Free Minds

Chapter 24.

"And you're sure you're not leaving at barely 6 am again because you don't want to talk about this week?" Mum sipped her coffee with quirked brows.

"Why would you think that?" I asked, making sure my eyes were trained everywhere else.

   Please, please don't tell me why.

"I don't know..." She shrugged, propping an elbow on the counter, not bothering to mask her over-exaggerated simper. "Maybe because after you saw Dorian off and walked back in, you speed-grabbed two chips and dashed to your room before I could even get a question in?"

   Yeah, and that had cost me dinner that day. Those chips I'd grabbed were a joke so I suppose we were losers on both our ends.

"It's not my fault you didn't use your chance that day." I said, facing her.

"You know I had a study session." She glared. "Fine. Let's forget about that day then, what was wrong with doing so yesterday? You didn't give me the chance to ask yesterday."

"That was on you. It's not my fault you ruined it."

   I would have been able to get past how Mum's blowing of multiple puffs of air in my ear woke me up yesterday morning. I would have even forgiven her for continuing her annoying gesture while I pretended to remain asleep—until I finally cracked and yelled at her to get out, that is.

   But I couldn't let go just yet how my relief, while Mum stood up to walk away, was short-lived when she stole my phone in the process and made me spend hours searching while she was at work.

   The toaster, ladies and gentlemen. I found it in the toaster.

"You could have come down to say hi when I returned from the hospital. I would have been more than willing to talk." She didn't bother hiding her smile.

   And be bombarded with multiple versions of 'the talk'? No thanks. I had suffered through it once.

   Other kids got the birds and bees talk, I got live human demonstrations of positions.

"I'm gonna go now." I placed my breakfast bowl in the sink and grabbed my bag.

"Say hi to Dorian for me!"

   The subsequent door slam was a good enough answer as to what I'd rather do. That didn't stop the screeching laughter which followed though.

   My strides to the bus stop where I got the bus to Zavlon Academia everyday involved walking past Tali's house. As usual, I tried to see if I could get anything by peering through one of the windows of her home. Knowing her though, the fact that it was seven o'clock wasn't an excuse to wake u—

   I jumped and halted my steps in shock when her front door immediately burst open. Clad in pajamas and plastic crocs at her entrance, Tali ran toward me.

"Hey Beth," she approached with a small smile. "I haven't seen you like I usually do from my window when you return from school so far this week."

"Yeah, I've been getting home kind of late nowadays." I made my nod as believable as possible. "I'm having late tutoring sessions at Zavlon's library with, uh, friends in some areas I'm struggling with in school."

"Friends huh?" Tali hesitated, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "And yesterday? When I stopped by again around seven pm, you weren't home."

   I tried to conceal my grimace. Of course I wasn't. I had been in the bunker till almost eight pm yesterday, reviewing the plan Camila and Rav had come up with on how, where and when we were going to use the drones.