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Authors: Natasha Orme
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write on the board. I’m sorry, I can only sign the alphabet. I smiled. At least she’d tried. Your sister, Helen, went home at lunch time. She said she wasn’t feeling very well. I frowned and nodded, showing that I understood what she had written.
I signed thank you to her but she just looked at me puzzled so I wrote it on the board. She laughed and nodded. Confused by her reaction I left and walked quickly home, worrying the whole way.
I walked through the front door and Daddy appeared almost immediately. Before I could say anything he stopped me.
“Everything is fine,” he signed. I let out a deep breath and felt a weight lift from my shoulders.
“What was wrong with her? Where is she?”
“She was just feeling under the weather. A new sickness bug or something. She’s upstairs resting.” I nodded and made my way up the staircase. I opened the door a notch to see her curled up in bed facing me. She smiled at me but it didn’t hide the grayness of her skin.
I sat on the edge of her bed and put the back of my hand to her forehead, checking her temperature. She was boiling. I felt her palms and they were clammy. I frowned.
“It is just a sick bug,” she signed to me. “I will be better tomorrow.”
I kissed her forehead and left, allowing her to rest.
Chapter 12
The next day Helen was dancing around the house, her usual bubbly self. I could see that Daddy was still concerned about her. It was rare she was ill and when she was, it lasted days, sometimes weeks. This time the ‘bug’ had lasted less than a day; something wasn’t right.
I didn’t think too much of it at the time. After all there was nothing physically wrong with her and she said she felt fine. She insisted on going to school and I told her that if she had the smallest feeling of not being well then she was to tell her teacher and come straight home.
I walked her into her class and went to speak to her teacher myself. As she saw me approaching she pulled out a piece of paper to write on. Helen said something and her teacher stopped to look at me. I signed to Helen and she translated for her teacher. I asked her to just keep an eye on Helen for me and send her home if she gets under the weather again. I was concerned that she was up and about so soon.
Her teacher nodded in response. I said goodbye to Helen and headed to school. Charlie was waiting for me outside the school gates. She looked worried.
“Hello,” I signed.
“Hello. How are you? There’s something you should know.” She was hesitant in speaking and kept glancing towards the playground the whole time.
“What is it, Charlie?”
She looked at me anxiously.
“Joshua’s back.” I didn’t move. I didn’t know how to react. The expression on her face told me she wasn’t lying. She wouldn’t joke about something like this anyway. I looked past her into the playground but all I saw were the familiar faces that swarmed around me every day. I felt faint.
Charlie grabbed my arm. She linked hers through mine and steered me towards the building.
“Don’t worry,” she signed as we moved. “I’ll look after you. You don’t have to talk to him. Act like it doesn’t matter. I’m here for you and so is Alex, we always will be. Okay?” I nodded slowly.
The next thing I knew, I was sitting down in my chair. I didn’t look around the classroom and nor did I want to. My vision became a tunnel that was focused entirely upon the teacher in front of me and yet I could feel the suffocating oppression invading from every side. He was in the room and I knew it. I could feel it. I didn’t want to see him.
I’d got on with my life and I did not need him back, so why was he here. I’d managed perfectly well without him. I’d convinced myself I’d never see him again and that was good enough for me.
I realized how foolish I was acting. I tried to isolate the emotion that I felt for him but I couldn’t. I breathed deeply and tried to relax myself to review the
I signed thank you to her but she just looked at me puzzled so I wrote it on the board. She laughed and nodded. Confused by her reaction I left and walked quickly home, worrying the whole way.
I walked through the front door and Daddy appeared almost immediately. Before I could say anything he stopped me.
“Everything is fine,” he signed. I let out a deep breath and felt a weight lift from my shoulders.
“What was wrong with her? Where is she?”
“She was just feeling under the weather. A new sickness bug or something. She’s upstairs resting.” I nodded and made my way up the staircase. I opened the door a notch to see her curled up in bed facing me. She smiled at me but it didn’t hide the grayness of her skin.
I sat on the edge of her bed and put the back of my hand to her forehead, checking her temperature. She was boiling. I felt her palms and they were clammy. I frowned.
“It is just a sick bug,” she signed to me. “I will be better tomorrow.”
I kissed her forehead and left, allowing her to rest.
Chapter 12
The next day Helen was dancing around the house, her usual bubbly self. I could see that Daddy was still concerned about her. It was rare she was ill and when she was, it lasted days, sometimes weeks. This time the ‘bug’ had lasted less than a day; something wasn’t right.
I didn’t think too much of it at the time. After all there was nothing physically wrong with her and she said she felt fine. She insisted on going to school and I told her that if she had the smallest feeling of not being well then she was to tell her teacher and come straight home.
I walked her into her class and went to speak to her teacher myself. As she saw me approaching she pulled out a piece of paper to write on. Helen said something and her teacher stopped to look at me. I signed to Helen and she translated for her teacher. I asked her to just keep an eye on Helen for me and send her home if she gets under the weather again. I was concerned that she was up and about so soon.
Her teacher nodded in response. I said goodbye to Helen and headed to school. Charlie was waiting for me outside the school gates. She looked worried.
“Hello,” I signed.
“Hello. How are you? There’s something you should know.” She was hesitant in speaking and kept glancing towards the playground the whole time.
“What is it, Charlie?”
She looked at me anxiously.
“Joshua’s back.” I didn’t move. I didn’t know how to react. The expression on her face told me she wasn’t lying. She wouldn’t joke about something like this anyway. I looked past her into the playground but all I saw were the familiar faces that swarmed around me every day. I felt faint.
Charlie grabbed my arm. She linked hers through mine and steered me towards the building.
“Don’t worry,” she signed as we moved. “I’ll look after you. You don’t have to talk to him. Act like it doesn’t matter. I’m here for you and so is Alex, we always will be. Okay?” I nodded slowly.
The next thing I knew, I was sitting down in my chair. I didn’t look around the classroom and nor did I want to. My vision became a tunnel that was focused entirely upon the teacher in front of me and yet I could feel the suffocating oppression invading from every side. He was in the room and I knew it. I could feel it. I didn’t want to see him.
I’d got on with my life and I did not need him back, so why was he here. I’d managed perfectly well without him. I’d convinced myself I’d never see him again and that was good enough for me.
I realized how foolish I was acting. I tried to isolate the emotion that I felt for him but I couldn’t. I breathed deeply and tried to relax myself to review the
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