The Secrets of Whitelea

|Chapter Fifteen|

Chapter Fifteen

"You what?" Elizabeth shouted, eyes glaring at Bella. Bella wanted to sink lower into her chair and shrivel up into ashes. Kuro leaned against the door frame, watching the sisters.

"She's fine!" Bella insisted. It was the third time she had reassured Elizabeth that Tessa was perfectly alright and there was no need for any concern.

"You lost her, Annabelle! Lost her. Anything could have happened to her!"

"Ah, but it didn't." Bella pointed out, regaining some confidence. "You think Lucky would be able to live without her human companion?" Elizabeth's eyes narrowed. "Nah, me neither." Bella shrugged.

"She could have been kidnapped." Elizabeth's voice was low with anger.

"Like I said, she wasn't. She's fine. In fact, she's so fine, she's even asleep in her bed. No nightmares or anything."

"Tessa doesn't get nightmares. There's no way to check if she's okay!" Elizabeth yelled.

"I guess if she came downstairs crying and bleeding and what have you then that would mean she wasn't okay." Bella swung her legs over the arm of the chair. "Or if she wasn't upstairs in the first place and had been kidnapped...that might also give it away."

"Well thanks to you that might have been the case!"

"You know what might be the case?" Bella said. "You'll have a grumpy ten-year-old tomorrow because you woke her up from all the shouting you're doing." Elizabeth's glare sharpened. "Oh, and you won't be able to comfort her because you won't have a voice for the same reason Tessa will be grumpy tomorrow."

"Don't you get it?" Elizabeth asked.

"Get what?"

"You endangered Tessa's life!"

"And it wouldn't have happened to you in the same situation?"

"I wouldn't have been talking to Pippa about God knows what and I wouldn't have taken my eye off of Tessa!"

"No, you'd have been flirting with Pippa and you'd have taken both eyes off Tessa. You'd still get the same outcome which, by the way, is that Tessa is safe and sound at home, asleep, or possibly awake if you don't stop yelling at me." Bella launched herself out the chair and made for the door to the hallway.

"Where are you going?" Elizabeth asked.

"Where do you think?" Bella asked, pulling the front door open. "Home. A place where I will be significantly more wanted than I am here." Bella made sure to slam the door on her way out. If Tessa did wake up, the grumpy child would be Elizabeth's problem, not hers. Serves her right Bella thought.

The next morning, Bella woke late to the sound of her phone ringing. She rolled over onto her front and closed her eyes, willing the noise to stop. When it finally did she gave a contented sigh and tried to fall back asleep again only to be assaulted by her ringtone blaring out again. With a groan, Bella reached out for the device and answered the call through half open eyes. "I hope you're happy." Was the greeting on the other end.

"Wha-?" Bella managed to get out before yawning.

"Tessa's in a mood." Bella finally realised it was Elizabeth who was calling her.

"Told you so." Bella said. She was starting to wake up now.

"It's all thanks to you slamming the door last night."