Something About Alice Murphy: BOOK 2

P A R T - T W E N T Y

Chapter Twenty: It Begins.
Thursday, 23rd May
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It was a quiet day is Summerland, the sun shone and the sky was clearing itself of clouds for the up and coming summer season... birds tweeted melodically in the trees, welcoming the sunshine gratefully as if they were oblivious to the dark, looming clouds hanging low over several of the houses in the town. One of which lingered heavily over the Murphy household as Alice got ready for school and ate her breakfast in silence.

The sound of her spoon clinking against the edge of her bowl filled the quietness in the kitchen and dining area as she glanced towards her parents who had barely spoken a word to each other all week... it was Thursday now, a whole six days after Alice had heard her mother demand Richard for a divorce in the midst of a heated argument. She felt strangely embarrassed and on edge, especially since Magnus had heard such a personal moment and had obviously been enjoying the drama. She'd had to forcefully tug him out of view and back into the privacy of her room with all her strength as her mother stormed upstairs soon after uttering those sharp four words.

Richard cleated his throat, pulling Alice out of her thoughts as she stared down at her spoon that had been hovering in front of her face. "Do you want a lift to school, Alice?" Richard asked from the kitchen as Alice finally swallowed the last of her cereal and glanced over at him.

"Um, no, thank you. Fei is driving me." She murmured softly, feeling awkward and tense as Richard nodded and motioned for Charlotte to follow, who had been hovering by the stairs. Alice gave her younger sister a brief, encouraging smile as a goodbye, considering Charlotte wasn't stupid and could sense there was a vibe, but had no idea what had happened still. Alice shouldn't even know what had happened either, since neither Richard or Sophie had said a word about it.

"Fei passed her test then," Sophie said, making conversation as she placed the used mugs in the sink from that morning's teas and coffees, then placed her hand on her lower back to ease the ache as she turned around to look at Alice, who was now standing up to place her bowl in the sink too.

"Yeah, on Sunday." Alice replied softly, moving her hair behind her shoulders and hesitating. She didn't know what else to say, but she could see a wave of sadness move across her mother's expression in the brief silence. "I'm just gonna go brush my teeth." She added awkwardly after a few seconds, before turning away and hurrying up the stairs. She was dressed in an oversized white jumper with two red stripes across her chest and arms, it was light and soft against her skin, which was perfect for that days weather forecast. Her legs were left bare, and after she brushed her teeth she pulled on her white sneakers and checked her phone, seeing a message from Fei saying she was outside waiting in her father's old white vintage mini that apparently made a gunshot sound when starting up. But it was something to be admired nonetheless.

Alice said a brief goodbye to her mother and pet her dog before vanishing out the door, she was in the passenger seat within seconds and cooed excitedly as Fei beamed with self pride. "I present to you, Ginny the mini. Like Ginny Weasly, from Harry Potter? Because this car reminded me of their flying one and- yeah, well you get it." Fei chuckled, turning the key and pressing her feet down on the accelerator and clutch to catch the bite, causing the sudden popping sound from the exhaust to startle them both. "Sorry," Fei laughed bashfully as the old vehicle began to move across the gravel.

"I expected it," Alice giggled even though her heart was still recovering. "So it's yours then?" She then asked as Fei drove with both hands gripping the steering wheel tightly and her eyes wide with slightly nervous blinks.