, half dragged him through the water to the edge of the pier. Her breath came and went in heavy gasps as she grabbed onto the landing.

“Come on, Graham, wake up,” she said. “We have to get out of the water. I’m not sure I can lift you.”

Her arm ached with the strain of keeping his head above the waves.

She pressed her cheek to his. Her heart sped when a puff of air passed through his nose.

“You’re breathing. Okay, good. Can you hear me at all?”

His eyelids fluttered open; he coughed up water.

“Graham?”

When his gaze focused on her voice, then her face, his eyes widened.

“We transported?”

She nodded, shivering, and pressed one of his hands to the edge of the landing.

“We need to climb out. Now.”

 

Evelyn had never been so happy to reach the front door of Carla’s house.

She knocked, huddling close to Graham beneath the blanket wrapped around them and their damp clothing.

The man who had seen them struggling at the pier’s landing and helped fish them out of the water waited inside his parked car.

“Are you kids going to be okay?” he called out.

“Yes, thank you so much! Did you want your blanket back?”

“No need.”

When the front door finally opened and Joyce’s head popped out, the man told them to take care, and drove away.

“Evelyn, who was that?”

She cringed as her sister took in her shivering frown of apology and her new friend.

“Get inside first, then tell me everything. Carla’s been worrying like crazy.” She held the door open for them to step inside. “Is he okay?”

Graham stood there, stunned. He hadn’t spoken much during the car ride. There’s going to be so much to explain. The thought of Graham having to adapt to her life was every bit as terrifying as if she would have been stuck in Havenbrim.

“No,” said Evelyn, answering her sister’s question. “He’s far from home—definitely not okay.”

Evelyn shivered as she removed her boots and wet socks. She’d dreamed of a hot shower and a change of clothes during the entire drive.

Carla’s form appeared in the doorway. “Where have you been all night?”

“All night?”

“Joyce said she couldn’t find you on her way back from the party last night, and you never came home. Until now.”

Evelyn’s jaw dropped. I thought I’d been in Havenbrim for days.

“Halloween was last night?”

Carla exchanged a glance with Joyce before setting her eyes upon Graham. “He’s still wearing his costume, isn’t he? Is that who you’ve been out with all night?”

“What? No—I mean…” Evelyn exhaled.

She’d wanted to wait until she was alone with Joyce to explain how they’d gotten separated, where she’d gone, and how she’d gotten home. If it wasn’t for Graham standing right there, she wouldn’t have believed it herself.

“He’s in trouble,” she said, finally.

“I can see that.”

Evelyn’s eyes filled with tears; she turned to Joyce. “His name is Graham, and he’s lost his parents, like us.” She’d artfully kept out the part about how long ago his mother and father passed away, and no one interrupted her, so it was a start. “He’s here by himself with no family.”

Carla sighed.

“Maybe you should both change into dry clothes,” Joyce said, her eyebrows raised. “Then we should talk about it.”

 

Seated, with steaming mugs in hand, they listened to Graham tell his story about losing his parents and living on his own. Evelyn caught his eye and pressed a finger to her lips each time he got close to revealing too many details about Havinbrim and his apprenticeship with Machin. She was sure Carla and Joyce weren’t ready for that, yet.

She smiled. Graham had relaxed a bit, but his eyes darted from one place to another, in the room filled with things he’d never seen before.

“I think that boy has more problems than missing his family,” Carla whispered.

“This place is just new to him,” said Evelyn, under her breath. “He’ll have to get used to it, and he has nowhere else to go.”

“I suppose you want him to stay here?”

“I know that’s asking a lot. Can he at least stay on the couch tonight?”

Graham paused. Like Evelyn, he and Joyce were looking at Carla, waiting for her response.

Evelyn blushed. In her willingness to help, she hadn’t realized she’d raised her voice.

“One night,” Carla said. “Tomorrow we discuss other options.”

Evelyn smiled at Graham over her mug. It wasn’t the best scenario she’d hoped for, but it could have been a lot worse.

“Thank you,” said Graham. “I’m sorry to cause trouble.”

“If you’ll excuse me,” said Carla, getting up. “I’ll get pillows and blankets to get you set up down here for the night.” The stairs to the upstairs rooms creaked after she’d left the room.

Graham sat there, with both Evelyn and Joyce staring at him. He began twiddling his thumbs. He looked around the room. Blinked, then smiled. His thumbs stopped moving.

He pointed to a stack of multicolored paper strips and pipe cleaners that glittered with foil. “What are those?”

Of all the things he could have asked about, he asks about those?

“They’re leftover supplies Carla bought for her students to make Halloween decorations. Just paper and wire covered in chenille and bits of tinsel,” she said. “They used them to make spiders or something.”

“What’ll she do with them now?”

Joyce shrugged. “Probably give them away or store them with our Halloween decorations. Why?”

“Might I take a closer look?” he said, his lips forming a slight grin.

She shrugged. “Help yourself.”

Evelyn watched with a furrowed brow as Graham quickly sorted the paper and pipe cleaners into piles. He twisted two pipe cleaners together to make a circle, then several more to form a larger circle. His fingers slid smoothly across the materials, forming precise bends and twists.

After connecting the ends of pipe cleaners all around, from the smaller circle to the larger circle, he held what looked like a cage with a wide brim.

“This is a frame,” he said. “To finish this, I’ll need to weave the paper through the spokes.”

Joyce’s eyes narrowed. “Go ahead.”

“He’s making a basket,” said Evelyn, suppressing an excited giggle.

She sat back and crossed her legs, sinking comfortably into the couch, while Graham wove a pattern much fancier than she thought possible with the simple materials.

“That’s amazing,” she breathed.

“What’s amazing?” Carla stepped into the room and paused, her arms filled with pillows and a blanket. Her eyes widened. “Well, isn’t that clever?”

“I’ve never used materials like these in Havenbrim,” Graham told her.

Carla dropped the blanket and pillows onto a chair and bent forward to inspect his work. “This is beautiful. Better than the ones at my sister, Amy’s, flower shop.”

Graham nodded. “Some of the baskets my father and I wove carried flowers, but mostly they were meant to carry water, food, and cloth.”

“No, not—” Carla’s mouth dropped open; she glanced at Evelyn. Everything in her expression registered understanding, that Graham was telling the truth about where he’d lived.

She cleared grit from her throat. “What I meant was that she’d love your baskets to fill with candies, fruits, and flowers; and to sell as decorations and gifts for special occasions.”

His eyes brightened. “Is your sister lookin’ for someone of my trade?”

Carla smiled. “We could go tomorrow and see if there’s a position available.”

“I’d be able to carry on my father’s trade.” His gaze was suddenly dreamy and far away. Until he frowned. “But what will I use for tools?”

“Amy would give you all the tools and materials you need, especially if the baskets are selling.”

He set the half-made basket on the table and turned. “Your shopkeeper would provide the tools?”

“Yes, but don’t get too excited. Like I said, we’ll need to make inquiries first. Hopefully, by the end of the week, you’ll be lined up for an interview.”

Evelyn reached out and hugged the next closest person, who happened to be Joyce. Her home and life in Erie, Pennsylvania was finally getting brighter.