Devereaux

Chapter Four [Part I]

Chapter Four [Part I]

I lifted a comically small tea cup to my lips and took a tentative sip. Like any sane person, I was not a fan of scalding hot tea and judging by the tendrils of steam rising from the surface of the dark liquid, I knew it was bound to burn. I quickly replaced the cup on the equally miniature plate and turned to zone in on the conversation.

“Do you think you’re actually going to try and show up for school in January, Sadie?” Ivy asked from across the table. I noticed that she hadn’t touched her own cup. She was probably also waiting for it to cool.

I nodded my head. “I’m going to try and restrict my expeditions with Phoenix to after school hours only so I can focus; at least until exams are over. I think I can do it; I had come consistently for a while before the Christmas break, remember?”

Zora began toying with the ends of her hair. Since I last saw her, she had removed her braces, purchased contact lenses and straightened the wild mess atop her head that could easily pass for something extraterrestrial.

The transformation was incredible.

She had pale skin and the deepest, blue eyes I had ever seen which were previously hidden behind a tent of hair and hideous glasses. We had complimented her more times than were necessary when she first arrived and now she probably felt self conscious.

“I miss Jordan,” she muttered thoughtfully. “I mean, you guys are alright and everything but she was the heart of the group.”

We all nodded in agreement.

“We should visit her some time,” Ivy offered. Her eyes widened and she grinned madly. “Guys, let’s visit her for New Years!”

I nodded enthusiastically and spoke my approval. Bea smiled, which probably meant she was on board. We all turned to look at Zora who was the only one of us who seemed sceptical. “Guys,” she started, “You all seem to forget that my parents are quite strict. I can’t just go gallivanting around England without parental supervision.”

Our smiles all faded as we were reminded of Zora’s type-A parents who would probably develop ulcers at the thought of letting her go off on her own. I sighed and knit my fingers together in thought. “I suppose I can ask my mother to escort us,” I finally uttered. Everyone’s face lit up and I suddenly felt like I couldn’t let them down.

I, at least, needed to do this one thing with them – for them –, especially after I had disregarded them for so long before Christmas. But my mother had been rather stressed lately. She was dealing with legal issues concerning ownership of my father’s Law firm and figuring out how she could take care of us financially.

She had recently discovered that most of my father’s earnings were in a joint account and since we never really spent the money on ourselves, there was quite a lot saved up to ensure financial longevity. However, she still felt as though she should quit her job at his firm because she thought it necessary to cut all ties to her soon-to-be-ex husband. Since she enjoyed working, she wanted to find work elsewhere rather than retire altogether.

Her only difficulty was with my school. It being a private institution, the tuition wasn’t exactly pocket change so I had a feeling she would soon have to sit down with me and have a conversation about my prospects. I would probably have to fight for some kind of scholarship.

I had too much to think about.

And so did she.

Maybe she would think of a trip to London as a break from all of the insanity. I definitely would.

Ivy raised her hand and snapped her thumb and middle finger together to create an annoying clicking noise. It’s what she did whenever she found that I was getting lost in thought. “How is it even possible that you are still incapable of basic concentration?” she asked. I knew it was rhetorical so I didn’t respond.