Ignite

Chapter 11

"Good morning, darling! Happy Friday!"

I stop in my tracks, my eyes narrowing as Sylvia grabs two cups and pours us both some coffee.

"Thank you," I say, taking the offered cup with careful hands and squeezing into my corner seat under the stairs.

Once I'm there, I try to make myself small and inconspicuous. Sylvia is drifting around the kitchen, humming, and I have a terrible feeling that someone has replaced her in the middle of the night with a happy, bubbly replica. Either that, or she's somehow forgotten the events of Monday and the apparent vow she's been living under since to make Jake and I regret the punch-up at every possible moment. This, unfortunately, seems unlikely.

"Are you excited for school today?" she asks.

I eye her over the rim of my cup. "Sure."

"And have you remembered to pack your P.E. clothes?"

When I nod, she pulls out the chair opposite me and sits down, letting the steam from her coffee swirl around her face. I can see it condensing against her cheeks, but she doesn't notice. Instead, she stares into the distance, her finger tapping against the mug.

"I've been thinking we should go away for a weekend," she says. "Have a change in scenery. It'd be good for you and Jake."

I just stare at her. Her voice is still light, her smile stuck in place, but nerves flicker in her eyes, and the tapping against her mug has increased in tempo.

"Where?"

Sylvia looks down into her cup, her head tilting to the side.

"Maybe Ravenhall, in Melbourne?"

For a moment, I'm certain I've misheard.

"What?"

Sylvia's smile cracks, and that tells me everything I need. I hadn't misheard anything.

"We don't have to decide anything straight away, but—"

Her mouth snaps shut when I jump up, my chair screeching against the floor. My vision goes black with the movement, my head faint. I didn't need this today. This was the last thing I needed today.

"You want us to go to Ravenhall? Why?"

Sylvia stares at me, and I can tell that she'd been expecting my reaction, that her cheeriness had been an attempt to dampen it.

"I know it's a big step, but I'd just like you to consider it. You and Jake are still harbouring a lot of anger. It's not healthy. You need to talk about it — to vent."

My head is spinning and for a moment I'm lost.

"I..." Sylvia cuts off, biting her lip. "I heard what Jake said the other night. You're blaming each other for what happened."

"I'm not blaming him," I snap. "And he isn't blaming me. He's depressed, Sylvia. That's all. He's depressed, and he's trying to hurt himself, and I can't fix it because I'm just as bad!"

"I know," Sylvia says, the words dragging and desperate. "None of this is your fault, but it might help to—"

"It won't help. Ravenhall is the last thing I need. Seeing her is the last thing I need!"

Sylvia sighs and I want to make a run for the stairs, but she's blocking my way.

"You'll have to face what happened eventually, Claude. I know this is hard, but you can't keep putting this off. The longer you do—"

I hear little else. Instead, I'm distracted by something that's building in my chest, something writhing and curling and smashing against my lungs. Something that makes me want to scream until my vocal chords shred, hit until I've pounded the world into dust.

"—I think you should go."

And that's when it explodes out of me.

"You don't get to think!" My voice is loud, cracking against her gentle tone like whiplash, and Sylvia jerks back in surprise. "You don't get to act like you know what's best for me or Jake! You were nothing to me a year ago, and you're not much more now. Don't think that because you got stuck with me, I owe you anything! Because I don't! I'M NEVER GOING TO SEE HER AGAIN! NEVER!"

Sylvia is rooted to the spot, her eyes wide and flashing with hurt, and the tiniest hint of guilt breaks through my anger.

Sylvia isn't the one I should be screaming at. Not even slightly.

She turns away from me, her shoulders slumped, and my anger flees as quick as it came.

"I'm not trying to act like I know what's best for you, Claude. I'm sorry if you feel that way. But you won't be able to demonise her forever. Life isn't that black and white."

I swallow hard, trying to fight down guilt as I'm reminded, once again, of the kind of person Sylvia is; the kind to adopt people when they have no one else; who will stick by their side, even once she's realised what absolute messes they are.

The kind who can sympathise with someone who's done awful things.

"I don't want to see her again," I say, quieter this time. "I never will."

Sylvia looks at me, and her expression makes me want to cry.

"Okay, Claude. Let me know if you change your mind."

...

Oop. Claude didn't react well there! Any thoughts why? 🙃

Also, I'm interested, how many of my lovely readers have visited Australia? Or do you live here like me? 😛

If you're from overseas, is there any Aussie slang used in this story that you haven't understood? 

- Skylar xx