The Hybrid Girl (Andromeda Book 1)

Chapter 12

Parking up next to mums car, I turn off the engine and step outside. I spot her standing by one of the smaller coaches and slowly advance towards her. Some of the minibus engines are running and one of her many employed drivers jumps into one of them and drives away. The hood of the engine is up and mum is pouring coolant into it. Swiftly spinning on her heels, she turns her body to face me with a screwdriver pointed at my abdomen. Her eyes flash in relief when she sees it's me and she lowers her arm.

"Easy," I calm her down, eyeing the screwdriver warily, "you could put someone's life out with that."

"Sorry," she apologises breathlessly, "I'm just a bit on edge, for obvious reasons."

Nodding in understanding, I shove my hands in my pockets nervously as an awkward silence takes over. We haven't spoken since the argument last night. After I left with the group, I didn't go back to the yard and this morning mum was already gone by the time I got up. Obviously, I don't blame her anymore but I don't know how to start the conversation up again. I actually feel guilty for how rude I was yesterday.

"What time did you get up?" she asks when I don't speak and I'm relieved she speaks first.

"Nine o'clock," I estimate, scratching the back of my head. I can't remember the time exactly. "What about you?"

"Didn't sleep much," she sighs looking at me properly and it isn't until she does this that I notice the dark circles under her tired eyes. When I question why she shoots me an incredulous look, "why do you think?"

"Because the crazy alien creep could turn up at any minute or because of our argument yesterday?" I ask jokingly for clarification and she smiles sadly.

"All of the above." I hold the bottle of coolant and screw the lid back on whilst she slams the hood shut. Wiping her fingers clean on a piece of cloth, she leans back on the coach and sighs. "Jade, I'm sorry that I didn't tell you about Norma but you have to know if it was up to me, I would have told you a long time ago. But Norma said she didn't want you to know, and she's your real mum so technically it is her call..."

"It's okay!" I interrupt her before she runs away with herself. "I know you're sorry but I don't blame you. I mean I was mad yesterday, for sure. It was a lot to take in all at once, and we'd just been attacked. Plus, I think I'm about to get my period. My mind was all over the place but I thought about it and I realised I was wrong to be mad at you. You told me everything you could with good conscience. And as for the alien stuff... let's not even go there."

Mum chuckles at the period comment and sighs in relief. Her previously stressfully wrinkled face eases and she rubs a hand over her troubled eyes, "I don't even know where I would have started with the alien stuff."

"Forgive me for being a rude daughter yesterday?" I ask her with a cute smile and the puppy dog eyes I know she can't resist.

"Only if you forgive me for not always being honest," she winks back and then hugs me tightly. As her arms wrap around me, I relax into her embrace and feel the safest I have felt all week. Before she pulls away, I grab her and hold her tighter, causing all the anxiety that has been building up for the past few days to burst out. Crying into her shoulder, she strokes my hair as she used to when I was a child and whispers that everything is going to be okay.

"What's going through your head, baby?" she asks, lifting my head so I'm looking at her.

"Nothing," I sigh, standing up straight, "which is surprising because I usually have a lot on my mind." She goes on to tell me how proud of me she is for handling this so maturely. Maturely isn't the word I would use to describe how I'm dealing with this. 
"What you said about Norma being my real mum," I decide to add, "I don't care what blood relation says. You're my mum and that's that."