Liam winked at me as he passed us and followed behind my stepmother toward the kitchen.
I tried to release Lily’s hand quickly to turn and see what was going on.
Lily held on to me too tightly and wouldn’t allow me to let go. She tugged me closer. “Stay right here,” she whispered.
My cheeks filled with warmth, and I waited. Ready to run.
This whole house was about to go down in flames.
Lily eased how tight she was holding my hand, but still hung on to me. She motioned for me to keep my eyes on her as we listened.
“Who the hell are you?” my stepmother’s cracking voice rose.
Silence for a moment. Liam was standing behind my mother in the doorway. He shifted to peer over her shoulder. “Are you a house cleaner?” he asked.
Carol said, “Of course not. Who are you people entering my house?”
“Your house?” My stepmother reared her head back, laughing. She stepped further into the kitchen, where I couldn’t see her. Liam followed. “You’re the woman he left me for?”
“You must be Mrs. Sorenson.”
“Not for much longer,” she snarled. “Get out.”
“You can’t kick me out. My son...I...”
“I’m sorry,” Liam said. “There’s obviously some confusion here.”
“Who are you?” Carol asked.
“We were escorting Mrs. Sorenson home and setting up the medical equipment she needs to stay at home like she requested. She told us this was her home.”
“It’s mine,” my stepmother snarled. “The divorce papers I’ve had drawn up are very clear about that.”
Lily urged me toward the back stairs. My limbs were numb, so I hesitated. She tugged my hand.
I followed, the voices rising behind us, but I couldn’t hear the further we got away from them.
At the top of the stairs, Lily stopped and held out a hand for me to stand behind her.
Jimmy left my bedroom, rubbing his eyes and stumbling toward the front stairwell. He waited only a moment before he disappeared, the thundering footsteps joining the loud voices from the kitchen.
Lily tugged me down the hallway. She pointed to the last door. “Marie?” she asked quietly.
I nodded, unsure getting her involved would be good. I didn’t understand what was happening. Carol and my stepmother in a fight? What was this?
I realized now that the guys or someone in the Academy had a plan.
I hadn’t been made aware, for whatever reason.
It was happening so suddenly, all at once. I didn’t have time to think of any consequences.
I couldn’t begin to imagine why.
Lily knocked on Marie’s door quietly and waited.
Marie opened the door, hair a mess and pajamas wrinkled. She blinked out at me, rubbing her eyes. She spotted Lily and her head recoiled. “What’s going on?”
Lily urged her into her bedroom and motioned for me to follow.
Marie allowed it, backing away. When I was inside, Lily closed herself in with us. She turned to us and held a finger to her lips.
“Marie,” she said quickly. “Your mother is back.”
Marie’s eyebrows went up, her lips parting. “What?”
“I’m a visiting home evaluator,” she said. “I’ll be here now and again to check on her to ensure she’s medically able to stay here. She warned us that she was divorcing your father. We came to make sure the environment was stable for her to return.” She pressed her lips together tightly for a moment. “I know this must be hard for you. I didn’t realize he’d moved his mistress into the house.”
Marie grew animated all at once and bobbed her head up and down. “She came in changing everything and talked about taking us out of school.”
“She isn’t your mother,” Lily said, her expression changing to sympathy. “So she has no rights to you. My partner is downstairs. He’ll try to sort this out. We don’t want to have to take her back to the hospital.”
“Carol has no right to be here,” Marie said. “I can take care of my mother by myself if...” She paused, hesitating, and looked at me.
I didn’t know what to say. It was what Marie wanted. Her mother had returned. I wasn’t going to argue with her.
But...her mother hated me. Last time she was here, she’d wanted me gone and to go with my dad...
“I can help,” Lily said. She turned to me. “I understand you might be a little stressful, too, to her mental health.”
I nodded, and a finger rose to my lip, hovering. My nerves shook me through. “She won’t want me here.”
Voices rose downstairs, first Carol, then my stepmother, and then Liam barking at them to calm down.
“It may not be best if you stay at all, then,” she said quietly. “Do you have a friend nearby you can stay with?” she asked with an eyebrow raised delicately. “Someone whose parents may be home? We can speak with them about the situation if you need.”
Parents might be home...
Erica? She wanted me to go to Kota’s.
“Yes,” I said quietly. “But...”
She shook her head and smiled. “It’ll be better if you’re out as soon as possible. Go to your room, pack what you need. I’ll go with you so you’re escorted out safely.” She turned to Marie. “After she leaves, I need you to go downstairs and help me get your mother up here. Once she’s safe, I’ll help Liam sort out Carol and move her things out. This wasn’t expected, but a call from the lawyer should be enough to convince Carol she has no right to be here.”
Marie bounced on her toes excitedly. “We need to be up here? Why?”
“Keep her from getting any more stressed,” Lily said. “If she has another attack, she’ll be back in the hospital. Let’s prevent this.” She opened the door and motioned for me to follow her back out into the hall. She kept her finger to her lips. “On feather feet,” she said to me. Then she spoke to Marie. “No matter what you may hear, stay until I come back?”
Marie nodded, a smile on her face. The happiest I’d seen her since her mother left for the hospital.
My heart raced. I was packing.
I was leaving.
Was I out forever?
The Longest Short Walk
––––––––
Lily followed me to my bedroom and shut the door. The voices were louder in here, drifting through the vents. Even Jimmy was asking questions of Liam.
I hesitated. “Jimmy...” I said quietly.
She shook her head and smiled. “He’ll be okay,” she said. “Trust me. Carol should have known better than assuming she could take over another woman’s home. Get your things.”
I couldn’t imagine what Lily and Liam had said to her to convince her to return and face off with Carol.
I couldn’t believe this was happening. This had been planned. How?
Still, I was worried that we were leaving Marie alone with her mother, and what might happen to her.
What about our father?
I went to the bed to fetch the notebook. Then I went to the attic, throwing what I could into one of the duffle bags.
I was leaving.
For how long, I wasn’t sure.
I didn’t even notice what I was throwing in, I just shoved it all in the bag. My heart was beating so loud, thundering in my ears. My eyes were tearing up the more I moved. Excitement, hope and relief flooded through me all at once.
Leaving.