Free The Institute by Kayla Howarth

stable
and you really can’t trust your heart to tell you how you feel. I’m
pretty sure throughout your whole teen years your hormones push
your heart all the way down to your lady parts. Trust your head,
Lia. Think rationally and your mind will tell you the answer,” she
says seriously.
    The fact she
referred to ‘lady parts’ reminds me of a day not that long ago when
Ebbodine said she thought mine were broken. I give a little giggle
but then start bawling again, just when I thought I was all cried
out. Kenna puts an arm on my shoulder for comfort.
    “Why does that
upset you honey?” she asks soothingly.
    “It doesn’t.
Not what you said about Drew anyway. It reminded of my friend
Ebbodine. I know she would have said something similar if she was
here,” I sob.
    She leans in
and embraces me again, “It’s understandable for you to be upset
over your friend. It’s understandable for anyone to feel that way
when they lose someone, but the fact you have been through this
before … well, let’s just say I’m proud of you for still being able
to function at all. I wish you had come sooner though Lia, you know
I’d help you any way I could. I miss my sister every day and
sometimes I just wish I got to spend more time with you. You’re
looking more and more like her every time I see you, you know.”
    I give a smile
and know that I definitely made the right decision coming here. I
feel a hundred times better already but I don’t want to go home. I
want to stay here.
    “Aunt Kenna, do
you think—”
    “You could stay
here for a few days?”
    “If that’s okay
with you? It will be good to just be away from home for a while –
even if it’s just over night.”
    “Well it is
okay with me but your dad might need convincing. Does he even know
you are here?” I hang my head and shake it ever so slightly, kind
of hoping she doesn’t see. “Don’t worry, I’ll handle your father,”
she says as she gets up and reaches for her phone.
    I wait
nervously. I can only hear her side of the conversation but she
doesn’t seem like she’s needing to do much convincing; I haven’t
heard her rationalise my visit yet. It doesn’t take long for Aunt
Kenna to get Dad to agree to let me spend the night. It seems a
little too easy, like maybe he didn’t want to have a certain
conversation over the phone and I will cop it when I get home, but
I get to stay the night and that makes me happy. I will let future
me deal with Dad. I’m not going to worry about that now.
    Aunt Kenna and
I stay up late talking and eating junk food. It feels so good
getting everything out and for the most part I don’t even need her
to give me advice, I feel better just getting out what is in my
head. I finally feel at ease and ready for sleep when she lays her
last piece of wisdom on me.
    “You have to go
through the hard times now so you know how to handle them in the
future. Life isn’t always sunshine and rainbows. If it was, you
would have a breakdown every time you broke a nail. You’re better
than that and I can see you are growing into a woman that your
mother would be proud of. This is how strong people are made
Allira.”
     
    ***
     
    Being with Aunt
Kenna has made me feel more refreshed and more relaxed than I have
felt in the last few weeks. However, the whole train ride home is
filled with nerves of what Dad will say when I get in the door. I
prepare myself to be yelled at but Dad doesn’t grill me or lecture
me and even allows me to stay home for the rest of the week. I
think he can see that I’m not handling things all that well and
knows I need to have a break, or maybe he thinks I’m going to crack
and tell people about Shilah. A few days to myself is just what I
need.
     

Chapter
Six

     
    My plan to
spend the last few days alone was disrupted when Dad asked me to
work on the farm. I’m actually beginning to think that’s the real
reason he let me have the rest of the week off – he needed help.
Dad is in the centre