Isla's Inheritance

by Cassandra Page

Ryan was sitting on a low bench seat in the men’s change room. He leaned forward, head in his hands. He was trembling.

  I sat beside him. “Ryan? What’s wrong?”

  He didn’t answer at first, and I looked up at Dominic, who hovered in the doorway. “Go find Sarah.”

  “I don’t feel so good,” Ryan murmured after a moment.

  “Have you been drinking?”

  “No.”

  “Drugs?”

  He shook his head again, not looking up. His aura was a mottled, shifting pattern of greenish yellow, but it was shot through with golden flecks.

  I took his wrists to move his hands away from his face. His fingertips were stained with lead from a pencil. That wasn’t unusual for him, but he’d arrived with clean hands.

  “Have you been drawing?” I asked, unable to keep the worry from my voice.

  He looked up at the door to the toilet cubicle. “In there.”

  Sarah ran into the room with Dominic right behind her. I stepped back and let her take my place beside her brother, heading into the toilet cubicle with my heart in my throat.

  At first I didn’t see anything unusual; the walls were the same white-painted brick as the rest of the room. It wasn’t till I looked behind the door that I saw Ryan’s drawing. A huge monster with overly muscled arms, dressed in rags, glared at me. Its fists were clenched and it snarled, baring teeth like uneven stumps. Despite being rendered with hasty pencil strokes, it seemed real—like it could jump out of the door at any moment to throttle me with those huge hands.

  And behind it, drawn in simple yet familiar lines, were several buildings I recognised. I’d grown up there, after all.

  It was Dad’s farm.

  I rushed from the toilet, the door slamming shut behind me. “I need Jack,” I gasped, pushing past the others and running out into the hall.

  I barely made it a third of the way across the room before Jack noticed me; he excused himself from the conversation with Rebecca and the others and hurried over.

  “What is the matter?” he asked.

  “I think Ryan has drawn another true picture,” I murmured, my voice tight in my throat. I wanted to yell the words at him, so strong was the sense of urgency. But there were watching eyes and curious ears all around me.

  “Where?”

  “On the back of the men’s toilet door.”

  Dominic and Sarah frowned at us as we came back in; I stood near them with arms folded as Jack hurried into the toilet and, just as quickly, out again. He gave me a single, curt nod.

  I ran to get my clutch and phone from the kitchen, trying Dad’s mobile—no answer, which wasn’t unusual as the reception at the farm wasn’t good—and his house phone. I got an engaged signal. My stomach twisted.

  “I have to go,” I said to Sarah, wringing my hands.

  “Why?” Ryan slumped at her side.

  “I think Dad’s in trouble.” Again.

  “You got that from the toilet?” Dominic’s voice was incredulous.

  “I know it’s weird. But please, trust me.”

  Sarah nodded. She understood enough of what was going on to take the rest on faith. “I’ll call Mum and she can come get Ryan.”

  I realised she intended to come with me. “You should stay with him.”

  “Like hell.”

  “It could be dangerous.”

  “That’s why I should come,” she insisted. “You’re not going alone.”

  Jack stood forward. “No, she is not. I will look after her.”

  “I’ll come too,” Dominic said.

  There was an awkward silence for a couple of heartbeats.

  I glanced at Jack, who shrugged. This was up to me.

  Dominic saw the exchange between us and bristled. “You didn’t bring your car, Isla.”

  I wanted Dominic by my side. I did. His presence was reassuring; it warmed a cold place inside me. But he didn’t know anything about the duinesidhe and, although he was fit, he wasn’t a fighter. Jack was. It made my chest ache to think Dad was under some sort of attack. However, the idea of taking Dominic into a potentially deadly situation made the ache sharpen into a stabbing pain that burned the backs of my eyes and tightened my chest until I felt like I couldn’t breathe.

  I stepped forward and took his hands, my eyes pleading for understanding. “Can I borrow your keys?”

  He looked down at me for a long moment while I wondered if my heart would break. Then he reached into his pocket and handed them to me without a word.

  “Dominic, I…”

  “Go.”

  We went.

  As Jack and I left, all I could see was Natalie. She stood to one side of the scout hall door, shaking her head.