Page 4 of The Blairville Legacies

But that wasn't the point. It had been an accident, and what could I do about it if the neighbor was so hysterical that she called in a whole fire brigade?

There was another reason why my mum's plans threw a spanner in the works.

“You promised me that we would go back when it was all over,” I replied, slowly but surely upset, because how was I supposed to explain to my best friend that I probably wouldn't be back foranother six months? What would Larissa say when she received such a message?

I'm sorry, but we have to go our separate ways from now on... Oh, and by the way.... You've been waiting for me for a year now, for nothing. I'm studying in Canada for the long term.

God!That would be a nightmare!

I began scratching nervously at my wrist, a stupid habit that had been with me since I was a little girl. It relaxed me in uncomfortable situations like this one, even if my mother didn't like it.

“It's not that simple, darling. If I had a choice, I would have preferred to stay in Sacramento, too.”

I suppressed a snort.

If she didn't like this place, why did she insist on looking for help there? There were plenty of good doctors in California. Butno... Ithadto be British Columbia.

“Look on the bright side... You can make new friends, and the university is great. I graduated there, too, after all, and it took me somewhere in life. And that's despite the fact that it's not a prestigious university,” she said almost as proudly as if she had graduated from Harvard.

Was she serious now?Newfriends?Oh no, it wouldn't come to that. I wouldn't be able to just swap Larissa without further thought. We'd been friends since I'd been in junior high. She wasthe only one who had always been there for me. All the other kids hadn't wanted to have that much to do with me because I'd been this introverted kid with weird hobbies and braces, which I'd -thankfully- gotten removed four years ago.

“My friends are in Sacramento,” I said tensely, even though saidfriendswere, for the most part, non-existent. “And I don't need this silly college... I haven't even gotten an acceptance yet.”

That was a fact.

“You're as good as accepted anyway. All that's missing is the letter. And believe me, you'll do just fine there. You can visit me anytime you want, and you'll be at my place on weekends anyway.”

It had already come to that, that she called ithome. Just because she had been home thereonce. Mum had always told me she had lived there with a few friends during her studies. At some point, they had all finished and left the town, one after the other. I probably would have done the same. After all, who would want to be stuck in some kind of hick town?

A slight vibration jolted me out of my thoughts. A little surprised, I pulled my mobile phone out of my pocket and read the message.

Grinning, I typed my reply.

The message hadn't even been sent. I was starting to get seriously worried about the future of our friendship. After all, we wouldn't see each other for a very long time now. All that was left for us to do was chat and talk on the phone, which, as I had just noticed, could become a challenge.

Frustrated, I shoved my phone back into my pocket and sighed.

This could only get better.

“I had a lovely time in Blairville. And you'll soon find it's very idyllic there.”

Mum's words snapped me out of my thoughts and back into theuncomfortable present. I had to suppress my grin as I looked at her, aghast.

“Idyllic?I didn't know such words were part of your vocabulary, Mum.”

She mirrored my laughter, mine, intensifying. As I did so, a short brown strand fell into my face.

I had cut my hair a little shorter so that my dark brown waves only reached my shoulders. The long hair had simply interfered too much with my job. However, the problem had now solved itself. I would have to find something new to pay for all the books that made up a large part of my luggage.

“You'll make it, darling. I've made it, too, somehow...”

The melancholy I usually only noticed when asking questions about my father gave me a pause. I had started grilling my mother about him at an early age. Each time, I was rejected. And every time I asked, Mum disappeared into the garden in a bad mood for the rest of the day. Over time, I had started to keep the questions to myself, and the only thing I had found out so far was that he had run away to Europe and had never been in touch with her since. No address, no contact details... I didn't even know his name.

There were no other family members, at least not on my mother's side. Nevertheless, I never felt alone. The opposite was true. My mother and I maintained a close relationship, and so far, we have made it through every single life circumstance. There have been no troublesome divorces or family dramas – just my mum and me.

I had to swallow as I noticed a hot tear running down my right cheek. I quickly turned my head back toward the window so that I was protected from my mother's searching gaze. But to make matters worse, my right arm began to shake.

Calm down, Bay, not now... You know what happened last time, and that it scares Mum.