Page 8 of The Blairville Legacies

“House?” It escaped me, and I looked at Mum, who was leaving the neat and lively center of town again, circling the brass statue of the old sailor to follow the other cars.

Mum had mentioned living with friends when she used to be at university, but I would have thought more of a flat or a residential wing on campus rather than a whole house.

It really surprised me that she still owned a home here somewhere. After all these years...

“It was kind of a student residence at the time. But I bought it up later because the former owner knew me well and offered it to me for a good price.”

Why didn't I know about this? She could have mentioned that she owned a whole property in Canada...

As for financial means, I wasn't surprised. My mother had studied molecular biology, which is why she earned a lot of money in Sacramento. But I was beginning to wonder how she would get money here. As far as I knew, it was quite difficult to look for jobs in the field of molecular biology outside of big cities and to secure a good income in addition. This small town would kill her wealth... Plus, the fact that Mum was a researcher.

“Sure, you own a house here. Just like that. Why am I not surprised?”

Grinning sarcastically, I looked at her. She returned it unconcerned.

“So, are you coming with me to the grocery store?”

To be honest, I wasn't particularly comfortable waiting for Mum alone in an abandoned house. Who knew what was going on in the neighborhood? Maybe there were students living there who threw wild parties, got high on marijuana, and actually rode around the neighborhood on motorbikes and accidentally swept children off the asphalt.

The thought made me smirk. Soon, I would be one of them, but I would stay away from such things.

I was looking forward to student life itself. A few weeks ago, I wanted to study inSan Franciscowith my best friend, Larissa. Unfortunately, I had made this plan without my mother's doctor, and since I would not be of legal age for another week, Mum had decided over my head that I should come along. Mum was glued to me. That was the only explanation that made sense. And I was aware of how unhealthy this behavior was.

The problem was that it would have complicated everything even more if I had moved away, so Mum had enrolled me at thisno-nameuniversity. It amazed me that they even offered my degree course here, in the middle of nowhere...

“Hello, earth to Bayla? Are you still there?”

Perplexed, I stared into my mum's face.

Mum rolled her eyes impatiently. I remembered her question.

“Oh, right, I'll come with you.”

We turned into a side street, but it wasn't a street, I realized. It was the driveway to a huge grocery store calledBelly Shop. A sprawling car parking area stretched out in front of us, and Mum was having trouble finding a suitable space.

“How is it always so crowded here?!”

Annoyed, she joined a queue of cars waiting for a red Mini Cooper to pull out of a parking space.

“Why don't we go shopping somewhere else?” I suggested, but Mum shook her head.

“You'll laugh. This is the only decent mall around here for miles. The nearest is in Bradiston, twenty miles from here.”

“Like there's only one shop here. What about the little shops?”

“They're just boutiques, stationery shops, herb shops – nothing I'd need at the moment. There's always a weekly market open down at the harbor on Wednesdays, and there's a baker there too. But there's everything here that's on my shopping list.”

Of course, the shopping list. My mother and groceries… She always had her detailed list, and woe betide if something wasn't found in the shop. That's why it always took us what felt likeyearsto get out of a shop. If something wasn't there, she was always in a bad mood. How could we stand it here for half a year?

After about five minutes, the time had come, and a black car that strongly resembled ours had parked out.

“Finally!” Mum murmured and pulled into the free parking space. Neatly parked, she pulled out the keys, opened the door, and got out.

“You can go on in. I'll get some more money and a shopping cart from over there. Feel free to pick anything.”

With those words, she slammed the car door behind her and marched toward the ATM, where a small queue of people had formed.

A black shadow flitted across our windscreen.