The Boy with the Blind Eyes

EIGHT

It was hitting six o'clock when Tamsin remembered she hadn't eaten all day. With the hospital and introducing her mother to Hamilton, she'd forgotten all about food. Glancing at her watch, Tamsin figured Trey and her mom would be back in less than an hour, seeing as her mom probably would have taken the train back to the crappy hotel she'd booked.

Tamsin changed out of her sweats and pulled on her nicer pair of jeans, sweater and tied back her hair that hadn't been washed in at least five, gross days.

Then she traipsed downstairs slowly, her neck brace still wrapped around her, and her arm still cradled in a sling. She tried not to wince when a group of girls all sprinted past her, knocking her arm, yelping and laughing with excitement at something.

'Idiots,' Tamsin muttered resentfully.

Once she was downstairs, Tamsin grabbed a tray and got in line for food. It was surprisingly busy for six o'clock. She salivated longingly at the array of food—roast chicken, baked potatoes, sauerkraut, noodles, trays of lasagne and, at the very end of the line, chocolate pudding. Tamsin picked up a leg of roast chicken, a cup of noodles, a baked potato with sour cream, a huge slice of lasagne and a chocolate pudding. She was starving, and everything smelled amazing. The last meal she had eaten was dinner last night—a half-eaten piece of whiting fish and steamed vegetables.

When she walked towards her usual booth, she was intercepted by Eliza.

Eliza?

The girl was dressed fashionably in a blue button down coat, black skinny jeans, and a pair of ankle boots. Her strawberry blonde hair was, as usual, curled down to her waist and her lips were sticky with red lip gloss.

Her blue eyes lit up. 'Tamsin!' Her eyes fell on the tray Tamsin was holding and she smothered a smile. 'Looks like you're eating for two.'

'Hi, Eliza,' she replied quietly. Her food was wafting amazing scents to her nose, and all she wanted to do was sit at her booth in peace and stuff her face until her mom came back.

'Tamsin, I know things got heated between us, but...' her eyes widened as she gestured to her neck and arm, 'what happened to you?'

Tamsin shrugged a shoulder. 'There was an accident last night. Nothing major.'

'What kind of accident?' Eliza's eyes narrowed.

Tamsin sighed. She wasn't in the mood to play nice when all she wanted to do was rip this girl's hair out. 'I have an intolerance to alcohol, it turns out.'

'That's awful,' Eliza pouted her lips. 'But it doesn't explain the neck brace and the sling.'

'I had a fall, because of the alcohol. Are we done with the interrogation?' She snapped.

Eliza crossed her arms. 'Sorry for being a concerned friend.'

'Eliza, you're not a friend to me,' Tamsin muttered angrily. Boy, she was on a roll today. Pushing away her mom and now being deliberately bitchy to Eliza, simply because she seemed to be genuinely concerned for her wellbeing?

Eliza didn't seem to know what to do with this statement. Her mouth opened, but nothing came out.

'I'm sorry,' Tamsin said immediately. 'You've caught me at a bad time, okay?'

'So, we're not friends?' The hurt in her eyes was unmistakable. Tamsin didn't think Eliza was human, let alone capable of being hurt by something she assumed meant nothing to her.

'No,' Tamsin said. 'I didn't mean that.'

'Answer the question, Tamsin.'

'I guess we are friends,' she murmured. 'It's just, you went a little crazy when I said I didn't want to be part of your— 'her voice lowered to a dramatic whisper, 'cult.'

Eliza nodded solemnly. 'I am sorry about that. I just didn't think you understood the implications of rejecting us.'

'Whoa, what is that supposed to mean?' Tamsin demanded.

'Nothing bad,' Eliza said in a small voice. 'It's just that we like you, Tamsin, and it hurt when you rejected us. We don't offer that to just anybody.'

'So you've said.'

'Can you at least reconsider my offer?'

Tamsin blinked. 'I don't know,' she said dumbly. After an awkward moment of silence, she asked, 'Are you and Violet still friends?' Remembering when Violet had followed Tamsin and joined her group of friends, rather than staying with Eliza.

Eliza's blue eyes hardened. 'Of course not. She disobeyed me.'

'You don't own her!'

'No, but I should be able to trust her to take my side, shouldn't I?' Eliza sighed. 'Look, I don't want to get into this. But reconsider my offer. Not joining the cult, but just as friends.' She bit her lip uncertainly and held out her hand. 'Truce?'

Tamsin's black eyes flicked up to Eliza's crystal, blue ones. They looked so unreal Tamsin found herself wondering if she'd had the colour changed. She didn't think a blue that electric existed naturally.

Finally, she shook her hand. 'Yeah. Truce. But listen, this doesn't make us friends again,' Tamsin said bluntly. 'It just means we're not...against each other. We're neutral now. Okay?'

Her face had fallen a little, but still she agreed. 'Yes. So...as someone who is working to be your friend again...will you join Rachel and I for dinner?'

'I'm sorry, but I'd really like to be alone. It's been a long and...' she swallowed, 'hard day.'

Eliza nodded. 'I understand. Just so you know, I'm really happy we're...okay again.'

Tamsin smiled a little. 'Yeah. I'll see you later, okay?'

Tamsin scurried over to her booth and ate as fast as she could. Her mom and Trey wouldn't be far away. She dumped her tray on top of a rubbish bin and ran back up to her dorm.

Settling onto the brown leather recliner Lina had ordered for their room—and later realised she'd have to fork out $1,200 for—Tamsin was full of excitement. She was going to see her little brother again.

And then the phone rang.

A dopey grin on her face, she picked up. 'Hello.'

'Tamsin Gilbert?'

'Speaking.'

'This is Sergeant Reynolds from the New York Police Department. I'm sorry to inform you—your mother has been in an accident.'