Prophecy Girl Read Online Free Page B

need someone to play chess with. Can’t play by myself, now can I?”
    Isaac laughed. “All right, I get it. I’m loved!” 
    From Isaac’s sense of humor, Eva didn’t feel that bad leaving him. Kate and Bull would look after him, showing that someone cared, and Eva hoped that would help him.
    She just wished it would apply to her too.
    Dr. Lang appeared at her door with a raised eyebrow.
    Why are you all here?”
    “Just saying our goodbyes,” Bull answered, showing no fear at the twitchy doctor.
    “Oh…well, hurry it along. It’s time for Eva to go.”
    Eva jumped up and down. “They’re here?!”
    “Yes,” Dr. Lang answered in a clipped tone.
    “I’ll get your things,” Kate said, and then picked up Eva’s carry-on items: the hairbrush and lipstick. 
    With the travel bag her mom had packed, Eva knew she wouldn’t look ridiculous entering the airport, holding a worn-out hairbrush in one hand, and a used tube of lipstick in the other, like a weirdo.
    Before she left her room for the last time, she gave Kate another hug, then Isaac, and finally Bull, who picked her up off the floor, and managed not to crack her ribs. 
    “I’m going to miss you all,” Eva said, avoiding eye contact with Dr. Lang.
    She wouldn’t miss him at all.
    Eva left the hospital through the main door with Kate. When the sun hit her face, she looked up at it, and let the rays bathe her in warmth. She didn’t care if she went blind.  She was free.
    “Hey, baby,” said a familiar voice.
    Eva looked down and saw her mom, walking to her with open arms. Deirdre Nolan was tall with light brown hair tied up in a bun. She hadn’t reverted back to her maiden name, and Eva saw this as a sign that her parent’s marriage might be salvageable. 
    “Hey, mom.” Eva couldn’t stop the flood of tears, breaking like a dam from her eyes. 
    All throughout last year, Eva had hated and loved her parents. She hated them because they kept her locked up, and loved them because, well, they were her parents. Before the divorce, before her visions, they had a pretty good life. 
    They hugged for what seemed to be the longest time, until her dad asked, “What about me?”
    Barrie Nolan was of average height, a bit shorter than Eva’s mom, and had sandy blond hair that he always parted to the left side. Eva didn’t know where she had gotten her black hair from and no one else knew either. She was quite unique in both sides of the family.
    Eva smiled, rushing over to him. “Hey, dad.” She wrapped her arms around his broad chest, clasping her hands behind his back.
    He held her close and kissed her cheek. “What’s this ‘dad’ business?” What happened to ‘daddy?’ You called me that just the other day.”   
    Yesterday, on the phone, when he had wished her a “Happy Birthday,” she did call him “daddy.” But now she didn’t feel like a wounded child, reaching out for the comfort of a parent, pleading for them to understand. She had matured in just a day. She loved them dearly, but she was ready to leave them.
    “I grew up,” she announced solemnly.
    “Well, you’re still my baby,” he said, and gave her another kiss on her cheek.
    She looked over at her mom and saw her crying, along with Kate. 
    “She’ll be well cared for,” Mr. Quinn said, appearing out of nowhere it seemed.
    Eva pulled away from her dad, and looked at the man who was about to take her away. Less formal than yesterday, he wore navy slacks, and a white polo shirt with a small green shamrock stitched on the upper right side. His black circle-framed glasses still enlarged his dark brown eyes. Instead of a gray cap, he wore a brown and orange patched one, shielding his bald spot from the rays of the sun. He still smelled like tobacco, and Eva assumed he smoked. It wasn’t a crime, but she was surprised that the headmaster of a school would do that.
    “How soon can we visit?” her mom asked, standing next to her ex-husband, and Eva.
    “Give her a few