All I Ever Wanted

Chapter Thirty-Two

I walk back into Grandmothers room just as Jane finishes her explanation to my stubborn relative. Grandmother comments as I walk in, "The only thing I got out of that was "Weakened immune system."

I see Phoebes worried face and immediatly take a seat next to her. I ruffle her curls as I always do. "Whats wrong?" I question quietly.

She cries softly into my shoulder. Salty tears run down her face in silent sobs. "She's not going to be okay Emma. No one can fix it, not even you."

Since she's crying into my shoulder one arm is useless, but I wrap the other around her. "I know Phoebe. But somethings arn't supposed to be fixed, no matter how much you want them to be." And some things are never meant to be broken in the first place. "But you'll always have me."

Phoebe glances up with tear stained cheeks. She holds out her pinky finger to me. I clasp mine around hers. Its an unspoken promise, but those are the best kind.  

I glance over at grandmother who is pretending to be reading a book and not eavesdropping on our  conversation. I reach over and turn the book the right way up. "Didn't know you could read upside down." I comment.

Grandmother doesn't even have the decency to blush. She looks around the room with disinterest. "Lets do something fun." She suggests brightly, a crazy grin on her face. Heaven help me.

Ten minutes later were in the bathroom down the hall. Grandmother stands on my shoulders swaying around a little. Why am I here again? I must be mad. Grandmother wobbles around on my shoulders getting her balance. Its a good job grandmother weighs barely nothing.

She slides herself out of the window with a little yelp of surprise. "Oooo fu-"

"Grandmother!" I protest.

"What?" She asks from the other side of the window.

"Little innocent ears over here!" I complain.

Grandmother lets out a little snort. "Ha! Your ears are neither small nor innocent young lady!"

I frown. "Are you calling my ears big?" I cry with ingnition.

"Yes." Comes the offending reply.

I huff with displeasure. I hear the bathroom door open and curious pair of friends enter the bathroom. I give a little wave and they look away, blushing at the fact they got caught staring. Grandmothers overly loud voice wafts though the window "Yeah suckas! Staring is RUDE!"

I hurry to get Phoebe out of the window and hurriedly follow her out desperate to get away from the two friends. Who probably think we're right weirdos. Who am I kidding? We are right weirdos, who in their right mind climbs out of the window of a public toilet with there grandmother and little sister? No one, that's who. On second thoughts maybe I'm not in my right mind. I land awkwardly on a patch of grass.

However my companions wern't so lucky. Phoebe fell into a patch of ivy, not poisenous but shes pretty tangled. As for grandmother... well she fell in a rose bush. Enough said. At least she'll smell good.

I pull Grandmother from her pillow of thorns while she mutters curses under her breath. I also untangle Phoebe. We look around to see if any nurses have discovered our escape. When the coast is clear we dash off into the town Grandmother still quietly muttering.

Phoebe wipes rose petals and greenery off grandmother as she walks. Grandmother swings around and points at me "Why did you not land in a bush?"She asks in an accusing tone.

I chirp happily "It's rude to point."

Grandmother scowls at me. We walk along the gardens of the building until we reach a small wall. We hop over it and walk down the street as inconspicuously as we can. The first place we go to is grandmothers house. It isn't too far away. We hurry in grandmother gets her debit card and we dash into the nearest shop to make up for lost time. So much for being inconspicuous.

The shop we're in is... actually where are we? Its a dusty shop the skylight illuminating the tiny particles in the air. Not a single window is cut from the brick. However there are two doors. The one we entered through and one behind the counter labeled both staff only and fire exit. I say counter but actually it's a pile of books arranged so it looks like a counter. A cash register rests on the books. The stacks of books are everywhere but it is not a bookshop. There are also piles of magazines, comics, games, films, C.D's and even a T.V set pushed behind a stack of x-box games.

That's when I realise there is in fact a window but its covered by sellable items. Only a few random dots of light manage to wriggle through. In the middle of the room is a box. At first it appears to be a table, as things are piled on top of it but I notice little indents in the wood. I hook my finger into the indent and pull out a draw. Its oddly shaped with a curvy bottom and sloping sides. The draw is filled with necklaces hanging from little hooks on the side of the draw.

I open the next draw. It too is oddly shaped but this time it is filled with dolls. Phoebe tugs on my hand and I look down. she has opened a draw full of dressing up clothes. She pulls out wings, ears, crowns, masks and much more.

She happily takes off her jacket and replaces it with a pair of wings. She selects a wand and a crown which she happily adopts. She opens another draw filled with glitter. She sprinkles a blue mist over herself. It matches with the dress she is wearing, as do her wings.

Then she turns to me. She gives me a skirt to wear, over my leggings. The skirt is white and looks like daisy petals sprouting from my waist. She pulls out cloud like fairy wings which she attaches to my back. She puts a crown of daises on my head and a wand in my hand. My glitter is silver and sparkles prettily. "Your the fairy queen." Phoebe says.

I place the crown on Phoebes head. I whisper in her ear, "Now, your the fair queen."

Grandmother buts in. "What about me?"  

Phoebe giggles lightly. "Shut your eyes!" grandmother does as shes told.

Phoebe slides a mask over her head and wraps a fake fur scarf around her neck. Then she puts on a headband. She takes one step back to admire her handy work. The scarf is short purple fur the headband matching. A pair of ears of are attached to the headband. Finally the horse mask reveals that grandmother is a purple pony.

"Open your eyes." Phoebe smiles gleefully.

Grandmother does and turns to face a mirror prompt against a pile of comics. She swirls around to point at Phoebe "I want to be the royal fairy queen! I should have wings and a castle!"

Phoebe considers for a moment. She pulls grandmother towards her and next time grandmother looks in the mirror she is Pegasus. Grandmother looks pointedly at the crown on Phoebes head but Phoebe ignores her. Phoebe sneakily takes her crown and places it on my head. I pretend not  to notice.

Grandmother pays for the costumes regardless. We don't waste anytime taking off our wings. We walk down the street dressed as pegasaus, a blue fairy and a fairy queen.