Whitethorn Academy

Chapter Four

Outside, the sun was high overhead. My phone was dead, so I couldn't be sure of the time, but I'd guess it was early afternoon. I'd been at the police station overnight.

My mother waited beside an unfamiliar black car, with darkly tinted windows. Parked on the other side of the street was her car, a beat-up old van.

My mother had her arms crossed over her chest and a frown on her face. Her dark hair was messier than usual and her dark eyes had shadows under them, as if she hadn't slept.

"Mom!" I said as I crossed the sidewalk. I expected her to hug me, but she didn't move. She hardly even looked at me. "I just heard what happened to Oliver. It's awful. Are you okay?"

But my mother didn't respond to my question. Instead, she narrowed her dark eyes. The look she gave me was pure disdain. It bordered on hatred. I swallowed hard as my stomach roiled uncomfortably.

"Are you angry with me?"

"I'm not angry, Selene," she said, her voice cold and detached. "I'm disappointed. You have shamed this family. Your brother is dead because of you."

Hurt flared in my chest. Though there wasn't any love lost between Oliver and me, I was sad that he was gone. And guilty. Vincent had said Oliver had to come with me to the bonfire. If I hadn't gone in the first place, he would still be alive right now. And that would haunt me for the rest of my life.

"But I didn't do it," I told her. "They had the wrong person. I have no idea how he died."

My mother didn't seem to register my words. Her facial expression never changed. "This car is for you. You have a suitcase of essentials in the trunk. When you're settled, you'll receive the rest."

"Settled? I don't understand. Are you sending me away?" Was she upset that I didn't protect him? Was she upset that Oliver was dead and not me?

My mother's voice was devoid of emotion. "You're going to Whitethorn Academy."

"A boarding school? I did nothing wrong."

"Whitethorn is far away from here, in a place where you can never hurt this family again." Her words were like a cold shower. Goosebumps slid down my arms and spine. But the sharpest blow was to my heart. It was like it shriveled and died in my chest.

Hurt tears streaked down my face. "Is this what Vincent wants? Is he making you do this?"

"I'm doing this for my family." My mother's words were laced with venom. "Which is something you are no longer a part of."

"You can't mean that, mom. I'm your daughter."

"Oliver was my son. And as of this moment, you are no daughter of mine," she spat, showing emotion for the first time. "This car will take you to Whitethorn. Finish your schooling there."

"And after?" I asked her, the tears still falling. A small part of me dared to hope that after I finished my last year of school, she'd want me back.

"Figure it out yourself. Don't come home. You are no longer welcome there."

"Mom, you can't be serious."

"Oliver is dead. And it's entirely your fault. I do not want to see your face again, Selene."

And with that, my mother stomped away from me without another word. She got into her van without so much as a glance back at the daughter she left on the sidewalk, with tears streaming down her face.

And in that moment, I knew that the woman who had once loved me so fiercely was gone. And my heart broke for the mother I'd lost.

~