Page 11 of Secret

“I’m sorry, Elizabeth, the cancer is too far spread, and you need to prepare yourself for the worst at this point. Your mum has a bad infection, and I don’t want to scare you with all the details, but we can’t help her anymore. Can I get you anything?” The doctor, whose name I have forgotten, tells me as I look at my mother in her hospital bed. There are tubes everywhere, and her usual glow is gone, replaced with a ghastly, white colour that almost matches the white hospital sheets. The only movement she gives while she sleeps is her shaky breathing, and the only sound is the beeping of the heart monitor by her bed.

“No, I just need some time alone with her, please,” I whisper as I stare at my mother, who is dying in front of me. My tears turn to anger. How can she leave me? The doctor rubs my shoulder in sympathy before walking out and leaving me alone with my mother and the many beeping machines.

I shift myself over to the side of the bed and pick up her cold hand. “Don’t leave me. I can’t be alone.”

She doesn’t respond at first, but then I feel her hand twitch in mine.

“Mum?” I ask quietly.

“Elizabeth, baby, is that you?” her rough voice croaks out.

“Yes, it’s me, Mum. I'll go and get the doctor,” I say, standing as her blue eyes flicker open. The sparkle I’m used to seeing isn’t there, instead a dull loss of colour replaces it.

“No, I need to tell you something. I love you so much, my Elizabeth, and–” she coughs, sounding terrible as she stops mid-sentence whatever she was going to say, and blood drips down the side of her mouth as her hand slips out of mine. The alarms start ringing as my mum’s eyes close for the last time, and I scream out with her loss.

A tear runs down my cheek as the horrible memory of her loss washes away from my mind, and Luke reaches over to hold my hand.

"I'm sorry, Iz. I didn't mean to upset you," he says with worry in his eyes.

"No, it's okay. You’re my family. You should know," I say and smile while the boys stay quiet, nodding at me.

The quietness ends, and we start chatting again about school. An hour later, we leave and Sebastian drives us home. Elliot says nothing again and goes straight to bed.

"Elliot will come round, he just doesn't like change," Sebastian says, following my gaze as I watch Elliot go upstairs, and pats my shoulder before walking down the stairs behind the main staircase.

I decide to follow him, and it leads to a gym with two sofas. There’s a bar in one corner, which has several stools and overlooks a swimming pool I didn’t realise they had.I’m going in that soon.I turn as Sebastian looks back at me.

"Want a drink? I can make you a famous Sebastian cocktail," he grins.

I nod, looking away from the pool. "That would be good." I have to admit, some of my best memories these last few years are of getting drunk with Tilly and Devon.Their parents did eventually realise we had replaced their vodka with water, and I remember how all the boys and Tilly were grounded for a month for that.

Sebastian starts making a cocktail and opens himself a beer.

"So are any of you boys dating anyone?" I ask as he mixes.

"Just Elliot. Harley has had some non-serious girlfriends, due to him always being busy. Luke is like me and likes to-" he stops when he realises who he speaking to and changes the subject quickly. "So, my little sister has had just the one boyfriend who I need to hunt down," he jokes. Well, I hope he’s joking as the serious expression he has is worrying.

"Yeah, it wasn't serious. I guess we acted more like friends, and we realised that by the end. There wasn't any passion," I say honestly, because there wasn't. We did everything excluding sex because I didn't feel like sleeping with him was a good idea.Devon was kind and pretty, but it never felt right.

"I understand that," he says, passing me a pink and yellow drink.

I take a sip, and it's a little strong but fruity.

"I like it," I say, and he grins.

"You’re only having one, Miss Underage," he laughs.

"Only by five months, but so are you."

"When's your birthday anyway?" he asks,avoiding my answer.

"November twenty-first."

He smiles, "I’ll remember that."

"Can I ask when yours is?"I ask, a little nervous for the answer.

"It's in July. I know why you asked, but our dad was never faithful, and my mum knew. She left us when Luke was one," he says quietly.

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