Royal Duty - my other fic - has much shorter chapters, and a lot less depth, hence why it updates more often, so don't be thinking it's a favouritism thing, cause it's not :)
However, I've finished chapter 51 and it won't be long before you can read it! In the meantime, here's a little teaser to help you along :)
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Chapter 51 - Shake It Out
The days were bleeding into one another, but I was no longer
watching them pass me by from the darkness of my room, or my spot on the sofa.
I was back at school, and while my headaches had me scowling
my way through every class, and my workload making my heartbeat race, it was
better than being at home.
I wasn’t alone; I had the option to talk to someone other
than Kate if the desire should take me. I should add that it very rarely did,
but it was sort of nice to have the choice.
Kate was still living with us, and she’d sort of become one
of the family without even really trying.
She made us breakfast, helped Alice
with the designs she did in her spare time, and more than once I’d found her
and dad sat out on the patio with a glass of wine in hand and hushed voices as
they talked about whatever it was they actually did talk about.
I felt slightly jealous the first time. She was supposed to
be there to help me, not joke with Emmett, sing along to the radio with Alice,
and console my father over alcohol, but when I opened my eyes – after Bella had
told me I needed to – I could see that she was helping my entire family.
She was bringing us together, talking to us all, getting us
all to see the cracks and the problems, and helping us all deal with them.
After that, I saw her as a sort of angel in disguise. She was pretty, kind,
compassionate, intelligent and even funny, if she could help my dad get back
everything he’d lost in himself, then I’d willingly give up my time with her to
make it happen.
I hadn’t spoken to Bella since our conversation on the phone,
but not through lack of trying on her part. She’d watch me during lunch and her
eyes almost begged me to speak up again like I had that one day, but something
always caught in the back of my throat and I’d just look back down at the table-top
in silence.
It was stupid, but it was like I couldn’t make my tongue
move. I’d asked Kate about it, why it was so easy to talk to her, but almost
impossible in front of my friends. She’d said it was because I was too worried
about what they thought of me and what they would think of me following
whatever lame thing I said. Kate didn’t call it lame, I just knew that if I
ever did speak up, it would be completely pointless to their conversation
because I barely knew what was going on around me most of the time.
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Chapter should be up by the weekend!!
Sarah x
