Paper Cranes

Part Twelve

“Isabelle. What were you doing yesterday? I know you weren’t at school.”

“Moira. What were you doing 4 months ago? I know it was in the nude.”

Soph, translating as usual, burst out into fits of giggling. Moira pursed her lips. She looked so ugly when she was angry. But she had never cared about my life and, predictably dropped the skipping school thing.

“Well, we’ve thought of a moving date.”

I crossed my arms like a little kid and turned away.

“Isabelle. We’re moving and you can’t stop it. Even if you somehow managed to stay here, think of your little sister. She loves you and needs you. Can you imagine how heartbroken she would be?”

I knew exactly what Moira was doing and I hated her for it. How dare she use my baby sister to emotionally blackmail me? But it worked. I sighed. “Fine.”

Moira seemed shocked that I was co-operating. I didn’t tell her that this was mostly because of Casper. She didn’t care about Casper and she didn’t deserve to hear about him.

“Well, we’re moving on the 22nd, Monday next week.”

No. That was too soon. Everything became too real. I didn’t want to leave. I couldn’t. I couldn’t sit here and talk calmly about it. I stood up and walked out of the house. I knew who I needed to talk to, and it wasn’t Moira. 

#

“She didn’t even follow me.” I texted, sat on a bench down the end of the road.

“I’m coming to get you. Wait there.”

He arrived in just a couple of minutes. He looked sweaty and worn out. He must have run along the entirety of town. I guess I didn’t really think that his parents wouldn’t give him a lift at 11PM.

“What are we going to do?” he said.

I noticed his use of the word we, showing that I was not on my own in this.

I shrugged, leaning on his shoulder. We sat there for a while, calming down, watching the cars drive past and looking at the stars. All of a sudden my front door flung open. I panicked as a figure marched across the road heading directly for us. I couldn’t tell Casper to go and I couldn’t sign to him in the dark. He figured it out himself and began to stand up but Moira pushed him back with a bony hand. “Casper. That’s your name isn’t it?” Her voice was laden with deadly venom.

“Y-yes m’am. Casper Ardvan.”

“Well, Casper Ardvan. I know what you’re up to!”

“You’ve been nothing but trouble. Making my daughter fight to stay here when we need to move for family reasons! All you want to do is butter her up and use her for sex! That’s what is it isn’t it! You could easily prey on Isabelle! She has no voice! You could tie her up right now and she couldn’t do a thing. Or, did you do that yesterday when you took her out of school!?”

I wanted to yell and scream and defend him. She had no idea! I hated her with a fiery passion. How could she say those things? How could she possibly even think like that? Casper had just sat there in silence and taken it, let her spit and scream at him like the scorpion she was. He was doing the intelligent thing. He would apologise and rush off. I didn’t want to deal with Moira on my own after that. I sighed.

Before he jumped up, he said only loud enough for me to hear him, “I’ll text you.”

As he scampered off, Moira hissed, “No you bloody well won’t text her!”

She dragged me inside and threw me toward the sofa. I sank into the ancient cushions and a plume of dirt and dust rose, making me choke and splutter.

“Did he do anything to you?”

I shook my head violently.

Her voice turned gentle, “Are you sure?”

I nodded, “I’m sure.”

She sat to my right. Soph was on my left and threw her little arms around me. She knew how I felt. I signed to her – “Could you ask Moira… to just give Casper a chance?”

When she translated my wish to Moira, she sounded like she wasn’t just translating. She was asking from her heart.

Moira looked pensive. She opened her mouth to speak, but a *da-da-ding!* from my jeans pocket made her pause. I pulled it out and read Casper’s text, “What… what just happened?”

I gave my phone to Moira; the ultimate act of trust.

“Reply to him, explain. He’s just an average-” Not to me, I thought, “-nice guy, who actually cares about me.”

Moira took the phone, and stayed still for a very long time before she began typing. After about five minutes, I saw her hit send. I nodded gratefully to her and asked if I could go to bed. I was tired. Moira said, “Yes, yes of course. I’m sorry Isabella. I just couldn’t stand to see if he hurt you.”