Chapter TWO: the FLASHBLACK
LOCATION: The Park
I opened my ripped backpack, for some reason no matter how much stuff I put in there it always seemed to be enough room for everything I needed. Spare clothes, tooth brush, soap, books, knife, journal and my quilt cover. It was the one my grandmother had embroidered for me when I was young. It had patterns of fairies with magic wands. It was a little babyish but I didn’t care, my grandma had done it for me. Just for me. I remembered her wrinkled smiled face as she ginned at me passing me a humbug after dinner. Dad and I ate at her cottage every Friday, one of the long list of things I used to look forward to. Her cottage was in the country side, a little bit out of Glasgow. She had her own little minni farm and when I was good, I could feed the chickens with her. I remember we had Christmas every year there. The wooden beams glittering with fairy lights, the huge Christmas tree and Grandma’s famous hot chocolate with marshmallows after long nights of reading and watching Doctor Who’s Christmas special on repeat. Her wrinkled happy face bobbed in front of me, she looked a lot like my dad. Light brown hair, brown glittering eyes and a mischievous butter wouldn’t melt grin.
“Now, don’t tell your daddy dear, you know how he gets when I give you sweets” I would smiled, and hide it in my pocket waiting for when dad would have gone to bed that night and nibble it while I read Matilda. Six months after Grandma died in her house fire, ours spread through the house.
‘Don’t Lily, you’ll hurt yourself’ I signed.
Rule number one: No thinking about the fires. I flapped my blanket out under my favorite tree next to the play park. The now green leaves were glowing; the grass was hot through the sheet. I loved the summer; I could stay here for longer. My mum shut the doors when it went dark no matter who was on the other side. I lied down on the quilt feeling the shade cool me off. The rest of the school day went on the same; dirty looks from teachers etc, etc. I could also hear my year giving Nathanial “she’s a freak”speech from across the lunch hall. I sat up shaking off their words in my head.
Nathaniel was handsome, I had to admit it, very, but he knew it. He was mean, arrogant, and smug, but his voice. The first time I had heard his voice it was like music, when he laughed it made everyone stop and stare. He was smart. So smart, he knew the answer to every question. His eyes so unusual for his hair colour but amazing, I could picture them in my head. Oh, they were full of life just like my father’s. I signed and pulled off my blazer and tie throwing them into my bag and lying back down onto the grass. I checked my secondhand watch; 4:30. Good I had at least two maybe three hours until it went dark.
***
“Daddy?” I asked standing in between him and the big door leading into his office, lately he never read to me. I felt lonely at the big prep school and I wanted to talk to him about it, but he never talked anymore, not since Grandma's death he was always in his office.
“Sweetpea not right now” I heard him through the door his voice sounded strained, worried.
“but daddy we haven’t read together in so long... I miss you” I heard the chair on the other side of the door scraping on the wooden floor and footsteps that vibrated through the walls. He was coming out, he still cared! He opened the heavy office door and smiled warmly down at me. He bent down slightly to my level. His brown eyes shone, his light hair going slightly grey. His eyes worried me, especially tired tonight, less alive with smiles and more of fear.
“Listen sweetpea, you are twelve years old, nearly a teenager! I think you can read by yourself tonight”
“But daddy it hasn’t just been tonight it’s been the last six of months, I have nearly finished Oliver twist and you said...”
“See sweetpea, you have nearly finished it and without my help”
“Daddy it’s not about you helping me, it’s about us spending time together”
The phone suddenly rang in the office, daddy’s face screwed up as he looked between the phone and his daughter.
“Right, this is your call dad” I said bitterly “This is your choice. Your job or your own daughter”
“Sweetpea I really need to take this” Disappointment flooded my body.
“Fine dad”
“Lily!” I was already gone, I didn’t want him to see my tears, I cried into my pillow and I must have fallen to sleep because daddy was suddenly trying to wake me.
“Wake up for me Sweetpea” I felt him shake me gently as I stirred. I smiled, he’d come to read to me!
“LILY!” He cried, he gasped me by the shoulders and hurdled me into his outstretched arms.
“Daddy what’s-?” Then I could see it, the fire. It was frighteningly beautiful the way it seemed to dance through the room hypnotising me so I couldn’t move. It was heading for my bookcase.
“My books daddy, it’s destroying everything” I cried, He swooped me into his arms, my blanket covering me. His eyes were red from the smoke; he could barely take a breath. We were going to die. We weren’t going to make it.
“Listen to me very carefully Lily, take this box, keep it safe” He handed me a box; It was inscribed with impossible to read scribes and vague drawings. It normally sat in the office without being touched by anyone. Now it lay in my cold, shaky hands.
“Daddy, I don’t understand” The words only barely made it out.
“Take it” The fumes had reached me now, blurring my vision, taking all the room up in my lungs, slowly suffocating me. He walked shakily over to my window box. He took a breath in and looked at me. He was gently crying slow tears, peaceful tears; looking at me as if I held the world for him. He kicked opened the window. The explosion was so intense that I could feel myself being flown out of my daddy’s arms with nothing but a dirty blanket, a box and the last words my daddy would ever utter.
“I love you Lily, my sweetpea”
***
The screams were so loud filling my head, screeching at my skull begging to be let free. They were so scared, so alone.
“Lily wake up for me, dear”The voice in my head stopped the screams, calmed down the flaming heat, the fire that raged through my body, killed my boiling blood. My whole head calmed, relaxed.
“Lily come on you’re so close, open your eyes” The voice made me smile, friendly, nice.
“I’m sorry for what you are going to go through but open your eyes, please Lily dear, open your eyes”
“I don’t understand” I cried desperate, I have never heard this voice before but I knew it, I knew it recognised it somehow.
“As soon as you wake up, get out of Glasgow and come to London whatever you do, stay away from Nate Black”
My eyes flew open, trying to find this friendly voice. There were spots floating around in front of my eyes I blinked several times clearing my vision and a muscular body shape was in front of me.
“Hello Lily bad dream?” I nearly screamed; Nathanial. ‘Stay away from Nate' the thought filled my head from nowhere. His blue eyes seemed alight. How could anyone looking as handsome as him be dangerous? His pale skin glowing through the darkness; darkness, oh god no, mum would have shut the door.
“You okay? I think you gave yourself quite a scare, you couldn’t stop screaming”
“Screaming?” I asked dazed.
“Yeah, you must have fallen to sleep” the musical voice answered. Fire. It all came back to me; the dream, the box, the voice. The voice; “As soon as you wake up, get out of Glasgow and whatever you do, stay away from Nate” It rang inside my head confusing me. I brought up a shaky hand to my head, I felt almost dizzy.
“Well I best be off before they find my tail” I simply nodded and muttered a thanks. I looked up to see whether he had heard, but nothing, just empty air. I smiled despite everything, the boys.
Chapter three: HEARTLESS coming soon :)
