Albatross by Ross Turner Read Free Book Online Page A

quite what to say. “Jen’s fine…” She concluded lamely, and Caroline just sniffed in response and pulled two of the shopping bags hung on her arm into one hand, and held them out to her ungrateful niece.
    “I’ve brought you gifts.” She announced, very formally, dropping the bags unceremoniously at Jen’s feet.
    Her long, false nails caught on the string at the last moment and the bags toppled to one side on the floor, with what sounded like a distinct crack.
    “Why, thank you.” Jen replied coldly, making no attempt to pick them up.
    Caroline flicked her long, dyed blonde hair out of her face, revealing the full extent of her awful fake eyelashes and tan, which seemed to radiate a sickly orange rather than brown.
    Very classy.
    Jen’s expression, however, was growing darker by the moment, and her mother sensed the danger as it encroached.
    “Why don’t we…” Dyra attempted to intervene, hoping to cut off the arrivals before bloodshed ensued.
    Unfortunately, she failed.
    “Have you brought anything for Clare, Caroline?” Jen asked then, her voice piercing the air like a knife coated in poisonous venom.
    Her aunt looked down at her quite seriously then, puffing up her own self-importance, and replied in a tone that made Jen’s blood boil and seethe.
    “No, Jen, don’t be absurd. Of course I haven’t.” She replied bluntly, sneering as she spoke.
    That was it.
    Caroline had been there all of about two minutes, and already Jen was ready to explode.
    She felt her rage building inside of her, and it swelled and rose and multiplied so fast and in such a charging rush that she felt as if she was going to burst: her emotions completely out of control.
    “Don’t do it Jenny…” Clare warned then, sighing regretfully and looking between her younger sister and their horrible aunt.
    Jen paused, stuck between a rock and a hard place.
    Silence hung for a moment before Clare spoke again.
    “She isn’t worth it…”
    Jen’s dreadful, uncontrollable wrath caught on the tip of her tongue, concealed within a single breath, and with seemingly inhuman self-control, at her sister’s will, she swallowed it down, burying it deep inside.
    Without another word Jen turned for the front door and departed.
    “And where do you think…” Caroline began, but Jen didn’t hear her finish, for she slammed the door tremendously behind her and headed immediately down the garden and out onto the road, turning instinctively towards the beach.
    “Jen?” A voice suddenly called, startling her in her rage.
    Jen looked up and, completely out of the blue, Mandy appeared, catching her totally off guard.
    “Oh, erm…I…Mandy…” Was all she managed, tripping over herself repeatedly, and her quickly dissipating fury was thrown completely.
    Jen’s emotions were up and down like a rollercoaster.
    “Is everything alright?” Mandy asked. Concern was evident in her soft voice, always so gentle and thoughtful.
    Her sleek, black hair was tied back in a neat ponytail and her brown eyes were somehow all seeing, as if every time Jen looked into them they gazed right into her very soul.
    She liked Mandy, but that was one of the reasons Jen always dreaded her visits.
    One of them.
    “Erm, yes…I’m fine, thank you…” Jen managed to reply, still stumbling over her tongue and shaking slightly.
    Mandy was not convinced.
    “What’s happened?” She asked immediately, glancing over her glasses that were perched delicately on her nose, looking briefly between Jen and the front door to Keepers Cottage.
    Mandy had quite a pale complexion, but not so that she looked ill. The aura that she held was most definitely one of professionalism and assertiveness, tinged with a generous helping of care and understanding: a rather unusual mix of qualities that most certainly made her stand out, and in fact made her absurdly attractive.
                  She wore black trousers, smart dress shoes and a white blouse, partly covered by a