Page 14 of Magical Sass for Three
Chapter 5
The smell of bacon and coffee woke Hanna up. She hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in a long time. Although she spent the night on the floor, she wasn’t restless like she usually was. Her mother had turned her old room into a gym. That left her with only two options: the couch in the living room or Riana’s bedroom floor. The latter seemed like the safest bet. Besides, she wanted to keep an eye on her sister. If she was in Riana’s room, she could sense if anything went wrong with her recovery.
She also didn’t want to run into her mother again, who gave her an earful at the hospital. The woman had pulled her into the same arguments that had her leaving Vella Cove years ago. It was like there was no time separating the tension between them. Riana had to intervene in order to stop them from bickering.
Her stomach growled as the breakfast smells got stronger. She didn’t want to face her mother alone after last night.
She glanced over at Riana, who was still sleeping peacefully. Hanna was pretty sure her sister hadn’t slept well in a long time either, so she didn’t want to wake her up.
He stomach rumbled again. She was hungry. There was no waiting for Riana to get up. She could do this and be civil. Hopefully.
She made her way to the kitchen and saw her mother at the stove.
“Morning,” Hanna said as she poured herself a cup of coffee.
Her mother tensed up but didn’t say anything.
That was a great start to the morning. Hanna sipped her coffee, letting the sugar and caffeine fill her up to give her courage.
A few minutes later, her mother tossed a plate in front of her. “How long before you leave?” She stared down at her, waiting for an answer.
“I planned on staying as long as Riana needed me, but don’t worry. I’ll find a hotel or something to get out of your house. Since she’s better, I won’t be in town for long.”
“I don’t want you to do any magic while you’re here. Understood?”
Hanna looked her. “Why do you hate magic so much? What did it ever do to you?”
“That’s not your business. It’s mine and no one else’s.”
“You can’t hate it. Not when magic is what helped heal Riana.”
Her mother glared at her. “What are you talking about?”
“The only reason Riana is back home is because of magic. Nothing helped her at that hospital. I was able to use magic to heal her.”
Hanna heard the hard sound of the slap before she felt it on her face. The sound rang in her ears as her cheek burned.
“How dare you use that mess on Riana?” Her mother seethed and radiated so much hatred that it made Hanna jerk back.
Hanna rubbed her face, still feeling the imprint of her mother’s hand. “That mess may have saved her life.” Could have killed Hanna, too, but she knew her mother wouldn’t care about that part.
The doorbell rang before her mother could respond.
“This conversation isn’t over,” her mother said before heading to the front door.
It was over all right. Hanna didn’t care if she had to sleep in the street. That would be better than spending one more night in that house. She stared down at breakfast, but she’d lost her appetite.
Riana walked in, rubbing her eyes and yawning. “Breakfast smells good. I’m starving.”
“Here.” Hanna pushed her plate over. “You can have mine. I’m not hungry anymore.”
“Oh, no. What did Mom do now?” Riana sat down next to Hanna and grabbed a piece of bacon.
“It’s nothing. Really.”
“You know you’re an awful liar, right?” Riana said between chews. “I mean five-year-olds lie better than you about stealing candy.”
Hanna stuck her tongue out. “Is that childish enough for you?”
