Chapter Thirty
NATURAL OBSTACLESThe west coast beach ran for a few kilometres before ending in a cove backed by a sheer cliff. The tide which lapped at the shore had already visited the foot of the mountain where her parents lived. It gave Phoenix a sense of connection with them. She imagined her mother standing on the deck outside the back of their house and watching the surf moving north, not realising it would eventually pass her fleeing daughter. Phoenix put her head down against the battering wind and relaxed her stomach. Mikaere flowed like treacle beneath her.
She’d spent her life idolising her father and playing his advice on a loop in her head. He would always do whatever it took to achieve his goals, but Phoenix’s mother always did what was right. Reaching for Hana’s ingrained
