Current Impressions Read Free

hundred
people. No wonder Ula said he was powerful.
    “Who handled things while he was gone?” A
year was a long time to be without your leader.
    “Angus took over,” Ula said. “He’s our
great-great uncle. He led the clan before my dad, and before
David.” Under her breath, she mumbled something. I thought I caught
“crotchety” and “goat”.
    “What did you say?”
    Her cheeks flushed slightly. “Oh,
nothing.”
    I ate the rest in silence, noting the
texture variations between the fish and vegetables. It was a new
experience to be so aware while eating. This was a sensory feast. I
was almost disappointed when I ate the last bite. It didn’t feel
right to ask for seconds.
    Ula glanced at my empty plate, and then
sprang from her chair. “Ready for that tour?”
    “Sure. Let’s go.” I uncurled my legs and
stood, taking a moment to stretch and assess. My muscles were sore,
but no worse than a good workout. I had no idea what to expect, but
I didn’t think I would feel so much like me. Except calmer, much
calmer. The pull of the ocean was one of comfort now, not
anxiety.
    Ula led me through a doorway in the back of
the room. It was hidden behind a partial stone wall, and I hadn’t
noticed it before. It emptied into a hallway, and she turned to the
right.
    “We’ll start in our family wing,” Ula
explained. “It’s on the second floor.”
    We passed several closed doors before the
hallway ended. To the immediate left was a stairwell, and I
realized it was one of the towers I’d seen from the outside. I
followed her up the stairs, which emptied into another stone
hallway. This one was dimly lit by sconces, not windows. Doors
lined the hall.
    “Bedrooms,” Ula said when she saw me
looking. Halfway down the hall, she stopped at a door and opened
it. She stood back to let me in. “This is my room.”
    Her room was bright and colorful. Scattered
throughout were beanbag chairs in red, blue, and yellow, each
covered in a soft, fuzzy fabric. Tie-dyed material draped along one
wall to hide the gray stones. A large, shag carpet covered the
floor, and a bookcase full of well-worn novels stood beneath the
two large windows.
    “It’s great,” I said. She had a wonderful
view of the rocky shore. When I looked at her books, I saw many of
my favorites.
    “Feel free to borrow any that you like.” She
smiled at me. “There’s a study upstairs with more books. You’re
welcome to those as well.”
    “Thank you.”
    She hesitated a moment before asking, “Would
you like to see your room now?”
    “I have a room?” My heart surged with a
sudden sureness that I belonged here. This was family, more than
I’d ever known.
    Ula grinned. “Of course you do. David asked
Brigid and me to get it ready for you. I hope you don’t mind.”
    I thought of my aunt Brigid and her cold,
violet eyes. “Brigid helped decorate my room?”
    Now, Ula laughed. “As if I’d let her. Do you
like the Goth look?”
    “Um—”
    “I didn’t think so.” Ula shut her door
behind us, and we continued down the hall. “She was more than happy
to let me take care of it.” She paused outside the last door in the
same hall. Just past it was another stairwell. Another tower.
    “The end rooms are slightly bigger,” Ula
said. “David insisted you have this one. It was his as a
child.”
    She opened the door, and I gasped. The room
was beautiful, all soft greens and blues. It reminded me of the sea
on a calm day. A bed covered in pillows of all shapes and sizes was
centered on the long wall. A small dresser had my picture frame and
other personal items already on it. A bookshelf, the twin of Ula’s,
sat under the windows. Its top was covered with fat candles,
casting the air with the light scent of vanilla, though they were
unlit. The shelves held a few books.
    Ula saw me looking at the titles. “I added
some that I remembered from your room,” she said. “Though you can
certainly expand your collection.” When I looked at her,