Chapter 25
I woke up as something bright made my eyes scrunch up. I moved up in bed and rubbed my eyes but placed my arm over to shield my eyes from the light. The sun was out. I moved out of bed and walked over to the window. There was no one outside. I moved back from the window and looked around. I listened carefully, but there was no sound. “Tala,” I called out in my head, but I had no response. I stayed still for a while, but I heard nothing from her. Did I imagine it all? Who the hell was Tala? I had so many questions. I sighed. I needed to move and get out of this room. It was playing on my mind. I went over to the closet and picked out something to wear: a pair of leggings and an oversized top. I quickly got dressed and looked toward the door. The conversation with my mother and Josh came to mind, making me think maybe I should start acting friendlier, but I know it all depends on what comes out of my mum’s mouth. I sighed and took a chance. I opened the door and headed downstairs. As I got closer, I could hear someone pottering around in the kitchen. I stepped into the kitchen, thinking it was my mum, but it wasn’t. It was Josh. Josh had his back to me but stilled. I looked around, but there was no sign of my mother. Josh turned around slowly and looked at me. “Morning,” he said as a small smile appeared on his lips. I gave him a small smile. “Morning,” I whispered. I felt so out of place. Josh stared at me for a moment but looked at the coffeepot. “Do you want some coffee?” he asked. I nodded. Josh smiled. I watched as he made the coffee. “Sit,” a voice murmured in my head. “Tala,” I said, but nothing came. I looked around and went over to the kitchen table. I pulled out the chair and sat down. Josh made some coffee and placed the mug down on the table. “I don’t know how you like it,” he said as he placed cream and sugar on the table. “I like it black,” I murmured. “Especially in the mornings.” Josh looked at me and nodded with a smile. He pulled out the chair opposite me and sat down. I placed my hands around the mug and took a sip. Once I sipped the coffee, I placed the mug down and looked at Josh. “Where’s mum?” I asked, not really caring where she really was. Josh stared at me and sighed. “She is at your grandparents’ house,” he said. “Our boys wanted to see her.” I looked at him. I didn’t know how I felt about having siblings. “What are their names?” I asked, trying to take an interest. Josh stared, but a slow smile itched the corners of his mouth. “Alec and Ethan,” he said. “They are six.” I nodded. There was an eerie silence between us. I cleared my throat. “I was wondering if I could go for a walk or even go outside for a bit,” I said. “I think I need some fresh air.” Josh stared at me. “Sure,” he said. “We can go…” I shook my head. “I wanted to be on my own,” I muttered, making Josh frown. “Leah,” he said. “We told you when you came here that you would need someone to be with you when you want to leave. So, it will either be me, your mum, or both of us.” I stared at him. I didn’t want to be with either of them. “Could I just step outside and sit on the step?” I asked, trying to think of a way just to get out of this. Josh stared at me. “I…” he said, but the door opened, and I heard my mother’s voice. “Hunny,” she called out. “Is Leah…” but she stopped as she stepped into the kitchen and looked between us. My mum smiled. “You’re up and out of the room,” she said. “That’s good.” I stared at her. I felt my head get heavy. Not again. I don’t need to sleep. I looked back at Josh. “I’m going to stand outside,” I said, moving the chair back and standing. I walked toward the front door and pulled it open, as my mum sidestepped out of my way as I stepped outside. She stared at me, dumbfounded. I walked outside and looked around. Being here felt like a prison., I needed someone to walk with me. I stepped toward the steps and sat on the top step, wrapping my arms around my knees. I looked out at the forest. The sun may be out, but there was a slight breeze in the air as it rippled over me, sending my arms into a pebbled mess as goosebumps appeared. I kept my eyes on the forest. “You should let one of them take you in there,” Tala murmured. I stilled. “Why would I want to do that for?” I asked. “Anyway, where have you been?” Tala sighed. “I have been close, monitoring your mum,” she said. “I don’t trust her.” I felt slightly better knowing that Tala was there with me. I stared ahead. I could feel eyes on me. I knew it was Josh and mum were staring at me, but someone else was there too. I didn’t want to be in the house. Not for now, at least. I stayed there on the step for a while. I watched the trees blow in the wind and a few rabbits that came out of their burrow. It was nice here. It felt peaceful. I wrapped my arms around myself and moved my arms up and down the sides of my arms to warm until I couldn’t take anymore. I stood up and looked around but turned around to go inside the house. I was about to open the door but stopped. There was someone somewhere staring at me, someone closer. I looked over my shoulder, but there was no one there. I felt a shiver ripple through me. “It’s okay,” Tala whispered as I looked around. I said nothing. I turned around and opened the door. I stepped inside and found mum and Josh sitting around the kitchen table. I came to a halt as they stared at me. “You okay?” my mum asked as she was about to get off her chair. “I am,” I said. “I’m going up to my room for a bit.” Mum stood still and nodded, but I could sense something from her. “We will have lunch soon,” Josh blurted out. “I will give you a shout for you to join us.” I stared at them but nodded. I said nothing else to them as I walked toward the stairs and went to my room. I closed the door and leaned on the door for support. Why was this so hard?