‘Why is everyone suddenly so invested in my life choices?’ Elle snapped, and then was instantly sorry when she saw the surprised hurt on her friend’s face. ‘Sorry. I’m still recovering from this afternoon’s discussion,’ she said.

‘You know that’s just how your mum is,’ Lilly said calmly. ‘She loves you, and I think this is just her way of trying to point you in what she thinks is the right direction.’

‘Yeah, I know.’ Lilly didn’t have to elaborate. Her own mother had been a messed-up piece of work—too drunk to care for a child properly, and Lilly had pretty much raised herself. Her mum had kicked her out of home after a huge fight and then left town only two weeks after Lilly had Rose. She hadn’t even bothered to see her grandchild and hadn’t spoken to Lilly since. Gran had taken Lilly in after she’d left home, and helped her to find a place of her own after the baby was born, and for that, Lilly had adored Gran almost as much as Elle had.

Elle knew how lucky she was to have parents who genuinely cared for her, even if they did come with frequent lectures and the feeling that she was always being compared to her siblings and found wanting. And in their defence, her brothers and sister had never purposely made her feel that way. It wasn’t their fault they were all born smart. She knew that if she ever needed them—any of them—they’d be there for her in a heartbeat. They were all just a bit caught up in their own lives lately.

‘I know there’s more to this,’ Lilly said, killing any hope Elle may have had of changing the subject.

‘You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,’ she said wearily.

‘I’ve known you your whole life. Why wouldn’t I believe you?’

Elle eyed her best friend carefully. She trusted Lilly implicitly, but this was too weird. And yet, she desperately wanted to talk to someone about it. Should she risk sounding like a freak? Who else could she confide in? She couldn’t imagine telling any of her family—they would just use it as another chance to diagnose her with something, to tell her she was too naive, too ready to believe Gran’s stories about fairies and spirits, and simply incapable of accepting that Gran was dead.

‘I’m going because Gran asked me to go,’ she blurted before she could change her mind.

‘Yes, I know.’

Elle took a breath before continuing. ‘No, like, she came to me.’

‘Came to you? Like in a dream?’ Lilly asked.

‘Not exactly. More like in the toilets at work.’

‘What?’ Lilly was watching her curiously.

Okay, that probably wasn’t the best way to start. ‘I was freaking out because Michael had just sacked me and … she was there.’

There was an awkward silence as the two women stared at each other.

‘She was there? You saw her?’ Lilly asked slowly.