I Know What You're Thinking

Chapter 9

I creep down the front hallway of my house, careful to not alert my mother of my presence, worried that the school called her and told her I missed my afternoon classes.

I wonder if Cordi will be home soon?
My mum's thoughts wander into my mind. Yes mum, i'm inside the house right now.

"CORDELIA IS THAT YOU?" She calls.

"Yes mum." I reply, wincing slightly at her loud voice as it barrels into my mind which is already full of other people's thoughts.

Phew. I was worried her father had taken her with him.
What? Why would he take me?

I walk into the lounge room. Mum is facing the wall that we covered in photos. Photos of me, photos of her and dad, photos of all three of us. Photos of family, of pets, of places. 

At least it used to be. Half of the photos are missing. All of the photos with Dad in them. She's throwing halfway through tearing one into pieces when she turns around.

"Oh. Cordi. Hello." She says, quietly. She smiles but it doesn't reach her eyes.

"What's wrong Mum. Are you ok?" I ask. Her smile falters.

"I'm fine." She turns away and looks at a photo on the wall.

Her thoughts tell me she's not fine.

I can't believe this. He showed up today and took whatever he wanted. His clothes, his books. I don't mind that they are his things after all. What I mind is that he took everything of value! EVERYTHING. The TV. The home phone. The security cameras. All of the phone and laptop chargers. All of my jewellery! All of Cordi's jewellery! I can't deal with this, but I need to be strong for Cordelia.

Oh mum.

A tear rolls down her cheek. "I need to talk to you Cordelia." She says, her voice flat and expressionless. She turns to me. She isn't smiling anymore. I nod. She flops down on the couch.

"Notice anything different?" She asks. I look around.

"The TV's gone? And the DVD player? And the robot vacuum?" I reply.

"Yes. Your father took them." She says, staring at me to see my reaction. I look down.

"Oh." Is all I can mutter. I already knew that. 

"I debated over whether to tell you this next bit or not, but decided you ought to know." She announces, staring at the empty space where the TV used to be.

"Oh." I say again.

She takes a deep breath. "Well, I suppose you guessed that i'm going to divorce your father, and i'm going to ask for full custody of you. I told your father that we are getting a divorce when I saw him today and he threatened to pick you up from school and take you with him, somewhere I can't find you." She whispers, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"I won't let him take me." I whisper back.

"I know, but Cordi he's not himself anymore. I think he's on drugs again or something. He locked me in a cupboard, thats why I couldn't stop him taking things. He didn't even let me out when he left. It took a long time but I finally got out. I was in there for at least five hours. Then I started taking the photos down." She starts to shake and buries her head in her hands.

I can't help it. I start to cry, quietly at first, and then I begin sobbing. I'm not only sad. I'm angry. How could he do that to her? After all she did for him?

Suddenly my mother's angry thoughts at my father turn to worried ones about me. They invade my head and swirl around. I can't make sense of them as my vision starts to blur. My head starts to throb and I start to panic as the room spins around me. 

"Cordi? CORDELIA!" I hear Mum yelling my name over and over again. But I can't reply, I can only focus on sitting upright. All of the thoughts in my head start to get louder and louder and become a cacophonous orchestra of shouts. I feel myself slip sideways and everything tilts and then goes black.

A/N

This chapter is a bit shorter than the others. Sorry I haven't published a chapter in a while - I got a bit distracted with Christmas and the new year!

What did you think?

Have a good day!

- blue_budgie52