Waterfall
Page 13
Eureka!
Ander stopped ahead of her. She skidded into his back. Her cheekbone slammed into his shoulder blade. She felt his muscles stiffen, like he was trying to shield her from something. She stood on her toes to see past him.
A dead girl lay at the edge of the stream. She looked about twelve. Leaves clung to her hair. She was on her side, straddling a long, twisted log. Eureka stared at her white blouse, her pale pink pleated skirt stained with blood. Ebony bangs were matted to her cheeks. Her long ponytail was tied with a cheerful yellow ribbon.
Eureka thought about who shed been when she herself was twelve years oldbig hands and feet like a puppys, perpetually tangled hair, a gap-toothed smile. She hadnt yet met Cat. The summer she was twelve, shed had her first French kiss. It was twilight, and she and Brooks had been swimming under the dock at his boathouse. Feeling his lips softly on hers was the last thing shed expected when she came up for air from a br**ststroke. Theyd treaded water after the kiss, laughing hysterically because they were both too embarrassed to do anything else. She had been so different then.
She felt a burning at the back of her throat. She wished she were back there, in that warm Cypremort water, far away. She wished she were anywhere but standing over this dead girl.
Then she wasnt standing over her. She was kneeling next to her. Sitting in the stream beside her. Lifting the girls misshapen, broken arm off the log. Holding her cold hand.
I hurt you, Eureka said, but what crossed her mind was I envy you, because the girl had left behind this worlds problems and its pain.
She started to pray to the Virgin, because that was how shed been raised, but Eureka felt disrespectful quickly. Odds were this girl hadnt been Catholic. Eureka could do nothing to help her soul get where it needed to go.
Im going to bury her.
Eureka, I dont think , Ander started to say.
But Eureka had already pulled the girls body from the log. She lay her flat against the bank and smoothed her skirt. Eurekas fingers dug through pebbles and reached mud. She felt the silty grit fill the space beneath her fingernails as she cast fistfuls aside. She thought of Diana, whod never been buried.
This girl was dead because Diana had never told Eureka what her tears would do. Anger shed never before felt for her mother seized Eureka.
There wont be time to attend to every death, Ander said.
We have to. Eureka kept digging.
Think about your father, Ander said. And my family, who will find you if we dont find the Bitter Cloud first. You can do more to honor this girl by moving on, finding Solon, learning what you must do to redeem yourself.
Eureka stopped digging. Her arms shook as shereached for the girls yellow ribbon. She didnt know why she pulled on the bow. She felt it loosen as it slid from the girls wet black hair. The wind wove the ribbon between Eurekas fingers and blew a sudden lightness into her chest.
She recognized the sensation distantlyit was an old friend, returned after a long prodigal journey: hope.
This girl was a bright flame that Eurekas tears had extinguished, but there were more flames out there burning. There had to be. She tied the yellow ribbon around the chain bearing her thunderstone. When she was lost and disheartened, she would remember this girl, the first tear-loss Eureka had seen, and it would spur her on to stop what she had started, to right her wrongs.
Eureka didnt realize she had tears in her eyes until she turned to Ander and saw his panicked expression.
He was at her side immediately. No!
He grabbed her broken wrist. The pain was blinding. A tear rolled down her cheek.
Out of nowhere she remembered the heirloom chandelier back home, which Eureka broke when she slammed the front door in a rage. Dad had spent hours repairing it and the chandelier had looked almost like new, but the next time Eureka closed the front door, carefully, so lightly, the chandelier had trembled, then shattered into shards. Was Eureka like that chandelier, now that shed cried once? Would the lightest force suddenly shatter her?
Please dont shed another tear, Ander pleaded.
Eureka wondered how anyone ever stopped crying. How did pain fade? Where did it go? Ander made it sound temporary, like a Lafayette snowfall. She touched the yellow ribbon.
She had already cried the tear that flooded the world. Shed assumed the damage was done. What more can my tears do?
There is an ancient rubric predicting the power of each tear shed
You didnt tell me that! Eurekas breath came shallowly. How many tears have I shed?
She started to wipe her face, but Ander grabbed her hands. Her tears hung like grenades.
Solon will explain
Tell me!
Ander took her hands. I know youre scared, but you must stop crying. He reached around and cradled the back of her head in his palm. His chest swelled as he inhaled. I will help you, he said. Look up.
A narrow column of swirling air formed over Eurekas head. It twisted faster, until a few raindrops faded and slowed and turned into snow. The column became thick with bright, feathery flakes that tumbled down and dusted Eurekas cheeks, her shoulders, her sneakers. Rain thundered against the rocks, splashing into the puddles all around them, but over her head the storm was an elegant blizzard. Eureka shivered, enthralled.
Ander stopped ahead of her. She skidded into his back. Her cheekbone slammed into his shoulder blade. She felt his muscles stiffen, like he was trying to shield her from something. She stood on her toes to see past him.
A dead girl lay at the edge of the stream. She looked about twelve. Leaves clung to her hair. She was on her side, straddling a long, twisted log. Eureka stared at her white blouse, her pale pink pleated skirt stained with blood. Ebony bangs were matted to her cheeks. Her long ponytail was tied with a cheerful yellow ribbon.
Eureka thought about who shed been when she herself was twelve years oldbig hands and feet like a puppys, perpetually tangled hair, a gap-toothed smile. She hadnt yet met Cat. The summer she was twelve, shed had her first French kiss. It was twilight, and she and Brooks had been swimming under the dock at his boathouse. Feeling his lips softly on hers was the last thing shed expected when she came up for air from a br**ststroke. Theyd treaded water after the kiss, laughing hysterically because they were both too embarrassed to do anything else. She had been so different then.
She felt a burning at the back of her throat. She wished she were back there, in that warm Cypremort water, far away. She wished she were anywhere but standing over this dead girl.
Then she wasnt standing over her. She was kneeling next to her. Sitting in the stream beside her. Lifting the girls misshapen, broken arm off the log. Holding her cold hand.
I hurt you, Eureka said, but what crossed her mind was I envy you, because the girl had left behind this worlds problems and its pain.
She started to pray to the Virgin, because that was how shed been raised, but Eureka felt disrespectful quickly. Odds were this girl hadnt been Catholic. Eureka could do nothing to help her soul get where it needed to go.
Im going to bury her.
Eureka, I dont think , Ander started to say.
But Eureka had already pulled the girls body from the log. She lay her flat against the bank and smoothed her skirt. Eurekas fingers dug through pebbles and reached mud. She felt the silty grit fill the space beneath her fingernails as she cast fistfuls aside. She thought of Diana, whod never been buried.
This girl was dead because Diana had never told Eureka what her tears would do. Anger shed never before felt for her mother seized Eureka.
There wont be time to attend to every death, Ander said.
We have to. Eureka kept digging.
Think about your father, Ander said. And my family, who will find you if we dont find the Bitter Cloud first. You can do more to honor this girl by moving on, finding Solon, learning what you must do to redeem yourself.
Eureka stopped digging. Her arms shook as shereached for the girls yellow ribbon. She didnt know why she pulled on the bow. She felt it loosen as it slid from the girls wet black hair. The wind wove the ribbon between Eurekas fingers and blew a sudden lightness into her chest.
She recognized the sensation distantlyit was an old friend, returned after a long prodigal journey: hope.
This girl was a bright flame that Eurekas tears had extinguished, but there were more flames out there burning. There had to be. She tied the yellow ribbon around the chain bearing her thunderstone. When she was lost and disheartened, she would remember this girl, the first tear-loss Eureka had seen, and it would spur her on to stop what she had started, to right her wrongs.
Eureka didnt realize she had tears in her eyes until she turned to Ander and saw his panicked expression.
He was at her side immediately. No!
He grabbed her broken wrist. The pain was blinding. A tear rolled down her cheek.
Out of nowhere she remembered the heirloom chandelier back home, which Eureka broke when she slammed the front door in a rage. Dad had spent hours repairing it and the chandelier had looked almost like new, but the next time Eureka closed the front door, carefully, so lightly, the chandelier had trembled, then shattered into shards. Was Eureka like that chandelier, now that shed cried once? Would the lightest force suddenly shatter her?
Please dont shed another tear, Ander pleaded.
Eureka wondered how anyone ever stopped crying. How did pain fade? Where did it go? Ander made it sound temporary, like a Lafayette snowfall. She touched the yellow ribbon.
She had already cried the tear that flooded the world. Shed assumed the damage was done. What more can my tears do?
There is an ancient rubric predicting the power of each tear shed
You didnt tell me that! Eurekas breath came shallowly. How many tears have I shed?
She started to wipe her face, but Ander grabbed her hands. Her tears hung like grenades.
Solon will explain
Tell me!
Ander took her hands. I know youre scared, but you must stop crying. He reached around and cradled the back of her head in his palm. His chest swelled as he inhaled. I will help you, he said. Look up.
A narrow column of swirling air formed over Eurekas head. It twisted faster, until a few raindrops faded and slowed and turned into snow. The column became thick with bright, feathery flakes that tumbled down and dusted Eurekas cheeks, her shoulders, her sneakers. Rain thundered against the rocks, splashing into the puddles all around them, but over her head the storm was an elegant blizzard. Eureka shivered, enthralled.
