A Time To Kill (Elemental Rage Book 1) (25 page)

The house was
quiet.  The girls wouldn’t be home for at least another hour, three for Jade. 
At least Raven had decided not to do volleyball this year.  Raven took the bus
home with Claire and Mindy. She would drive the girls in Amy’s car from the end
of the gravel driveway to the house, saving Bertha the trip.

Bertha spent those
hours on the bed. She meant to start dinner, but the pain was so sharp, she
thought she’d take just a few minutes to lie down.  Suddenly the girls were
shrieking…no that wasn’t right, they were just calling in regular voices, but
she was oh-so-sensitive to noise right now.

She pushed herself
upright, and grabbed her cane.

“Did you girls
have fun at school?” Bertha felt forced and fake.  At her age, she should be
able to say anything she wanted. She really didn’t care how school went. She
just wanted to sit quietly and be left alone.

Raven shrugged,
“It was fine.”  She passed quickly through the house and shut the door to her
room with Jade.  Bertha wouldn’t see her again until dinner in a few hours and
even then she’d be lucky if Raven said more than three words.

Claire said. “No.
I have to make up an experiment of my own with a provable hypothesis.  I’m
pretty sure scientists have already studied anything I could come up with.

“I’m sure you’ll
think of something original,” Aunt Bertha said, feeling like a fraud.  Forty
years ago, she’d have been actively helping Claire think of something.  She
just didn’t feel like it now. She hurt. She wanted to be left alone.

Claire took Mindy
to her room to help her change.

Aunt Bertha inched
her way to the kitchen and wondered when crossing the house had turned into a
marathon. Meatloaf tonight.  No way would she let a little pain keep her from
taking care of her girls.

A fleeting thought
crossed her mind, and Bertha wondered who would care for them when she was
gone.

***Coming Soon:  A
Time to Die