Where there's a Will, there's a Tiara | Complete (ONC 2021 Longlister)

4. A New Home

I must have fallen asleep at some point because I woke up laying in my bed with soup and a glass of water on the table beside me. Kat was sitting on the floor in front of my dresser, packing my clothes into a suitcase.

"I haven't decided what I'm doing yet, you know," I pointed out, rubbing my eyes.

She paused. "Either way you have to leave here, right? I'm just trying to help." She's right.

"No, you're right. Thanks. Can I help?"

A flash of worry crossed her face. "No, just eat the soup."

"You don't have to worry about me," I tried to reassure her.

"Maybe not. But I'm going to miss you so much!"

"I might not even go."

"You'll go," she whispered, looking down at her hands. "It's your parents' last wish and your hope for a future. You have to go. I know you."

She was right. And we both knew it. I had to go and at least see what happened. I'd regret it forever if my last act toward my parents was to go against their wishes. There would be no chance to make it up again. I had to go.

"Well, you'll have work and all our friends," I tried to reason with her. "You can have so much fun for both of us that you'll forget all about me!"

She tried to interrupt but I continued. "And you have to have fun for me, because we both know that crazy old woman won't be letting me out. Actually, I looked up where her house is. Have you seen it? Even if she does let me out, I'm not sure there's anywhere to go!"

"Yes, you showed me last year when your parents tried to get you to go up there for some conference. Where was her nearest neighbour? Istanbul?"

"Probably!" We both laughed but, at least for me, the pain still sat deep in my chest and my laugh rang hollow.

"Maybe I'll just have to come visit you!"

"It's only a year, Kat. I'm sure I can get through a year."

"That's true! School was so much longer and you survived that!"

I appreciated the sentiment, but school was also a lot more fun than this grandmother's house was sure to be. "School sounds like it was a lot easier than surviving the falling down house in the middle of nowhere with only my grandmother for company."

Kat didn't say anything. Instead, she stood up and walked to my door, gesturing wildly that I should go through before her and, when I did, she gave an exaggerated bow. That was the first real laugh that had escaped my lips in weeks.

Man, am I going to miss her. But it's only a year. I can do this, right?

I was not at all sure I could do it. But I was sure I had to try.

* * *

Less than a week later, my three suitcases and I were stepping out of the airport in Manchester. The heavy air stung at my cheek and the wind whipped my hair up into my lipgloss as I searched the area for a grandmother I hadn't seen in years.

Yay, England.

Armed with nothing more than a picture on my phone and the three suitcases that weighed more than I did, I regretted not listening to Kat and packing less. But there was no way I could bring less. I'm going to be here for at least a year.

I was headed across the street to what looked like the pick up area when all of my bags came tumbling down behind me. Universe, are you punishing me for trying to con an old woman or for packing too many clothes?

"Adelaide, is that you?" Given the very British accent and the crack in her voice, I assumed the woman to be my grandmother and turned around to look.

"Yes. Umm... hi." I was stumbling over my words like I was meeting the queen. I scrambled to my feet with as much dignity as I could muster. "Sorry. Yes, I'm Adelaide. You must be Nora."

The look on her face could have curdled milk and, as I was here to impress her and get this over with as fast as possible, I had to think fast. "I mean, you must be my grandmother. Sorry, it's new."

"Yes. Well, then. Let's get you and all of your things into the car. I'm sure that's going to be quite a challenge."

Do I detect a hint of sass, Nora?

"Yeah. I guess. I'm going to be here for a year and..." I trailed off and tried to look demure. I mean, I was a little. There was a large part of me screaming that I should just shout at her. My parents are dead. The only silver lining that could possibly exist out of that has been yanked out from under me and now I'm standing in the cold British countryside staring at an old woman who looks like she grows mushrooms in little pots in her backyard.

She graciously offered to wheel one of my bags and I followed her through a maze of cars until we arrived at her small orange one. I struggled to get my bags into the trunk -- or as she kept calling it, the boot -- of the car. No matter how hard I worked, I could only get two of my three suitcases into the trunk, so I had to shove one of them onto the backseat.

"Clean it off first!" she shouted at me from the other side of the car. "I don't want my seats getting dirty. No one needs extra work."

"How am I supposed to clean a suitcase in the middle of a ... what did you call it? Car park? How am I supposed to do that?"

I had finally snapped. I wasn't even here a full thirty minutes and it was already impossible to be around her. And I had to survive a whole year. 

* ~ * Author's Note * ~ *

We are back! Thank you so much for your patience while I worked on stuff offline. I hope you like the newest chapter and can't wait to share more with you. While you are waiting, feel free to check out my other entries, my ONC reading list, or my recommendations book to find other things to read.

Want more to read right now? Why not try Factory Reset by astrophile ? With only a name and vague memories she can't decipher in her mind, Aura must uncover the truth about who she is and why she can't leave The Sanctuary.