Five: A Maor Novel (Maor series) Read Online Free PDF Page B

Africa, Shaylee, we’re
moving back permanently to Aylburton.’
    ‘What?’
    I take an automatic step backwards and sink to the edge
of the leather chair behind me, my mind reeling and all the air whooshing out
of my lungs. Dad reaches out and brushes a hand over my hair.
    ‘You know we’ve been thinking about going for a while.’
    ‘For a visit – yes, not – permanently…’
    ‘You’ll understand soon enough.’
    His words are distant and meaningless. Moving
permanently… Never coming back… My mind is stuck like a broken disk, repeating
these words over and over again as precious memories flash through my mind, the
way I imagine they will when I die.
    There will be no more dancing with Luke, no movies with
Jenne, no summer pool parties, no lazy Sunday afternoon braais and definitely
no School of arts next year. Every routine I have established, every friendship
I have nurtured, every dream for my future is about to be bleached off the
canvas of my life.
    And nobody will tell me why.
    It’s you , I think, glaring daggers at my mother, you always want to run my life, to make me do things your way, to live
out your dreams.
    I feel the burn of suppressed tears in my throat and I
know that I’m either going to burst into angry tears or explode, neither of
which I am willing to do in front of my mother.
    I take a step forward; look her straight in the eye and
say:
    ‘I’ll never forgive you.’
    As her face crumples, I turn and flee from the
room.   

 
    Chapter
5

 
    Incapacity
    Tastes like: Your tongue
after three ice lollies.
    Smells like: The sour
breath of a predator.
    Sounds like: Glass
shattering in the middle of the night.
    Feels like: The graze of
twine against your wrists.
    Looks like: The expressions
on the faces of on-lookers seconds before two trains collide.  

 
    ‘Mom, you’re being ridiculous!’
    ‘It’s not safe, Shaylee.’
    ‘It’s less than a kilo down the road, what could
possibly happen?’
    ‘You need to -’
    ‘Trust you – yeah, whatever…’ I ignore the way my
mother’s breath hitches in her throat and insist: ‘Luke’s waiting. I’ve already
put him off two days and I can’t just leave without saying anything. I owe him
an explanation.’
    ‘You can’t tell -’
    ‘Relax mom, I won’t say anything about the mark or the
dream,’ I say, and add more to myself: ‘It’s not like he’d believe me anyway.’
    Mom sighs and leans her palms on the edge of the kitchen
counter, while I stand, hand on hip, glaring at her from the doorway.
    ‘I’ll take you myself,’ she says.
    ‘Oh, come on -’
    ‘That’s my condition, take it or leave it. And you need
to take some of the medicine I picked up from Dr Theron before we leave.’
    ‘But I feel fine!’
    ‘It’s not negotiable, Shaylee.’ Mom gives me a stern
look and holds out the small crystal vial, filled with amber liquid.
    I close my eyes, trying to reign in my frustration. If
I’d thought my parents were over protective of me before, it’s cake compared to
the way they’re acting now.
    With an annoyed sigh, I march across the kitchen, snatch
the vial from my mother’s out-stretched hand and tilt half its contents into my
mouth. The sickly-sweet medicine trickles down my throat, leaving a warm trail
in its wake. Dr Theron has tried to mask the bitter herbs with raspberry
extract, but I can still taste traces of garlic, lemon grass and caraway. I
swallow quickly, and glare at my mother.
    ‘Happy now?’
    She gives a curt nod and grabs her car keys from the glass
dish on the counter, almost knocking over the vase of lilies beside it in the
process. She ignores the vase, which wobbles precariously for a moment before
settling back onto its thick base as she turns and heads silently through the
interconnecting garage door. I blink after her, stunned. She has no make-up on.
A chill races down my spine as I follow her into the garage.  
    I climb into the Mercedes, glance once at my mother’s