Chapter 30: Chapter 30: What Did You Do to Her, You Bitch?

She stood still for a long moment, then seemed to snap out of it. “What was I saying?”

I stepped forward. “Is everything alright? You were kind of zoned out.”

Her cheeks flushed. “Oh. Sorry. It happens sometimes.” She ran a hand down her arm and took a deep breath. “Nothing to worry about. I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?”

She nodded. “Yep. All good.” She turned back to the glass door. “Oh, look. The kangaroos are out there.”

Way to avoid the subject. Okay, if that was what she wanted.

I could see a big male standing guard while the others grazed. A few joeys that were big enough to be seen over the top of the tall grass were hopping around.

We watched them for a while, but I was still worried about her. I couldn’t stay silent.

“Are you sure you’re okay? It looked like you had like a mild seizure or something. Do you have epilepsy?”

She kept watching the roos. “Yeah, something like that. It’s all good, though. I’m on medication to keep it under control.”

That was a relief. “Do you need a glass of water? Do you need to take any medication right now?”

“No.” She turned to me with a smile. “It’s all good. Don’t worry.”

I tried to smile, but it was difficult to brush it aside.

She clasped her hands together. “I was thinking that maybe I want a change of scenery.”

“What do you mean, like a new job?”

“Yeah, and a new town. I think this place would be perfect.”

This was unexpected. “I thought you loved living in Katoomba.”

“I did. I do. But there’s no one there for me. I mean, the girls at work are great, but you’re not there.”

I was touched. “But I’ll be back home soon. As soon as the doctors give me the okay, I’m outta here.”

I knew I was going to be here for a long while, possibly months, but I didn’t want her to uproot her whole life for me — especially for such a short period of time.

She raised her eyebrows. “We don’t know how long you’ll be here, and as I said before, you need to think about cutting those apron strings. Time to get out there and live your life. I need a housemate and you’d be perfect.”

I allowed myself to imagine living here in a house in Angel Falls with Alina. No parents. No curfew. No rules. No worrying about Mum’s latest tragic relationship or whether she was going to drink too much tonight. But I forced that image away. I couldn’t abandon Mum like that. She needed me. She wasn’t coping on her own. I could tell. She always sounded so despondent on the phone or when she visited.

“I just want to go home,” I told her. “So many things have changed since the accident. I’ve lost so much of what I’d built since moving to Katoomba. I just want my life back.”

She looked down at her feet. “I’m—”

“Don’t you dare say you’re sorry! It wasn’t your fault.”

“But I dragged you to that party. You didn’t even want to go.”

“But you didn’t push me in front of a car. Stop blaming yourself.”

She fidgeted with her bracelet. “Your mum thinks it’s my fault.”

“That’s on her. I’ve told her a million times.” I ran a hand through my hair. “She can be so stubborn sometimes.”

She sighed. “You know, maybe things can’t go back to the way they were. Things have changed. You have changed, and I don’t mean that in a bad way. You’ve kind of grown up. I don’t know how to explain it without it sounding like an insult. But you’re a better person now. Stronger.”

I found that hard to believe, but I stayed silent.

She gave me a hug. “It’s been really great catching up, but I need to get going. I have an early shift tomorrow. Think about what I’ve said.”

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I nodded. “I will.” We hugged again. “It’s been so good to see you.”

I walked her to the front door and watched her drive off down the long gravel driveway.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

Kellie had spoken to me a little at dinner, but I could tell the thing with Justina was bothering her. At least, I thought that was the problem. I was determined to sort it out with her, even if it meant telling her that I could see spirits. I needed to fix things.

As we were heading upstairs after tea, I called out to her. “Hey, Kellie. Can I talk to you for a minute?”

She stopped for a few seconds with her back to me and I thought she was going to walk away, but she turned around. “What is it?”

My nerves were making me want to run from the room. “Can we go somewhere more private?”

She shrugged. “Sure.”

I followed her to her room, which for some reason I expected to be pink given her bright, bubbly personality, but it was decorated with a nice mix of pastel colours. She shut the door and I was grateful. I didn’t want anyone to hear — especially Justina or the other residents. She raised her eyebrows.

Here goes.

“I know you think I was deliberately trying to hurt Justina, but I wasn’t.”

She grimaced. “It sure looks that way to me.”

“I can explain.”

“Explain why you were being so cruel?”

“I wasn’t being cruel.”

She folded her arms and raised an eyebrow.

I took a breath. Just do it. “I wasn’t pretending to talk to Kassandra. I was talking to her.”

“That’s impossible. You know she’s dead, right?” Her voice broke on the word ‘dead.’

“I was talking to her. I can see spirits.”

“Now you’re just insulting my intelligence.”

“No. I’m serious. I had an accident a few months back. I was hit by a car. When I woke up from an induced coma, I started seeing spirits walking around the hospital, and believe me, there’s a lot of them in there.”

She frowned. “So they did bring you here because you’re delusional.”

“No. I’m not.”

“What you’re telling me sounds like the plot of a B-grade movie.”

Actually, it did sound like the plot of a B-grade movie. But how could I prove to her that it was true? I didn’t care what Justina thought of me, but it was killing me that Kellie thought I was a nasty bitch.

Just as I opened my mouth to answer, Kassandra walked through the door. “You told her? What did she say?”

I looked from her to Kellie and my first instinct was to pretend she wasn’t here, but I thought that this could be the proof I needed.

I spoke directly to Kassandra. “She doesn’t believe me.”

Kellie frowned again and looked around the room. “Who are you talking to?”

“Kassandra.”

Tears welled in her eyes. “Oh, no you don’t. You’re not doing it to me.” She took a step back. “This is not funny.”

“No, wait. Kassandra, tell me something only you and Kellie would know. Please?”

Kellie turned toward the door. “I think you should leave.”

“She’s a huge Led Zeppelin fan.”

“She said that you’re a big Led Zeppelin fan.”

“That doesn’t prove anything. Justina and Kaydan know that.”

I looked to Kassandra.

“She had a crush on a boy in primary school named Jack. He had freckles and rode a dark-green pushbike. She told him how she felt and he laughed in her face. Then he told all his friends that she had been begging him to go out with her. She was humiliated and furious with him.”

I repeated what she’d said as Kellie was turning the doorknob and she spun around.

Tears glistened in her eyes. “How…? No one knows that…”

“Except me.” Kassandra looked like she was going to cry too.

Now I was getting emotional. I could only imagine what it must be like for these two friends.

Kellie looked around, then back at me. “Is she really here?” she whispered.

I nodded. “Yes. She’s been driving me crazy because she doesn’t want me living in her room.”

Kellie laughed through her tears. “She never wanted anyone to touch her stuff.”

“Looks like she hasn’t changed.”

Kassandra walked closer to Kellie with tears in her eyes. “Tell her I’m sorry.”

I resisted the urge to ask why. I was just the messenger. “She says to tell you she’s sorry.”

“For what?”

“For being so stupid. I should have known better. When you’re sitting in amongst some leaf litter in the dark and something bites you, you gotta pay attention. You gotta get help straight away.”

I relayed what she’d said and Kellie burst into tears. “Oh, my God. I wish… I wish I could’ve helped you. I felt so helpless. All I could do was watch as you got worse…”

I put my arms around her as she sobbed quietly. I didn’t know what else to do.

I’d read up on the symptoms of a Funnelweb’s bite after talking to Kassandra and it was not pleasant. Nausea, sweating, and muscle spasms were just the ones I could remember. It really was a terrible way to die.

I wasn’t sure what to do now, but at least Kellie knew that I wasn’t deliberately being mean to Justina.

The door burst open and Justina strode in. She took one look at Kellie’s tear-streaked face and turned to me. “What did you do to her, you bitch?”