“I don’t know if my parents were that creatively cryptic. Riddles seem more your style.”
A flash of something crossed her face—anger, momentary and sharp—before she smoothed it away. Satisfaction crept into me like sun through a crack. I’d landed a hit, even if it was accidental.
It was known in the children’s home that Miss Lissy had taken work with children because she couldn’t have any of her own, just like Mr Bellamy’s wife Margaret. Miss Lissy, on the other hand, had a husband who left her because of it. Unpack that as you will. What I’d gleaned from it was that she had decided to punish all other children for the rest of eternity for not being hers. I think her infertility was the universe doing souls everywhere a solid and making sure they didn’t have to spend a lifetime related to her.
“All adults keep secrets from children,” she continued. “If you think about it, it’s impossible not to. Santa. The farm your old dog went to. The Easter Bunny. You’d have heard some of those, surely?”
I sighed and leaned on the handle of the hoe. “Sure.”
A glint appeared in her eyes, and her eyebrows curved. “Perhaps they weren’t the only secrets, is all I’m saying. Especially with a name like that.”
Then she turned on her heel and wandered over to the roses, deliberately leaving her words to fester. She was cryptic by design. Torment was her language. Her words always pierced just enough to send their poison through your bloodstream.
I’d never given much thought to my middle name before. I didn’t plan to start now. Especially not for her.
Forward and back. Forward and back.
Hands on the handle. Sun on my back.
I focused on the rhythm of my stupid rhyme, letting it ground me. I hated being at her house, but I couldn’t say the same about her garden. Each day I spent with my hands in the dirt or feeling the repetitive motions of the maintenance didn’t feel like a drain, but the opposite. It energised me. More than copywriting ever had. I felt the same about clearing the yard at Breeze’s.
After my patch was clear of weeds, I took a break. I wasn’t a prisoner after all. Ema looked alarmed as I sat down next to her, unzipping my navy backpack. I’d come prepared after last time; no risks would be taken accepting food or drink from Miss Lissy. I took out a tall thermos, pouring the sweet tea into the two cups I’d brought along with me. The egg from the club sandwiches I was unwrapping filled the air as I handed one to Ema and thrust a tea in her other hand.
“Got to have a break sometime,” I said, eyes crinkling as I smiled at her. “Now, I can’t claim to have made these. My food still tastes like necessity, but Breeze—who owns Steamy Sips in town—she’s a natural at the whole nurturing provider thing. These are from her.”
I took a bite of my sandwich, the tang of mayonnaise hitting my tongue. Ema’s brows pinched together as she took a tentative bite.
“The café that Miss Lissy is to buy?” she asked softly as she swallowed, and I nearly choked.
“The café shewantsto buy,” I corrected. “But definitely won’t.”
Still, I was relieved to hear her speak. It showed she hadn’t been completely muted by the tyrant’s mind control.
“Here, take this,” I whispered. I leaned forward and tucked another tightly wrapped sandwich into the inside pocket of her vest. You couldn’t be too careful when it came to the smell of eggs. Ema didn’t look starved, but I wasn’t taking any chances. She smiled before glancing around the garden again. We sipped our tea quickly.
“Do you get to keep in touch with your parents much?” I asked.
“Sort of,” Ema whispered, her eyes darting around once more. “Miss Lissy says not to bother them. She keeps my phone and only lets me use it at 8 p.m. for study and research. I call my parents once a month, but Miss Lissy says they’ll be enjoying the break from me. She’s usually right.”
My heart ached at that last line.
“Don’t they wonder why they’re not hearing from you more?” I asked.
She shrugged. “Miss Lissy tells them UK schooling is different from Japanese schooling. She says it takes a lot of immersion and tells them not to interrupt my learning. They want me to do well. They want me to get a good job after. So they accept that.”
“I’m sure they miss you very much,” I said gently, dipping my head to meet her eyes. “And I don’t believe for a second they need a break from you.”
She nodded but didn’t look convinced. The darkness had already spread through her veins from a slow and prolonged Miss Lissy attack.
We finished our tea, and I packed everything back into my bag, looping the straps over my shoulders.
“I’ll see you again soon, okay?” I said from the bottom of the steps.
Ema’s eyes blinked into mine for a long moment, searching. She gave a small nod. A whisper of a smile touched her lips before it vanished again.
“Going somewhere?” came the crisp voice behind me.
I turned to find Miss Lissy, arms folded, a basket of cut flowers at her feet.
