Page 16 of Degradation
‘Fine.’ I mutter.
We hear the bathroom door open and stop talking. Blake minimizes all the windows on the screen, and I nod at him. I don’t want her finding out about that photo. She doesn’t like anyone seeing her weak and that picture screams it. Fuck that little shit for taking it, and double fuck him for sharing it.
We’re all trying not to make it obvious that we’re staring as Lu and Daisy get to her door. She doesn’t look at us, I notice. She barely looks up from the floor. The limp is even more pronounced, and I stifle the burst of anger that I want to let loose. It’ll probably just scare her and that’s the last thing I want to do.
Lu assists her into her room and closes the door with a quiet click.
Mav gives Blake a speaking glance and Blake nods, pulling up the cameras to Daisy’s room. We watch in silence as Daisy sits on her bed in the towel and stares out into space. She looks exhausted, bruised, and battered. Her ankle is swollen enough that I can see it easily on the feed.
Lu helps her up and into the shirt and the black, fluffy robe I left on the bed. Something inside my chest unclenches. She’s with us. She’s here. She’s safe.
I put my head in my hands for a moment, and let out the sigh of relief I’ve been holding in. When I look up, Mav is staring at me with a strange expression on his face.
‘What?’
‘Nothing. It’s just. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you like this. It’s like you care.’
It’s on the tip of my tongue to say, ‘she’s my sister, of course I care’, but I don’t.
It’s not true. I’ve never seen her as my sister. She was my best friend before she was taken from me, and now...I don’t know what she is, but I definitely don’t think of her as a sibling.
We watch as Lu cleans up the makeup and the clothes strewn around the room, putting everything away while Daisy stares at the wall.
My phone buzzes and I look at it. My dad’s guy got back to me. I frown at the screen.
‘That can’t be right.’
‘What?’ Blake asks, looking over his shoulder.
‘I– Her stuff hasn’t come. From the UK, I mean. I figured it was delayed, or something since it’s been a few weeks now, so I messaged my dad’s guy to ask him for an update, but he says he’s not waiting on anything.’
‘Maybe they haven’t sent it, or maybe John told them to keep it,’ Mav says with a shrug. ‘Does it matter? What does she need that she can’t get here?’
Blake rolls his eyes, and I give him a questioning look that has him turning around properly. ‘She told me nothing’s coming.’
‘Nothing?’
He snorts. ‘Look, I like the girl, but...if she didn’t bring her possessions with her, maybe it’s because she wants better stuff from the Novelles.’
‘You’re wrong,’ Mav mutters. ‘Not everyone is out for what they can get, dude.’
Blake snorts. ‘Sure they are. They’re just lying, they don’t know it, or they’re in denial.’
I look from Mav to Blake. I don’t think that Blake is right about Daisy, but what the fuck do I know? Laurie’s a nutjob and I had no clue when I was messing around with her last year.
‘Easy enough to find out for sure,’ I say. ‘I’ll just call the place she was in.’
I check my watch and chuckle, remembering Daisy’s first day here and her Ted Talk about the time difference. ‘Is it four hours or six?’
Mav smiles. ‘She’d know for sure, I’ll bet, but I think they’re five hours ahead right now, which would make it about nine a.m.’
‘Perfect.’
I find the number I got from my father’s phone once and call it. It takes a little longer to connect, but when it does, a British woman’s voice crackles over the line.
‘The Heath. Amy speaking. Can I ask who’s calling please?’
‘Morning. My name is Jack Novelle. I’m calling about Marguerite Novelle. She was in your facility until recently.’
