Afterlife (Afterlife Saga) (61 page)

“I'm guessing she means Jack.” Libby said to Sophia and I was suddenly aware that Sophia had been waiting for me, so what had Libby said to her or vice versa? I was immediately on my guard seeing her here since it wasn't long ago she was giving me the cold shoulder. I walked in the kitchen to grab a bottle of water and said to Sophia,

“Do you want to come upstairs?” And I walked on without waiting for an answer knowing she would follow. Libby went back to join Frank, who had fallen asleep in the lounge watching one of Libby's period dramas as she preferred watching them rather than reading them.

Sophia and I were silent all the way up until we entered my room. I went to sit on my bed and Sophia sat at the window seat opposite me.

“You have a great view from here Keira.” She said in a sad tone but my mood remained the same...sceptical.

“I hate to be blunt but why are you here Sophia?” I said looking at her but she was still staring out of my window as if searching for something. I gave her time but I was biting my lip by the time she came out of her trance.

“My brother didn't mean for things to go that way.” She said coming to join me on the bed.

“And what way was that, demanding things of me that were not his business to try and control, or that fact that I quit over it?” I said in an emotional voice as I always did when it came to Draven.

“My brother deserves to be happy, it's just a shame it's never that easy.” She said and I didn't understand a word of it.

“Look, I’m really tired of all these cryptic messages that seem to come out of all three of you. Your brother has made his feelings very clear and anyway I'm sure his new wife will make him happy.” I said trying to press for any information I could get but knowing Sophia's reluctance to talk about anything personal I doubted I would be satisfied. 

“I understand why you are frustrated and I can only apologise for it, but do you really believe that my brother only thinks of you as nothing but a waitress?” She said shocking me at how blunt she was now being.

“To be honest, I have absolutely no idea how your brother looks at me and I’m not even sure if he looks at me at all.” I couldn't hide the sadness in my voice and Sophia picked up on it.

“But you know how you feel for him...yes?” Her head tilted to one side as though urging me to speak the truth to her but I wasn't about to fold so easily.

“Why do you even ask? What does it matter how I feel when my feelings are not returned in the same way?”

“If there are feelings there then they still matter, regardless.” She said in such a way, as if I couldn't deny her anything.

“Why have you really come here Sophia?” I asked tired of playing this game.

“I want you to come back, to work at the VIP...where you belong.” She said and it felt strange when she said this last bit, as though she was trying to influence me to feel the same way.

“I don't think I can do that,” I said but it felt as if I was going against nature rejecting the idea. Ever since I had left the VIP all I wanted was to get back there. I wasn't whole unless I was near him and if working there was the only way, then that was what I wanted. But there was another part of me, the part that was responding now, the part that was trying to save my sanity.

“Why not? Dom wants it too.” She said and my look said it all.

“I'm not lying to you Keira.”

“There's just been so much that has happened
,
I don't know if I can do it, I don't know whether I could face him again.” At this she found her key to cracking me as she was getting up and
buttoning up
the thick crisp white jacket she wore.

“Well sleep on it and meet with him tomorrow night to discuss it, this is at his request...and don't worry, he won't lose his temper again.” She said as she walked to my door.

“I will think about it but I'm not making any promises, will you be back at college tomorrow?” I asked and she paused as if trying to find the right words and then smiled saying,

“Ah, I knew there was something else...there was a fire...oh no don't worry no one was hurt but our part of the college is closed for the next few days due to the investigation.”

“Oh my god, that's terrible...was it done deliberately?” I asked as she obviously had all the facts.

“Oh deliberately
?...
umm yes I believe so....See you tomorrow Keira.” And with that she left smiling a scary wicked smile. Once she was gone I picked up the phone and called RJ to see if she had heard anything.

“Oh yeah, but its only just started so how did you hear the news so quickly?” She asked and I was amazed that Sophia knew about it, after all hadn't she been here waiting for me and thinking about it, how did she even get here, there was no car when I pulled up.

“Sophia told me.”

“Oh well, I guess she would know with her brother being so involved in the place. Man, I bet this means more money to cough up from them,” she said but I could hear Jack in the background trying to get to the phone.

“Sorry Kaz, but Romeo
wants to talk to you, hope you’re feeling better.” And then Jack's voice came on the phone before giving me a chance to say goodbye to RJ.

“Hey how are you, you thrown up that gourmet meal yet?” He asked and I heard RJ saying “Nice Romeo,” in the background, which had me giggling.

“Not yet but here's hoping,” I said before continuing with my enquiry. “So did
you hear about my building?”

“Yeah, it's a right mess so it looks like a few days off for you, ‘cause aren't most of your classes in there?”

“Yeah, all of them, but doesn't it seem strange...I mean why would anyone do that?” I asked and he laughed saying,

“You do have Reed don't you?” And I laughed again agreeing with him.

“Well at least no one got hurt, that's the main thing,” I said trying to be positive but I couldn't help this nagging feeling I had in the pit of my stomach. It was the way that Sophia had said it all. As though she knew for certain what had happened.

I would have to remember to ask Libby if she’d received a phone call while she’d been here.

When I got off the phone from my three way call with RJ and Jack, I went downstairs to talk to Libby but she was too engrossed in her drama to make much sense so I gave up and went to bed with a mind swimming in an ocean of thoughts. In one day I had quit, then been asked to go back and also found out that Draven's fiancée could be Celina, the girl that went missing from Jack two years ago. My life had turned into a Gothic drama and I couldn't decide whether to pull the plug or to keep watching. I went into my bathroom looking for what I wanted or in this case...needed. Knowing that I would never sleep going over everything that happened not only today, but last night was still whirling around there too.

I popped back two sleeping pills and downed the rest of the water before doing my usual night time routine. Once I was ready for bed I could feel the pills taking effect. So by the time I got into bed I fell asleep thinking about what tomorrow’s meeting would bring, hopefully the opposite of today's...that would be nice. 

By the time I woke up the house was empty, as Libby and Frank had already gone to work. I strolled downstairs still in some old sweat pants and a long T-shirt that I usually wore for bed. I walked in the kitchen and there was a message waiting for me on the fridge in Libby's handwriting. 

Call me when you get up, Lib's
xxxx

I popped the kettle on first and grabbed a breakfast bar down from the cupboard along with a cup for my tea. In England people drank tea like the Americans drink coffee so my brain didn't work without my tea in the morning. I made it and finished my bar before picking up the phone and dialling Libby's work’s number.

“Olivia speaking.” She said in a professional tone

“Hey Lib's, what's up?”  I asked

“Umm, I've got something to tell you, I was supposed to last night but I completely forgot.” She said in a guilty voice and I didn't like where this was going.

“Ok, what's wrong?”

“Well, Frank and I have been invited to spend the week at Frank’s parents’ Lake house with the rest of the family but I didn't think I could get the time off.” She said and I could hear her taking a gulp of something before carrying on.

“Right
sooo
...?” I said already foreseeing what was coming next.

“Well I got a call last night saying it would be fine as one of my clients has put back the finishing date by three weeks so we’re now clear to go...but I wanted to ask you if you would mind?”

“No not
at all, of course I don't mind.
I mean you go every year don't you?”  I said trying to sound more positive than I felt about staying in this house by myself for a week.

“Are you sure? You could have anyone over to stay, I'm sure RJ or Jack especially wouldn't mind,” she said giggling.

“It's fine Lib's, I think I am old enough to cope in the house alone for a week!”

“Umm. That's not all.” She said like a child about to ask their mum for candy.

“What do you need?”

“I was wondering could you do
me
a huge favour and put some of my laundry in the washer and nip to the store and get a list of supplies for me?”

After I had written a list as long as my arm of what Lib's wanted at the supermarket, I picked some dirty clothes out of her hamper and put on a load before getting ready to go out. I got changed in record time as I wanted to get back to finish off Libby's mountain of washing. It didn't take long to get to the store and as it was a weekday it was nearly empty. I was making my way up and down the aisles, grabbing loads of junk food that was on Libby's list when I spotted someone I knew. He was heading straight for me and I pushed my trolley past until he looked me in the face...but there was no reaction. So I said,

“Hello Doctor Spencer, how are you?”

“Umm fine young lady.” He said with no recognition on his face whatsoever.

“You don't remember me do you?” I asked 

“I'm sorry but I do see a lot of patients,” he said in an unfriendly tone.

“I bumped my head and Mr Draven asked you to see me?” I said but his face remained a blank.

“I afraid you must be mistaken my dear I don't even know a Mr Draven.” He said as he was about to move away but I stopped him as I placed my hand on his trolley.

“I sorry, but you have to remember, you came to my house and you said that you have known Mr Draven for years!” But he moved his trolley in a rude manner and said,

“Well see, that's where you’re wrong, it couldn't have been me because I don't do house calls! If you will excuse me!” And with that my hand dropped from the metal and I moved to the side, letting him pass.  I stood there as though I was having some sort of meltdown. It was definitely him, I was sure of it. I mean he didn't look as healthy as the last time I saw him, his face looked older,
his
eyes were a pale grey and his face full of lines showing the stress he had mounted up over the years. But there was no doubt it had been him. I had said his name and he hadn't denied that. I got the rest of the stuff in a daze. Maybe he suffered with short-term memory loss but I doubted very much a doctor's profession would be the way to go if he did. 

Even when I had paid for my stuff and was loading it into my car I was still thinking about it. The man that I had seen had been kind and gentle, but this man had been rude and definitely not a people person.  And how could someone have aged so
much in such a short space of time? I just couldn't get my head round it and I knew it wasn't just me going crazy as Libby had also met him that day. Once again it had become one of those things that I tried to forget or put to the back of my mind but it kept crawling its way forward, scratching away at my brain.

I was back in the kitchen munching on a tuna sandwich I had made myself when the phone went again and I picked it up trying to swallow a mouthful of bread.

“Hello!” I said but there was nothing on the other end but heavy breathing, so I said it again.