Hazel leans in to hug me and for the first time sees the wall of glory. She barges in then brushes her hand over it to make sure it's not a mirage.
"Mary, what the hell!" She turns to me horrified. "Matron's not going to like this one bit."
"Stop fussing, Hazel." I hit her back with her own words. "It's my birthday, remember? Matron and I will just have to do a reset on our relationship after today."
"But why? What could possess you to do such a crazy thing?"
"You told me to reset. Start over. So I'm going to be different from now on; be Mary-the-Bold."
"Mary Pethiel, this is definitely not what I meant and you know it."
"Relax! She won't see it."
"For how long? The next inspection is in five days in case you forgot."
"Even when she sees it, so what? It won't matter to me."
Her eyes are about to pop out of their sockets.
"Won't matter to you? Now I know you're crazy."
"Forget about it, Hazel," I say with a hint of warmth. "Let's talk about your plans for tonight."
"Oh, no you don't. This is the first time I'm ever getting to treat you right. Don't spoil it."
"At least tell me why you're not coming with me. Not enough money?"
"That's not it."
She pauses to study my face before continuing.
"How many times have we tried and failed? I just figured maybe if I let you go alone, especially on your birthday, you'd finally get to enjoy the water."
"But that doesn't make any sense, Hazel. You're not the reason those old buses break down."
"That's beside the point," she says. "Some trips you just have to take alone."
YOU ARE READING
NINE TIME MACHINES: Do you want to undo your entire life on planet earth?
FantasyThere is a war coming! In it, Lilith and the impostor God must battle for all human minds on earth. But one girl can stand in the gap for all humanity. However, to prove worthy for this feat, Mary must begin shadow work to take the mark upon herself...
