Now You See Me

Thirteen: Cold Tea

When I found Courtney in the dining room the next morning looking as bright and cheerful as she ever did, I almost forgot the awful night I'd had in a wash of relief. She looked up when I sat down next to her, pushing some hair out of her face. Her blonde locks were immaculately curled, and she wore some very elaborate makeup, which I took as a welcome sign that her tablets had worked.

"Morning, Damien," she said. When I turned to smile back at her, her grin faltered and she reached up to brush under my eye with her thumb. "You look so tired. Did you have a bad night?"

"You could say that," I replied. I decided not to mention I'd spent most of it crying. It was cruel how the memory that returned to me last night was such a strange echo of the events of yesterday; sad because I now realised why I'd known so much about Courtney's illness. I'd been close to Tori. Knowing that, and yet not knowing her, felt like a thorn in my side.

"Maybe you could have a nap later."

I doubted that, but she looked worried, so I said what I needed to in order to pacify her; that I would, and that I was sure last night was just a fluke.

I was halfway through this lie when Leia sauntered in. She didn't look like she believed me for one second, eyeing me critically over her eggs from across the table, but she seemed to sense why I was doing it and kept quiet for me. I'd tried to avoid her since her veiled threats yesterday morning, but after what I'd dreamed of, it made sense for me to see her today. She seemed to be the only one who had any idea of what was happening to me.

"I've got a doctor's appointment today, and I'm going out to dinner with someone afterwards, so I won't really be in," Courtney said after a long moment of silence, while I poured myself tea and mentally celebrated at not covering my crotch in boiling water this time. "But Lorien and Thea are around if you want some company and Dave never complains about getting help." Her efforts to bring my spirits up about my house ban were obvious. "There are also a few bookshelves in the back room of reception if you want something to read. Lorien's always got a copy of the newspaper on him."

"Am I allowed to have visitors?" I asked.

"Your mum can visit any time she likes," Leia said, starting to scrape yolk from her plate with a crust of her toast. "We normally have visiting hours, but since I've trapped you here I think we can make an exception."

I wasn't sure whether to thank her or not.

Mum arrived shortly after Courtney left; I heard the doorbell go off and was immediately up to go and meet her. When I got to the hall, Thea was just letting her in.

"Hey, sweetheart," she said, wrapping me in a hug that almost collapsed my lungs. "I haven't seen you in ages!"

"I only visited last week," I pointed out, but she'd muffled my voice by beginning to pull my face about, inspecting me under the hallway chandelier.

"You look poorly, honey. Haven't you been sleeping well?"

"I've had better nights," I admitted, "But I'm fine."

"And you're remembering to take baths when you need to?"

"Yes. I just had one."

"And you've been eating properly?"

"Yes." I rolled my eyes.

"And you've made sure you have clean underwear for every day?"

"Mum, please."

She raised her eyebrows and put her hands on her hips. "Don't you 'mum, please' me, young man. I've been worried about you. Would you like it if I didn't care?"