“As soon as I know which family to return it to,” I replied brightly. And why it was left to me in the first place.
Miss Lissy walked over to stand beside me, overlooking the garden. My skin crawled at her proximity.
“We’d make a great team, you and I.” Her fingers plucked an out-of-place branch from the azalea shrub that met the balustrade.
In what world?
“What do you need from me today?” I asked, turning away from the garden. With arms crossed, I noticed a movement at the net-curtained window beside the closed door. Wind? These old places were known for their draughts. I’d noticed it plenty at Breeze’s.
“Oh, that was all. Just pass the message to Breeze, and we’ll be even for this week,” she said. Meaning she considered answering my question a service rendered. As she tidied the tea tray, I saw the movement again. A dark eye peered between the curtains before disappearing again. Adrenaline coursed through me along with a familiar sick feeling that I was being watched. I decided that a casual approach was my best bet.
“Are you stashing children in there, Miss Lissy?” I said, cocking my head toward the window. Okay, sarcasm overrodemy decision. She looked towards the door and her lips curved again as she continued her sorting, back hunched at the tray.
“Just the one,” she answered before turning to enjoy my reaction as my eyes rounded and jaw dropped. My head swarmed with noise that I didn’t have time to process before she continued.
“Foreign exchange student. All completely legal, I assure you.Opportunity,” she reminded me as she bobbed her head.
My expression didn’t change. Neither did the spinning in my mind nor the sickness in my stomach. Legal or not, her house was the last place any child should be. Stress clawed at my gut as I imagined—or remembered—the things that could happen in a place like this with no oversight.
She sighed at my silence. “Ema? Can you come out here?”
Her raised voice startled me, and I stepped back. There was a shuffle behind the door, then a latch clicked, and a black-haired teenager stepped outside.
“This is Ema, my Japanese exchange student. Ema, this is Riley. Another student I worked with many years ago.”
Ema gave a polite nod before fixing her gaze on the welcome mat. Her skin was pale, which wasn’t necessarily anything to be disturbed about. She wore a calf-length burgundy cotton skirt over charcoal tights, with a patchwork vest hanging open over a brown skivvy. Nothing in her appearance alarmed me specifically. Except she wouldn’t look me in the eye.
I wanted to ask if she was okay. I wanted to grab her hand and walk her away. But I was pretty sure that was kidnapping. Like Miss Lissy said, this was all legal.
Except it shouldn’t be.
There should be some sort of record of Miss Lissy. Something that pinged in a DBS check before people ferried their children off to be with her. I bit my bottom lip as I was faced withthe importance of speaking out about my experience in Bellamy Children’s Home for the first time.
“Hi Ema, how are you enjoying Glades Bay?” I asked her, tucking my chin to catch her eye.
“She doesn’t speak English very well,” Miss Lissy answered for her. “But she likes it very much, don’t you?”
Ema bobbed her head, keeping her gaze on the mat. A stranger might have taken her as shy or mistaken it for a cultural thing, but I recognised the behaviour. No eye contact was one of the first rules taught at Bellamy. The punishment for breaking it could be anything from holding a wall sit, to food deprivation, or worse—ECT treatment. I doubted she was using electricity these days, but food control? That would be right up her alley.
“Well, I’m really glad to meet you, Ema. I look forward to seeing you next time I visit,” I said. I aimed the last words squarely at Miss Lissy, who thinned her lips in response. She waved Ema back inside.
“See? Nothing to worry about,” she said as the door clicked shut.
I stepped toward her smaller frame. “I expect to see her every time I stop by. If she disappears, loses weight or her appearance changes in any way, you can be sure there will be people inside your house to investigate before you even know what’s going on.”
She snorted. “I have webs across this entire town, don’t forget. No one wants to get caught in one. I suggest you take that as a warning.” She stepped toward me, keeping my gaze. “What makes you think anyone would listen to an outsider, anyway?”
“Oh, I’m sure you’ve pissed off a person or two in your time. Maybe I’ve met some. Plenty of people wait years for revenge. Wasn’t it you who said something about recognising opportunity and not being loyal?”
I was bluffing. I didn’t know anyone who could take her down. But she didn’t need to know that.
She held my gaze for a few moments, clearly debating whether to challenge me or to let it slide. Instead, she turned and picked up the tea tray, and I was relieved that our standoff was over.
“You can leave now,” she said, her face devoid of emotion.
I let a smile rise to my lips, even crinkled my eyes, knowing it would irritate her.
“It’s been a treat, Miss Lissy. Until next time.”
