Fire and Magic (The Jadori Book 1)

Chapter 30: What Did You Do to Her, You Bitch?

She stood still for a long moment, then seemed to snap out of it. "What was I saying?"

I stepped forward. "Is everything alright? You were kind of zoned out."

Her cheeks flushed. "Oh. Sorry. It happens sometimes." She ran a hand down her arm and took a deep breath. "Nothing to worry about. I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

She nodded. "Yep. All good." She turned back to the glass door. "Oh, look. The kangaroos are out there."

Way to avoid the subject. Okay, if that was what she wanted.

I could see a big male standing guard while the others grazed. A few joeys that were big enough to be seen over the top of the tall grass were hopping around.

We watched them for a while, but I was still worried about her. I couldn't stay silent.

"Are you sure you're okay? It looked like you had like a mild seizure or something. Do you have epilepsy?"

She kept watching the roos. "Yeah, something like that. It's all good, though. I'm on medication to keep it under control."

That was a relief. "Do you need a glass of water? Do you need to take any medication right now?"

"No." She turned to me with a smile. "It's all good. Don't worry."

I tried to smile, but it would be difficult to brush it aside.

She clasped her hands together. "I was thinking that maybe I want a change of scenery."

"What do you mean, like a new job?"

"Yeah, and a new town. I think this place would be perfect."

This was unexpected. "I thought you loved living in Katoomba."

"I did. I do. But there's no one there for me. I mean, the girls at work are great, but you're not there."

I was touched. "But I'll be back home soon. As soon as the doctors give me the okay, I'm outta here."

I knew I was going to be here for a long while, possibly months, but I didn't want her to uproot her whole life for me — especially for such a short period of time.

She raised her eyebrows. "We don't know how long you'll be here, and as I said before, you need to think about cutting those apron strings. Time to get out there and live your life. I need a housemate and you'd be perfect."

I allowed myself to imagine living here in a house in Angel Falls with Alina. No parents. No curfew. No rules. No worrying about Mum's latest tragic relationship or whether she was going to drink too much tonight. But I forced that image away. I couldn't abandon Mum like that. She needed me. She wasn't coping on her own. I could tell. She always sounded so despondent on the phone or when she visited.

"I just want to go home," I told her. "So many things have changed since the accident. I've lost so much of what I'd built since moving to Katoomba. I just want my life back."

She looked down at her feet. "I'm—"

"Don't you dare say you're sorry! It wasn't your fault."

"But I dragged you to that party. You didn't even want to go."

"But you didn't push me in front of a car. Stop blaming yourself."

She fidgeted with her bracelet. "Your mum thinks it's my fault."

"That's on her. I've told her a million times." I ran a hand through my hair. "She can be so stubborn sometimes."