Strange New World Chapter 7

8/9/2019 Strange New World Chapter 7

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STRANGE NEW WORLD V5TERA CASHEN

Chapter 7

I was the second person awake the next day. I found Rose in the kitchen, leaning

back in her chair with her eyes closed, her hands wrapped around a half empty mug of

coffee. When I took a mug out of the cupboard for myself, she opened her eyes at me,

blinking wearily. She looked tired, more so than yesterday.

Whats wrong? I asked. I glanced at her as I poured a cup of coffee. You look

like hell.

She took a deep breath and nodded. I feel like hell, she said shakily. Another

deep breath. I didnt get much sleep.

I considered her. Are you still worried about the witchcraft? I asked her. You

shouldnt worry about it so much. Im sure were all going to be fine.

No, its not that, she said quickly. She paused. Well, actually, it has a little bit

to do with witchcraft I think. I dont really know. She clasped her hands to her head. I

dont know whats going on anymore. I just dont know.

Her skin was mottled when she pulled her hands away and raked her hair back.

Her hand stuck in a tangle near the end and she winced. She struggled to get rid of the

tangle, but soon gave up, more frustrated than ever.

Did something happen last night? I asked her.

She nodded. You could say that. For a moment she didnt say anything else. I

sat down across from her and looked at her intently. There were dark bags under her

eyes, which were bloodshot. She looked like she was gritting her teeth. She swept her

hair back to get it away from her face, but strands fell back anyways.

Tell me, I said. What happened? She didnt say anything. Rose, tell me.


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She looked down at her fingers. Ive been having these dreams, she began. I

frowned. Its only been the past two nights, but they repeat. Over and over and over

again. I dont know why Im dreaming them.

What are the dreams? I asked, leaning forward. She didnt answer again.

Rose!

She looked at me, annoyed. You dont need to know, she said. Its better if you

dont know.

Do not do this again, I ground out, frustrated. Just tell me. Maybe I can help

you.

You help me? she asked shakily. She shook her head. Youre not supposed to

help me. Im the one who has to take care of you guys. I have to help you.

I groaned, leaning back. Were all a little old for that, Rose, I told her. Stop

being so over-protective and just tell me what was in your dreams.

Fine! she exclaimed. She took a deep breath as her eyes unfocused. When it

happened, I wasnt there. I frowned, confused. Ive never been to the place where it

happened. Grandma came to our house that night and we all met you at the hospital.

My face fell. I knew what she was talking about now. But Ive been dreaming about

being inside the car after it happened. She looked at me, sharing how scared she was. I

could see all the damage...

For a moment, I stopped breathing. Then I forced myself to keep breathing, to

ignore the rising bubble in my throat.

That night. The night of the accident. The night our parents died and I was in the

backseat of the car. I had vague memories of it. I remember the car travelling on a dirt

road under a bright moon. I remember our parents quietly arguing in the front seat.


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There was a moment after the crash happened that Id regained consciousness. I had

looked at twisted steel, listened to the car settling, steam hissing. I hadnt been able to

see how my parents were. But I remember the sirens in the far distance. Then Id passed

out.

I took a shaky breath. I hadnt thought about that for years. I hadnt wanted to. It

was hard to relive the pain of being the only one to survive that car wreck.

I realized Rose was watching me. I cleared my expression and looked back at her

expectantly. She leaned forward, worried. Im fine, I told her quickly. So, um... why

do you think youre seeing the... accident?

I dont know, she said quietly.

Footsteps thundered up the stairs and Rose quickly wiped the fear from her face.

She sat up straighter and turned to see Emma enter the kitchen, beaming. I tried not to

let on how freaked out I was. I smiled tightly, but Emma was smiling and chattering so

she hardly noticed if we were a little more freaked out than usual.

When she started making cereal for herself, I began to pay attention to what she

was saying. I wonder if this Edward guy will be able to help us, Emma was saying.

Alex said he was so hot. And she said he was certainly paying a lot of attention to you,

Lizzy. Oooh! She grinned at me.

I frowned, surprised. Really? I asked her. I didnt notice him paying much

attention to me.

Thats because youre blind and you see only what you want to see, Alex said,

before she stepped into the kitchen. She looked sleepy, and annoyed, and her short dark

hair was sticking out in all directions. She stifled a yawn and plopped down in a chair

between Rose and I. She looked at me. He was checking you out.


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He was not, I muttered.

Rose smiled a little and got up to go to Emma. He was too, Alex said. Hes got

the hots for you.

Well then, give me proof and Ill believe you, I told her, folding my arms.

She smirked. Well then, when he comes over and Ill point it all out, she threw

back.

Im gonna make French toast, Rose announced then. Everybody okay with

that?

Yay! Emma exclaimed. She left her cereal box and bowl on the counter and took

Roses vacated chair. As Rose put the cereal and bowl away, Emma took a sip of Roses

coffee and made a face. This is cold.

Ive been up for awhile, Rose said. Neither twin looked surprised. The coffees

still warm in the pot, but youre gonna stunt your growth.

Puh-lease, Emma said, getting up to get herself a mug. She stood close to Rose.

Im already taller than you. Which was true: Emma was several inches higher than

Rose and neither of them were wearing shoes. It was funny that we were all different

heights, different hair colours, yet with the same blue-green eyes.

I felt better watching Emma and Rose. Rose made herself busy, making the

French toast for us, while Emma chatted about what she expected from Edward and

from magic. Alex was leaning across the table, head in her hand, with her eyes closed

and a grumpy expression on her face. The family atmosphere seemed like normal.

Then Mona came in and took the vacated seat across from me. She didnt look at

me at all but answered Roses question about how many slices she wanted. Then she sat

back and closed her eyes, frowning.


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After breakfast, Emma, Alex and I sat in the living room again with the grimoires.

This time, we talked about what we found, the differences in information and which

versions we should trust. I brought out the rest of the stuff that was in Grandmas secret

compartment and laid them on the coffee table. There was different types of incense,

crystals of different colours, candles, bundles of dried herbs and a couple bottles of

potions.

For some reason, Mona brought her textbooks out to the dining room. The dining

room and living room were open concept, so she glanced at us as we talked. Whenever

she glared at us, I glared right back at her. Shed turn back to her work, frowning in

concentration, but that just bugged me more.

Emma picked out one of the incenses and put it into a censer. Once she lit it,

smoke wafted lazily into the air, carrying some exotic fragrance I couldnt place.

Alex frowned in annoyance. God, thats horrible, she breathed, waving a hand

in front of her face to ward off the smoke.

I like it, I said. Its not too bad. I leaned forward to read the name on the

package. Lavender. Very nice.

Emma was frowning too. I think Im getting a headache, she said, backing

away.

I sighed. Well, then put it out, I told her.

She didnt. She sat back down on the couch and occasionally waved a hand in

front of her face. Rose joined us soon after, wiping her hands on her jeans.


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She sat down next to me and looked over my shoulder at Grandmas grimoire.

Then she said, So we should decide what is most important for us to learn. She looked

at Mona. Mona, can you join us please?

No, Mona said, barely audible. Alex rolled her eyes.

Rose hesitated, then said, Mona, please, this is important. No response. Mona

was studiously glaring at her textbooks, trying to ignore us.

As Rose began to get up, I muttered, Good luck.

Rose leaned over the table to Mona and said something. Mona got up and

followed Rose into the kitchen. We couldnt hear what was being said, but we could hear

them arguing. Rose came back out, her face tight. She sat back down as a door closed.

Mona hadnt returned to her seat at the dining table.

What happened? I asked quietly.

She wont learn magic, she said. She says its a waste of time and that we are all

crazy to believe in it. So I told her to start packing up Grandmas room.

What? I breathed. I heaved the big book off my lap. I dont trust her in there!

Lizzy! Rose called after me, but I was already in the hallway. I threw open the

door to Grandmas bedroom and looked in.

Mona was sitting on the bed. She jumped at my entrance, then glared at me.

What? she ground out. She hadnt started cleaning yet.

I fought not to glare back at her or fold my arms. Do you want some help? I

asked.

No, she said. I can do this myself.

I ignored her. I went to grab garbage bags but Alex was behind me, holding up a

bunch of them. I dont trust her either, she told me quietly.


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I took some and sat some bags on the bed beside Mona. I guess we should divide

the room up, I told them. Ill

Ill start in the closet, Alex said.

I shrugged. Okay, I muttered. I looked at Mona. You can start wherever you

want.

She took a deep breath and nodded. She got up with the bags and went a shelving

unit. Then I staked out the dresser. Grandmas underwear, which were quite big for us. I

started clearing out that drawer, putting whatever was salvageable into a bag for

Goodwill.

Rose came to the door. What are you guys doing? she asked Alex and I. This is

supposed to be Monas punishment.

I shrugged and sat back on my heels. Maybe we should do this first, I told her.

That way one of the twins can have this room as soon as possible.

Alex looked at us. You want someone to move in here? she asked.

I nodded. Dont you guys want your own room? I looked at Emma, who had

appeared behind Rose in the doorway, then at Alex. Both of them looked troubled. I

know itll be hard for one of you to live in this room, but... maybe its for the best.

Grandma would have wanted us to use this room. She wanted you guys to have your

own room. She just couldnt give it to you while she was alive.

Emma and Alex looked at each other. Rose had disappeared while I was talking.

She came back with different coloured bags. She held them up. Black for garbage,

coloured for Goodwill, she told us.


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I snagged an orange bag and began putting my Goodwill stuff into it. Emma sat

down on the bed. Alex shrugged at her, then said, I can stay downstairs if you want to

move up here. Doesnt matter to me.

Emma nodded. Alright, she said quietly.

You get your own bathroom, I reminded her, smiling.

She laughed. Oh yeah, she said. She scooted into the bathroom. I heard her say,

This is so cool. When she came back out, she was smiling faintly.

With five of us working on the room, it only took a couple hours to clean it out.

Rose had Alex haul the garbage bags out to the garage for collection on garbage day. All

of the coloured bags filled with stuff for Goodwill we stashed in the living room for a

weekday. What was left seemed like an empty shell. Our voices echoed in the bedroom.

The stuff we were keeping was piled on the bed with boxes of files on the floor next to it.

We began taking what we wanted to bring to our own rooms.

Mona returned to her textbooks in the dining room. Emma and Alex started

moving Emmas stuff. Rose and I sat in the living room, making notes as to what we

should learn from the grimoires. The incense had been snuffed out, so I lit it back up as I

worked. If it bothered anyone else, no one complained.

Emma and Alex argued as they trudged up the steps with Emmas stuff. You

have so much bloody clothes! Alex exclaimed. There was a thud and a yelp. I sat up on

the couch to lean over the banister to look down at the vestibule landing. Alex mustve

faltered on a step because her box of stuff was on the floor.

Are you okay? I asked.

Alex gave me a thumbs-up. Peachy, she muttered.


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Emma came running up behind her. Dont break my stuff! She grabbed the box

from Alex and ran up the stairs with it. Alex growled and went back down for more. I

turned back around and settled down.

Rose handed me her list. What do you think? I put a star next to the most

important things we should do.

Most of it was stuff for protection, at least the ones that had stars. I nodded.

Looks good, I said. But well need the supplies for it though. I dont think Grandma

has all of it.

Do you think you could run out and get the stuff before lunch? Rose asked.

That way we can do this in the afternoon before the twins go to their friends houses.

Sure. I can get the van too. I jumped up before Rose could ask and went to

Emmas new bedroom. Peering in, I found Emma putting her belongings onto the

shelves. Hey, wheres Alex?

She glanced at me. Downstairs probably, she said. Why?

We need to get the van, I told her. And Im getting witchy supplies.

Can I go? Emma asked, enthusiasm brightening her face. I wanna go. Ill drive

the van back.

I tried not to smile. Alright, get ready to leave. Im just going to write down what

we need before I leave.

She nodded and dashed to her purse on the floor.

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Strange New World Chapter 7