“Mum!”

I gave her an unenthusiastic look. 

Larissa was still my best friend, and I wasn’t going to give that up so quickly.

Mum just laughed, then took me in her arms and hugged me tightly. I returned the hug, although I didn’t really like that. That was because Larissa always hugged me so tightly that I couldn’t breathe, and her strong perfume always literally stuck to me. But I loved this girl.

“You don’t know how proud I am of you,” Mum said, breaking away from me again.

There it was again. That look of promise. As if she wanted to say something else. But she turned away quickly before I could reply.

Maybe it was better that way. I didn’t need to know everything. After all, it was her life, and it had nothing to do with me.

It would all get better soon. I sensed that. Soon, Dr. Copeland would be able to help my mum. And we would go back. Home.

“Now eat your cake before it’s full of wax!”

I was about to reach for the piece of cake when a ringing filled the first floor. The doorbell.

I looked over at Mum, who was heaving the plates out of the dishwasher.

“I’ll get it,” I announced. And before Mum could say anything, I turned and ran to the front door.

I was already expecting Julian or Mr. Bardot, but as I sweepingly yanked open the door, I spotted a pretty girl about my age with beautiful, full black hair, equally full lips, and high, rosy cheekbones. She was wearing gray jeans, along with an emerald green top with white and yellow flower print and a hairband that flattered her emerald eyes. 

“Hey!” she said with a bright smile that showcased her perfect teeth and reached up to her curiously twinkling eyes.

“Hey...”, I replied cautiously as she held something out to me. Cake.

Overwhelmed, I looked at her.

“How fitting, Mady,” I heard Julian laughing in the front yard and spotted him a few seconds later by the fence. He was grinning widely. As usual... “It’s her birthday, and you’re bringing her a cake.”

I looked at Julian in punishment, but he was already pounding nails into our mailbox, focused on his hammer.

“It’s your birthday?” I looked again at the girl, who had to be Mady. “Happy birthday!”

“Thank you...”

And then I finally managed to take the cake from her.

“I thought I’d say hello now that we’re neighbors.”

Neighbors?

I peeked over at the pretty small house, which resembled ours but was in better condition by far.

“I’m Mady...and I don’t mean to intrude any further.” 

She smiled nervously and turned to leave.

“Wait...”

Visibly surprised, she turned back to me, and I searched for words. “I’m Bayla.”

Mady smiled.

“Wow, she’s introducing herself to you, quite an improvement.”

We both turned to Julian, and Mady shook her head before turning back to me. “Julian’s always like that.”

“You know each other personally?” 

I looked back and forth between the two of them, and Julian put the hammer aside to wipe his face on his shirt. As he did, I caught a glimpse of his defined abs. 

Embarrassed, I looked away, back at Mady, who grinned knowingly at me.

“Unfortunately.” She rolled her eyes. “We went to Blairville High, even in the same class.” She pointed to Julian. “That right there is the embodiment of loner.”

Julian snorted and raised both brows before nodding at Mady. “And that one is the Sunshine Girl.”

I looked at her questioningly. Mady just smiled, shaking her head. “Everyone has their reputation here.” Then she looked at her watch. “Anyway, I have to get going.”

I nodded in understanding. 

“Of course.”

She winked at me, tossed her hair over her shoulder, and literally danced down the porch past Julian, whom she stuck her tongue out at.

Something told me she and Larissa would get along perfectly.

“You have mail, by the way.”

I looked over at Julian, who was holding up two letters.

Annoyed by the fact that he couldn’t have just left them in the mailbox, I stomped down the porch through the demolished front yard.

But I didn’t get far.

Something hard flew into me, and with a terrified scream, I tumbled backward into the nearest bush, where I landed ungently on scratchy branches.

“Ouch...” I groaned in pain, and when I felt something sharp on my belly and wanted to check if I had hurt myself, a bloodcurdling scream escaped me.

On my belly sat a freaking raven!

The animal was frightened as violently as I was and shot up, its claws once again digging nicely into my belly.

“Ah!” It escaped me and I jumped up, out of the bush.