Chapter 018

TALIA

Something was wrong. Very wrong.

Mother and father sat side by side, staring at me with anger on their faces as I entered the sitting room. Tessa was sitting by herself on a sofa. Her face was buried in her hands, her shoulders shaking with sobs.

What had happened now?

Whatever it was, I was becoming pretty sure that I was going to get blamed for it.

"Did you do what I asked you to do this morning?" she asked.

"What? The conversation with Professor Cassian? Yes, I spoke to him but he refused to change his mind."

My parents exchanged a look. Father scowled. In a split second, mother was on her feet, her face twisted with rage.

She slapped me on both sides of my face. Stars exploded in my eyes, preventing me from seeing anything for several seconds. Gasping, I staggered back, clutching my smarting, aching cheeks.

"You stand there and lie to me," she spat. "I know you, girl. You must have said things to that professor to convince him not to tutor Tessa."

"Why would I do that?" I said, wiping a tear. "He did not want to tutor Tessa in the first place. I have nothing to do with this. I didn't even want to be involved until you asked me to talk to-"

Mother yelled, "Tell me what you said to him!"

Her hand whipped out to strike me again. Father, jumping to his feet, grabbed her hand.

I turned to him, about to give him a grateful look. Then I saw he was wearing an expression of such loathing it made my heart sink.

"Don't waste your energy on her,," father said to his wife, holding her more firmly when she tried to snatch her hand back. "She will be withdrawn from that school... Something we should have done long before now."

"What?"I whispered, wheezing in a breath through my suddenly tight lungs.

"Yes," mother agreed, her bosom heaving. "Yes, you are right."

Behind them, I saw Tessa slowly raise her head, grin at me. Her eyes were completely dry, devoid of tears.

When mother, perhaps wondering why Tessa cries had reduced in intensity, started to turn, Tessa covered her face with her hands again. She let out a louder, more dramatic sob.

I opened my mouth to curse her for a manipulative witch. All the emotions inside me- hurt, anger, sadness, rose- until they were bubbling out. I surprised myself by bursting into tears instead.

Great, rasping sobs that tore through my throat. I thought I was used to my parents' unfairness and neglect by now. Apparently I wasn't.

"Why?" I asked my parents, my eyes swimming with tears. "Why do you always treat me this way? Are you- are you even my real parents?"

It was a stupid question. I knew that because Tessa and I were twins. But I could not imagine parents ever hating their own child so much.

"Dramatic!" mother hissed. "The girl is spoilt rotten! She doesn't get her way and what does she do? She begins throwing tantrums and talking nonsense!"

Father, wagging a stern finger at me, said, "I have had just about enough of you trying to destroy this family. It is high time I stopped you before you ruin us all. From now on, you will not go to school. You are grounded until further notice. Have I made myself clear?"

"Locking me up in here is not going to change the professor's mind," I screamed at him, my body trembling with rage at the unfairness of it all.

Tessa sprang up, her face now streaked with tears she had managed to force out.

She was pointing at me and yelling, "I told you mum, dad... and you heard her yourself, didn't you? I told you said or- or did something that made the professor refuse to tutor me. She hates me! She wants me to get bad grades in the only subject I'm struggling with!"

"Calm yourself, dear," father said to Tessa, his eyes which were fixed on me gleaming with dislike.

Mother took one look at Tessa, cursed and lunged at me. Whimpering, I stumbled back, nearly toppling over the sofa. But father had restrained her again, this time with a hand clamped over her shoulder.

"Let me at her! Let me at her!" mother shouted, struggling to break free from his hold. "She needs some sense smacked into her!"

One of mother's flailing fists accidentally caught father in the chin. He jerked his head back and winced.

"And what are you still doing standing there?" father suddenly roared, flecks of spit flying from his mouth. "Go to your room. NOW!"

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. There was no point in arguing anyway.

Father looked like he was a hairsbreadth away from hitting me too.

As I turned on my heel, I turned and stumbled blindly up the stairs, nearly tripping over my own feet, I heard mother's soft voice comforting Tessa.

"it's okay, sweetie," she crooned. "You are not going to fail the subject. Your father and I will make sure of it. Isn't that right, dear?"

Father said, "Quite ri--"

I slammed the door of my room shut, cutting off his words. For a moment I just stood in the middle of the room, the weight of everything crushing me.

I started to move towards the bed. My knees gave out. I sank to the floor and crammed a fist into my mouth to stifle the sound of my sobs.

*****

"Talia... Talia!"

I opened my eyes, at first not sure where I was. Then I saw I was lying curled up on the floor next to my bed, one hand tucked underneath my body.

My throat still felt achy and raw from crying, my eyes heavy and swollen.

Mother was standing over me, her hands on her hips. It was she who had called my name.

"Get up and come downstairs now," she ordered, the leaving the room as soon as she had spoken.

I glanced at the clock. It was a few minutes past 4p.m. I had been in my room for a little more than an hour.

It was not dinnertime yet. So why did mother want me downstairs?

I pushed to my feet, wrapped my hair in a ponytail and went downstairs. At the last stair, I froze and stared.

Professor Cassian was occupying a chair in the sitting room. My sister, I saw with a burst of fury, was sitting next to Cassian.

Her face was perfectly made up. She kept touching her hair, straightening her short skirt and trying to catch his eye.

As I descended the last stair, Cassian's head whipped around. He glanced at me, then his eyes widened a fraction.

I knew what he was seeing. My swollen eyes and maybe the imprint of mother's hands on my face. I felt an embarassed flush heating up my cheeks.

Keeping my head down, I started moving to the side of the room and took a seat where the light would not be fully on me.

"Talia is here," mother announced unnecessarily.

Cassian set down the glass of water he had been holding, and addressed mother. "I am here because Talia has been shortlisted for a literature competition."

My breath caught in my throat. Mother started and Tessa's mouth fell open.

The professor went on as though he had noticed nothing. "This means that she will have to be fully present in school. Also, she will be personally coached by me so I can bring her up to speed of what will be expected of her during the course of the competition."

Tessa and mother exchanged a startled look. They both looked livid. Tessa had begun to drag her long nails along at the armrests of the sofa, leaving long scratches.

"Mrs Westwood?" Cassian said when mother said nothing for a long, uncomfortable moment.

"I'm afraid that will not be possible," mother said stiffly. "Talia is about to change schools."

Cassian's brow shot up.

"May I know why?" he asked.

Mother frown deepened. She fussed with her necklace and stammered out something almost incoherent about her husband having made the decision in the best interests of the twins.

"I see," Cassian said in a tone that made it clear he did not believe a word of what she had just said. "Well, Mrs Westwood, I obviously cannot force you to tell me exactly why you made such a decision. But I assure you of one thing. If I stop seeing Talia in school, I will be sure to get a lot of people involved. A lot of people who will ask you and your husband questions about how you choose to treat your other daughter-"

"Mr Lennox," mother snapped. "A decision to change my daughter's school is a family matter. Hardly an affair of yours."

"Think about your next step very carefully, Mrs Westwood," Cassian said, staring mother form. "I am sure you wouldn't want a lot of prying eyes on your family."

He rose, inclined his head towards mother and left.