Shadow of the Day

[kiwi151]

Aaw, cute chapter. Police conversation with Brax sounds ominous. :S Looking forward to the next chapter xx

[JosieTash]

Four REALLY REALLY ACE updates !!!! LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVED it, especially …..

 ‘No,’ Ruby realised her voice too abrupt and faked a small smile at Casey. ‘No thanks, I can find my own way,’

The door opened. Charlie walked in carrying Jade bridal style, scrunching up her face as she leant in to tickle her daughter with her kisses, making her giggle in a fit. They didn’t even notice he company. ‘Careful angel, mummy’s going to have to tickle you,’

‘No-no, no-no,’ Jade shook her head in concern but it was too late; her mother was blowing air onto her; the air tickling her sensitive skin.

Brax couldn’t help but smile at this display of affection. The genuine happiness between the two was a rare experience. Ruby was right, they had to protect Charlie. ‘How was the movie?’

‘Yeah,’ this was Jade’s way of communicating that it was good. For the first time Charlie noticed all the faces in the room. Ruby’s in particular surprised her. Her eldest daughter hadn’t gotten along with Brax for a while now; it was unusual for her to be around the Braxton house without Charlie.

‘What on earth happened to your hand?’ Motherly concern wrapped around Charlie face as she placed Jade on the ground, just learning how to walk and stumbled around in circles.

‘I tripped on the kerb and used my fist to stop myself from falling face first onto the sidewalk. I probably should’ve used my palm but I wasn’t thinking.’ Ruby had come up with that explanation on the way there. It was half plausible.

Charlie’s concerned eyes eyed the bag of frozen peas in Ruby’s left hand. ‘Well, keep that ice on your knuckles. I don’t want you hurting any more than you have to.’

Grant had stayed away from the Bucktons since that punch in the diner. Ruby and the Braxton brothers had thought he was gone for good. None expected it when Grant Bledcoe revealed himself the day of Charlie’s engagement party. Especially not Brax, when he recognised Ruby’s father and realised he had contributed to Grant’s involvement.

 Brax noticed her engagement ring floating in the ocean. Logic failed to inform him that rings didn’t float in water and Brax got off his board and dived into the ocean.

The water enveloped him and Brax strained to see past the salty water stinging his eyes. From what little he could see, there was nothing but a little seaweed under there. Swimming desperately through, Brax started struggling for air after a while and came up for air. ‘Hello?’

Charlie wasn’t anywhere to be seen. Brax searched the horizon but found nothing. Jade was still riding the wave blissfully. Charlie wasn’t the best swimmer; Brax couldn’t bear to lose her again to the dangers of the ocean. He should’ve kept an eye on her. Taking another deep breath, Brax put his head under the water again.

Ruby was walking along the beach that morning when she noticed something odd. She was feeling quite low after the initial high of her pills wore off and the world suddenly seemed duller. Her mouth dry as a desert, Ruby frowned when she noticed Jade body boarding in the ocean all alone. Brax was nowhere to be found.

Anger fuelled her and she couldn’t believe a four year old girl was being left alone in the ocean without supervision. Ruby didn’t realise that Brax was diving into the ocean looking for someone that wasn’t there but that would have equally enraged her.

Her anger was fuelled by concern when Jade got hit by a large wave and fell off her board. The strap was on her ankle but she was gone. Without thinking, Ruby ran into the water in her pink maxi dress and dove towards Jade.

Brax stayed underwater for as long as he could, afraid that Charlie was gone again but eventually he had to come up for air. When he did, the commotion around him was startling. Ruby was in the near distance, holding onto a scared Jade sitting on her board, coughing from swallowing water and rubbing her salty eyes. Brax swam over to them.

Brax didn’t argue. He was left alone in the ocean, watching the shore where Ruby stood towelling Jade down. Charlie was beside the girls. The guilt kept gnawing at him, eating away his defence screen with force. His concern for Charlie had caused him to neglect his responsibilities. Brax couldn’t possibly imagine ever forgiving himself.

Maybe Ruby was right. Maybe he didn’t deserve her. Maybe, just maybe, Brax was bad luck and should be well avoided. There were so many maybes but never a straight answer; Darryl Braxton’s mind was nothing if not confusion and remorse. Never had he thought that seeing Charlie would be a bad thing, but now, the questions were entering his mind in a rush, jumbling his thoughts til they were undistinguishable.

 ‘Ruby, think about this for a second, do you have any idea what you’re saying?’ Morag sounded exasperated on the phone. It was the middle of the night and even though she was used to late nights, a hysterical call from her granddaughter was a little more than she could handle so late.

‘Yes,’ Ruby’s voice was a hissed whisper. Jade lay in Ruby’s bed down the hall, fast asleep. While Ruby sat curled up on the couch, she knew she had to do something. ‘I want my sister,’

‘I don’t think you understand, I’m the last person to jump on the Darryl Braxton bandwagon but Mr Braxton is Jade’s father, whether you like it or not. He’s been looking after the girl her entire life; consider Jade in this. She loves him.’ Morag wished she could talk some sense into Ruby. The girl was clearly upset and a little misguided. ‘You can’t just turn her life upside down,’

‘You don’t get it Morag. Brax is really irresponsible. He left her unsupervised, what kind of person does that? Jade could’ve been seriously hurt.’ Ruby argued. ‘I want her to live with me. That ay, I can keep an eye on her,’

‘And you’re going to do that between your all-night binges are you? Yes, I know about your little habits, I’m no fool. You can wipe that shock off your face,’ Ruby shut her gaping mouth. Morag sighed as she looked out of her window in the city apartment at the view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. ‘Look, Ruby, get a good night’s sleep, you’ve had a big day. It might be clearer in the morning. Good night,’

 ‘I’m a blood relative. Surely that’s more substantial. And anyway, he’s a river boy, a violent criminal, an ex-drug dealer among others.’

‘And you’re a drug user,’ Xavier countered calmly, eyes full of concern. ‘Rubes, I know this sounds harsh but it’s true. And you’re on criminal charges too. Did you forget about that? You don’t have a steady job; you’re only twenty three and you party all night. You have no idea what kind of responsibility you’ll be in for caring for a toddler.’

‘Well, at least now I know how much you care,’ Ruby scoffed, insulted by the obvious truth. Everything Xavier was saying was right and she hated it.

 Xavier wiped it away gently, his hand lingering near her neck. ‘I’m interfering because I care. Don’t you get it? Ruby, I just want you to be happy. And no matter how much you laugh and joke, I know you’re not, and that kills me.’

‘It does?’ Ruby’s tearful voice broke. Before she knew it, she was sobbing quietly and Xavier hugged her to his chest. Ruby’s arms worked around his neck clingingly. ‘She’s all I have left, Xav. Jade’s all I have left, without her I have nothing again. I can’t lose her too,’

‘You won’t. Hush,’ Xavier smoothed Ruby’s hair. Eventually, Ruby’s sobs died down and she slowly moved apart from Xavier. She looked at him as she did so, her face wet and desperate. Their faces were so close their noses touched.

 ‘Go away Charlie, just go,’ Brax was feeling exceptionally sorry for himself after his moment in the ocean and Charlie was the last person he wanted to see. That morning at the beach had been a wakeup call for him. Charlie had nearly caused him to put Jade in harm’s way. Charlie couldn’t stay.

Charlie was also very much upset. Her voice was broken and tears were forming slowly. ‘I just want to be here for you, Brax. I can take care of you,’

‘I don’t want you here,’ Brax snapped loudly, making Charlie jump. This was a blatant lie and they both knew it. Charlie was the one thing he wanted there more than anything. He didn’t want to let go. ‘I don’t want you here…I don’t, I can’t have you here.’

Brax sounded like he was trying to convince himself not anyone else

 Brax reached his bedroom door and turned around, one hand on the door handle behind him. Charlie stood in front of him with tears in her eyes. Brax cupped her face with his right hand and gently placed a kiss on her lips, leaving her wanting more. He felt the warmth of her breath and the silkiness of her skin. How could something that felt so beautiful be so wrong? Brax whispered, ‘I love you Charlie,’

 Before he could change his mind, Brax opened the door and rushed inside, shutting it after him. Leaning his back against the door, Brax slid down the length of it til he was seated on the floor, barricading the door. Tears formed in his eyes.

‘Brax? Brax?’ He could hear Charlie’s pleas and it took all his strength and will not to succumb to her desperate pleading. Brax sat in that spot for what seemed like forever, covering his ears, fighting the urge to let Charlie in to his life again. After what seemed like forever, the house was deathly quiet. At the realisation, the hole in Brax’ heart expanded to twice the size it had been before.

Unable to cope with the silence, Brax decided he needed to get out of the house. Grabbing his keys, he slowly opened the door, half hoping to find Charlie on the other side but the hallway was empty. He was all alone.

 ‘You were right about me,’ Ruby inhaled. ‘I’m not ready for parenting. I can barely even look after myself. I guess I was just venting about Brax and not thinking straight. Jade deserves better than either of us, really. Brax and I; we’re both as broken as each other.’

 In the wake of Jade’s birth, Charlie had been even more distant than usual. It was little things; turning away from company in the hospital bed, turning away from her new daughter, looking at things as if she was seeing through them, looking at things without emotion. The little things that Charlie did amounted to a mountain of worry for her family and friends.

Heath could remember the day Charlie brought Jade home. And he remembered the days afterwards. There was a forlorn look on Charlie’s face, an emotionless look; every time she glanced at her daughter. The day he’d applied for the Summer Bay high surfing coach position, he’d returned home to the sound of cries. In the make shift nursery corner in Brax’ room, Jade lay in the cot, whimpering as babies did.

Charlie made no move to pick her baby up and soothe her. She simply stared at the child longingly, as if she didn’t know how to comfort her. Charlie lifted her hand cautiously over Jade’s hair to touch her but it only lingered there. As Heath watched from the doorway, he noticed that she was afraid to touch the baby; afraid she might break. A lone tear slipped from the woman’s eye.

Heath tripped over a rattle on the floor and Charlie turned around. She wiped her tear and stared at Heath. It was Heath who picked up his niece in the end; Heath who comforted her. This only made Charlie even more upset that she didn’t know how to soothe her own child.

 They had no idea that Brax was grieving for the loss of Charlie for a second time. Ever since Jade had her accident on the body board, Brax had not only been beating himself up for it like every one supposed but he’d been upset when Charlie had disappeared. After shutting her out that first night, Brax had desperately tried to get her back but there was only emptiness in his mind. The emptiness seeped into his heart and commandeered his blood stream and before he knew it, he was empty all over. Charlie was gone all over again.

 Leah meant well but her concern got tedious at times. VJ hadn’t even bothered with schoolies because he knew his mother would’ve had a heart attack. ‘It’s just a party mum. Justin’s eighteenth birthday, I can’t miss it,’

The reply had been short yet stern. ‘No,’

And it had been followed by the usual lecture. Sex, drugs, alcohol, too wild, too dangerous, too late, too much, all the excuses he’d already heard over and over again. It would be futile to inform her that Justin’s birthday celebration was a bunch eating pizza from Angelo’s by a beach bonfire; barely even ten people. That would just have ensured concern on the dangers of night swimming, open fires and god knew what else.

This was why VJ snuck out of the house to go to a small cosy gathering between friends. Out the window so the locks stayed in place while Leah was out at work. What his mother didn’t know couldn’t hurt her.

 The chair, although soft and cushiony, was extremely uncomfortable. Bianca just couldn’t get comfortable as she sat in the homely office in the adoption agency. Beside her sat Liam and across from the mahogany table sat a stumpy middle aged lady in a swivel chair.

 The questions seemed endless to Bianca and Liam but they persevered through them. In the end, when Bianca stood up to shake the worker’s hand, she was astounded at the amount of baggage her and Liam carried and subsequently revealed to Valerie Pirovic. There was a pit in her stomach and she just knew, just knew, that adoption would be futile.

 The ENTIRE school performance etc scene !!!!!!!!

[soph1303]

Great chapter,

I thought vj was very mature in the way that he dealt with Leah, even though you can totally understand why she's so overprotective!!

Oh my god you made her sing from Anastasia - I love that song and movie for that matter !!

Hehe all the ruby and jade interactions were cute !! I must say I agree with jade about clowns though- they seriously freak me out !!

Seriously intrigued by the ending !!

More soon please

[Sazzle]

Very interesting story and enjoyed catching up on updates! Very well written and emotional and great character rerlationships.

Hope that Brax andRuby can eventually build some bridges and work together. Looking forward to more

[Summer2011]

Really love this fic such great writting. well done xx

[pembie]

Valerie Pirovic eh? working at the adoption agency nice twist here. Wasn't expecting it.

Wonder why the police want to talk to Grant.

Very good chapter once again.

[mizziette]

Thanks for the comments

TWENTY SIX

Waiting by the wooden railings, in the secluded walkways by the beach, Charlie could feel the sand burying her toes. She looked at her phone; she was meant to be at the restaurant in ten minutes. The location was quiet close to Irene’s house; really only less than a two minute walk away, but Charlie still felt too isolated. The person she was meeting was late by at least fifteen minutes. Any longer and Charlie would be late for her engagement party.

Bored, and somewhat a little anxious, she glanced around her surroundings. Through gaps in the bushes behind her, she could catch a glimpse of the empty beach behind her with the vast ocean further from that. It was quiet all but for the waves crashing.

Charlie didn’t notice Darcy walking along the sandy beach on the opposite side of the bushes. She was hanging out with April and they had decided to spend the day by the beach. Collecting seashells, Darcy was a long way away from April sitting on the beach behind her house; nowhere near Charlie.

The shouting was unmistakable to Darcy. Looking back down the beach at an oblivious April, she peered into the bushes towards the direction of the sound. That was when she heard Charlie.

‘I told you to stay away! Grant, don’t you mess with my family,’ Charlie was really fired up at the man next to her. Darcy noticed that the man had similar hair to Ruby and he looked just like her uncle Brax’ business partner. But Brax’ business partner was called Ethan not Grant.

‘Charlie, come on,’ smirked the man supposedly named Grant. ‘What’re you going to do, tie me up and torture me? You remember how well that worked the last time,’

Charlie pursed her lips and balled her hands into fists. ‘I’m considering it.’

‘And go to prison, Charles? I hear you have a little baby girl now. What would happen to the little girl if mummy went to prison?’ Grant tried to get a rise out of her.

‘You leave Jade out of this!’ Charlie flung her hand across Grant’s face and slapped him straight across the mouth. Grant grabbed her wrist and grabbed it so tight, Charlie couldn’t move.

‘Don’t touch me again,’ Grant hissed.

On the other side of the bushes, Darcy decided it was time to get some help and ran over to April. ‘April, you have to come,’

‘I’ll play with you later, Darcy,’ April was busy nose down inside her textbook studying. She didn’t even glance up.

Darcy held onto April’s arm and pulled. ‘No, now, we have to go to Charlie.’

April pried the little fingers off her arm and sighed in annoyance. ‘Charlie’s at her engagement party. Its adults only, remember? You have to stay here with me.’

‘But…’ Darcy sighed.

‘Look, we’ll go congratulate Charlie later, promise.’ April smiled reassuringly at Darcy, completely unaware of the severity of Darcy’s words. ‘I’m sure they’ll go to your dad’s house after the restaurant. We can meet her there when I drop you back.’

April returned to her book and Darcy was left to her own devices. She anxiously looked back in the direction where she had just left Charlie and back at April. She couldn’t help worrying.

The interview room looked smaller and duller than he remembered. That was the first thought to pop into Brax’ head after he had been dragged to the police station out of her daughter’s music recital. Ruby would be taking Jade to her house after the show. Brax was just sorry he had to miss watching his little girl perform for something as ridiculous as this.

‘You don’t honestly think I did this, do you?’ Brax groaned standoffishly. This was not how he imagined spending his Saturday evening.

‘I’m just being thorough Mr Braxton,’ Watson stated as she walked slowly behind Brax to the front. ‘Right now, all I know is you had the motive and means. If you can confirm your whereabouts during the night of January 19th then I’ll be happy to cross you off the suspect list.’

Brax sighed as Watson made a cross in the air with her finger. ‘I…’

‘You…’ Watson pressed. ‘You…You don’t know where you were?’

‘No, I do.’ Brax was getting nervous and he defensively crossed his arms. ‘I do, it’s just…’

‘Constable Avery, it seems our friend has lost his words.’ Watson glanced back at her colleague standing behind her by the door and back to Brax. ‘Either that or he’s lost the ability to complete sentences. Which is it Mr Braxton? Or are you too nervous to even answer that?’

‘Got to be nervous for a reason Sarge,’ Constable Avery observed.

Watson pointed her index finger in the air briefly and then sat down opposite Brax. ‘See, that’s just what I was thinking. So, question is; why are you so nervous?’

‘I’m not nervous. I just don’t like being dragged away from my daughter’s show to be forced to answer ridiculous questions.’ Brax crossed his arms and smiled coolly. ‘Especially when I didn’t do what you’re accusing me of,’

‘So he can speak. What you’re saying is you didn’t murder the man who raped your girlfriend?’ Watson delivered her accusation quickly and abruptly.

‘No.’

‘And you didn’t murder the man who broke the restraining order against your girlfriend either?’

‘That’s what I said.’

‘And you didn’t leave your house the night this man died, between two and four am?’ Watson was shooting questions in rapid succession now.

Brax remained quiet. He couldn’t well answer that without looking suspect. ‘I didn’t kill Grant.’

‘Yes, so you keep saying.’ Watson nodded. ‘But you see; it’s my job not to believe you.’

‘Maybe you could not believe me without me actually being here,’ Brax suggested with a smirk. He was ready to leave.

‘Were you with anyone the night of the murder?’

‘Yeah, I was with Charlie,’ Brax immediately inhaled and wished he hadn’t opened his mouth the minute he said it. He hadn’t been thinking. He put one hand on his forehead cursing himself for behind so stupid. The officers were raising their eyebrows. ‘Uh, I mean…oh great,’

‘Charlie? Your dead girlfriend,’ Watson was a little put off by the answer but recovered quickly. She turned her head to Avery. ‘Constable, it seems we’re going to need an Ouija board to contact Mr Braxton’s alibi for confirmation. Or maybe one of the Halliwell sisters to cast a summoning spell. Do you think the netherworld has a different time zone to Eastern Australia?’

‘I don’t think that’s going to be necessary Sarge.’ Brax recovered from his slip up and forced a cocky grin on his face and pretended with all his might. ‘I simply meant I was at Charlie’s grave.’

Brax had been to Charlie’s grave that night but he had also been with Charlie herself too. In fact, it was the last time he had seen Charlie; the night after Jade nearly drowned, the night he’d said good bye to Charlie. He had gone to the graveyard in the hopes that she’d be there but she hadn’t been. It was just a patch of soil.

The empty pit in Brax’ stomach returned. He closed his eyes. After a deep breath, he opened them and his heart leapt as he smiled. Behind Watson stood Charlie smiling supportively at him; she had returned. Suddenly, Brax felt a little more confident. Now that Charlie was back, he felt a little more able to handle the situation he had been thrust into.

‘And no one alive saw you that night?’ Brax shook her head. Watson closed the file in front of her and stood up. ‘No alibi. Interview terminated at 1740,’

‘It’s no secret that your relationship with your father was strained,’ it was Ruby’s turn. Watson leant against the window of the interview room casually.

Ruby scoffed; her hands fiddling on her lap under the table. ‘It’s also no secret “my father” as you persist on calling him, raped my mother. You can understand my apprehensions towards him, I’m sure.’

‘From what I gather there was a lot more than apprehension. You were quite angry with him, especially after Charlie’s death. Even before that, I distinctly remember you punching Grant in the face.’ Watson slid off the sill and walked slowly over to the table. ‘You were very happy when Grant went to prison.’

‘What exactly are you trying to insinuate?’ Ruby asked. ‘You were equally thrilled to see that scumbag behind bars and you know it.’

‘I’m not trying to insinuate anything. You were angry Grant had been let out on parole earlier this month. You were scared of him.’

‘Don’t you think if I was so scared I would’ve rather stayed out of Grant’s way instead of putting myself in close enough proximity to kill him?’

‘That would be the logical choice. Maybe he came looking for you again. It wouldn’t be the first time,’ Watson retorted. She leaned against the table next to Ruby and looked down on her sympathetically. Maybe he attacked you and you tried to defend yourself and things went out of control. It could’ve been an accident. Ruby, that’s what I’m trying to figure out,’

Ruby stared at the table in front of her. When she realised the girl wouldn’t say anything, Watson pressed her lips together sympathetically. Her voice was soft. ‘I know this is hard for you Rubes, but I need you to work with me. The sooner you cooperate the sooner you’ll be cleared and can get on with your life. If you’ve done nothing wrong, you won’t have to worry, will you?’

Ruby shook her head, her voice barely audible. She glanced up at Watson. ‘I was at home, okay?’

‘Can anyone verify that?’

‘Xavier,’

‘Constable Austin?’ Ruby nodded softly. ‘You were with him between the times I told you? He can verify your whereabouts between two and four am?’

‘Yeah, I guess,’ Ruby was sheepish. ‘I mean, it’s not like I look at the watch every five minutes or anything. We were asleep most of it.’

‘Together?’ Watson asked. She received a nod. ‘You said most of it,’

This was what she’d been dreading. Ruby took a deep breath. ‘I went for a walk to clear my head,’

‘Didn’t your mother ever tell you not to walk alone in the middle of the night?’

‘I don’t know, my mother’s not exactly around anymore. Look, Xav and I had just…you know for the first time in ages and my sister had nearly drowned and I was angry at Brax and I had a lot on my mind.’

‘You were angry?’ Watson moved to the opposite end of the table and sat back in her chair.

‘At Brax,’ Ruby clarified defensively and folded her arms. ‘You would be too if he’d left your sister unsupervised in the ocean.’

‘Darryl Braxton’s parenting abilities aren’t the subject of interest here. Where’d you go?’

‘The beach and before that the graveyard,’ Ruby told her. ‘I went to see Charlie,’

Watson put two and two together. So Ruby and Brax had both been at the graveyard around the same time. ‘Where on the beach were you?’

‘The part with all the sand on it,’ Ruby sighed. ‘I don’t know, it all looks the same to me,’

Out of poetic justice, Grant Bledcoe had died in relatively the same area of beach as Charlie had; he had been hidden in the bushes for two weeks before Colleen uncovered him. Watson didn’t think Ruby could’ve dragged the body herself but she had to look at all possibilities. ‘Did anyone see you while you were outside?’

Ruby shook her head. No one who could verify it anyway, ‘So you can’t account for the time frame of the murder? When did you get home?’

‘It was close to dawn I think. I couldn’t have been out for more than a couple hours.’ Ruby tried to downplay it, flexing her toes in and out nervously.

‘Not more than a couple hours,’ Watson thought this over. Ruby wasn’t sure about the time but seeing how the sun had risen at seven twelve that morning; Ruby would have to have left the house around five. If everything checked out, Ruby would be in the clear.

[kiwi151]

I was so happy when Brax started to see Charlie again! The next few chapters are going to be interesting, especially if the mystery of Charlie's death begins to be uncovered. Especially liked the beginning of the chapter, the scene with Grant and Charlie. Thanks xx

[soph1303]

Great chapter,

Loving the whole whodunitness of the story line !!

More soon please

[pembie]

Oh a good old murder mystery I didn't expect that. I liked the beginning with Darcy too it looks like what happned to Charlie will now start to unfold.