Dinner that night was incredibly awkward. Attempts at conversation were quickly stifled by Liz's death stares or Lucy's cutting remarks. Harriet's macaroni cheese was, in Lily's opinion, absolutely delicious. But nothing was good enoguh for Queen Liz and Lucy, her lady-in-waiting. The sauce was lumpy. The pasta was rubbery. The water from the jug was too cold. The water in the tap was too warm. The pudding, Eton Mess made by Lily, was terrible: the raspberries were sour and the meringues weren't crushed enough. The custard that came with it was lumpy and too sweet.
Lily didn't think any of this was right. Harriet's macaroni was one of her favourite things to eat; she liked her water cold; and, even though she said so herself, the Eton Mess was very nice.
It wasn't so much that Lucy was the one complaining; it was all Liz, really, but Lucy was joining in with increasing regularity throughout the meal. It was driving Lily crazy - but whenever she opened her mouth to say something cutting, or contemplater using the breadknife to slit Liz's throat, she reminded herself taht she had another three-and-a-half months with them left.
When Lily and Lucy went to Lily's room to go to bed, Lily spoke to her twin for the first time in almost seven years. Maybe, thinking about it later, Lily should have said something a bit more dramatic and memoriable than:
"What colour of pillow do you want?"
Lucy didn't smile.
"White," she said, like it was obvious. Lily gave her the kind of smile she usually reserved specially for Darcy, and shoved a pillow at her.
Lily had a king-size bed, so, much to Lucy's annoyance, and much more so to Lily's, they would be sharing. This meant that Lily would not be able to snore without annoying her ex-twin.
"This is going to be fun..." muttered Lily. Lucy ignored her and arranged her things on the bed.
"What's that room there?" asked Lucy, pointing to the bathroom.
"That's the bathroom." said Lily.
"Right, I'll just put my stuff in the cupboard,"
"Um...No, the Cupboard's...Damp. We, um, got a burst pipe."
"Typical."
Lily wondered just how much she'd be lying this summer.
YOU ARE READING
Cupboard Narnia
FantasyLily is always moving house. She had been since she was six, and her parents split her, her Mum marrying a TV chef called Harriet. Lily hasn't seen her twin, Lucy, or her father for years. Everything is as normal as it ever is around her - until she...
