Soul (Chaos #1)

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen

The next day, Zoe did her best to make life seem normal. We had breakfast, went to our classes, and gossiped. And she convinced me that we were absolutely, definitely, no-maybes, going out that weekend.

Grim and Realtín were subdued, which almost certainly meant they were up to something. I kept checking my phone, hoping Mam would text to let me know she was okay.

My knee bounced under the table in the canteen during lunch. "Think everything's..."I sighed.

"She's fine," Zoe said. "She's a grown woman, and she makes her own decisions, Cara. You can't do anything more for her. She made her bed; let her lie in it."

I was surprised by the anger in her voice. Zoe didn't usually put any energy into anger except when it came to Darren.

Mam sent me a text to let me know she was taking my father out that evening, so I could go over and get my things. I tried to ring her back, but she'd switched off her phone.

"That's cold," Zoe said. "Want me to go with you?"

"Nah. I'd rather do it myself. Do you mind?"

"Of course not. I might pop over to Darren's for a bit while you're gone."

"You should. And Zoe? Thanks for everything."

I wasn't going to be alone at my house. Grim and Realtín would be with me, and probably an unseen bodyguard or two as well. Still, as we made the trek to my home that evening, I felt nervous. The worst-case scenario would have been my father being home, but all of the lights were out as we approached the house. I took a deep breath before letting myself in.

"Just pick out the things you want to take now and what you would like us to take care of for you," Grim said reassuringly. "The king has told us to help, but we would have anyway."

I smiled gratefully at him and stepped into the hallway. Black garbage bags lined the wall. Frowning, I checked all of the rooms downstairs and saw the aftermath of my father's destruction. All of the precious things belonging to my mother, the photo frames and ornaments and antiques she loved to collect, all of them were gone. I guessed they were in the rubbish bags.

Sadness enveloped me. I had done that. I had provoked my father and pushed him to the limit. But he had been taking me to the edge for years. I hadn't meant to throw us both off the cliff. With tears in my eyes, I waited for Grim to unseal my bedroom door. Inside, everything was as it should be, except for a note that had been slipped under the door. I picked it up.

Cara, take what you need - just keep out of his way. There's an envelope in my jewellery box on my dresser. It's yours.

Love you.X

"Can you two start emptying my drawers?" I asked. "I need to get something from my mother's room."

They both seemed happy to help, but I was pretty sure Grim would do all the work while Realtín made a mess.

I headed into my parents' room, a place I had never been welcome. My father didn't like me in his space, and that was fine with me. Her old jewellery box was still intact, but I opened it slowly, feeling like a small child about to do something forbidden.

A bulky envelope sat on top of the few pieces of jewellery my mother owned, most of it things Darragh and I had made at school. As I took it, something else caught my eye - a necklace with a medal. Darragh had worn it every day that I could remember. He had only taken it off to die. I sucked in a breath before picking up the necklace, too. I held it tightly in my hand, trying to remember what life felt like when Darragh still lived.