Influence by Stuart Johnstone Read Free Book Online

as much time away from the house as
possible, returning only to sleep and eat. He was a wedge between them and the
tight bond they had once enjoyed had slackened. By the time her mother had been
diagnosed it hung loosely and tenuously.
    That day though had
sparked a change, a reversal. The sicker Lizzie’s mother became the more she
needed Lizzie and the less her stepfather would be around. ‘Your mother needs
her rest’ would be the common parting shot as he would leave the house for
destinations unknown. Lizzie barely left her mother’s side in that final year.
School was no longer of any importance despite her mother’s pleas. Lizzie had
her mum back and she was determined to relish every second they had left
together.
    There then followed a
dark time, a period which had passed in a cloud of drowsy but raw emotion.
Lizzie had only fleeting recollections of family and friends she only knew from
photographs drifting through the house like ghosts, looking pityingly at her
and all muttering their condolences. The only person Lizzie wanted to see was
her aunt Janice but she had been out of the country with work and had been
unable to return on time. She hadn’t blamed her, after all her mother’s passing
had come sooner than the most cynical of the doctor’s predictions; she had not
blamed her, but she had needed her.
    In her will Lizzie’s
mother had requested three things. That Lizzie’s guardianship be tasked to
Janice, that the house be left to Lizzie with the provision that her stepfather
be allowed to stay in it for as long as he required and that whatever estate left
be used, by Janice, to ensure the best possible schooling for Lizzie for her to
complete her studies. Lizzie’s mother had been so proud of her academic prowess
and it broke her heart to be the reason for her having missed such an important
period in her schooling. Janice and Lizzie’s mother had clearly discussed the
matter at length before her death as Lizzie learned of her enrolment at Queen’s
Grove House as soon as she had arrived in Oxfordshire. Janice had explained she
had passed by the school many times and when Lizzie’s mother had expressed her
wishes she had investigated the matter and found the school to be just about
within budget and excelling in performance.
    Lizzie drummed her
fingers on the arm of the bench, oversized headphones pumping music around her
head as she considered the circumstances that had brought her to this place. It
was late morning, grey skied, but dry. Lizzie looked around the courtyard of
Jesus College which had suddenly busied while she had been lost in her reverie.
It must have been the start of a new lecture period judging by the way students
bustled their way here and there. She imagined herself among them, and
strangely she envied their concerns and problems – late for class, end of year
exams, fitting in and being surrounded by people you assume are so much smarter
than you. This last one wasn’t difficult to imagine. Lizzie was well aware of
the huge task she had taken on at Queen’s. She had missed so much school, and
even before her mum had been struck down her grades were only just on par with
entry levels at Oxford. Her poor prelim results had been a real blow, and as a
result she had tried to employ a sense of reality. She swore to herself she
wouldn’t allow her hopes to rise to Oxford level any longer. Her application
was in, it had to be by now, but she was now looking to alternative options and
trying to put thoughts of studying here far from her mind, which is not easy
sitting in the middle of Oxford.
    Blistering feedback
interrupted her thoughts and Lizzie pulled her headphones down to rest around
her neck. She would see people from time to time looking curiously at her giant
black headphones, like something a radio DJ would don. Of course the trend was
to go for small and discreet but Lizzie hated the little razor blades you had
to stuff into your ear canal. They irritated her, they