Prophecy Girl Read Online Free Page A

you should eat.”
    “I can’t! I’m so happy!”
    A few tears escaped from Kate’s eyes. “I’m going to miss you, you know?”               Eva clenched Kate’s hand, crying too. “You know the address of where I’m going, right?”
    Kate nodded. “I got it from Dr. Lang so I could mail your books after you arrived.”
    “You can write to me, if you want. Or you could email. I’m going to a school so I’m sure they’ll have computers there.”
    It had been over a year since Eva had accessed a computer. She wasn’t certain if she would even remember how to turn it on.
    “Thanks, I’d like that,” Kate said.
    They hugged for what seemed like the longest time and cried some more. 
    When they finally parted, Eva noticed that Kate’s face looked like she had smeared covert special-ops black paint all down her cheeks.
    “Oh! I made your mascara run!”
    Kate shook her head and smiled. “Don’t worry.”
    When they went back to Eva’s room, Kate used a tissue to clean the black gunk from around her eyes and off her cheeks.
    “What about things like soap and deodorant?” Eva asked, standing in her small, plain white bathroom, gathering up her transparent bottles of soap. 
    “Don’t worry about that,” Kate said, taking the bottles from her. “I heard Mr. Quinn over the phone with Dr. Lang. He said everything you needed would be there.”
    “That’s nice. I hated this soap anyway,” she said, pointing in disgust at the slimy yellow liquid that Kate had put back on the counter.
    The nurse laughed. “Yeah, I’ve seen better soap at a roach motel.”
    Eva was about to jokingly ask Kate who she had gone with to a low-budget motel, but she was interrupted by a knock on her door. She ran excitedly with Kate in tow, thinking it was Mr. Quinn, but it was only Isaac Dodd. He was accompanied by an African-American nurse nicknamed “Bull,” but not for his towering height and broad shoulders that filled her door frame, but for the fact that he used to be a bull rider out west. 
    “Hey, Bull,” Eva greeted.
    “Hey, Eva. Hey, Kate.  Isaac here has something he needs to say to you,” he said with a deep voice that could cause a dormant volcano to erupt.
    Isaac held his head down, clenching and unclenching his fists. Eva wasn’t sure what was going to happen next, but she didn’t count out a fist slam to her face.
    Finally, Isaac lifted his head, and Eva noticed that he had been crying. “I’m sorry,” he said, drying his cheek with the back of his hand. “I’m sorry I got angry at you.”
    Eva wanted to cry too, but held back. She had done enough of that with Kate. 
    “It’s okay. I probably said something I shouldn’t have.”
    Isaac shook his head wildly. “No, no! It wasn’t you. I’m…I’m the one with the problem. I…have problems.”
    But Eva couldn’t hold back any further, and let her tears fall. She embraced Isaac in a tight hug, and as she placed her head against his chest, she could hear his wildly thumping heartbeat. Isaac lightly pressed his hands against her back. He didn’t hug her, but he didn’t push her away.
    She looked up at his sad face. “Don’t let anyone tell you that you have problems. You’ve been through a lot, and they just don’t understand.”
    To Eva’s surprise, he fully embraced her, burying his face in the crook of her neck, sobbing. She soothingly rubbed his back, and after awhile, he pulled away, wiping the tears from his eyes.
    “I want you to stay,” he confessed, sniffing.   
    She gently held his hand. “This isn’t the place for me, and it’s not for you, but it’s better than where you used to be, right? And Bull and Kate will keep you company.”
    “That’s right, Isaac.” Kate timidly placed her hand on Isaac’s shoulder. When he didn’t push her away, she continued, “I’ll be right here if you need me.”
    Next, Bull lightly squeezed both of Isaac’s shoulders, and said in his deep voice, “Yeah and I