Free The Considine Curse by Gareth P. Jones

day before he died, he took me aside and said that if he was to suddenly die I was to take Mariel far away, and sever all contact with the family. For her safety, he said, to protect her.’
    ‘Protect me from what?’ I ask.
    ‘He didn’t say but I knew he meant from her, from Mum.’
    ‘And that’s why we left?’ I say.
    Mum nods silently, tears in her eyes. No one knows what to say.
    ‘I’ve got a question about honeybee families, Mum,’ says Elspeth, apparently unaware of Mum’s revelation. ‘What happens when the queen bee dies?’
    ‘Well,’ says Aunt Dee. ‘Sometimes the bond between others remains strong, sometimes it weakens and the family fragments. But most often another family member, frequently another female replaces the central figure as the head of the family.’
    ‘That’s really interesting, Mummy,’ says Elspeth, getting up and taking her doll back to her room.

Chapter 11
    Acute Misanthropy
    For lunch, Uncle Sewell makes us sandwiches on homemade bread. Unlike Aunt Ruth and Aunt Celeste, he doesn’t seem as thrown by my not eating meat.
    ‘Dee and I sometimes toy with the idea of giving up meat,’ he says. ‘It’s so much more environmentally friendly. The girls won’t hear of it though. They’re carnivores through and through.’
    As I eat my sandwich, Elspeth pulls out a piece of ham and dangles it in front of my face. ‘Meat makes us strong,’ she whispers in my ear.
    ‘Meat is murder,’ I reply.
    She giggles.
    After lunch the others settle in the living room. I can’t get the book without being seen so I decide to go for a walk.
    It’s a bright day and the snow that covers the college grounds has melted a little, making it slushy and slippery underfoot. There aren’t many people around, although a few lights are on in the flats and I can hear televisions and music from students’ bedrooms.
    I think about what Mum said. Why would Grandad have sent her away like that? Why would Grandma want to harm me? It doesn’t make sense.
    ‘Having a nice walk?’ says a voice behind me.
    I turn around to see Elspeth.
    ‘Leave me alone, you little freakoid,’ I say.
    ‘Grandad was right to send you and your mummy away, you know. Grandma hated you both.’
    ‘You don’t know that,’ I reply.
    ‘I was Grandma’s favourite. She told me things she didn’t tell the others.’
    ‘Have you really followed me just to tell me that?’
    ‘No, I’m going up to the roof. Wanna come?’
    Metal stairs run up the outside of the building. Elspeth slips under the sign saying, Fire Escape: Use in Emergencies Only.
    ‘No thanks.’
    ‘Don’t be scared. The students go up there all the time. They’re not supposed to but they still do. You can see for miles up there.’
    ‘I’m not scared. You’re just the last person I want to spend time with.’
    I wonder what it is with my cousins trying to make me climb high things.
    ‘Suit yourself.’
    Elspeth runs up the steps. I turn and spot Mum walking towards me. I’m in no mood to talk to her and begin to walk away but she runs after me, calling my name.
    ‘Mariel, please.’
    I stop and let her catch up.
    ‘Is everything you’ve ever told me a lie?’ I ask before she can say anything.
    ‘I never told you much. I thought the less I said the fewer lies I’d have to tell.’
    ‘This is your explanation? This is the best you can do?’
    ‘I only wanted to protect you.’
    ‘What, from my grandma? Do you know how mental that sounds?’
    ‘I wanted to protect you from the fear I’ve had to live with every single day of my life.’
    ‘Grandma loved all my cousins so much she left them her house. Why was I any different? Why did I need protecting from her?’
    Mum starts to cry. ‘I don’t know. He died before he could give me an explanation.’
    ‘How convenient,’ I say before I can stop myself.
    ‘There was nothing convenient about his death,’ says Mum, sobbing.
    My frustration has bubbled up into white rage. ‘So we went