Somehow, in this heat, fungi still seem to be thriving, so I go around to each mushroom and give its cap a little tap in hopes that the spores will spread and more will pop up after the next rains –ifthe rain ever comes again. It baffles me how it seems barely anyone in this town gives a damn about how bloody hot it has been. The protest I have planned in two weeks about the water basin drill has only managed to conjure up three other people that seem even remotely interested. Mr. Bugg was going to come all the way out to Easthelm for it but it just feels like an embarrassment now. If only I could bring the entire town out here to experience the precious serenity of the forest, maybe then they would understand. I also may be using the lack of protestors as an excuse to get out of public speaking. My fear of addressing a crowd unfortunately trumps my activism.
I slowly start rambling back home, dreaming about Easthelm’s lawns turning into dynamic food and flower gardens, when I hear it – a low rumbling growl sounds behind me.
Shit…I don’t dare to turn around and look, I just start running.
Come on legs move faster!I don’t slow my pace until the back fence is in view, when I stop I listen out but nothing is following me.I may need to start bringing bear mace out here…
I’m lost in thought about what on earth that creature could be when I hear voices arguing in the backyard just beyond the back gate. It sounds like Marissa and a man.
“You can’t just touch me like that in front of her! What if she saw?” Marissa sounds peeved.
“What are you afraid of? Come on, I want to be with you. You understand me more anyway,” the male voice responds gently and I don’t want to believe who it sounds like but when I peek through a crack in the fence I can see Benji there, holding my little sister’swaist.
I see red. Rage and betrayal wash over me. In my fury, I swing open the back gate and let it smash against the fence, a bit more dramatic of an entrance than I intended.
“What on earth is going on here?” I seethe, looking between Benji and Marissa as they quickly step away from each other. “She’s only sixteen Benji! And we literally broke up only a few weeks ago!” I yell, as images of us in bed together flash through my mind. His mouth on mine and his wandering hands sliding between my legs. Then I picture my little sister and him together in that way and shake my head to quickly shut that thought down, suppressing my shudder.
“I’m turning seventeen in a few months! Don’t be such a prude, Nuria,” Marissa says, while pursing her lips and crossing her arms.
“I’ll just go. Always a pleasure, Nuria.” Benji winces before giving Marissa’s hand a squeeze and heading around the side of the house, probably trying to avoid our parents.Coward.
“Seriously Marissa, you’re too young for him and I would have assumed there would be some sort of sister code preventingus from dating the same guy…” I start saying but am soon cut off by Delia sticking her head out the back door.
“Ah, there you are, Nuria, dinner is ready girls, come inside,” she calls before disappearing back inside. Marissa gives me a glare that I know means,don’t you dare tell Mom,before running up the back steps and through the door. I stare after her knowing there is no way I am letting this drop but at leastIam honourable to the sister code and won’t tell our parents. Besides, this is between me and her. She always wants what I have, but this is taking it too far.
I realize in my shock that I dropped my towel and sketch pad outside the gate and walk back to pick them up when I notice the birds have gone silent again and my skin prickles. I feel like I’m being watched. I can hear the distant rumble of a storm as I quickly grab my stuff and run back towards the house. I don’t dare to look back, having that feeling of terror I used to get as a little girl when I would have to go down into the cellar of the house to grab a bottle of wine for Mom. The kind of terror that if you don’t move quick enough something is going to grab you from behind and drag you into the darkness.I’m getting out of here!
Once I’m inside I can already hear the deep rumbling laugh of my dad coming from the dining room, so I race upstairs to change out of my swimmers and start mentally preparing my rebuttal to the inevitable heated debate that’s about to ensue.
I always looked up to him when I was younger. He seemed larger than life to me with his tall, strong body, a face that was all hard angles, and a deep authoritative voice. He would tell me of his travels, visiting many of the universities across the Continent and even getting out to a few of the large island chains in the south. He spoke of his interest in how cities were planned and of man’s ingenuity across the world. I never thought a day would come where I would doubt him but the work he has been doinglately just isn’t something I can get behind. Perhaps he was always this way and the whimsy of childhood just sheltered me from reality.
I change into a comfortable romper and hurry downstairs, knowing Delia takes personal offence when we let the food she cooks go cold, and slide into my seat at the big oak dining table.
“My dear Marissa, I hear congratulations are in order for a win at your match,” my father announces while passing the potatoes, as if this wasn’t last weekend’s old news. Marissa looks elated at the mention.
“Thank you Father. I used the manoeuvers you showed me and schooled Gemma Hawkesbury. She thought she was going to take my spot as captain this year but I showed her,” Marissa says, puffing herself up while flipping a curl over her shoulder. We share a knowing glance.
“Good good,” he responds, giving her hand a little pat, already dismissing the conversation and turning his sharp eyes on me. “Nuria…” My eyes open wide in anticipation of his next words and I try to hide my gulp.
“Father…” I say back warily.
“Delia and I will be joining the Turnbulls this Saturday at their lake house. I want to get William on board with the new environmental proposal for the drill. It’s the only thing holding us back from breaking ground at the moment. So I will need you here to watch out for Marissa. I know you had plans this weekend, some sort of hike I believe but you will need to cancel as this is of the utmost importance. Perhaps you two can practice your fencing,” he says, using his stern voice. He is probably expecting a fight from me but I sigh in relief at avoiding yet another fruitless debate about what I think of the council's work. After what happened at the luncheon, my brain feels too scrambled anyway. So I give him a curt nod and we all slip back into our normal dinner time silence but as I glance at my sisterI can see a cheeky little smirk on her lips and wonder what mischief she is planning.
Later that night,I knock on Marissa’s open door, leaning on the frame and peering into her bright room. She’s sprawled on her massive bed, staring at her phone with that same cheeky smile from dinner.
“Whatever you’re plotting, stop it.”
“Whatever could you mean?” she says, rolling onto her stomach and batting her long, blonde eyelashes at me. I roll my eyes and sigh, knowing she’ll do what she wants regardless of my protestations.
“Can we please talk about Benji? It kind of feels like you’re just going after him because I dated him,” I say, the hurt from before is bubbling up.
“That’s not true Nuri. I actually really like him.” She sits up, tossing her phone on the bed. “Look, I have had a crush on him since the seventh grade and then you started dating him out of the blue and it sucked. You don’t even care about him, you said so yourself. Just let me live my life. There are probably loads of cute guys at your university anyway. Probably nerds just like you that you’d have more in common with,” she says, wincing at the harshness of her last comment. I let it slide.
“It’s just really strange for me, ok? Can you at least wait until I head off for university in the fall before pursuing anything?” I say, hoping she will get bored of him and move on to the guys at her school instead.
“Ok, ya, maybe.” She shrugs and goes back to looking at her phone. I open my mouth to push on when instead I decide to cutmy losses on this conversation. Not worth the headache, and I will be out of here soon enough.
“Good night girls! We are heading out early tomorrow so we most likely won’t see you. Marissa, listen to your sister!” we hear our mother call from downstairs.
