Page 72 of Deep Blue Lies
I feel my heart rate kicking up. It’s hard to explain.
“If you don’t do it now, are you actually gonna do it?”
I look at her, not sure where she’s going with that.
“If you don’t do it right away, you’ll lose your nerve,” she explains. “Or you’ll do it eventually, but it’ll take you ages, and you’ll beat yourself up for not doing it.” She picks up my phone and holds it out to me. “So you might as well just try now.”
I try to go back to the image in my mind, but now Imogen’s just floating there, surrounded by millions of flowers.
“What am I going to say?”
“What you just told me. Tell her the truth. You’re on Alythos, you’re trying to find out how you came to be born here because nothing makes any sense. You found your mum’s diary and she doesn’t seem to be your mum.” Sophia shrugs again, matter of fact. “Ask her what she knows? What’s the worst that can happen?”
I almost laugh. The way Sophia puts it sounds so simple. And I realise itissimple. I’m only asking a question. And she’s right too, about the other thing. If I don’t do this now, I probably will lose my nerve.
“She’s probably not there anyway,” Sophia’s realism interjects. “But you might as well try.” She holds the phone closer to me.
I’m in a sort of dream state as I take the phone and tap in thenumber from the laptop screen, like I’m doing this and not doing it at the same time. But I’m jerked back to reality when a woman’s voice answers:
“Lavender and Vine, can I help you?”
“Oh! Um…” There’s nothing to do now but try. “I’m looking for…I was wondering if…Imogen was there? Imogen Grant? I’m a friend of hers.”
The voice changes, instantly less professional and more casual.
“Sure she’s…actually she’s just walking out the door. Hold on and I’ll see if I can catch her.”
I hear noises in the background, a few bangs, voices I can’t make out. Then the same woman is back.
“Yep, she’s still here, just on her way.” Then the line goes quiet again. Then there’s another voice.
“Hello?”
I know it. “Imogen?”
“Yes? Who is this?”
“It’s Ava.” I pause. “Karen’s daughter.”
There’s a silence. Then, just as I start to speak again to give my surname she says my name.
“Ava.”
“Yeah. Um, I don’t know if you remember me…”
“Of course I remember.”
I stop, and this time the pause stretches so long it’s her that speaks next.
“What do you want?”
Oh God. I’m making a mess of this. It’s easier, maybe, to get straight to the point.
“Yeah, so I know this is going to sound weird, but I wanted to ask you some questions, about me.” There’s another silence, but this time I can hear her breathing.
“What kind of questions?”
“Like, about Greece. Alythos. And maybe about Mum too.” Calling Karen that still comes so easily to my mind, but my doubtsnow make it catch somehow every single time. I realise I’ve fallen silent again, leaving her waiting.
