The Inheritance Book 1

Ch 47 Conspiracy: Mirabelle Davenport [Monday Night, Week Three]

Mirabelle cranked the faucet until the water was as hot as she could stand it. After freezing her ass off on the mountain, it would feel so good to thaw out in a long, hot shower. Closing her eyes, she let the water course through her hair and down her back. She was gonna stay in the shower until all the hot water was gone.

A shit-ton of old memories had been stirred up throughout today's experiences. Mostly bad memories of all the times she was afraid, hopeless, lonely. But also some good ones, like some of the camping trips with her mom.

The cold was another bad one. Every winter back when she was little and had lived with her mom, she was always freezing. In the mornings, the icy wind would bite through her shirts on her way to school because she didn't have a coat. In the evenings, when she was forced into the bath, there wouldn't be hot water. And at night, she slept on a bare mattress with a towel for a blanket.

When she was older, she learned that Gramma and Pop had tried to help. Even though they didn't have a lot of money themselves, they bought a trailer for her mom and her so they would at least have a roof over their heads.

It wasn't like Mirabelle's mom didn't love her. Back in those days, she wanted to be a good mother. But she couldn't even take care of herself, let alone a child. The responsibilities overwhelmed and paralyzed her, and the drugs made everything worse. If her friends or boyfriends didn't take her to the store, make her appointments, take out the trash, or pay her bills, then it wouldn't get done.

But mom was a terrible friend-picker. Especially the boyfriends. And the occasional good one would quickly get sick of her shit and move on.

As the drug addiction got worse, Gramma and Pop fought for custody of Mirabelle. It caused a family civil war. At first, her mom resented her parents' interference. But as time went on, she seemed happy to give up all responsibility to them. She didn't even care about Mirabelle's birthday, and never went to any school things.

Enough of that! Wash those shitty memories down the drain with the dirty water.

The shower gradually got cooler. Mirabelle turned off the water. Steam clouded the mirror and hung in the air. She reached for her towel.

The castle was quiet and the lights were out except for in the hallways. Mirabelle dropped her stuff off in her room and headed down the corridor to see Kellyn before going to bed.

She couldn't wait to tell her about all the shit she had been through trying to get help for her and Miss Sarah. Yeah, it hadn't worked out the way she planned. But she would explain about the mountain lion and how it wasn't her fault. It was important that Kellyn hear the story from Mirabelle before anyone else.

Kellyn's door was open a crack, and she heard Kellyn and Hannah laughing and chatting. Her blood immediately started to boil. That bitch got to her first! She fucking better not be blaming Mirabelle. How long had Hannah been there?

Instead of knocking or going in, Mirabelle stood quietly outside the door to listen for a minute. Maybe she was getting upset for nothing. She would see what Hannah was saying first, before deciding how to respond. Maybe Hannah deserved the benefit of the doubt after all they had been through together today. She might give the girl a chance.

Hannah was telling Kellyn about a hidden door between their two rooms that Graehm had discovered. "Your side is locked, but mine is open, see?" As she spoke, it sounded like her voice moved to another part of the room. Mirabelle heard a click and a sliding sound. "Isn't that cool?"

"Oh, my gosh! This castle is so awesome!" And Kellyn sounded excited about it, too.

That nerdy Graham-cracker kid was obsessed with the castle, and was always trying to discover its secrets. Fuck him! Thanks to him finding that stupid door, now Hannah and Kellyn shared something that Mirabelle was excluded from.

Mirabelle looked up and down the corridor, and across the foyer to the boys' side, to make sure no one had seen her. All the doors were closed and no one was out wandering around. She was safe.

She heard Kellyn's voice. "Well, can I just say that I am just glad that after going through all that together, you and Mirabelle are friends now."

Mirabelle shifted her feet. True, she and Hannah weren't actively hating each other at the moment, but "friends" was a strong word. If not for getting lost in the cold, nothing would have changed between them, and Mirabelle would have been fine with that. Everyone needed someone to hate.

"Yeah," Hannah said quietly. "About that--,"

The bitch was whispering. She obviously didn't want anyone to overhear her. It was gonna get interesting now. Mirabelle pressed her ear closer to make out what she was saying.

"We're on good terms at the moment," Hannah went on, "but I wouldn't exactly call us 'friends.' She'll be watching me closely, and if one little thing happens that in any way could be taken as offensive, she will automatically think the worst and get all mad."

"What do you mean?" Kellyn asked.

Mirabelle was satisfied to hear the suspicion in Kellyn's tone, and she was also intensely interested to hear Hannah's deeper explanation.

Hannah continued, "Well, here's an example: I could have a certain look on my face because of a stomach ache or something that has nothing to do with her. But if at that moment, I happen to glance at her, she would think I'm giving her the stink eye. And then she would automatically get mad and hate me again. You know what I mean?"

Kellyn wasn't saying anything back, so Hannah kept running her mouth.

"Mirabelle wouldn't bother to think of other reasons for things that happen. She assumes that everything is about her and that it's always negative because she thinks everyone's against her."

There was still silence on Kellyn's end. It was so frustrating not to be able to see her reaction. Was she a traitor, nodding in agreement? Or was she loyal, and glaring angrily at her? Not knowing was killing her. The temptation to burst in and find out was almost too much.

She bit her lips together. Hannah kept talking: "Well, I would hope she's different with you since you're her best friend. But you know how she feels about me. It's not a secret that me and her definitely do not click. But I feel like me and you do, and I want to be friends with you. That's why I want to keep the peace with her."

Mirabelle squeezed her hands into fists. So, she had been right about Hannah the whole fucking time! That sneaky, back-stabbing, friend-stealing, shit-talking bitch!

Again, she was dying to see Kellyn's reaction to this bullshit. But if she dared go in right now, there was no way she could hide her fury, and might end up punching Hannah in the throat.

The bitch kept running her stupid mouth. "I would ask you to help me out by telling her nice, positive things about me, but I feel she would see through it, and it would no-doubt make her mad. I hate to say it, but she's weirdly, jealously protective of you. So for now, I think our best bet is for me and you to keep our distance until she decides to invite me to be part of your circle."

Searing red flames of anger surged through Mirabelle. So, Hannah was making plans to trick Mirabelle into including her! Everything she said on the mountain was a lie. Talk about seeing through her! She knew that what that bitch really wanted was to push Mirabelle out of the way so she could steal Kellyn as a best friend. Fuck her! Mirabelle wanted to crash through the door, shove Hannah to the floor and kick her in the face.

She clenched her teeth together. Lucky for all of them that Kellyn stayed quiet. Even though she was blazing with anger, she still knew that if she burst in there yelling, screaming, kicking, and breaking things, she would get her ass booted out of Trecorin, and that would ruin everything.

No prize money, no hope of the inheritance, no more friendship with Kellyn, and no chance with Austin.

Stepping carefully down the corridor to avoid the creaking spots, Mirabelle went back to her room. She would figure out a way to get rid of that bitch Hannah.