Chapter 39
The car ride to Grandma’s was a four–hour journey of total silence. Mom drove, her knuckles turning white on the steering wheel while dad flipped through a newspaper. I sat in the back, my head leaning against the cool window glass.
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Ava must be trying to win back her friend’s heart, after all that was the reason for this. I already wrote to Mrs. Rachel days ago, explaining my reasons for not resuming. Hopefully she will be able to explain this properly to the firm.
The landscape changed gradually. And then, there it is. Grandma’s house was exactly as I had remembered it in my memory in my first life. It’s a cozy, little bungalow, with a long driveway, surrounded by a wild, untamed garden.
Mom pulled the car to a stop and we all got out. Grandma stood there, wiping her hands on a floral apron. Grandma is a tall and lean brown woman, with sharp eyes and a cloud of soft, white hair. She looked at my parents, smiled, before then her gaze landed on me.
“Eleanor! Flynn,” She greeted my parents with a curt nod. Then her eyes softened. “Avery. You’ve grown.”
“Hi, Grandma,” I greeted her
“How is Ava” she asked, her question directed at mum but her eyes were still on me.
“She’s fine, mom” Mom replied quickly. “She’s busy with her friends.”
“Too busy to see me?” Her brows furrowed as she turned to dad. “You’re not spoiling that girl, are you? I don’t want her making the same mistake I made”
“Come on Avery” mum whispered, assisting to help me in carrying my suitcase to the small room at the top of the stairs. It might be a little but it’s cool.
“Now, Avery,” Mom started as she placed the suitcase on the covered bed. “Be helpful. Don’t be a burden. Listen to your grandmother.”
“I will,” I replied, staring at the pattern on the quilt.
She hesitated, as if she wanted to say more–But in the end, she just sighed. “We’ll call in a few days.”
“Okay.”
“Take care of her, Mom,” Dad said, giving Grandma a stiff hug.
“She’ll be fine,” Grandma replied, her tone implying that the person who really needed taking care of was standing right in front of her, and it wasn’t me.
And then they were gone. Grandma turned to me, her hands on her hips. “Well. They dumped you here like a bag of trouble.” She looked me up and down in amusement. “But you don’t look that troublesome.”
“It’s a talent,” I whispered, causing her to chuckle.
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Chapter 39
“I bet it is. Come on. Let’s get you settled.
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After I had unpacked my clothes into the small wooden dresser, we sat at her sturdy kitchen table with mugs
of sweet tea.
“So,” I said, setting my mug down with a soft click. “Your garden is incredible. I’ve never seen herbs like that. Would you… would you teach me?”
Grandma looked surprised, then pleased. “Teach you?”
“Yes. About the plants. About… everything, you know.” I met her gaze with a smile. Yes I needed knowledge. All including Healing knowledge.
A slow, knowing smile spread across Grandma’s face.
she said softly, as if reading my mind. “You want to learn? Okay. We start tomorrow. But be warned,” she added, her eyes twinkling. “My lessons aren’t easy. And they have little to do with gardening.”
The next morning, after a breakfast of eggs from her own chickens, I found myself frustrated. I needed to get online, to check out my messages, but my phone had no bars. Nothing. Grumbling, I stomped out into the back garden, holding my phone up to the sky. Damn it’s so bad, it’s useless.
“You must be Ella’s granddaughter,” a friendly voice said from behind me. I spun around. An elderly man with a wrinkled face and bright, twinkling eyes was standing by the garden fence. “You look so much like her,” he said with a warm smile.
“And you are?”
“I’m Ben, her friend,” he said. “I live just down the road. I’ve heard a lot about you Ava”
“I’m Avery not Ava” I replied, my voice sharper than I intended.
His eyes widened slightly, and then he laughed, “My bad, my bad! Avery. Of course. The smart one. Ella’s always talking about you too” he gestured with his thumb. “The network’s terrible out here. Drives my grandkids crazy when they visit. But you know, if you’re desperate, your grandma has an old computer in the storeroom. It’s a dinosaur, but it has a dial–up connection. It’s slow as a slug..”
“Thank you, Mr. Ben!” I said, my frustration vanishing instantly. “Just Ben is fine,” he chuckled. “Tell Ella I said hello!” I didn’t need telling twice. My heart hammered loudly as I rushed back into the house and found the storeroom. After putting away the gathering of stacks of books, I sat before the ancient machine.
It took me ten minutes to get it running, the fan whirring noisily. After it finally connected, I opened the web browser. It was painfully slow, each page loading line by line. First, I logged into a secure, encrypted email
account.
Then, I opened ClipTalk and logged into my account. The E–Girls Coven chat was flooded with messages.
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Thu, Jan 1
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Chapter 39
Sarah: Avery where are you??? Your mom said you’re at your grandma’s!
Madison: It’s so boring without you! Ava’s trying to act sweet but everyone knows she’s a stupid liar
I chuckled at Madison’s message and typed a reply,
Me: Hey guys! Miss you too! Yeah, I’m at my grandma’s. No signal, the network is so bad here.
I was about to log off when I had another idea. I took a deep breath and opened a new tab. I searched the internet for the website ‘Daily Grind‘ and found the ‘Contact Us‘ page and email for Davina Shire, the editor of the youth section.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
