Page 10 of The Blairville Legacies

All three laughed, turned their backs on me, and strutted off toward the shopping center.

Anger rose up inside me. How could anyone be so rude? I knew girls like that from high school days, and wherever they appeared, there was trouble.

I noticed how my heartbeat accelerated, and my arms began to tingle.

A glance at my wrist told me that my arteries stood out, and the dark blood was more visible than usual. As always, it reminded me of a kind of fine pattern that lay across my pale skin like a dark moving tattoo.

I shuddered and pulled the sleeves of my brown cardigan down further.

It hadn't been this strong for a long time. So had the headache that started a few seconds later and hit me full force.

It was the pills. The pills that were supposed tohelpme control these attacks, which they did, in fact, but just to a certain extent. If I hadn't taken them, I probably would have ripped open the car door and yelled at the girl.

“Bayla? Are you all right?”

I jerked my head around.

“Mum?”

Instinctively, I pushed my sleeve down even further and was about to open the door when I noticed, just in time, that an expensive car was parked there.

Furiously, I let go of the door handle.

“Are you okay, honey?” Mum asked, a little more worried this time.

“Yes, everything's fine. It's just the pills. I've got a headache...the usual.”

I tried to sound normal, but the concern didn't disappear from her face.

There was just nothing usual about me that didn't worry my mother.

“Do you want me to go in alone?”

It would probably have been better to wait in the car. However, I didn't want to meet those stupid brats again, and the chances of them being back sooner than my mum were significantly higher.

“No, I'll be fine. Have you got the money?”

I climbed over the driver's seat, my sleeves riding up. But to my relief, my body had calmed down again. Except for my head, because it was pounding pretty hard. The sun didn't make it any better.

“Yes, of course...Why are you climbing over the driver's seat?”

Mum watched my acrobatic maneuver in irritation.

“Because another car blocked my door,” I said. “People are really nice here, Mum.” I looked at her, annoyed. “And while we're on the subject... have you heard the weather report?”

I wouldn't be surprised if God wanted to punish the vain inhabitants of this town with a flood. Those three arrogant goats had it coming.

“Blairville is stormy in the autumn,” Mum said with a shrug. A roll of thunder sounded in the distance, as if God was signaling that he was coming for me, too. “Come on, let's go inside.”

Surprisingly, the shopping didn't take long. Fortunately, I had not encountered the goats again either, and by the time we arrived at the car, theirs had left already.

The drive to the house flew by, as it was not far from downtown.

We turned into aBeaver Street. Tranquil family homes stood to the left and right of the roadside. Colorful front gardens decorated the view. Everything looked new and peaceful. If the place from those harmonious family comedies really existed, then I had just found it.

However, it puzzled me a little that the first families had already put up Halloween decorations on their stairs.

And then I discovered all the ravens on the power line. They were forming a row, preening each other's feathers.

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