Every Breath She Takes [CURRENTLY ON HOLD]

Chapter 23: New Year, New Start

When Emma and Mark began school, I think we all breathed a sigh of relief. It was nice to have the house to ourselves again, especially when Sarah was in day-care. Because of her small stature and cheeky nature, she had quickly earned the nickname of Pixie, and we all called her that, rarely calling her by her true name.

I began to put in more hours at the bookstore, glad to see that the schoolchildren who had once frequented it still came, even though they were in high school, or even at university. As Cam grew older, he came to help me in the bookstore, seemingly at ease with talking to the children older than him. I let him, hoping it would draw him out of his shell a bit more. Buddy was like a second shadow with him, and followed him everywhere. If I let her, she would have gone to school with him as well. After a short time, she became the official book dog. I allowed her to come to the store with me, and she quickly learnt not to try anything, or she went out the back. Being the sociable little Labrador she was, this did not agree with her, and she decided to behave. The only downside was having the black dog hair to sweep up every day, but I didn’t mind. She gave the bookstore a nice homey feel, as well as being a watch dog.

When Pixie started school, something seemed to change in the house. Cam was thirteen that year, starting high school, and the twins were only four years behind him. That year was eventful. Once more, I expanded the bookstore, this time building upwards, and Jack’s book sales skyrocketed. His three newest ones were on the Top 20 list, and all of them disappeared from my shelves when I stocked them. He and I celebrated our eleventh wedding anniversary, and we decided to make a holiday out of it. Over the five weeks of summer holidays, we travelled around the world, exposing all four of the children to new sights and cultures. For Jack and me, it was a lifelong dream come true. We had both wanted to travel, and doing it together made it all the more enjoyable. It was sad to come back home, but we had had enough. Buddy was waiting for us. For me, one part of the trip had been especially hard. Nanna and Grandpa had died a couple of years after Pixie had been born, and I visited their graves. I knew they had just passed in their sleep, but that didn’t make it any easier for me. I don’t know how long I sat at the grave, but I do know that I shed no tears. I had none left. Eventually, I left a flower for each of them, and left. I hoped I would come back some day, but it was unlikely. We’d gone our separate ways a long time ago.

Back at home, it was a rush to get ready for the new school year. Cam was starting high school, and Pixie was starting primary school. They were both excited, understandably, and I promised Pixie that I would pick her up.

“Promise?” she asked, her dark grey eyes earnest. I hid a smile.

“Yes, sweetheart,” I repeated. “I promise. And after I pick you up, we’ll find Emma and Mark, and then pick up Cam, alright? Then we can go get an ice cream. Happy with that?”

She nodded, satisfied, and continued getting dressed. I helped her, and then she scampered out to the kitchen. I passed Emma’s room, and poked my head in.

“You almost ready, Em?”

She looked up from her bag, and pushed her blonde hair out of her face. “Yep.” She grinned at me. “What are you going to do with no one in the house?”

I laughed. “Have some peace and quiet, for once?” I left her, moving on to Mark. He too was nearly ready, and followed me out to join Pixie in the kitchen. Delicious smells were coming from that central place, and I knew that Jack was cooking them a special breakfast, just as he always did on the first school day of the year. I stopped in Cam’s doorway, surprised to see that he was sitting on his bed.

“You okay, Cam?”

He looked up, and shrugged. “I dunno,” he replied.

I sighed, and came in. “Is anything wrong?”