Horace didn’t show any signs that he liked us and yet he agreed to be our guardian. He even married Elise for crying out loud. Not that their relationship resembled a normal marriage. Without a doubt, marrying us must have been an advantage for him. He and Helen didn’t keep us out of the goodness of their hearts. I never saw him doing anything unless he benefited from it.
For a while, we drive on in silence leaving the morning traffic of Taumarunui behind us. As we drive up the Raurimo Rise, Luke clears his throat. “Perhaps Elise knows something about Helen’s motives. Of all of us, she’s been around her the most. Isn’t it time we force Elise into the fold? I hate feeling like a hunted fox. I’m done running.”
From the back, Lilly nudges in and throws her weight into the conversation. “I agree. It’s time for her to dismiss the notion that we are not real. We have to make her face the fact that she’s not alone in this body. We have just as much right to be here as she has. She’s no different to us. Her notion that she’s it and we are a disease she contracted like one catches malaria, is insulting. If there is something like an original person, it’s Elizabeth. The rest of us are all adaptations.”
“Excuse me, Lilly. Speak for yourself. I’m not an adaptation. If anything, we are like a precious vase that fell off the shelf and shattered into many pieces. By some heavenly intervention we were glued together again, but the cracks are still showing. Together, we are all it. That’s what Miss Marple said and that’s what I’m sticking to.”
“No offense, buddy. Just because I used the wrong word doesn’t mean we are not on the same page. I agree. Okay? Friends? All I’m saying is, Elise is strong enough to meet the Tribe. As soon as we settle in the new house, we should confront her.”
I almost forgot that Lilly is our rebel. She can be so cheeky and devious at times and then… she hits one out of the ballpark and is all sensible and mature beyond her eighteen years.
“It’ll be difficult to do without Miss Marple.” I hate being the voice of reason, but we had incidences in the past where we ended up in crisis because the little communication we had established, had broken down.
“Can’t we talk to Charlotte by phone or Skype? I’m getting pretty annoyed to be dismissed by Elise as a figment of her imagination.”
I understand Lilly’s frustration. After all, she cleans up a lot of the mess Elise tends to make. The funeral wasn’t the first time Elise chickened out and went AWOL. Whenever a situation becomes uncomfortable for her, she ducks away, and Lilly is usually the one who picks up the pieces.
“Let’s get to the new house first. Then we’ll see.”
I know I’m pinning a lot of hope in the new house. What if it turns out to be a rat-infested, broken-down, rickety old shack with the wind howling through the weatherboards, a shabby tin roof that leaks through more holes than there are stars in the sky, and doors hanging lopsided on their hinges?
That’s my worst scene scenario. Arriving at a place that is uninhabitable. I haven’t shared my concerns with any of the Tribe. I pray that my fears don’t become reality. We need a place where we can settle and set our affairs in order. Life as a multiple is hard enough without the outside world throwing us curve balls.
I’m sure the uncertainty of what awaits us is gnawing at the other adults as well. It’s our chance for a new beginning and it has to be better than what we’ve had so far. The usual living on tenterhooks, scraping by, trying to look as normal as possible while inside we are everything but normal is not good enough anymore. We deserve better and that’s exactly what we will create.
With the strength born of the decision not to waste this opportunity, I drift away. There is plenty of time to make plans for the future when we arrive at Wright’s Homestead.
Chapter Five
Elise: 18 November, Late Afternoon, Port Somers
Where am I? My stomach lurches violently and nausea claws at my throat. A wave of sickness rises up inside me until the sour taste of bile coats my tongue. Not again! Please, not again. Am I awake or am I dreaming? Perhaps I’m dreaming I’m awake? Will this nightmare never end?
First, I check my arms. No blood, no new cuts. That’s a good sign, right? I look down at my clothes. A familiar panic explodes in my chest and stops me from breathing. Jeans, a white t-shirt, and a red and black-checkered Swanndri jacket? I swear I’ve never seen them before. I would never buy anything like it.
It was naive to believe this wouldn’t happen again. Naive and stupid. It has been a while since I woke up in a strange place not knowing how I got there. I’m frustrated and so disappointed in myself that I could… The urge to hurt me is overwhelmingly strong. I can’t think past the tears running down my face.
Behind me, a car door slams shut and a group of young people, come running down a grass-covered hill toward me, shouting and laughing. I freeze and wipe my tears away.
“Are you okay, lady?”
I turn away from the concerned faces and rub my foot. “I’m fine, thanks. I stubbed my big toe and it hurts like hell.” I wish they would leave me alone. I don’t need witnesses to my misery.
“Shall we ring the ambulance?”
A short laugh escapes my lips. “Certainly not. Where will we come to getting ambulances for stubbed toes? No, just let me finish my pity party. I’ll be fine in a
