The Girl Who Doesn't Speak

Chapter 14

I was up bright and early the next morning, unable to sleep. I thought about going for a surf, but my wetsuit was somewhere in boxes. With Blue still sound asleep, I didn't want to wake her. I sneak out, walking past the bathroom where I heard the shower, and entered the kitchen. Rhett was in there making himself a coffee.

"Good morning," he greets me. "Would you like a coffee or are you off for your morning surf?"

"I will have a coffee thanks. I was going to go surfing, but I didn't want to wake up Blue trying to find my wetsuit."

"Fair enough."

Rhett made another cup of coffee for me. While he did that, I made myself a bowl of cereal, sitting down at the table. Rhett joins me. Devon comes out of the bathroom, letting us know he was meeting up with his friends for breakfast.

I prepared breakfast for Blue and then went to see if she was awake before getting ready for work. I made two vegemite toast and entered the room with it. Blue was awake, sitting on the bed where she was writing in her notebook. She snaps it closed when she sees me resting it on her lap.

I smile at her. "Good morning. Are you hungry? I made breakfast for you."

Blue returns the smile. She puts the empty space beside her, inviting me over to the bed. I walk over, handing her the plate and sat down beside her. She signs thank you. I watch her eat while I thought of what conversation I should start with her, even though I know I won't get an answer from her.

I realise she was still dressed in the outfit she had brought the other day.

"Listen, I have work today. Since you have been wearing the same outfit for a few days, and now that you will be living here, I will give you some money to purchase new clothes."

She smiles, liking the idea.

While she finished eating her breakfast, I search for fresh clothes. Before Rhett and I left for work with Blue, I went up to my old apartment to see how my folks were doing. Dad had already left for work, while Mum was up, watching Sunrise. She looked like she hasn't had a wink of sleep, and I suddenly felt that maybe I'm the one to blame for that. Of course when I asked if she had slept alright, she doesn't tell me why. But I knew it's because I had moved out. Without Tiffany and I here, the house is quiet and feels emptier before my sister was killed. To Mum it probably felt like she had lost two children, even though I was still here, but have moved downstairs.

I tell Mum I will stop by later, have dinner with her and Dad, maybe bring Blue with me. She smiled, liking the idea. I hug her goodbye and headed downstairs to head to work with Rhett.

Blue walks alongside me as we walk down the street towards the plaza. As she walks, she looks around her. Even though it has been almost two days since she had freaked out over who may have been chasing her the other night during Devon's gig, I didn't think she would still be paranoid. Hopefully that person is long gone.

Blue waits outside the store until it's opened at nine. As soon as I open the doors, I tell her to come in and look around for what she would like. I also pointed out to her some of our new arrivals. While she browses around the store, I went about my daily routine in the shop.

There weren't many people in the store this morning. I watch Blue as I clean and tidy the store, checking to make sure she didn't need my help. A few customers came into the store, one of them approaches me, enquiring about a bikini that she had seen on the online website, asking me if we had any in stock. I help her find what she needed, and when she was happy with what she wanted; she walks away with a smile on her face.

As soon as the girl was gone, Blue walks over to me. With a few clothes over her arm, I give her money to pay for it all. I then tell her that if she didn't want to do anything else or didn't want to head back to the apartment, she can just hang out around the plaza until Rhett and I finished our shifts. Once she had paid for her clothing, she exits the store.