Under A Disguise
Tamara’s P.O.V
I looked out the window at the thick blanket of snow covering the ground and glistening on the trees and bushes. It was basically the only thing I could do in science because Ella was acting rather weirdly around me. She wouldn’t tell me what was up and it made me worry. The bell rang and everyone poured out of the room quickly to go enjoy their Wednesday afternoons in the snow. It was only Mrs Kite, Ella and I left in the room.
“Glad that’s over.” Ella whispered to me. She sometimes confused me as she normally loved learning, however, since she got back all classes seemed to be a bore for her. Well except for English where she was finding it difficult to catch up. Well she appeared to be having difficulties anyway.
“Ella what’s up? What’s with the sad eyes?” I asked her as she gave me another funny look. She bit her lip and looked me up and down, studying me, trying to read me.
“Where were you on Saturday when you didn’t turn up to the cafe?” She asked for the second time. It made me wonder if she was on to me. Did she know the truth?
“I told you I had a concert,” I lied again. I hated lying to her but it was necessary. She couldn’t know the truth about where I had been.
“Really? Because I crossed paths with one of the men from the retirement home and he said that you haven’t postponed a show in ages and that you definitely didn’t have a show on Saturday. The man beside him backed him up.”
“I was doing a concert in Madison,” I quickly made up another lie so she wouldn’t know the truth. Madison has so many concerts so she wouldn’t be able to track me down. “Sorry I wasn’t specific before I didn’t think you would get so worried.”
“I’m not worried I just felt that you were lying to me. Now that we have gotten that out of the way...” She trailed off about the catch-up science assignment that she had to do and asking me questions about the unit we had just completed. I answered unconsciously just glad that she wasn’t on my case any longer.
“Well I guess I’ll see you tomorrow,” Ella smiled as she walked to her car. It was as if she had broken me out of a trance because I hadn’t realised we were in the parking lot already. I nearly stumbled over a mound of snow as I carefully walked across the icy lot to my own car.
“See you!” I yelled as I hopped into my own car and turned the heat up high. I wrapped my scarf around my neck tightly and carefully pulled out into the line of traffic leaving the school. It left me alone with my thoughts that I didn’t really want to be with.
Ella pulled into the line behind me and gave me a small wave. To distract myself I started to think about all the homework and catch-up assignments that Ella had to do before the end of term in a couple of weeks. On top of all of that she had to start the leadership activities and events. She had to become the role student again. It seemed like she wouldn’t get a break. I remembered all the homework that I had gotten earlier in the day that I would have to complete by tomorrow and saw no room for any catch-up assignments. I thanked my lucky stars I wasn’t Ella.
When I finally got out of the school gates I drove quickly back to my house, with Ella still right behind me. I panicked for a couple of seconds thinking she was stalking me but then I remembered that she lived across the road and she was just trying to get home too. I was pulling away from her though as I wasn’t slowing down for the snow.
I pulled into the driveway with Ella nowhere to be seen so I grabbed my opportunity and pulled my schoolbag across my shoulder and ran inside before she could get a chance to gain my attention. “Hi Tammy!” My fifteen year old sister screamed as she ran to hide behind the couch and away from our four year old sister.
“I can see you aren’t sick anymore, Monique!” I laughed as I sprinted up the stairs to my room. I stopped in front of the mirror in the hall for a couple of seconds and realised that I had a nosebleed that was steadily getting worse. I ran into my room and grabbed a tissue that was by the door. I was prepared for these events as they happened so often.
With one hand holding the tissue to my nose I turned my computer on so I could get started on my homework. I placed my bag down on my bed and pulled out the textbooks arranging them in order so I knew what homework was due tomorrow so I could do my homework in order of importance.
“Oh my goodness you are bleeding again!” Monique exclaimed as she went to walk by my bedroom. Instead of continuing on her way she came in and ripped the tissue from my nose and gave me a fresh one. “When is this going to stop? Aren’t you getting sick of it?” She slumped down on my bed and made herself comfy in my pillow mountain. I got three heavy nosebleeds a day now and sometimes I got more. They were unpredictable and embarrassing when I got them at school. I had to carry tissues with me wherever I went.
“Of course I am getting sick of it.” I said joining her on the bed and squeezing her with my free arm. “But it’s my life and I have to accept that.”
“It’s not fair!” Monique exclaimed squeezing me back before getting back up. “I have to go, Hanna needs some afternoon tea and I should probably be finding her from her hiding spot under her bed.” She jumped up and went to go play with our sister again. She paused in the doorway. “You want anything?”
“No, I’m alright.” I sighed getting up and pulling the tissue away from my face and throwing it in the bin before I went back over the box to get a new one. “Actually, a new box of tissues; I just used the last one.” I showed her the empty box and she laughed and took it back downstairs with her. She came back a few minutes later and placed the box on the desk and then left again.
I inspected the new tissue to find it only had a few dots of blood on it and that the bleeding had stopped. I threw the last tissue onto the pile of others in my bin and headed into my private bathroom. I smiled weakly at myself in the mirror and grabbed a washer from under the sink to wipe around my mouth where the blood had dried. I wet it and brought it to my mouth wiping away the blood. I then grabbed a make-up remover pad and removed all of my make-up. Once removed my face was back to its extremely pale self.
I ran my fingers through my hair and gently tugged on it letting it fall over my shoulders. My black bob was no more. I grabbed the hair in my hands and put it back on the manikin head that sat by my sink. The wig fit onto it perfectly.
I looked at myself in the mirror again and compared myself to the person who has looked in it less than fifteen minutes ago. I was a completely different person. I was skinner, paler and sicker. I ran my hand over my scalp feeling tiny little bumps where my hair was finally starting to grow back. Tears started to leak from my green eyes and I collapsed onto the floor in a heap. I cried silently not letting anyone else know what I was doing. I had to come to the terms of being sick and because I hadn’t, only my family knew about me. My friends...the people at school...they knew nothing.
I was lying from Ella, from Maya, from Clover and Georgia. We had been drifting apart a couple of years ago when I had first discovered I was sick and I didn’t have the strength to bring us back together or the strength to even keep my other friends close. For a year they thought I had been moved to boarding school but I had actually been in hospital. They had let me out a couple of months ago because there was really nothing they could do for me anymore. My health was still good enough that I could get the strength to go to school but I wouldn’t be able to do much else. I wouldn’t be able to play in the snow a lot, wouldn’t be able to play sports or stay up late. I had gotten a special pass at school to use the lift and a special message had been passed around to my teachers A) swearing them not to tell and B) telling them why I may not complete my homework at times. The doctors, my family and I wanted me to live my life whilst I could.
Lying hurt but it was the only thing I could really do.
A/N: Two chapters in a day; I couldn't stop writing or brainstorming my ideas for this book all day. I have a million different pages of notes on them, their homes, their school and the plot! I even figured out each girl's major secret (I had been stuck on Georgia)! I just need to work out some small secrets and then write it all down for you guys! Comments, votes and ideas would be gladly appreciated!
