Teeth »ᴄɵᴍᴘᴌᴇтᴇ«

ELEVEN

ELEVEN

Like the last time we'd watched a movie, I didn't remember either the name of the movie or anything that happened in it. Zane had sat next me, but it hadn't been him who'd held my attention unless he'd moved from his seat to do something.

No, he didn't hold my complete attention today. My mum did. She was coming in today. My mum. The mum I hadn't thought about since Zane had arrived. Swallowed in guilt, I moved away when Zane tried to come closer, stayed silent when he tried to talk to me. I couldn't believe I'd let a guy come in between me and my mum. My mum always came first. Yet, when ever I tried to picture her, my mind would push her away and bring Zane to mind instead.

It was at the end of P.E. when a worker at the school arrived to talk to Mr. Netiyo. I wanted to move closer to see if they were talking about my mum's arrival. I felt myself shift in anticipation when Mr. Netiyo looked around the class and his gaze stopped on me.

He waved me over and when I was near he spoke. "Your mother is here. She's in the canteen–"

"Can I go see her?" I asked, wanting to go now.

Slowly, he nodded.

Taking off at a run, I stared at the canteen doors as though they'd let me reach them faster. Feeling as though that had taken too long, I finally opened the canteen door and entered.

My mum was an inch taller than me when she stood, her hair, not like mine was a dark brown and her eyes were a human grey. She looked so gentle and motherly as she sat at one of the tables looking out the window, dressed in a white dress-shirt and grey formal trousers.

As I moved closer, she turned to look at me. I watched as she frowned at what I was wearing.

"I was in P.E. when they told me you were here," I said, not wanting her to frown.

My mum, Gill Kast, gestured for me to take a seat opposite her. Once I'd taken the offered seat, she started.

"Do you know what I had to go through for you?" she asked harshly. I felt my ears fold back and tail push into me as I curled in to show submission and apology. I hoped she'd accept it. But she continued. "The cell was so small and I was myself the whole time. The food was nasty. The bed uncomfortable. And here you are. Living in comfort while your own mother had to suffer in that rotten cell."

As I watched, the familiar spark of anger and disgust rose in her eyes.

"First you make your father die, and now you send your own mother into a prison! What kind of daughter are you! If I never had you maybe he'd still be alive and we'd be living happily still, but no, you made him die."

I flinched inside at her words. Hardened my face so that she wouldn't see it. Sometimes I wished these moments would move on. Mental wounds hurt so much more than physical ones. And each word that left her lips made the wound no-one could see even larger. And today, it seemed to hurt more than normal. And I knew that it was Zane and Archie's fault, they'd healed what she'd done without realising it. But then, Zane had also made me forget about my own mother being in a jail cell because of me.

"Valerie? Are you not listening to me?"

"I'm listening, mum," I prayed she accepted the lie. I didn't want to disappoint her.

Her next word came as shock. "Who? Who have you betrayed me to?"

I didn't say anything. I didn't want her to go after Zane or Archie. But, saying nothing proved to be worse than naming. She'd do what I'd done to dad.

I should have expected it. I shouldn't have forgot. But Zane had lowered my shields, and shields took time to rebuild.

She stood and swung. The smack sounded throughout the room. My cheek thumped, letting me know that I should have been glad it had been a open hand and not a closed fist.