The Witching Hour

Chapter Twenty-One

Opening the newspaper from Eddie, Julia began to read the column on James. It was odd finding his face somewhere everyone could see it. Like somehow he belonged to her and the other students, and the world had tried to take him for their own.

Finally, she found what she was looking for. The name of James' school. If he'd left something here, she would find it. There had to be some clue as to where he'd gone. He wouldn't just leave. James as she remembered was a hopeful person, even if he hated himself for it. He would have left something behind so if anyone really cared enough, they could find him.

What am I thinking? Julia thought. He isn't smart enough to disappear off a train. And he wouldn't put in the effort. Running off to England would have been enough for him.

There was something nagging at her. Something she didn't like to think about, because it made James more complicated and therefore harder to locate. But the thought was there, and it made sense now that she'd met Sean, James' father.

When James talked about Ireland, it was about collecting shells with the lady who lived in a cottage on the coast, or swimming with a neighbor boy in early June. He didn't have much to say about Sean, or about his life at home. Really, Julia didn't even know he lived on a farm.

Had he been avoiding the subject?

No, Julia demanded. Don't think that. James was happy in Ireland.

But was he? He'd run away, hadn't he? James was someone who could settle for many things. He didn't ask for a lot, and he didn't put up a fuss when he didn't get what he wanted. So there must have been a good reason for him to leave without a plan.

What if he never got on the train? Julia wondered. What if he's still here, in Ireland, waiting to see if it's wise to come back?

She looked around, seized with the wild idea that James might be watching now–out of sight of the house, waiting for Sean to come and cry out for his son–but the hill was empty. James wasn't nearby, and the brief hope that he could be was replaced by cold dread.

It only took four days with Amarinth, something whispered in Julia's ear. Only four days before they moved her picture to the obituaries.

I still have two days, she thought. James has only been missing for two days.

The little voice whispered again.

They won't find him, it said. It's already been two days. And if they can't find him, you certainly can't. That's their job. You're just a kid.

Standing up and brushing the leaves off her skirt, Julia started down the hill. James' school wasn't far. She could make it there in a few minutes if she hurried.

The scenery barely changed as she walked. The only houses were farmhouses and old dirty shacks, and there were more trees on either side of the road than there were people walking.

A small stream ran behind the school, which was more of a church. There were a few boys sitting on the steps with a deck of cards. As Julia approached the school, one of them shouted to her.

"Hey, you!" he called.

She turned her head to look, and he blew her a kiss. His friends cackled as they watched her squirm under their gazes. She pushed past them into the school, taking care to trod on the boy's jacket, which was lain beside him.

He shouted at her, but to her he was out of sight and out of mind.

Inside the school also looked much like a church. The sign of the cross was displayed above all the doors, and as Julia peeked inside one of the rooms, she saw that the only artwork on the walls was of the Lord.