Stone of Destiny(18)

The hall clock just inside the front door said it was just after two. I’d hang up my dress and go for a walk next door to talk to Niamh and still have plenty of time to finish up my homework.

“I’m home,” I called down the hall, not sure who was around. I could hear the sound of studio audience laughter from the television and just made out my mother’s feet tucked under her on the couch in the living room at the end of the hallway.

“Allison, we’re back here. You have company,” Gram said, and I heard plates being moved around and footsteps on the kitchen tiles.

I tossed my bag on the stairs and went down the hall to see who it could be. When I got to the kitchen, surprise flitted through me. Niamh sat at the kitchen table drinking tea with Gram. I glanced over at my mother who just stared at the television, like she was completely oblivious to the Danaan in our house. I knew she wasn’t, she’d told me once in Tír na n’Óg that she was still aware of everything around her, she just couldn’t show it.

“Hey,” I said, raising an eyebrow at Niamh.

I introduced myself as Liam’s sister. Go along with it.

“Did you find something pretty at the mall, sweetheart?” Gram asked before raising her tea cup to her lips.

“I did. Well, Nicole picked it out, actually.”

Gram laughed. “So, Niamh tells me you two have a couple of classes together?”

Say yes.

“Yes, we do.” I cleared my throat and looked at Niamh. “Isn’t that such a coincidence?”

“It really is,” Gram said. “Such a small world.”

“Absolutely.” Niamh turned to me. “I was hoping you had those notes from Friday for me to look at.”

“Oh, yeah sure. They’re just upstairs, come on.”

I hurried up the stairs, Niamh trailing behind me. Once the door was closed I sat on my bed

Niamh looked at me expectantly and I bit my lip.

I thought about the girl I’d seen, imagined her face and dark hair in my mind for Niamh to see.

You’ve seen Samantha too, I take it?

Surprised she put it together so quick, I just blinked at her.

Yes, I knew about Samantha.

I shook my head. But Aoife acted like it was a big secret.

She doesn’t realize I know about her child. There are many things Aoife doesn’t know.

Does Liam know?

Niamh walked over and sat in my desk chair. No.

Why haven’t you told him?

Remember, there’s a significant time difference between my world and yours, Allison.

To me, it’s only been just over a year since Aoife gave birth to Samantha. And in between that time, many things happened that kept me from telling Liam. By then, he had discovered he had you. It just hasn’t been the right time.

I shot her a sidelong look as something else occurred to me. You said ‘I saw Samantha too.’ Does that mean you’ve seen her?

I sensed them before I saw them. I can tell when my people are nearby, and Ciarán, the Danaan she’s with, knows this. I think he’s humoring Samantha by letting her think she’s sneaking around on us. She’s not sure how to approach you or Liam yet. But I do know from her thoughts that she doesn’t mean you any harm.

Good. I breathed a sigh of relief. Images of Samantha killing me in my sleep had been dancing in my head since lunch yesterday.

Samantha has a significant amount of Danaan blood. She’s a telepath like me. As you might guess, it’s given her a great deal of trouble in this world

I imagined what it must be like to hear people’s thoughts. Even the dreams I had made me think I was crazy. She must have had it much worse.

So she’s my half-sister?

Niamh smiled, wrapping a strand of hair around her finger. Yes, that’s right.

I wasn’t sure how to feel about that. I had a sister. She looked right around my age, too. But something felt off. Like Niamh was holding back. I wished I hadn’t thought that when her eyes lifted to mine.

I’ve scanned her thoughts, which is more difficult than just hearing thoughts. I know Aoife has been to see her, but I haven’t been able to figure out what Aoife is up to. Which is why I’ve kept quiet about it. Diarmuid, my adviser, thought it best to wait until we had a better understanding of the situation before telling Liam.

Okay, so Samantha met Aoife and she told her about all of us. I guess I could understand she was curious about meeting her father. Not only that, but Niamh was her aunt and I was her sister. What I couldn’t put my finger on was why Aoife had gone to meet her after keeping her a secret for twenty-odd years, or just over a year in her own world. Why now?

Those are the same things I’d like to know.

How do we get her to talk to us?