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I threw back the blanket and got up, touching my feet gingerly to the ground.
“Are you sure you’re all right to—?” Mallory stood, holding out a hand to me.
“Fine,” I said. “I’ll do what I can.”
What more could anyone do?
Without another word to Mallory, I exited the room into the corridor.
“Everything all right?” Dad asked, peering through the door at Mallory.
“All good. Let’s go,” I said.
I headed down the corridor without waiting for him or Sandra. This time of night, I doubted Dad would drive me to the beach, but at the very least I could submerge myself in the swimming pool at home. For hours… forever, even.
The prospect brought an involuntary smile that parted my lips.
The smile slipped from my face as I turned the corner. A woman with bronze ringlets, plastered in make-up and wearing a vintage gothic coat that dwarfed her even in her too-high stilettos stood at the water cooler. Margaret Everhart rounded on me, her rouge lips curling into a tight smirk.
She tapped her long, colourful nails against the paper cup in her hands.
For a second, we just stared at each other. But then her pupils dilated, venom seeping into her gaze.
“Didn’t hit you hard enough, did he?” she said, gesturing to the tear in my jeans. “Shame.”
“Mum.”
I jolted and took a step back as Ben slipped out of a nearby door and hurried to her side.
The icy look on his face melted away when he saw me, his mouth pulling up awkwardly at the corners.
Wow, had we cooperated enough that he was actually happy to see it was just me?
My skin prickled in all the right ways as his gaze lingered on the burnt hole in my jeans. I touched my hand to it.
He couldn’t possibly give a damn if I was okay. We might have worked together a little, but we were still mortal enemies.
“Come on, Robert’s awake,” he said and placed a hand on her back.
She resisted a little, tottering in her heels, but eventually gave in.
“Is he all right?” I asked as they walked away.
“Like you care!” she spat over her shoulder.
“Mum, stop it.” Ben waited until his mother had turned away from me again to sneak me a thumbs-up behind his back.
Good. At least nobody was going to walk away from this stupid fight with any lasting damage.
It took me a second to start walking again, the odd, otherworldly urge in my body strangely soothed.
Weird. Well, I had too much on my mind to overthink the why.
It was after the third hour of tossing and turning in bed that I threw back the covers and sneaked downstairs. I only had one thing on my mind, and that was water.
Sammie padded out of the kitchen upon hearing me on the stairs and followed me to the pool area. He didn’t care where we went; he just wanted company.
For a moment, I stood at the edge of the pool in my pyjamas, a blue kaleidoscope swirling in my vision as my eyes glazed over.
