The Boy With The Thorn In His Side

[monkeysmoke]

Chapter 21 A bit rushed as I'm about to go out, but wanted to get this part up before i went. hope you enjoy!

Chapter 21

“Hey!” Belle called out to Geoff and Irene as she entered the house, placing her bags on the kitchen counter and strolling through to the living room where they were sat on the sofa.

“Alright darl? How did things go at down at the surf club?” Irene asked casually, her eyes focusing on sewing the torn jacket on her lap. Belle looked from her to Geoff, who looked deep in thought.

“Yeah it was good” Belle replied, perching on the arm of the sofa next to Irene. Her voice sounded distant as she thought back to the surf club. Aden had infuriated her, yet she had had a good time. He had irritated her at every available opportunity, mainly because when she had offended him he had always had a quick witted response. She could outsmart most people, and when she couldn’t it irritated her. She felt like he had the upper hand, and didn’t know how she was going to cope with working with him as well.

“You know Irene…” She began, intent on pre-warning her of Roman’s plan. Before she could finish the sentence a tearful Annie ran into the house and dashed up the stairs. They had all turned to look at her but it had happened too quickly to react. Geoff jumped out of his thoughts and off the sofa, running over to the bottom of the stairs “Annie!” He called out, ready to follow her up.

“Go away Geoff!” A distant voice cried out from above, promptly followed by the slamming of a door. Irene, who had already got up off the sofa, placed a hand on Geoff’s shoulder. “Geoff love, maybe I should go and talk to her ay?” She suggested, trying to restrain the boy.

At this Belle jumped off the sofa, it had been far too long since she had been the one to deal with any of the problems in this house, and she was determined to put a stop to it. “No, I’ll go” She stated calmly, squeezing between them and ascending the stairs lightly. She could hear the sobs before she even reached the door. She waited a moment to gather herself, before knocking gently on the door. She waited a moment before twisting the handle and pushing the door open.

Annie raised herself up off the bed, wiping her face with her arm. She turned to face belle, who stood in the doorway staring at her.

“Can I come in?” Belle asked lightly, almost comically. Annie nodded in reply, tucking her legs underneath her. Belle strolled over, brushing her hand over objects she passed, before perching on the edge of the bed. She looked about herself, before picking up a magazine from the floor beside her and flicking through it silently, completely ignoring Annie’s confused gaze.

“Aren’t you going to ask me what’s wrong?” Annie asked.

Belle didn’t look up “Only if you’re going to tell me what it is” She replied casually, continuing to stare intently at the magazine in her hands.

Annie was slightly shocked, but also pleased. Geoff or Irene would have over reacted, indulging her childish fit, cuddling and fussing over her. Belle treated her like an adult, which made it easier to tell her the thoughts inside her head. Belle’s subdued, offhand manner dried her eyes a lot quicker than coddling, which only made her want to cry more.

“Belle, do you believe in God?” she asked seriously.

Belle held the magazine still in her hands as she pondered the question, scrunching up her nose and looking into the ceiling, “To be honest Annie, I don’t know”

Annie relaxed, “Neither do I” she sighed, moving closer to Belle she crossed her legs in front of her. Belle placed the magazine down and mirrored Annie’s posture so they were facing each other.

“Don’t you find it scary?” Annie asked her

”Well” Belle dithered, knowing what Annie wanted to hear and unsure what to reply “No, not most of the time” she sighed truthfully. She saw Annie’s face fall and persisted “Most of the time I just don’t think about it, because I know that if I do, then it would scare me and I’d end up making a choice.” She rambled.

“Then why don’t you just make a choice?” Annie asked, searching for the answer to her own problems in Belle’s response.

Belle smiled slightly, and leaned in to Annie’s face, “The same reasons as you” she whispered.

Annie looked into Belle’s eyes, searching for some other answer. She didn’t find one, but, for the first time in weeks, she didn’t feel so lonely.

“Aden’s never going to forgive me” Annie sighed, changing the subject. She stared down at the duvet, trying to fight the tears from coming back.

Belle’s smile dropped as she began to realise what had sparked this all off “Why would you say that?” she asked cautiously, scared of the answer.

“I just know” Annie said, her voice sounding old.

Belle’s face grew stern “Annie” she demanded.

Annie caved, lifting her face up from the duvet “I tried to apologise today, but he saw through it. He thinks I only did it to make myself feel better. But I didn’t Belle! I really am sorry! But he’ll never believe me. And it’s all so much worse because he might have HIV…”

“He doesn’t” belle blurted out abruptly.

Annie was taken aback, “Wha…? How do you know?”

Belle fidgeted on the bed “just word of mouth” she replied, which wasn’t technically a lie. “Anyway” she added loudly “Annie, it doesn’t excuse him alright? You apologised, if he can’t accept that then that’s his problem.”

Annie’s eyes bulged “No it’s not Belle! It’s mine! He did accept it, sort of, and then, I don’t really know what happened, he sort of changed his mind…” Annie’s voice trailed back. It had made sense at the time, but now it all seemed jumbled in her mind and she didn’t understand what had happened or why.

“OK Ok Annie” Belle stepped in, trying to calm her “Maybe he just needs some time” Her voice had softened, but inside she was still raging. It wasn’t like Annie had gone through with it, Aden had been cleared, and to go off at Annie was just mean. She couldn’t figure it out, one minute he was helping Annie and the next her was running her down. She would be having words for him tomorrow.

“Belle?” Annie’s eyes looked at her quizzically.

Belle looked up at her “hmm?”

“Are you OK?” Annie was confused by her silence.

“Yeah, fine. Are you going to tell Geoff?” She asked, changing tack.

“Are you kidding?” Annie exclaimed. “Belle he didn’t want me to apologise in the first place. If I tell him I’ll never hear the end of it!”

Belle nodded in agreement. “mmm, your brother can be a bit stubborn sometimes!”

“A bit?” Annie echoed “He makes me so angry sometimes”

“Boys” Belle added knowingly

“Do you remember that time he freaked because you ate those chocolate eggs before Easter?” Annie remembered lightly.

Belle laughed. “OK, so he can be very stubborn!” She pulled Annie towards her in a hug “Things will get better Annie, I promise” She whispered over her shoulder.

Annie smiled into Belle’s hug, she couldn’t remember how she had coped before Belle had been around.

[monkeysmoke]

Chapter 22 Am BAck! Glad you guys liked it! Here's a short one to move the plot along

Chapter 22

Miles began to walk faster down the beach, towards the curled bundle he could see poking through the grassy hedges, hopeful. He had been terrified to discover Jai’s empty bed this morning. He had been there less than a week, and didn’t seem to be settling in all that well. As he approached he became panicked, the body did not belong to Jai, and it was too big and bulky. He reached down to unveil the grey jacket that covered the head of the sleeping figure and was shocked upon his discovery. Two sleepy eyes peered reluctantly up at him, frowning at the harsh sunlight.

“Aden?” Miles asked, confused. He watched the body shift about grudgingly, finally lifting itself into a sitting position. “Aden what are you doing?”

Aden was grumpy, cold and tired. He was also slightly dazed by his surroundings, forgetting that he had opted to avoid his problems for a while longer by milling around on the beach. He realised he must have ended up dozing off here and moaned at the stiffness that had occupied his body over the course of the night.

Miles gazed down at the lad, who looked a little worse for wear, still in his school uniform, with only a jacket and his school bag. He held out a hand “Here let me help you up”

Aden grabbed onto Mile’s hand, too preoccupied with thoughts to argue. He gazed down at the sand beneath his feet, realising how dishevelled he must look. “Thanks” he muttered to the ground. He thought back to how he had left things last time he saw Miles, and felt the embarrassment cascade over him.

Miles eyed him over for a moment before speaking, “So, what are you doing out here at this hour?” he could see the agitated demeanour that began to overtake Aden, and had a sinking feeling that maybe this was about what happened with Cassie at school.

“It’s none of your business” He replied harshly, shouldering his bag, he brushed past Miles as he strode away, thoughts began to awaken in his tired mind, but before he could process them properly a thought occurred to him “S***” he cursed out loud, to no one in-particular, as it dawned on him that he had detention with Bartlett today. He gazed down at himself, in his school uniform, and then shrugged, he was technically going to school, he reasoned as he strode onwards.

Miles watched him walk off, bewildered by the events of the morning, but he didn’t have time to worry after Aden right now. He had to find Jai, that was his responsibility, and he had no idea where he was. At least Aden was safe, even if there was something obviously wrong. He jogged towards the diner, hopeful the kid might have just fancied an early breakfast.

Roman signalled to him the moment he entered the door. “Miles, grab a seat.” He gestured towards the stalls near the counter, hinting that he was up for a friendly chat “Coffee?” Roman asked as Miles approached him. Miles obediently sat on the stool. Jai definitely wasn’t here, which made his heart sink slightly as the possibilities started to dwindle. He knew he should rush off to find him, but he felt like he could use some moral support first.

Roman placed a mug in front of his friend as he studied his face “So, what’s got you up so early?” He asked casually, resting one hand on the counter.

Miles sighed, staring into his coffee cup “I’ve lost Jai”

Roman laughed at the way Miles had worded the situation, like Jai was a pet or something. “You’ve lost him? You haven’t even had him a week how can you have lost him?” Roman’s smile faded as his friend glanced up to face him. “Hey look, I’m sure he’ll turn up Miles, you know what kids are like, he’s probably just getting to know the area” he said reassuringly.

Miles relaxed into himself, glad he had bumped into Roman. “How do people do it Roman?” Miles asked, returning his gaze to the coffee cup “I watched people who were parents and always thought ‘I could do that’ but now I’ve got a kid, I realise I have no idea what I’m doing.” He took a gulp of coffee.

“Listen mate, don’t be too hard on yourself, you did sort of jump right into the deep end. This kid isn’t even yours, and he has a very troubled past. At least you’re there for him. I mean, it’s a step up from not even looking after your own” Roman rambled, sinking into himself and his own problems.

Miles watched him and realised what he was getting at “Roman, that’s called responsible parenting. I should never have just assumed I was good enough, after what Jai’s been through, he deserves so much better”

“Abandoning my child was not responsible Miles OK?” He said seriously, leaning over to him “Listen, what you’re doing is what is best for him. Abandoning Nicole, it was the worst thing I ever did. At least Jai knows you’re there for him” He raised himself back up, and grabbed a muffin from behind the counter “Here, you deserve one of these”

Miles smiled at him “Thanks” he replied, raising himself off of the stool “But I should probably get back to looking for Jai. Any ideas where he might be?” He asked, feeling rejuvenated after Roman’s pep talk

“Well where haven’t you looked?” Roman asked, racking his brain

“Well, I’ve tried round near the house, and I thought I saw him on the beach but it turned out it was Aden Jeffries” He said, his voice still showing signs of surprise at that particular event

Roman had begun wiping down the counter, but stopped to face him at the boy’s name “What?” he asked sharply

“Yeah” Miles said; glad to have someone to offload the problem on to. At least if he told Roman, he would know someone was on the case, after all, Roman was friendly with Aden “I found him sleeping down on the beach, he was still in his uniform.”

Roman thought back to last night when he had left him at the surf club. When he’d first seen him something had obviously been up, but after a few hours playing pool he had forgotten about it. Now he thought back though, Aden had seemed a little off when he left.

“Look, Roman, I wouldn’t ask, but what with Jai being missing I don’t feel I can chase up on Aden as well, would you…?” he stopped mid question, unsure what exactly he wanted Roman to do.

“Yeah it’s not a problem. Aden’s actually supposed to start work here later today so maybe I can have a word with him, find out what’s up” The two blokes gave each other a manly nod before Miles dashed towards the door.

“Oh and Miles” Roman called after him. He turned to face him, his hand gripping the door frame. “How about the beach trail, near the rocks?” Miles smiled back at him, giving him a thumbs up gesture before whizzing out the door.

[monkeysmoke]

Chapter 23 A bit intense this one! Please don't be offended by the religious stuff etc etc

Chapter 23

Annie gazed out at the sea and felt how tiny she was. She had often been amazed when she was little, wondering how God managed to see her amongst all this land. There were millions of people in the world that must look like tiny moving specks from miles away, bundling about with the millions of animals and insects and fish. How could he see them all? How could he know them all? She looked towards the sky, and wondered what lay beyond. She thought of the hymn that was sung at church “He’s got the whole world in his hands”. She wished she could see past the sky and the space beyond, she wondered if she kept going, if she would just crash into a glass wall, and peer through it to see the edge of the universe, a giant glass ball being held in a hand, and she would peer up and see God peering back down at her, the one holding it all together. Maybe if she could get that far, then he could really see her, and she could see him. But what if there was no glass edge? What if the space just kept going, never-ending? After all nobody had ever reached the end.

She moved from the trail she had been following and towards the rocks, thinking maybe she could see better from there. As she approached she saw a body leaning over the edge, their arms raised out at the sides, like a crucifix. As she got closer she recognised them immediately, but she was uncertain what to do.

“Doesn’t it scare you to be that close to the edge?” She asked cautiously, scared if she frightened him he might slip.

He retained his posture but turned his head slowly to meet her. “No” He replied calmly “It makes me feel alive up here”

Annie walked towards him, intrigued by this mysterious boy. He had shown up yesterday out of the blue and, other than his name, she had run off before she could find out any more about him

“Yeah, I like to come up here and think. It’s like, time, and the rest of the world just stop, or don’t exist or something” She didn’t understand why she was spouting all these feelings. She had come here to get away from people, because she couldn’t tell people these things. But for some reason she felt like she should tell him, even though he hadn’t asked.

“You know what really makes me feel alive?” he asked her tonelessly. The edge to his voice scared her. “Is when I’m closest to death” he finished, answering his own question.

Annie sensed something bad, “Hey Jai, do you fancy going for a walk on the beach?” She asked. She liked the feel of his name on her tongue and wished she could repeat it to herself. But decided against it.

“Yeah sure” his response was nonchalant; like he wasn’t really listening to her “I’ll meet you down there”

She panicked slightly now “Why don’t we just walk down together?” She suggested, moving towards him “Jai?” She added when he didn’t respond.

“I’ll meet you down there” he repeated. Before Annie knew what was happening, she saw his body fall forward, it was in slow motion but her body was paralysed. She watched him disappear over the edge and her body only allowed her to move after hearing the splash as he crashed into the water.

“Jai?” She yelled, panicked. She ran to the edge and looked over; she saw a swirl of white where his body had hit the water “JAI!” She shrieked, a piercing fear etched into her voice. Her heart beat hard against her chest as she scanned the water fearing the worst. Suddenly she saw a patch of dark hair surface out of the blue. “Jai!” She yelled again, this time a hint of hope in her voice. She saw a face peer up at her “Jai! Wait there, I’m coming!” She yelled as she scrambled down the hill full pelt. She ran as fast as she could, her heart a loud echo that vibrated through her. As she got closer to the ground she saw the long path stretch before her. She peered over the edge and saw Jai’s body swimming towards the shore. Bending over she clutched her chest “Oh God thank you” she whispered to herself before pelting down the path to meet him.

She watched him walk out of the water, drenched, and felt surreal. Watching him walk out of the water with an eerie calm over him, he seemed like an almost mythical creature to her. Her head whirred with activity. She had gone up to the beach, searching for some sort of answer, and instead she found this boy who was almost immortal, was it fate? Was he put there for her as some sort of a message? Or some freakish coincidence? She didn’t know, and that was what angered her.

“What did you do that for?” She asked him angrily

He was shocked by her anger “I told you I’d meet you down here” he repeated calmly. “Let’s go for that walk”

“Are you kidding me? You could have killed yourself!” She yelled at him, infuriated further by his calm

“I’m fine. Don’t worry.” His eyes stayed focused on her the whole time, but it was as if he wasn’t there, as if his body walked about on its own, or was on standby or something.

“Jai that this isn’t fine! Do you know how much you scared me? What did you do it for?” She was still yelling, she felt hysterical, she didn’t even know him and yet she cared more about his welfare than he did.

“I told you, to feel alive; do you want to go for a walk now?” He asked. She suddenly saw the eyes she met yesterday return to his body, and she grew calm, but she was still angry.

“No, I don’t. I don’t want to go anywhere with you” she said, walking away

Jai was shocked by her response, and hurt to be rejected so abruptly “Whatever I don’t want to hang around with some stupid kid anyway” He muttered, walking the other way.

Annie span round, still angered by what had just happened “I’m not stupid you’re stupid, you almost killed yourself and you don’t even care!” She yelled. She was dying for a response, some sort of emotion that proved he was human.

“But I didn’t did I? I’m fine! And you are a stupid kid. A stupid kid who makes stupid lies about other people because you’re bored. You’re pathetic” He turned and walked away, down the beach, his shoes leaving a trail of water behind him.

Annie stood and watched him leave, her eyes watery, wondering if people would ever forgive her.

[monkeysmoke]

Chapter 24

“Ah, Mr Jeffries!” Martin Bartlett greeted with mock enthusiasm as Aden rushed up to the school gate. He looked Aden up and down with a sneer “and why, may I ask are you in your uniform?”

Aden was still trying to catch his breath, feeling ragged and dirty, but he faked a smile, refusing to let Bartlett gain the upper hand “Well Sir, we are at school, I don’t want to be accused of disobeying the rules.” He replied jokingly.

“Yes, well Aden, for future reference, uniform is not required for Saturday detention, nor is it appropriate attire for what I have in store for you, but never mind”

Aden allowed himself to groan slightly as he thought about the hours of manual labour that lay ahead of him.

“Over here, Jeffries, are the tools,” He walked towards a pile of gardening tools stacked in the corner, picking up a large pitch fork, “ I want you to dig up the earth with this” He shoved the handle into Aden’s chest a little harder than necessary. “Then sprinkle fertilizer over it” he continued. “Do you think you can manage that?” It was meant as a dig, but Aden resisted the urge, conserving his energy for the task at hand. “Right, well, I’ll be here all day to make sure you do” Bartlett warned sternly when he received no response.

As he walked away Aden realised he just couldn’t let it go, “What Sir, no hot date lined up?” he smirked as he saw the damage it did to Bartlett, who had been feeling quite smug with himself.

Aden began shovelling the dirt, his body weary from the events of the past few days. He felt his stomach churn and realised he couldn’t remember when he’d last eaten. He could smell himself, his body and clothes having accumulated all the dirt he had swept through the world in the past few days, a reminder of where he’d been, and where he’d have to go back to. He abandoned the thought there and looked at his watch, sighing as he realised there were six gruelling hours left of this. It would be easier if there was someone to talk to; he’d even settle for Bartlett if it would stop him from having to listen to himself. As if in answer to his wish, a voice from behind him broke the silence.

“Excuse me?”

He turned towards the sound. A woman stood before him, flowing brown locks fell down against her heart shaped face. Her eyes were a golden brown, and penetrated through him, back to another time.

She eyed the boy warily as he stood speechless before her. His eyes looked at her with a child like longing, as if she was meant to understand what he wanted from her. It was as if he had seen a ghost, but she had no clue who he was or why had reacted that way to her presence. She persisted “Excuse me, do you know where Mr Bartlett is?” She asked cautiously, stepping towards him, worried he was about to faint.

The words rang about inside his mind and he forced his mouth to answer them, to do something that proved she was real. “He’s inside” He said shyly, releasing the pitch fork and letting it clatter on the ground. He walked towards the building; hopeful she would follow him, and not disappear into nothingness.

He knocked on Bartlett’s door, not allowing himself to turn around. He wanted to wait for Bartlett, if Bartlett could see her, then she was real.

“Mr Jeffries” Bartlett began impatiently, about to lay into him, when he noticed a woman stood behind him

“Mr Bartlett?” The woman asked assertively, stepping forward next to Aden. Aden could feel a few of her hairs brush onto his skin, and a chill ran through him. His breath quickened as he waited for Bartlett to make the woman real, not trusting his own senses.

“Hello there, you must be Kirsty Phillips, is that right?” Bartlett asked politely, his manner suddenly becoming welcoming. Aden relaxed, but also felt a huge sinking disappointment drag him back into reality. Kirsty Phillips? He didn’t know her. For a moment there he had thought… he shook the thought away, realising how crazy it sounded.

“Please come in” Mr Bartlett gestured for the woman to step into his office. Aden saw the way Bartlett eyed her, the places where his eyes lingered that second too long, and felt sick. Bartlett looked up at Aden and saw the look in his eyes, “You can get back to work now” Bartlett commanded sternly, his eyes threatening, before shutting the door in his face.

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It had seemed like he had been at work for hours when he saw Kirsty Phillips float past in his peripheral vision. Her heels made no sound as she glided past him, and he turned to watch her go, mesmerised, he rubbed his eyes. How could it not be her? It looked so much like her? How he imagined she was.

Someone coughed loudly behind him “Mr Jeffries, if you could keep your eyes on your work please” My Bartlett iterated firmly, sneering at him.

The insinuation pricked at his skin more than it usually would have “Sorry sir would you like me to go wipe up that puddle of drool in your office?” He replied calmly, although his manner wasn’t so much joking anymore. The words were painted with something a little darker this time.

“Get back to work” Mr Bartlett flustered angrily, his face reddened and Aden turned away, unable to cope with how accurate his aim had been. It wouldn’t usually bother him, if it weren’t about that woman.

About the chapter: Feel I better explain that you probably won't find out whats up with Aden's reaction to Kirsty in this chapter for quite a while yet. Sorry!

[monkeysmoke]

Chapter 25 WARNING: If you are religious then please don't be offended by the God references! I don't mean them, this is fiction!

Chapter 25

Geoff looked on in amazement as Annie circled the bottom of the ice cream tub greedily with her spoon, before licking the melted remnants off the end of it slowly, deliberately. She savoured the sickly sweet taste, raising her head skywards and closing her eyes, when she opened them and looked down again she caught Geoff’s shocked expression boring at her.

“What?” She asked self consciously to her brother, who sat on the sofa next to her.

He continued to stare at her, his mouth wide open. “You just ate that whole tub of ice cream” He said slowly, pointing at the evidence in her hands.

“I did not, you had some as well” She replied defensively, shifting down into the sofa, a frown crossing her face at his accusation.

Geoff laughed “I had one spoonful Annie!” he declared, his voice a high pitched tone of disbelief.

She sighed with frustration “Geoff you’re such a pig sometimes” She muttered.

“I’m a pig?” He questioned jokingly, pointing to himself.

Annie glared at him before raising herself from the sofa and angrily stropping into the kitchen to discard the empty tub and spoon. She banged the bin lid shut, deliberately making as much noise as possible. She was still so angry and had been all day. It was evening now but Jai’s stunt from earlier and his harsh words were still fresh in her mind, right there next to her encounter with Aden. She was dying for a fight, and she knew which buttons to press when it came to Geoff. She stomped back through the living room and threw herself back onto the couch, snatching the remote out of Geoff’s hands and flicking through the channels.

“Whoa!” Geoff said getting slightly irritated “What has got into you today?” He asked, genuinely intrigued.

“Nothing” she lied, crossing her arms and glaring at the TV.

Geoff leant over and snatched the remote back from her “Well could you please take your ‘nothing’” He said, making inverted comma signs with his fingers “elsewhere, Lost is on” he added, flicking the channel back.

Annie snatched it back deliberately, flicking it over even though she didn’t really care. She just wanted someone to be as angry as she was.

“Annie!” Geoff growled at her, leaning over to grab the remote back, she didn’t stop him from taking it this time. Bored of that game, she sat still.

Geoff eyed her for a second as he grabbed the remote again, before settling back into his chair.

“You’re so weird” He muttered, focusing his eyes on the TV.

“I’m weird?” she questioned him angrily “Me? I’m weird? Why because I don’t believe in some dumb book Geoff? Because I don’t believe that some bearded magician freak from the stone-age is our saviour? That makes me weird?” She was ranting at him now, her hands flailing.

Geoff sighed, and covered his face with his hands “I thought we weren’t talking about this anymore” he asked tiredly.

She was surprised he hadn’t taken the bait she had dangled ludicrously in front of him and begun spouting off at her, but she was too angry, too desperate for confrontation to stop and consider that right now. She raised herself off the seat, needing to move, to let off the energy that was building up in her “Oh because you’ve been doing so well at that Geoff!” she exclaimed, clutching at straws.

Geoff’s face was a picture of genuine shock. Now he was angry. He had tried so hard to not antagonise her. He had held back every time, what more did she want? He stood up to level with her “Are you kidding? I haven’t said anything…” but before he could clear himself she was yelling over him.

“You don’t have to! I see the way you look at me. The way you were with Cassie! I know you think she’s evil and that she’s going to hell!” Annie spat, she was furious now, she felt herself spinning out of control but she couldn’t seem to stop herself. She knew it wasn’t Geoff’s fault but the words kept coming.

“That’s not fair!” Geoff whined at her “Annie I never said anything! I haven’t said anything to you! What? Am I suppose to not feel anything now either?” He yelled back at her. He let out a deep sigh and looped an arm up behind his head. He did not want to do this anymore. “C’mon Annie what is this really about?” He questioned.

She looked at him “You were right ok?” she said stubbornly.

Geoff’s face was puzzled “Right about what?” he asked her calmly

She looked down at the carpet and mumbled the name Aden into it.

Geoff listened to her, then placed his palms together and pressed them to his lips as he realised what must have happened. He felt a niggling sensation starting to overtake his body. He knew his mouth was about to malfunction. He had been doing so well at not lecturing Annie, but it was as if Aden’s name was a catalyst. Anytime it got uttered in this house somebody ended up having an argument.

“Annie” he said condescendingly. “Why?” He held his hands out “I told you no good would come of it. You should have just stayed aw…”

“Oh just shut up Geoff!” She yelled at him, staring him down. Once she had yelled it once it was as if all these other words were unlocked in her mind and allowed entrance to her mouth “Just shut up! You’re not right! Cassie’s not evil! I should have apologised to Aden! And I still don’t believe in God! So just shut up!” She stormed out the house. She had gotten the reaction she had been looking for, but it didn’t make her feel any better.

[monkeysmoke]

Chapter 26 Done and dusted. I quite like this one. (I know people don't usually say that about their own work, but its one of my favourite chapters so far)

Chapter 26

The screen on his watch made it 5pm. He stared up at the house, if he remembered rightly; his dad wouldn’t be back for at least another two hours. So why was he so nervous? He sighed, “Just get in, get changed, and get out” he whispered to himself as he forced his feet to walk up the path.

His keys jangled furiously in his shaking hand as he unlocked the door. As he let it swing open reality burst out and into his face; Reality and the smell of whiskey.

Aden crept through the living room, scared of disturbing it, of leaving a trace of life amongst the decay. He took a moment to survey his surroundings. The curtains closed the light off, and empty beer and whiskey bottles lined every available surface. A few lay scattered over the floor.

He glanced up at the mantelpiece and his eyes locked onto the aged photograph of his grandfather – smothered in medals, that rested in the middle; a centrepiece. He strode quickly away from it, towards his room. He battled the images that the memory of the room projected onto his mind as he searched frantically for some clothes. Grabbing a handful he dashed towards the bathroom, to cleanse himself, to escape.

He twisted the shower gage as high as it would go, letting the steam obscure the room, as if it would hide him, before he hurriedly stripped and stepped under the scorching heat. He cried out slightly as the fiery blades felt like they were piercing into his dry skin, but gritted his teeth through the pain until the dizzy heat made him numb. He let the water cascade over him and rob his senses, running his hand through his hair, gently. He stared at the muddy water that dripped down next to his feet, staining the pure white of the porcelain floor beneath him. Without noticing he had begun to rub harder at his head, till he was shaking himself vigorously, trying to remove all traces of dirt from his body.

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“So, Irene’s not working today? Very sneaky Roman” Belle said jokingly “You know, timing their shifts around each other is not going to work for very long. She does own the business with you, she will find out” Belle half warned half joked, as they worked methodically next to each other on the counter in the diner kitchen.

“Yes, thank you for insulting my intelligence Belle” Roman retaliated smiling “But it was actually just a coincidence” He lied, knowing he had done it because a small part of him truly feared Irene.

“Oh ok” Belle replied unconvincingly “well that’s good” she continued, picking up the two plates they had just prepared “cos for a moment there I thought you’d chickened out” She added, smiling knowingly at him, before taking the two plates round the front of the diner.

She placed the plates on the table of a young chatty couple and smiled at the vibes that emanated from them “Excuse me?” Belle sighed, dreading the person she suspected the voice belonged to, before spinning round to face it.

“Gladys” Belle stated, her fear confirmed “How can I help you today?”

“Hello there dear, this cup here, it’s filthy” She croaked, shaking the empty tea cup at Belle.

“I’m sorry about that Gladys, let me get you another one” Belle said tonelessly, knowing that with Gladys, it wasn’t worth mentioning that she should have said that before she finished the tea. As she went to take the cup Gladys grabbed Belle's wrist tightly with her other wrinkly hand

“If you don’t mind me saying so dear, I noticed your hands weren’t too clean either” She said deliberately loud “Did you touch their food with those?” She asked loudly, inspecting Belle’s hand.

Belle snatched her arm back aggressively, “I assure you Gladys, my hands are clean, and I just washed them. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll go get that tea” She said through gritted teeth, aware of the couple behind her who were peering around, trying to get a good look at her hands.

She stormed back into the kitchen. “Uh!” She cried upwards, wringing her hands at the air.

Roman raised his eyebrows at her “Gladys?” He asked knowingly.

“God, Roman! She used to annoy me before I even worked here, but now!” She rested her hand on the side “How do you put up with it?” She asked incredulously, shaking her head.

At that moment Aden walked in carrying two untouched plates of food. Belle and Roman turned to stare at him. “What are you doing with those?” Belle asked accusingly.

Aden looked down at the plates in question “I don’t know, some couple stopped me as I went behind the counter, when they found out I now work here they gave them to me, something about a waitress with poor hygiene standards.” He said casually, placing the plates on the side.

“I can’t believe that old bag!” Cried Belle angrily.

Roman sighed, “Where are they now?” he said, wiping his hands against each other

“At the counter, they want a refund” Aden answered. Belle was staring at the floor, clearly ready to burst.

“Right, I’ll go sort it, you grab yourself an apron mate” Roman said as he walked past him out the front.

“Well you shouldn’t have to because my hands are clean!” Belle yelled after him.

Aden smirked at her as he hung the apron over his head, tying the strings round the back. “Already upsetting the customers, now that’s not a good start”

“It wasn’t me it was that stupid irritating old bag who has nothing better to do than hang around here all day cradling a cup of tea and scrounging for freebies” She rambled angrily at him.

“Tell that to the judge sweetheart” He smiled, “Actually, I’ll be the judge, let me see those hands” He said, grabbing one of them and holding it up to the light.

She snatched it away, not in the mood to be laughed at. She hated it enough when she was wrong, but to be told she was in the wrong when she was right almost brought her to tears, even if it was over something as silly as washing her hands. “Get lost Aden I don’t want to speak to you” She muttered, turning to chop some salad on the counter.

“Me?” he said laughing “What did I do?”

“I’m sure even you, with your limited IQ, can figure that out” She said, chopping a carrot furiously, imagining it was Gladys.

“Oh I see, let me guess. You’re angry with me because you can’t stand being so close to me when you want me so much, is that it?” he said, trying to sound as smarmy as possible.

She spun to face him, the blade still held firmly in her hand “You were a complete jerk to Annie yesterday you know that right?” She told him, her face serious

“So what?” he asked, realisation settling over him, he leant back on the opposite counter “You gonna stab me?” He asked smiling at her

Her face furrowed into confusion momentarily, before she followed his gaze to the knife in her hand. She smiled, placing it down on the side. “You didn’t have to be so horrible to her you know? She was apologising to you” Belle told him as she took off her apron. Her tone was still serious, but her features had softened.

“Yeah well, I did her a favour, now she is redeemed of her sin and she doesn’t have to feel bad because I’m not worth feeling bad about. She can be a good little Christian girl again” He told her, his voice still casual, but his eyes drifted away from her.

She studied him for a moment, he almost sounded sincere there. “That’s not what she wants you know. She wanted you to know that she’s sorry, not God.” Belle told him softly. She picked up her bag but waited at the door a moment to see if he responded.

He didn’t.

“But I guess you don’t care about that do you?” She said sharply before walking out the door. He lifted his eyes to watch her go, wondering if her words were true.

[monkeysmoke]

Chapter 27

“Geoff are you sure she didn’t mention where she was going?” Irene asked him calmly, holding his shoulders in encouragement. Irene had initially ignored Geoff when he was anguishing over Annie’s whereabouts. She could tell that they had had another row, and she was all too familiar with Geoff’s tendency to overreact, especially when it came to Annie. She didn’t blame him for it; she knew how much he loved her. She also knew that Geoff needed Annie more than Annie needed Geoff, and now that Annie was growing up and thinking for herself, Annie had started to realise this too, which made Geoff worry even more.

“Irene I told you she started yelling and then she just left”. Geoff told her impatiently, he had moved away from Irene and begun pacing up and down the living room.

Irene sighed “Have you considered that she might need some time to cool off love?” She knew she was repeating herself.

“Yes Irene” Geoff whined at her “But that was ages ago now!” He said continuing to pace “It’s dark out now, and Annie NEVER goes out alone when its dark.” He said it in the same voice children use when they’re repeating a rule they’ve been told. As if the rule were indestructible, and breaking it were taboo.

“Yes but Geoff, you said yourself she was mad at you. Don’t you think that in that state of mind, she might just stay out late to get at you?” Irene suggested as nicely as possible, her own patience frayed as she began to worry herself.

“Nope” He said firmly, biting his lip “She wouldn’t do this” he stopped pacing and folded his arms, deep in thought.

Belle rubbed her damp hair over her shoulder with a towel as she strolled out of the bathroom, having overheard snippets of the conversation. She thought it would be best to come and see what was going on before collapsing into a slumber on her bed, which was what she felt like doing after her days work at the diner.

“Hey what’s up?” Belle asked, yawning, staring between the two of them.

Geoff remained silent, pensive. Irene waited for his reaction before answering. “It’s just that Annie hasn’t come home yet, and it’s dark out. You didn’t see her earlier on your way home from work did you darl?” Irene asked, clasping her hands in front of her, secretly hoping Belle would say yes and everyone would relax.

Belle saw the agitation in Irene’s manner. It was subtle, at least in comparison to Geoff, but it was enough to make her feel on edge. Irene didn’t tend to worry herself without good reason.

“No Irene, sorry” Belle said helplessly, wishing she had.

Geoff jumped out of his thoughts, unable to take the not knowing any more “Right! That’s it! I’m going to look for her” He declared, heading towards the door.

Irene grabbed his arm “Whoa! You can’t just go marching off mister” She told him sternly.

Geoff began to object but Belle jumped in, well aware that Geoff’s mind was made up. “Look, I’m sure Annie is fine” Belle confirmed “BUT” She said quickly to silence Geoff “We should check anyway. So Geoff, I’ll get dressed and we’ll go look for her together, and Irene can stay here in case she comes back” Belle planned out loud, taking control.

“Belle! I can’t wait for you to get dressed” He objected, looking at her dressing gown

“Geoff will you calm down? I’ll be quick, a few minutes is not going to make any difference. Besides, if you go out to look for her and find her you guys will just argue again and then she might run off again!” She reminded him.

Geoff accepted this obvious fact and watched as Belle left to get changed. He covered his face with his hands, wondering when it was exactly that his sister had suddenly decided she couldn’t stand him.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

“So, all you have to do is switch off the lights, set the alarm and lock the door” Roman dictated as he twisted the key in the lock “You got that?” he asked seriously to Aden, who stood behind him.

“Yep” He replied, his head nodding slightly. He was finding it incredibly difficult to focus.

Roman looked at Aden, who stood with his hands in his pockets, staring out at the sea. He knew from what Miles had said that Aden hadn’t been home last night, yet he had changed clothes, he seemed clean. So he must have been home since then. Roman wanted to relax, tell himself that the problem was solved, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right. All evening in the diner Aden had seemed distant, weary. There had been a few times when Roman had had to repeat directions to him, even though he knew Aden was a bright kid, from his witty remarks alone. Looking at his face now he noticed the heavy bags that weighed down his eyes.

“So…” Roman began as he and Aden strolled away from the diner, towards the path. “How are things?” he placed deliberate emphasis on ‘things’ as though Aden would understand what that really meant.

“Fine” Aden replied shortly, not really listening. The pangs of hunger in his stomach were waging a war against his mind’s refusal to go home. He would have eaten at work, but his pride held him back, worried Roman would suspect something.

“You know, if things weren’t fine and you needed a place to crash, or someone to talk to…” Roman let the sentence linger, awaiting a response.

“Thanks Roman but I’m fine” he replied a little too aggressively.

”Are you sure?” Roman pressed.

“Yeah, look I have something I need to sort out, I’ll see you later” Aden replied hurriedly before rushing off down towards the beach. He needed to get away from the pity he could feel penetrating through Roman’s eyes.

Roman watched him go, his fears confirmed.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Annie ran her hand through the sand, letting the grains sprinkle through her fingertips and disappear into the mass again. The sky was a velvety black, and she watched in fascination, having never been on the beach at this time before. All the surfers, families, couples and groups had long gone. She wasn’t supposed to be out here like this, she knew that, because it was what everyone told her. At first she had stayed as an act of rebellion. She wanted to prove that her life was hers to live. But as the clouds disappeared under the dark cloak of night she had been mesmerised. There was something about the quiet darkness that made her feel peaceful. Her thoughts were settled and she could just be.

She could still hear the waves, and a faint glimmer reflected off of the moon and followed there motions through the water. She looked up at the half moon and wondered, if someone were to look down from the moon all they would see would be the glimmer of the waves? Did the effects of night and day effect what you could see from the moon? From space? Her thoughts were interrupted by the scraping sound of denim being rubbed together, and the light patter of feet trailing across the sand. Suddenly the light of the moon disappeared and Annie looked up into nothingness. But she could feel it. She could feel a tall figure looming over her, blocking the light.

“Hello Annie”

[monkeysmoke]

Chapter 28

“Hello Annie, what are you doing out here… at this time?” The voice asked her quietly.

“Nothing” She replied quickly “I was just going” She gathered herself up hurriedly, panic rose through her as she began to walk quickly towards the grassy hedge behind her, heading towards the brightly lit path on the other side.

“Whoa, whoa” the voice said, grabbing her arm firmly “There’s no need to rush off”

She held her breath in resistance to the touch. She gazed down, refusing to look into the face and see the eyes that leered at her.

The figure leant down, bringing its face closer to hers “Why don’t you stay a while?” The voice whispered suggestively into her ear. She could feel the breath on her cheek and her stomach tightened in fear.

“Sorry I have to get back” She breathed timidly, pulling away from the hand that grasped her.

It gripped her tighter, grabbing her other arm and pulling her body closer, so they were facing each other. She could feel the fingers dig deep into her skin

“I think you need to stay a while” The voice told her, the tone was threatening now. A command, not a suggestion.

She looked up into its eyes “Please let me go, you’re hurting me” she pleaded, her voice reverting to its more childlike tones. The ones she tried to hide she hoped would save her now. She struggled against the figure vigorously now.

She felt the anger rise through the figure as it pushed her onto the ground. The force of the impact made her cry out and a hand quickly covered her mouth.

“Shhh” the voice told her calmly, the figure was on top of her now. She could feel her own body tremble against its weight, against its closeness. Her eyes filled with tears as she realised how helpless she was.

“You need to be quiet” the voice told her calmly, although there was an edge to it. “You need to learn a lesson Annie”

The hand moved from her mouth and stroked the hair out of her face. It followed the trail of her hair down past her face. She could feel it, every slight movement as it journey down past her chest, sliding down until it grabbed the hem of her skirt, lifting it up.

She raised her hands up and pushed at the weight on top of her, trying to free herself. “No, No, get off of me!” Her words trembled into the night but there was a determination to them.

The figure raised its other hand to cover her mouth again, whilst the weight of its body pressed down against her, restraining her movements.

“Shut up” It breathed angrily into her face, there was something in the eyes that glared at her that scared her, and she obeyed, allowing only a few silent tears to run down her cheeks as she felt the hand continue to rise up under her skirt. The head bent down to her neck and she winced as she felt felt lips press down on her neck forcefully.

Aden stared in horror at the sight before him, frozen in time as he watched the dark figure force itself upon her tiny frame. A small cry snapped him back into the moment and he felt the blood red rage course through his veins.

He lunged down onto the dark figure and threw it into the sand “Get the hell off of her!”

Suddenly his mind went black. It was as if the fuse had blown on his life and when it came back on he saw Axel’s bloodied face underneath him, wincing against his raised fist. The sound kicked in and he could hear Annie sobbing from behind him. He slowly raised his shaking body off of Axel and stumbled backwards.

He watched in slow motion as Axel, his face mangled and dripping with blood, raised himself up stumbling, and ran away, across the beach and into the darkness.

He felt like he was dreaming. He turned towards the sound of Annie’s sobbing and saw her frail body crumpled in-between the grassy hedge next to the beach, hugging herself.

He walked slowly towards her “Annie?” He asked shakily, the moment still surreal, he wondered what she had just been witness to.

Her face looked up into his and he recognised the fear and confusion in her eyes. He bent down towards her on the grass cautiously, like he would a wild animal, scared the slightest movement might scare her away.

“Annie?” He repeated gently, and he heard his words echo around his mind.

Suddenly two small hands reached towards him and he felt them grip around his neck. He felt a wet patch on the side of his chest as Annie sobbed into it, and felt her body tremble against him. Worst of all he could feel her pain. He circled his arms around her waist and held her gently in the darkness.

Sorry would have put a warning on about the violence and sexual connotations but then that would have given it away! Hope no one is offended! xxx

[monkeysmoke]

Chapter 29 WARNING: some suggestive sexual stuff in this one.

Was supposed to be longer but I felt bad making everyone wait so long, so here is the first part of this chapter. Hope it was worth the wait!

Chapter 29

As Annie had cried into his arms Aden had had time to piece things together in his mind. He remembered what Axel had said to him in Mile’s lesson “I saw that little Christian girl, Annie, earlier, already lining up her next victim. Someone ought to teach her a lesson” He shuddered at the memory. Axel had done this for him; he had been trying to get back into Aden’s good books after Aden had ignored him. He felt sick; he hadn’t cared about liking his friends before. It was only supposed to be about survival.

Suddenly Annie pushed herself away from him. It was as though she had snapped back into herself, the tears had stopped, and she stood up and walked down onto the sand, before sitting down to face the sea a few metres from where he now sat. He watched her, unsure what to do. Making a decision he got up and placed himself down next to her on the beach. They sat side by side, their legs bent in front of them, staring out into the ocean in silence.

Aden was the first to snap back into reality, uncertain how long they had been sitting there for. He turned to study Annie, who was still staring at the sea in a daze, hugging her knees for comfort. It was dark outside but for the first time Aden could see her clearly. That harsh light that beamed off of her was now dim. He hated himself, wondering why he had ever hated her for it. His eyes filled with tears as he tried to think of a way to make it come back.

“Annie” He said, his voice shattering the silence that surrounded them. It was a relief to him, and he suddenly realised what he needed to do. He needed to act.

“Annie, I need you to tell me something” He placed the words before her delicately so she could get used to them. She didn’t respond but he sensed that she was listening.

“Annie you need to tell me what happened” he stared at the sea, trying to give her some privacy. He knew how difficult this was, but he also knew he needed her to speak.

“Annie you need to tell me if he touched you” he persisted. The word ‘touched’ felt like poison, it burnt his tongue.

He saw a tear glisten as it fell down her face. She didn’t look at him, she felt numb, like she no longer existed. What had just happened was trapped in another time, disconnected from the now. Thinking about it, answering him felt dangerous to her; as though it would connect the dots and the two events would join together.

“Annie” He persisted, not wanting to scare her.

“Yes” She whispered into the night.

He felt his heart sink as he watched Annie’s words tumble into the darkness. It was as if they weren’t strong enough, they disappeared into it. He needed to continue, he needed more. He fought off the tears that threatened him.

“Annie, you need to tell me what he did to you. Everything he did to you.” He emphasised the last part. If she said everything then it couldn’t hide within her and come back to attack her. Or so he hoped.

“I can’t!” She cried at him, shaking her head.

“Annie” his voice was harsh, but he knew if she didn’t get the words out now the darkness would silence her. If she told him, then it made it real, and maybe she could find her way back.

The anger at his own situation drove him on; he couldn’t let it be this way. Not Annie, she was so small, so innocent. “Did he put his hands on you” He struggled with the words, his mind battling to keep his own memories hidden.

Annie nodded the words to real to utter.

“Did he put himself inside of you?” He had lost the battle with his tears, which ran freely down his face. He focused on keeping his voice calm.

Annie had looked up at him then, shocked by the bluntness of his question, confused by the state of him. “No” She told him, her voice stronger than before.

Aden breathed a huge sigh of relief and calmed himself, bending his head in-between his knees, her words hadn’t disappeared that time, and they lingered between them.

He raised his head, knowing there were more things he needed to ask before he could escape this nightmare. “Did he do anything else to you? Did he kiss you? Make you touch him?” His words were rushed now, he could feel a whirlpool of emotion starting to circle within him and he needed to end this before that happened.

Annie had calmed down slightly now “He kissed my neck” She told him truthfully, her stomach sickened at the thought.

“Did he do anything else?” he asked quickly

Annie could trace the dots back now, this moment connected to Axel leering over her, back to her storming out on Geoff, back to her lying about Aden…“No, that was when you came along. Aden, I’m so sorry…” She began, the tears back, flowing down her face.

Aden had raised himself off of the sand now, wiping the tears from his eyes.

“C’mon I’ll take you home” He told her, stretching a hand down to help her up.

“No, No I can’t” She told him

Aden was impatient now. He didn’t know what to do. His own turmoil was threatening to invade his senses and he was struggling to focus on Annie.

“Annie you have to” he told her wearily

She remained seated, her eyes pleading with his “I can’t Aden, please. I can’t tell them” She felt sick at the thought of explaining what had just happened to her.

Aden felt frustrated with himself and with her. He wanted to calm down, to tell her she didn’t have to, that he would help her. But he couldn’t, he felt fuzzy, odd, sick. He was frustrated that he couldn’t tell her why he couldn’t help her. Tears rolled down his face and he clutched at his hair with tight fisted hands.

“Please Annie, you need to go home. I can’t do this” He told her honestly.

She looked up at him, and suddenly realised how hysterical he had become. His hysteria snapped her out of herself. She had been too shocked and frightened to notice before, but now she could notice them and was confused by them.

She rose up to face him “I’m sorry Aden” She told him, stepping towards him.

“It’s ok” She continued, placing her hand in his, squeezing it reassuringly. “I’ll go home” She looked up at him, hoping the words would calm him.

Aden’s face relaxed, but only slightly, he was clearly still distressed. She led him with her as she started walking back to her house, dreading every step she took.

[monkeysmoke]

Chapter 30

Roman knocked on the door for the fifth time, before turning around, ready to give up go home. As he descended the porch steps he suddenly heard a thud from inside the house. He turned back and watched as the door opened fractionally, and a dishevelled, wrinkled face peered out at him.

“Hello, Mr Jeffries?” He guessed, unsure exactly who Aden did live with.

“Yes” The man slurred drunkenly, his head bending forward.

“I was just wondering if Aden was home.” Roman asked, questions filling his mind.

“Uh” the drunken man thought, his face screwing up with the strain of it “No” He replied, his eyes returning to Roman. The man’s eyes stared at him, questioning, accusatory “Why? What do you want?” He asked his tone defensive.

“Uh, well, Aden works for me, at the diner, and I just wanted to check his hours over...” Roman lied. It was the same excuse he had planned in case Aden had been home, and grew suspicious of Roman checking up on him. He had juggled with the idea of just asking his dad straight out why he wasn’t home, but from the state of him Roman judged it probably wasn’t a great idea. It looked as though something more was going on than he had first anticipated.

“Well, I haven’t seen him. I don’t know where he is, he’s been gone for days now….” The man let the door swing open, revealing the smell and mess that littered the inside, his head was bent down, Roman grew worried. Why was Aden’s father unburdening himself to a complete stranger? His voice had started to tremble. Roman suddenly realised that he probably hadn’t seen Aden since when Roman saw him stumble out of the house a few days ago.

“It’s ok” He said to him, taking the man’s arm and leading him into the house “I saw Aden today, he’s fine” Roman reassured him gently, placing him on the sofa, trying to avoid the empty bottles the littered the floor.

Aden’s father looked up at him hopefully from the sofa, grabbing his arm “Please, bring him home for me! I never meant to hurt him, please, I need to see him!” He pleaded at Roman, tears filling his blurry eyes.

Roman tried to reassure him, “its ok, I’m going to go look for him. You just stay here” He commanded him gently, before quickly exiting the house. He hadn’t wanted to have to lie to Aden’s father. He didn’t know what was going on, but he didn’t want to commit to anything. He knew something bigger was going on than he had originally though, and if he could find Aden, he didn’t want to risk his trust by shoving commands down his throat or dragging him back home. He would find him though, of that much he was determined.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Belle held the phone to her ear a minute after Irene had hung up, trying to think of what to do. She knew the moment Geoff noticed she’d hung up he’d bombard her with questions and right now she needed silence. Annie still wasn’t home. Irene had clearly been panicking on the phone, and Belle had heard Kirsty’s voice trying to reassure her in the background. Irene panicking had sent a shiver through her body. Irene was level headed, and Annie wouldn’t set out to worry them like this. Something was definitely wrong. She undid her seatbelt, and slid herself out from underneath it as she opened the car door and stepped out.

Geoff had been watching her intently, eager for any news on his sister’s whereabouts. . “What did she say?” He asked, undoing his seatbelt “Belle?” He asked, climbing out of the passenger seat of Belle’s blue car.

“Belle!” He repeated, the words rushed and fearful. His eyes followed her movements as she locked the car, searching for clues. She ignored him as she started walking down towards the path, away from the diner car park and towards the beach.

“Belle, where are we going?” He asked her, becoming frustrated by her silence. He was jogging slightly to keep up with her fast pace.

“Where’s Annie?” He whined at her desperately.

“I DON’T KNOW GEOFF!” She yelled at him, her own fear pouring out of her in a huge burst. Her face softened as she saw the hurt look in his eyes. “Look, I don’t know ok? She’s still not home. So let’s just check the beach please?”

Geoff felt the tears well up in his eyes and he grabbed at his hair with his hands as hope left him “Something’s happened to her! I know it!” he rambled, his voice rising in a rushed tremble.

“Geoff!” Belle yelled impatiently, his panic grating on her, getting to her. “We don’t know that yet. Please, let’s just look for her down here first” She suggested, forcing herself to stay calm.

“But what if..?” Geoff began, his imagination running away, out of his control.

“We can’t think about that now” She interrupted, walking ahead, away from the thought. It was all she could do to stop thinking the same thing.

Geoff followed her as she strode down the path. “Belle?” Geoff asked cautiously as she scanned the beach. He feared his next question. When he received no reply he decided to continue “You think Annie’s gone because of me don’t you?”

Belle froze momentarily, struck by his words. She turned to face him; her voice tired “This isn’t your fault Geoff”

“She ran off because she hates me” He said plainly.

“No, Geoff she loves you. It’s herself she hates. Her whole life she’d been told what to do, how to think, what to believe. Now she’s finally thinking for herself, but she loves you, and she doesn’t know how to love you and disagree with you at the same time” Belle told him matter-of-factly. Geoff stared at the space in front of him, letting the words sink in. As Belle turned back round she saw Roman striding up the path towards her.

“Hey” He said to both of them urgently, but before he could ask them if they’d seen Aden Belle jumped in.

“Roman!” she cried, almost enthusiastically “You haven’t seen Annie this evening have you?”

Roman looked between the two of them and sensed the urgency of the question. He let out a sigh “No, I’m sorry guys, I haven’t.” He told them, noticing the disappointment that descended over them.

“I can help you look for her though” He suggested, trying to be as helpful as possible. He couldn’t just walk away from their distress.

“Thanks Roman” Belle smiled at him weakly “We were going to check down on the beach” She told him

“Well, I’ve just come from that way and didn’t see anything, so maybe we should try the other way” He suggested, his military training kicking in, he began to take charge of the situation.

Belle nodded, glad to have somebody else holding the reins on this one. Geoff followed behind them obediently.