Chapter 40

It was snowing as Diane pulled up to collect the girls for the Christmas break.

“Hey Millie,” Diane shouted over the wind as Millie opened the door.

“Hi Diane, come in quick, you’ll freeze outside.”

“Thank you. There’s no snow at home, I drove into the storm just as I crossed into Cumbria.”

“Yeah, that happens a lot. The fire is lit in the common room, we’ll sit in there while you wait for the girls.”

Diane checked her watch, “Ahh, I’m a bit early.”

“No worries, they’ll be here in about 15 minutes. Do you want a coffee?”

“Oh, yes please,” Diane replied, “So, I hear you’re joining us for Christmas.”

“I’m so sorry,” Millie replied as she took a seat opposite Diane and pushed a coffee mug across the table, “Lucy has been pestering me for weeks, it felt rude to keep refusing.”

“Think nothing of it, I’d hate to be stuck here at Christmas. I’m sure the views are lovely, but Christmas is a family celebration, the girls have grown very close to you these last few months, you’re kind of like family to them.”

“I do feel a bit like a big sister to them sometimes.”

“Gabbie said your parents are at CERN, that’s very exciting.”

“Yes, they normally have enough time off to come here for a few days over Christmas, but there’s been a big discovery in their team’s part of the collider, so all leave has been cancelled for a few months while they dig through the data.”

“Isn’t it a bit weird, you being a chemist and your parents being physicists.”

“Ha, yes, I do feel like I’ve let them down.”

“I had a look at CERN’s website after Gabbie told me, your parents have got their own page, but I couldn’t understand a word of it, physics at that level is well beyond me.”

“Me too. I teach a little bit of physics to Year 9, I can follow that, and GCSE level, but there’s stuff in A-Level physics that confuses me. I much prefer blowing stuff up to frying it with electricity.”

“How have they been?” Diane asked, warming her hands on her coffee mug, “I speak to them both a lot, but you’re with them all the time.”

“Well, we had a bit of a wobble after the fire, but the police came and Gabbie had a great time helping them piece together the evidence they’d managed to collect. The detective, Kyle she calls him, he seems to really like Gabbie.’

“Yes, I noticed that, and really, how could anyone not like her. He’s broken a few rules for her, which is nice. He let her take a big piece of evidence home, even got some of his guys to carry it to the car.”

“Oh really, what was that?”

“The sawhorse, where she was raped. He let her take it home, where she pounded it with a big hammer until there was nothing left bigger than a toothpick, totally ruined Jerry’s lawn.’

“Oh shit!” Millie gasped, “was he mad?”

“A bit, but I told him this was his chance to remodel the garden, that part always had a slope. So, he hired a mini digger, completely dug that area out and laid a nice new flat lawn. It’s the perfect place to pitch the marquee for the girls’ wedding.”

“Oh, that’s good news. We were talking about their wedding the other day. Sylvie was over, so we were invited round to Eric’s for dinner. Heather grilled them about the wedding over her delicious steak and kidney pie.”

“Ahh, I’ve been trying to keep their minds off the wedding, so it doesn’t distract them from their studies. I’m doing all the planning, Debbie, my cleaner, is helping.”

“Mmm, I think you need to let Gabbie do some of the planning, because it will help distract her from the past.”

“Oh yes! I didn’t consider that. To be fair, she’s not mentioned her family in the last few calls.”

“Yes, the fire seemed to be a real turning point for her. When Sylvie came, she found a new game for them to play with their psychic link.”

“Oh really, what’s that?”

“Well, we’re a little concerned with Gabbie’s dependence on Lucy. Apart from their Maths lessons they’re together pretty much 24/7. While we were at Eric’s, Gabbie told us how she’d hate to have to spend a night away from Lucy.”

“Ahh, I see. This isn’t healthy in the long term.”

“Indeed. Anyway, did they tell you about the time Lucy found she could communicate with Gabbie even when they’re in different rooms?”

“Ahh yes, the cheating in Maths...”

“Yes, and Lucy apologised, she doesn’t help Gabbie remotely anymore, and I believe her. Sylvie suggested they try to link minds when they’re further apart, and if it works, they can be together even when they’re apart.”