The Outcasts: The Blood Dagger Volume: 1

Chapter 5

I would tell Corinth everything. The more I thought about it the more my stomach celebrated with the occasional flip. It was something I wanted more than anything. Mom had one of her rare shifts off work from the hospital. All her spare time was spent tending to her vegetable garden out back. Today, her gardening gear consisted of a pink bandana, pink gloves, and her favorite pair of well-worn overalls. Her idea of therapy was spending hours in the backyard tending to her radishes, turnips, kale, and peppers. I might have enjoyed the garden a lot more if she'd at least plant some potatoes or watermelon. Personally, I didn't see the appeal. Texas weather was hot and humid in the summer and you were sweating by the time you even stepped outside. And it wasn't like my mom cooked a lot; she spent most of her time at the hospital anyway.

"Penny for your thoughts?" she asked, snapping me out of my reverie.

I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye and sighed. "I'm thinking about my trip."

"I kinda wish I was going with you," she said wistfully. "I bet London will be a life changing adventure, especially since you've never even been out of the country before."

If she knew the real reason why I was going to London, she would freak. A sudden image of her beating my dad with her pink garden gloves popped into my head and I couldn't help but snicker. Yeah, her going with me was not a good idea at all. I mean, that was contingent on the fact that I even found him.

Seeing the faraway look on my face, she nodded in understanding. "I sense this isn't about your trip though, is it?"

I sat up straighter, trying to hide the panic I knew had to be written on my face. Uh oh, she'd somehow found out about my true intentions and I was about to experience the fallout.

"It's really about a boy and his name starts with the letter C. Am I right?" she asked.

I ran a hand across my mouth in relief and muttered, "Maybe."

"Corinth is quite the catch." She gave me a wink. "He got tall didn't he? And that dreamy hair of his, too." She nudged me.

"Mom!" I groaned and covered my face as the heat started to creep up my neck and into my cheeks.

She waved a hand. "I have to admit, that boy has had a crush on you since you were toddlers. Remember when he used to come over here with those little flowers he'd pick from the garden?"

I risked a peek out through the cracks in my fingers covering half my face. "Really? You think he likes me?" I knew Corinth had admitted he liked me, but it was nice to have my mom reaffirm that fact out loud. It really didn't get old, hearing it from a third party as well as from my own crush's mouth.

She patted my hand and gave me a smile that said 'duh'. I watched as she grabbed her phone and turned on her meditation music—which consisted of a lot of flutes and odd piano chords that she said sounded soothing. The odd screeching noise hit my eardrums and I grunted in protest.

Before she marched outside, she turned to me. "My advice, don't rush into anything. You have the rest of your life to figure it out. Have fun on your trip and focus on that. He'll be here when you get back."

I shrugged in defeat, thinking about how conflicted I felt. She was right though, the impending urge to leave and get my trip started hit me. Things were starting to look up and I was ready to see what life had in store for me.

"I'll be in the garden if you want to talk. You should join me sometime; maybe help clear your head." A chord screeched out of the speakers on her phone and I scrunched up my face and plugged my ears. When I glanced back up, she was already outside, head bobbing to her odd music.