May 2024

I pick up my I-Pad, opened on the news section, and shut it down. There’s been nothing reported about me or my family today, thank God. I rub my eyes, exhaling a sigh of relief. I’ve been told not to look for news stories about us before, but I can’t help it, especially at this time of year. There’s always something there, even just a small article to say the anniversary’s approaching. I lean back in my chair at my dressing table, the smoky smell of bacon frying wafting into my nostrils, and close my eyes, picturing Emma and Michael downstairs, running about, making sure everything’s perfect. So far, neither of them has knocked on my bedroom door, they must think I’m still asleep.

I get up, cross my bedroom and pull open my wardrobe door. The dress I chose to wear for today is hanging from the inside. I feel the blue sparkly fabric, rubbing it between my fingers. Emma picked it out for me a couple of weeks ago, saying how gorgeous I’d look in it. I’m sure I won’t, but as Emma insisted on paying for it I’ll end up feeling guilty if I don’t wear it. Sighing, I push the wardrobe door shut, flicking my hair over my shoulders. I better head downstairs otherwise they’ll be getting fractious.

I pick my phone off my dressing table and stare at the unopened text I received from my best-friend, Callum, first thing this morning.

            Happy Birthday x       

I hold my hand to my forehead. I can’t bring myself to answer it. Not yet. I slip out into the hallway, brushing against the cream wall as I head for the stairs, the cold floorboards creaking under my bare feet. The tick of the grandfather clock, standing against the wall by the bathroom, gets louder in my head. Tick Tock, Tick Tock, Tick Tock. My heart thrums against my chest. I just need to get the next few hours out of the way. I head down the stairs, running my hand down the soft dark bannister. Emma and Michael’s voices reach me from the kitchen.

‘I think I heard her on the stairs,’ Emma’s saying to Michael. ‘Quick, make sure that one’s on the top.’

I step onto the cool stone hallway tiles and turn the corner, passing the family photographs on the wall, with the purple wallpaper to my left. I’m in the middle, an unsmiling seven-year-old; pigtails drooping on my shoulders. I can’t help but flinch. It always makes me think of my school photos, where everyone else in the yearbook looked ‘adorable,’ and ‘cute,’ with their dimples in their cheeks, and sparkling eyes. I hated my pictures. I wanted everyone to say those things about me. No one ever did, apart from Emma and Michael, but even I knew they were lying.

Here we go.

‘Happy birthday, Danielle,’ Emma and Michael say in unison.

They’re in their White Company dressing gowns I got them for Christmas last year, mugs of tea in hand, big smiles on their faces.

‘Thank you,’ I say, biting my lip. There’s a stack of presents on the kitchen table wrapped in silver and blue paper, each corner neatly tucked in, gold ribbons tied in a knot on the top. I edge over to the table. Emma’s far better at wrapping presents than I am, I always resort to a gift bag; it’s easier. I swallow. They’ve really gone to town. Emma would’ve started picking up stuff in the shops weeks ago. It’s not like it’s a special birthday, but Emma loves an excuse to throw a party. ‘I don’t . . . I don’t suppose there’s any chance of cancelling the party later?’

‘Cancel,’ Emma says, her face scrunching up.

‘I did tell you weeks ago I didn’t want a party,’ I say, placing my hands on the back of the chair under the kitchen table. ‘I . . . I just don’t know if I feel up to it, I think I might have a cold coming on.’ Saying I feel ill is going to be the best way to convince them. I want to lie on my bed, forget about my birthday all together. I want a quiet day with Emma and Michael. Why can’t they see that’s what I want? I wipe my eyes.

‘Sweetie, we can’t cancel now,’ Emma says, stepping closer, her voice coming out in a squeak. ‘Look, it’s just the family coming round today, remember, and Callum will be here, it’ll be a shame not to mark the –’

‘You just don’t understand me.’ I release my grip from the chair, tears spiking. I don’t want to mark the occasion. I should’ve been more insistent with them in the first place, I should’ve . . . Emma’s face crumples. I shake my head. ‘Oh, no, sorry, I didn’t mean to, it’s just . . .’

‘It’s fine, Danielle, don’t worry,’ Michael says pushing the stack of presents towards me; his hazel eyes flickering to me then to Emma. ‘Open the one on the top first,’ he says, running his hand through his greying hair.

‘Oh let her have her sandwich first before she gets paper everywhere,’ Emma says, sniffling. ‘I’m sure she’s starving, here you are, darling.’ She places the plate in front of me.

I bite into my bacon sandwich, my heart still thumping from when I raised my voice.

‘What’s this?’ I ask, removing a white envelope poking out from in between two presents.

Emma frowns as she wipes a wine glass with a tea towel. ‘Oh, it arrived for you yesterday. Must be a birthday card I imagine.’

I pull it out, it’s thick. My name and address is written in scrawled handwriting I don’t recognise. It could be a response from one of the job’s I’ve applied for. I’d seen an application for an editorial assistant recently, at a publishing house, and leapt at it. My heart races as I slip my finger under the seal, hands shaking. Michael and Emma are staring, expecting me to open it; I put it to the side. If it’s going to tell me I’ve not been successful again, I don’t want them knowing. Emma will say, ‘never mind, sweetie, the right one will come along,’ like it’s that easy. I finish the bacon sandwich, wipe ketchup from my mouth, and grab the present Michael told me to open. I sit back in my chair, remembering the day Emma and Michael brought me home, after adopting me. They’d given me a white teddy bear with a pink ribbon in the car, the first present they got me. Even back then they never insisted that I call them Mum or Dad. To me, they’ve only ever been Emma and Michael. I tear off the wrapping paper.

‘Oh, wow, it’s.’ I turn the cardboard box over. ‘A levitating moon lamp.’ I laugh.

‘I spotted it on this quirky store online,’ Emma says, sitting at the table. ‘It’ll go so well in your room.’

‘Thank you,’ I say, placing it down and grabbing the next present.

Michael gets up. ‘Won’t be one sec,’ he says, hurrying off into the living room through the double doors, connecting the front room and the kitchen.

I stare after him. Minutes later he returns carrying something wrapped up, looking like a massive eight. No it can’t be. Butterflies dance in my belly. ‘What’s this?’ I ask. I know what it’s going to be, the shape gives it away.

‘I wanted to get you this for your twenty-fifth last year, but, I only just found it a couple of months back so I thought. Well, open it.’

He places the parcel in front of me and I pull off the wrapping paper.

‘It’s signed. You actually got Taylor Swift to sign it?’ I say, glancing up at him and then back to the sleek, chestnut guitar.

Michael laughs. ‘Well, I didn’t personally, but I thought . . . remember all those times when I would teach you her songs on guitar.’ He wipes his eyes.

I stand and hug him. There’s no way I expected Emma and Michael to get me something like this. The guitar must’ve cost hundreds, if not thousands. God, I can’t believe I thought about them in the way I did just now.

‘Perhaps you can both give us a tune later,’ Emma suggests.

I release my grip from Michael. ‘Maybe,’ I say. ‘Actually, I’d really like that, d'you think we could?’

He shrugs. ‘I don’t see why not.’

I fling my arms around him. Today might not be so bad after all.

Half an hour later I hurry to my room, clutching the envelope. It better be an application telling me I’m successful. If I have to apply for any more jobs I’m going to scream. I tear it open, pulling out the enclosed letter as I step back into my bedroom, pushing the door shut.

The letter flutters in my hand. The handwriting’s untidy.

Danielle, I know this will come as a bit out of the blue, but I would really like to speak to you. I know you’ve tried to make contact with me before, but I need to see you now. Please can you arrange a visit as soon as possible?

Your loving brother,

Harvey

Your loving brother, what the fuck? I slump to the floor, my back scraping the side of the bed, holding my hand to my forehead. I try to focus on my breathing. I stare at the address where the letter’s come from: Chelmsford Prison.

This can’t be real. Why’s Harvey writing to me now? He had the chance to reply to my letter years ago and he never did. What gives him the right to ask me? He ignored me. I scrunch the letter.

Picking myself up, I fix my eyes on the collage of photographs on my bedroom door. A photograph of me, and Callum, catches my eye. My heart flutters. Our mouths are wide open as we ride the log shoot ride; my head’s nestled into his scraggy blond hair. He’s wearing the World of Warcraft T-shirt he wore near enough every day that summer. I smile. The photo must’ve been taken ten years ago now. God knows where I would be without him; he doesn’t get upset or frustrated with me whenever I’m feeling low. He would’ve understood why I didn’t want a party. Picturing us back on the log shoot calms my beating heart.

I yank my bedroom door open, dart into the hallway and down the stairs, nausea flittering in my stomach. I picture Harvey writing this letter in his cell. How was he feeling when he wrote it? Was he scared, nervous about how I might feel? Or is this some sort of joke he’s playing with me? I curl my fist. The clatter of cutlery on china reaches my ears as I reach the bottom of the stairs. Emma’s still in the kitchen, her eyes are a little red.

‘Oh, sweetie, I thought you were getting changed,’ she says, sniffing, her eyes flicking up and down; a strand of her brown curly hair falls over her face. She’s thinking I’m going to ask her to cancel the party again. That’s what she’s got upset about.

‘I . . . I was reading the letter,’ I say, my voice comes out shaky. Michael’s no longer in the kitchen.

Emma frowns. ‘Oh really, who was it from? I assumed it was a birthday card.’

Emma gets two of her finest crystal champagne glasses from the cupboard above the stove. I need to tell her. She’ll know what to do. I run my tongue around the inside of my dry mouth, glance at the letter again and back to Emma. I need to get it over with. ‘It’s . . . it’s from Harvey,’ I finally say, my eyes flicking down to his words on the page. I bite my lip.

The champagne glasses slip from Emma’s hands and crash on the stove, glass shatters everywhere.

‘No, it can’t be,’ she says, her hand flying to her mouth. She rushes over, eyes wide her feet crunching on the glass. I hand her the letter. Her eyes scan the words on the page. She shakes her head and wraps her arms around me, pulling me in for a hug. ‘Who does he think he is?’

‘I . . . I don’t know what he means,’ I say, blinking back tears. ‘It’s like he’s . . . it’s like he’s saying to me that –’

‘Don’t you read anything into what he’s saying,’ Emma says softly, holding me tight, like she used to do whenever I got upset about Harvey. ‘He’s trying to mess with you. God, I had a feeling something bad was going to happen today.’  

‘I . . .’ I don’t know what to say. She must know how much I need to speak to him. ‘But . . . he’s never written to me before, why . . . ’

She looks me straight in the eyes, her breath tickling my nose. ‘Listen to me, Danielle; he’s playing games with you. You’re not seriously thinking about seeing him, are you?’

I shake my head. I’ve spent years trying to see him and now he’s offering me the chance. How can I turn it down? ‘No, of course not,’ I reply. I don’t want to worry Emma.

Emma nods the tension in her face relaxing. Does she believe me? She pulls away. ‘Good, good. Now, I want you to forget about this.’

‘Can I have the letter back?’ I ask.

Emma hesitates before she hands it back to me. ‘Don’t think about it, Danielle,’ she says as I fold the letter in my hands. ‘Put it away, better yet, tear it up, and throw it in the bin.’

I half-smile at her. ‘I won’t think about it, I promise.’

Her eyes flicker to the glass on the floor. She mutters something under her breath and goes off to fetch the dustpan and brush. I hurry to my room, slamming my door behind me. She doesn’t want me to see Harvey. Can I go behind her back? I read the letter again, hands trembling as I sit on the bed. Harvey would’ve known today was my birthday.

I picture myself as a six-year-old, sitting on his lap, as he reads to me from The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. He used to do the voices of the characters so well, particularly The White Witch and Aslan. I wipe my eyes. Can I speak to him? Can I turn my back on Emma?

I stuff the letter under my bed and, trying to keep the thoughts of Harvey away, I focus on getting ready, but no matter how hard I try, they build stronger and stronger. He wants to talk to me. I’ve spent years trying to find an answer, researching what happened that night over and over, reading every article, or book written about the case I could find. No one, not even the police could ever come to a satisfactory answer. Harvey confessed and that was it. I pound my fist against my thigh.

Now there’s a chance for Harvey to tell me the truth. I want to talk to him. I want to know why he killed our parents.

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Warning: The author has noted that this contains the highest level of language.

‘Happy birthday to you!’ The people around me sing in unison. Emma holds the cake up, with a big beaming smile. A whiff of frosting mixed with her Jean Paul Gaultier perfume hits me in the face. I spot Callum pulling funny faces and I have to force myself not to laugh.

I blow the candles, counting all twenty-six of them. There’s a chorus of claps and cheers, then everyone goes back to what they were talking about.

‘I’ll give you the first slice, darling,’ Emma says, picking the knife off the table. ‘Gosh I remember those years at parties when you would lick off all the frosting from the fairy cakes, and put the cake back. All that sugar made you hyper for hours.’ She laughs.

‘I’m not bothered for cake just yet. Save me some for later,’ I say, grabbing Callum’s arm, he’s standing beside me, holding a plate. ‘C’mon.’ I drag him into the garden, glancing over my shoulder. Emma’s chatting to her sister while cutting a big lump of cake. She spent all afternoon yesterday making it. Thinking about how gooey she gets the centre is enough to make my stomach rumble. A memory of Mum flickers in my mind. I’m standing beside her in a big kitchen, my head only coming up to her waist. She’s wearing white clothing. She’s smiling at me as she scrapes cake mixture in a bowl. 

My aunt’s kids, Milo and Niall head out into the garden after us. At least they’re too preoccupied with their sticks they’re using as swords, to worry about us.

‘You better not be making me miss out on cake, you know chocolate fudge is my favourite,’ Callum says as we sit on the rusty swings at the bottom of the garden.

I breathe in the scent of Emma’s daffodils in the flower bed behind us. ‘Oh, Emma will save us some I’m sure, well she’ll definitely save me some, but you can have it, if you want.’

‘OK, what’s up?’ Callum asks, running his hand through his blond hair.

‘What?’ I say, my eyes flickering from the freckles nestled in the corners of his nose, to his apple green eyes. I used to tell him his freckles made him look cute, then he’d punch me lightly on the arm and tell me to stop being stupid, before grinning. He always knows when something’s bothering me. I look away.

He frowns at me. ‘Come on, Danielle, you never look me in the eye when something’s bothering you,’ he says.

I still can’t think how to word what I want to say to him. ‘Well, I . . . I wanted to ask your opinion on something really,’ I say.

He raises an eyebrow. ‘Go on.’

I swallow. ‘I received a letter today. From Harvey.’

‘OK. What did it say?’ Callum asks, folding his arms. I bite my lip.

‘He’s asking me to come and see him.’ I watch Milo and Niall square up to each other, thinking back to when I told Callum what happened to my family. We were sitting in the school library. We were thirteen. Our English teacher, Mrs Harris, the day before, asked everyone to write a short story for Halloween. One of the boy’s in my class, George, had obviously been looking into my family’s case. He’d sauntered to the front of the class, holding his story aloft. ‘My story takes place in a big house on a dark stormy night,’ he’d said. ‘A young family live in this house, there are two children. But on this night something horrible will happen to them, something that’ll become a local legend. It’s half past eleven, the parents are downstairs; they’d enjoyed fish and chips earlier in the evening.’ I’d sat up in my seat at this part of the story. ‘There’s a creak on the stairs, the parents don’t hear it. They’re busy entertaining their friend. A shadow falls across the living room where the adults are sitting. It’s the boy grasping an axe.’

‘Stop,’ I’d yelled, making everyone jump, even Mrs Harris. ‘Stop, please.’

George stared. I’d jumped from my seat and ran from the room, tears flowing. The next day, Callum asked me why I’d reacted the way I’d done.

‘Promise me you won’t tell anyone else,’ I’d said, my heart skipping against my ribs.

He’d crossed his heart. ‘Promise.’

I told Callum everything. I’d been so fearful he would see me in a different way, that he wouldn’t want to be my friend. But he hugged me. I can still remember the relief sweeping through me.

I focus my gaze back on Callum, the sound of Milo and Niall’s sticks filtering through.

‘Why’s he asking you to come and see him?’ Callum says.

He could’ve said something in the letter, something that would explain why. Why didn’t he? I shake my head. ‘He hasn’t exactly told me why, but . . . I don’t know. Something about his letter doesn’t sit right with me,’ I reply, gripping onto the cool metal chains.

‘He’s a little shit,’ Callum says, keeping his voice low so Milo and Niall don’t hear.

‘That’s what Emma thinks. But I . . . I’ve always wanted to know why he killed our parents. They loved us, they didn’t abuse us. I feel I won’t be able to lead a normal life until I have an answer. I’m stuck in this constant state of limbo.’ What if, like Harvey, I’m damaged in the same way? What if there’s a risk I might be as psychotic as he is? A shiver races through me.

‘But what d’you think seeing him is gonna achieve?’ Callum asks.

I shake my head. It might make me realise I’m no danger to you, or anyone else. I blink back tears. ‘I don’t know. But these questions have been hanging over me for the past twenty years. Can you imagine what that’s like? Imagine if your Mum didn’t die and she just simply disappeared with no trace. Sometimes I lie awake in bed of a night and the questions just haunt me.’ God, I feel guilty for talking about his Mum.

Callum sighs. ‘No, I can’t imagine it. But, you’re not seriously thinking about going to see Harvey, are you?’

He doesn’t think this is a good idea, like Emma. I need him to be on my side. ‘I honestly don’t know yet, but I . . . if I do, I don’t want to go on my own.’ What’s going through Callum’s mind now?

‘You want me to come with you?’ he asks.

‘Look, there’s no way Michael and Emma are gonna come with me. Emma looked like she wanted to tear the letter up this morning. I . . . I guess I just want to see what Harvey has to say.’ I keep my focus on the back of the house. Milo thrashes Niall with a stick who cries out, clutching his arm. In an instant I’m back at school, the sound of my locker clanging in my ears as I fling it shut. Beside me, is Lesley Watkins, bearing down on me, twirling a strand of her chestnut hair around her finger, I can smell raspberry bubble gum on her breath.

‘So, your brother’s the famous murderer, c’mon then, tell us about that night, we want to hear everything,’ she’d said, her grin reaching her ears, her eyes wide with delight. 

I’d clutched my books to my chest and sprinted down the corridor. Lesley chased after me with her group of friends.

‘C’mon, Danielle, you know what happened that day, don’t you? C’mon you can tell us,’ she’d shouted after me, laughing.

I fold my arms across my chest, Lesley’s laughter still ringing in my ears. ‘Hey, Milo, be careful,’ I say.

They look towards us, unfazed, before going back to whacking each other again.

‘OK, see if you can arrange a visit with him. If he wants to still go ahead with meeting you, then yeah, I’ll come,’ Callum says.

‘Thank you,’ I say. In that moment I want to lean my head on his shoulder, breathe in the musky scent of his cologne. I dig the heel of my shoe into the soft grass. I won’t do that.

‘What are you two doing out here, being unsociable?’ Michael shouts from the back of the house, holding onto a half empty bottle of Peroni. Milo and Niall scatter to the other side of the garden towards the fence. ‘Everyone’s here to see you, Danielle.’

‘Yep, just coming,’ I shout, forcing a smile. Michael slips back into the house. There’s no way I’m going to be able to do a song with him later. ‘I s’pose we better go and mingle,’ I say to Callum.

We climb off the swings and trudge back towards the house. Within a few weeks I’ll be sitting opposite Harvey for the first time in twenty years. How often has he thought of me? We’ve missed out on so much because of what he did. We should’ve grown up together. I’ve got to speak to him.

Callum half-smiles as we step through the patio doors. ‘You OK?’

I fake a smile. ‘Yep, course I am, let’s grab a drink.’

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 4
His Silence - Chapter Three

By Jacob1395

I finish off the slice of cake Emma gave me, put the plate back on the coffee table and wipe chocolate crumbs from my mouth. There are still a couple of empty wine glasses on the table, with red lipstick stains on the rim. Callum and I tried to insist on helping with the washing up earlier but Emma refused our offer.

‘Enjoy your day, birthday girl?’ Michael asks, holding his hand over his mouth, he’s still halfway through a bottle of Peroni. ‘God I’m knackered, and to think I’ve got to head into work in the morning, I told Emma we should’ve done it yesterday, that would’ve at least given me a day to recover.’ He laughs.

I nod vigorously. There’s no way I want Michael or Emma getting upset again. I feel bad enough I didn’t end up doing a song with Michael. He was pretty deflated about it earlier. ‘Yep it was great. You and Emma always pull out all the stops.’

‘Well, we just want you to have the best time.’

Michael flicks on the television, the ten o’clock news starts playing with the familiar BBC theme tune. He grumbles something, but I can’t quite work out what he’s said, it’ll be something about politics, I bet. It’s his favourite subject to moan about when he’s had a few drinks. The letter from Harvey crosses my mind again. What does he want from me?

‘Michael, can I ask you something?’

He shifts on the sofa. ‘Sure, ask away,’ he says, half-yawning.

I swallow. ‘What . . . what did you think when my brother was arrested? You must’ve seen the news when it first broke like everyone else.’ Did you ever think I might kill you, like Harvey killed Mum and Dad? I shove the thought to the back of my mind.

‘This is about the letter you received, isn’t it?’ he asks, raising an eyebrow.

I cross my arms. ‘Um, yep,’ I say.

He nods. ‘Look, Danielle, if you want to speak to your brother it’s your business, no one else’s. I know Emma doesn’t want you to, but I think . . . I think she’s scared it’ll drag back old, painful memories for you. I can see her point, but this is your life.’

‘So, you don’t mind if I go and see him?’ I say, my heart ricocheting against my ribs.

Michael takes a swig of his beer. ‘If he wants to talk to you, and you want to hear what he has to say, then I think you should, although, I would take whatever he tells you with a pinch of salt.’

‘But what if he . . .’ I stop. Michael’s waiting for me to continue. ‘But what did you think of him though when it was announced he’d been arrested? You must remember.’

Michael sighs. ‘I thought the same as pretty much everyone else did in the country. It was unbelievable, shocking, but . . .’ he stops.

‘But what?’ I say, urging him to continue. Michael’s never said this to me before. This is crazy.

He glances at the living room door then flicks his gaze back to me. ‘Do not repeat this to Emma, I don’t want her thinking I’m planting ideas in your head, but, when his picture was first released to the media, I thought . . . there was something about him that made me think he looked haunted, not by what he’d done, but it was like he was scared, petrified. I don’t know, don’t ask me to explain it now, but, I just got a sense something wasn’t quite right. Like you, I always come back to the why, why would a fourteen-year-old boy kill his mother and father out of the blue like that?’ I think back to what Callum told me once before, sometimes there doesn’t have to be a reason. I blink my eyes rapidly.

‘So, will you . . . will you come with me to the prison?’ At least if Michael comes, I won’t have to think about putting pressure on Callum.

Michael rubs his hands against the botte of Peroni. ‘Yes, I’ll come, but I think it might be best if we don’t let Emma know, she’ll only worry herself.’

‘I won’t say anything.’ I get up from the sofa. ‘Just gonna take this into the kitchen,’ I say, picking up my plate.

In the hallway I watch Emma in the garden puffing on a cigarette. She’s on the phone. Something flitters in my belly. Mum always complained to Dad about him smoking, and his smoking only got worse in the three weeks before the murders. I never saw him without a cigarette in his hands. One time, I snatched it from his fingers, before he could place it against his lips, and threw it to the ground. I could’ve started a fire, thinking back now. My body trembles. It’s only ever late at night and sometimes in the morning when Emma smokes. She’s been trying to give up for years; it’s why she wears far too much perfume to cover the scent. I hurry into the kitchen, get rid of the plate then breeze back into the hallway. As I pass the living room door I notice Michael’s fallen asleep, or he’s resting his eyes.

Upstairs I pull my laptop out from under my bed and open the government website, still saved in my search bar. I’ve thought about this moment so many times I can’t believe it’s happening. My body shakes.

I fill in my name, Harvey’s name, his date of birth and prison number.

I hover the cursor over the submit button for what seems like a long time, before I press send. It’s done.

Now I think of it, I’ve no idea what to say to Harvey. Years ago, I thought I would come out with it and say, ‘why did you do it? Why did you kill our Mum and Dad?’ I could always hear the anger in my voice as I imagined it. Now, I’m not sure. There’s something about the tone of his letter playing on my mind, and now, with what Michael’s said to me I don’t know what to think. It’s like Harvey’s trying to tell me something, like there’s some sort of hidden message. I pull the letter out from under my bed and read it again. Nothing jumps out. I sigh. All I can do is wait.

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 5
His Silence - Chapter Four

By Jacob1395

Warning: The author has noted that this contains the highest level of language.

‘So your Dad’s going with you to the prison?’ Callum asks, his arms swinging to and fro as we march up the road. I used to always joke that he walked like he was taking part in some brass marching band. Every time I told him, he’d swing his arms even more wildly and make a noise like a trumpet playing, until we were both in fits of giggles.

It’s Monday evening. We’re heading to the local pub. The sun’s slipping behind the red, crooked roofs of the houses ahead of us. Smoke is trailing out of one of the chimneys, smudging the red sky.  

I run my hand through my hair. ‘He said he would, I was quite surprised, I thought he was going to react in the same way Emma did, but he seemed to think it was a good idea. You don’t have to worry about coming, but I’ll keep you updated. I’m gonna get Michael to sit in the car outside while I go inside to speak to him,’ I reply.

‘It probably would be better if Michael go with you. So do you know what you’re going to say to him?’ Callum asks, raising an eyebrow.

What am I going to say to Harvey? In my head, I’m sitting opposite my therapist. I’m seventeen; it was the first year I’d considered getting in contact with Harvey for the first time. Her knees are crossed over, her notepad balancing on her knee cap. Her turquoise eyes are fixed on mine. In her presence, I felt like I could let go of everything. It was her voice, so calm, so patient.

‘So, Danielle, if you could, I would like you to think about what you would say to your brother if you could have a conversation with him. Can you tell me?’ she’d asked, her voice, soft, gentle, like a primary school teacher’s voice, her gold bracelets glinting in the light.

I’d thought for a long while, body trembling as I imagined the scene before me. In my head, he was still the fourteen-year-old, scrawny looking boy with messy hair I last saw on the day of the murders. I couldn’t picture him as an adult in his twenties. I’d swallowed. ‘Um, I want him to tell me the truth,’ I’d said. I’d reached out for the tissues on the table next to me.

‘Can you imagine what he would say you?’ she’d asked, still keeping her voice in that same delicate tone.

‘I . . .’ I’d shaken my head, wiping my eyes furiously with the tissue. ‘I don’t want him to, I don’t –’

‘It’s OK, Danielle, you’re safe in here,’ she’d said. ‘Nothing can hurt you.’

I’d run out of the room when we’d finished, to Emma waiting for me in reception and hugged her, sobbing into her arms.

‘It’s OK, Danielle. You don’t need to speak to Harvey. You’ve got us. You’ve got a perfect life with us here,’ she’d said, after I told her what we’d discussed. But that wasn’t what I wanted, I wanted the truth, I wanted to understand what sort of person I was.

Callum and I back up against the wall of the house right on the edge of the road to our right, as a grey Volvo roars past; the back of my heel presses into someone’s flower bed. The guy driving it seriously didn’t care about his speed. Emma would shout something after him if she was here. I smile as I think of the last time she did, when the guy slammed on his breaks and she darted behind a tree in terror as he reversed back up the road. Her comment was something short and to the point. We continue walking. ‘I think I want to listen to what he has to say first,’ I reply to Callum, kicking a stone with my foot. It skids across the surface of the road, then bounces down a drain. ‘It sounds like Harvey’s got something he wants to say to me, so . . . I think I’m gonna let him take the lead. And Callum, not a word about this to anyone tonight, I don’t want this to make the evening awkward, OK?’

‘Yeah, sure, I won’t say a thing.’

We reach the top of the road. The Old King’s Head pub is to my right; the wooden sign with its name and a grisly looking portrait of Henry VIII creaks in the breeze. We slip into the pub, the thick oak door squeaking as I push it open, a waft of garlic reaches me from the kitchen. I keep my head bent low to avoid the Tudor beams on the ceiling; there’s been more than one occasion, when Michael’s had one too many in here, and he’s whacked his head on the beams trying to leave. I flinch at the sound of someone’s booming laughter to my right. It’s normally quiet in here during the week. I didn’t think it would be this busy. It’s why I thought Monday night would be best.

‘Danielle.’ My friend, Rob is waving at me and Callum from the bar, his hand’s clasped around a pint of Stella. He beams. I resist the urge to roll my eyes; he’s wearing his usual muscle fit top. Callum says he only wears it to advertise his personal training services, Rob’s logo and contact details are printed in white on the back, but I doubt you’ll find many people thinking about working out in the pub. He’ll have been in the gym before coming out. He’s the sort who even exercises on Christmas Day, there’s no way on earth you’d ever get me doing that. ‘Happy birthday for yesterday, what are you guys having, this rounds on me? The others are in that table over there, y’know, usual spot.’

Everyone else is sitting in the bay window, where Rob’s pointing his finger. It’s sort of cut off from the rest of the pub. Makes it a little more private. That’s why I prefer it.

‘Oh, um, Gordon’s G&T, for me,’ I say. ‘I’ve been aching for one all day.’

‘Sure thing.’

Rob slaps Callum on the back as he joins him at the bar.

‘Danielle, c’mon.’ Bea, my friend with the red curly hair’s waving to me from the table, her eyes wide. She’d insisted we’d call her Bea the very first time I met her, saying only her Nan calls her Beatrice. She gives someone the right cold shoulder if anyone does. ‘There’s a space next to me,’ she says, patting the seat next to her on her left.

‘Yep, sure just coming,’ I say.

I leave Callum and Rob chatting and head over to the table, brushing past a table where a young couple are sitting by the fireplace, looking at their phones. How can you go out with someone for the evening and stare at your phone the whole time? I shake my head.

‘Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you,’ Bea chants as I sit down.

‘Oh please, don’t, I don’t want everyone looking at me.’

‘Ah, you deserve to be the centre of attention,’ Bea’s boyfriend Jack says, grinning at me. He takes a sip of his Moretti.

‘How many times have I told you, you know how much I hate that,’ I say. ‘New shirt, Jack?’ I ask, noticing his pink Hugo Boss shirt.

‘Bea bought me this,’ he says, flicking back his wavy dark hair.

She smiles and rubs his arm. ‘Don’t you think it makes him look sexy?’ Jack splutters into his drink making Bea laugh. ‘Anyway, this is from us,’ she says, pushing a cylinder shaped wrapped present into my hands. ‘Open it, go on.’

I tear off the wrapping paper. ‘Oh it’s lovely,’ I say, staring at the autumn spiced Yankee candle.

‘I know that one’s your favourite,’ Bea says, giving me a hug. Her Alien perfume she’s been addicted to wearing since she was twelve, wafts into my nose. It’s the one thing I always know to get her for her birthday.

‘Thank you.’ I hold the candle to my nose and breathe in the scent of cloves. It’ll have to stay in the cupboard for now until September.

Callum and Rob return with the drinks. Callum plonks my gin and tonic in front of me.

‘Cheers, Danielle,’ Rob says, raising his pint to his mouth. ‘I have got you something, but it’s out in the car.’ Typical Rob. He’s the same whenever it’s someone’s birthday.

‘You drove?’ I say, picking up my gin.

‘Don’t worry, don’t worry, I’m only having a couple of pints,’ he says. ‘I got here five minutes ago. So how was the party? Y’know I’m jealous I missed out on one of Emma’s spreads.’

I shift in my seat. ‘Sorry about that, she made a big thing about it just being for family. But you know I wasn’t keen on having a party anyway. I told Emma and Michael I wanted to just go out for a family meal, rather than have everyone crowd round and sing me happy birthday, like I’m twelve.’

Callum shrugs. ‘I think Emma uses your birthday as an excuse just to throw a party, you know how much she loves entertaining.’

More people trickle into the pub over the next hour. It’s starting to feel more like a Friday night than a Monday. I shift in my seat. My head’s beginning to swim, and I’ve only had two gins, at this rate I don’t think I’ll be having another. I slump in my seat, and hold my hand over my mouth as I yawn. I’m only half listening to what Rob’s talking about, he’s going on about some client he’s been dealing with at work this week at the gym.

I scan the sea of heads crammed in at the bar. Someone sitting on their own at the other end of the pub catches my eye. There’s something . . . something about him, I can’t quite put my finger on it. A shiver races through me. The man’s sitting in the corner next to the bar wearing a white t-shirt. I fix my gaze on his sandy brown hair and five o’clock shadow on his chin. I frown, there’s something sort of, I don’t know, familiar about him, like I’ve met him before. Our eyes lock, he smiles at me and raises his pint. I look away, my cheeks burning, and try to pay attention to what Rob’s saying. Had the man just momentarily been looking across at us, or has he been watching me for longer? He wasn’t sitting there when we walked in. I know there are plenty of people who come to the pub on their own, particularly in our village, but he looks out of place. It’s like he’s here for another purpose rather than to just have a drink.

‘Everything alright?’ Callum asks, leaning in so the others don’t hear.

The guy’s just got to be waiting for a friend, that’s all. I clasp my hand around my drink. ‘Yep, um, sorry, was just looking at some bloke over there, I sort of recognised him, I don’t know.’ Callum looks in the direction of the bar, eyebrows furrowing. Someone’s lumbered in front of the man, so he’s moved out of our line of vision. I shake my head. ‘Don’t worry about it. I’m sure I was mistaken.’

Callum gives me a reassuring smile. ‘Just so long as it’s not a journalist,’ he says, keeping his voice low.

I take a sip of my drink. Damn, I hadn’t thought about him being a journalist. Of course, someone would try and get a comment from me on my birthday. I flick my gaze to the corner of the bar again. I can just make out the man’s right hand shoulder. He isn’t looking in our direction; he’s focused on his phone. If he was a journalist he would’ve come up to me now, I’m sure. I take in a breath to try and calm my heart beating against my chest.

‘No, I don’t think he is, don’t worry about it,’ I say.

But I can’t shake the thought away that somehow I’ve met the man before.

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 6
His Silence - Chapter Five

By Jacob1395

I don’t know how I’ve managed to get through these last three weeks. I was expecting to receive another letter from Harvey, or from the prison, telling me my request had been rejected again, but nothing arrived. Every time I hear the letter flap ping, my heart lurches, making me feel the same way I did waiting for my GCSE results. There was always that tightness in my chest that plagued me for days, and the feeling like my brain was on fire when I tried to go to sleep.

‘Righto, I’m off,’ Emma says, pecking me on my cheek. She’s clutching her phone; it’s open on her horoscope app. She never goes out the front door without checking it.

‘What’s it saying for today?’ I ask, picking up my green tea and breathing in its fresh scent, resisting the urge to roll my eyes.

‘What?’ she says, staring at me, and then she glances at her phone. ‘Oh, well, let’s see, I might find it hard to take criticism today.’ She shuts her phone down and stands still, biting her lip.

‘Emma, you know all of this stuff is rubbish, don’t you?’ I say.

‘Yes, of course I do, anyway, I’ll see you later, sweetie,’ she says, slipping her phone in her pocket. The minute she gets in the car she’ll be checking her appearance in her mirror making sure there’s nothing people can criticise her on.

‘You’re back at five?’ I ask.

‘Of course, same as always.’ She frowns at me. I flick my gaze back to my computer screen. She’ll want to know why I asked that question now. ‘Michael’s going fishing at eleven, so at least you’ll have some peace and quiet then,’ Emma says.

I smile. ‘Oh, Michael’s no bother, I’ll see you later.’

Emma has no idea Michael’s taken the day off work to come to the prison with me. I hate lying to her, but Michael’s right, if we were to tell her what we were doing she’d be annoyed with both of us.

I breathe a sigh of relief when Emma’s car starts up on the driveway. She’s often said she can’t see how I can work from home, but I’d be miserable if I had to commute in and out of London every day. Emma works at a nail salon in Chelmsford, which isn’t too far away. I suppose I could consider searching for a job there in Chelmsford, certainly not at the nail salon, but even Emma complains about the traffic.

Michael hurries down the stairs and pokes his head around the living room door. ‘You know I’m going to have to find something to do with myself after the prison,’ he says to me, stuffing his white shirt into his trousers. ‘Otherwise she won’t believe I’ve been fishing if I’m at home when she gets back.’  

‘D’you think she bought it though?’ I ask. I’m sure she thinks something’s up.

He shrugs. ‘She didn’t mention anything to me last night, and if anything’s bothering Emma, she always waits until we’re both in bed. What time do you want to leave?’

The clock on my computer screen reads eight a.m. ‘Eleven? That’ll give us plenty of time to get there,’ I say.

‘Right, well I’m going to get on with some work in the garage. Try and keep calm and put the visit to the back of your mind.’

‘Will do,’ I say. Like there’s anyway that’s going to be possible. Thoughts about the visit kept me awake all night, tossing and turning. I rub my eyes.

Emma better not choose today of all days to pop back for lunch, or come back early, like she sometimes does, if it’s a quiet day. Facing my laptop, I open the Internet, type in my family’s name and press enter. Hundreds of results pop up. The article at the very top is from a couple of years ago, when it was the eighteenth anniversary. Mum and Dad’s faces beam back at me as I open the link. Mum’s curly black hair, I used to play with as a toddler, is clumped on her shoulders, exposing a glint of diamond in her ears. I’ve always thought Dad has the quality of a movie star about him, an old classic movie star like James Dean. Dad’s golden brown hair is swept to the right. It’s the way Dad glances at the camera, the steely look in his dark eyes. My knees jitter under the table. I don’t look like either of them. They’re so good looking and I’m not. Would they have been proud of me, of what I’ve achieved so far in life? Would they have pushed me to get a degree? I shake the thoughts out of my head and begin to read the article.

            Eighteen years ago today on the 4th August 2004, the shocking murders of the Cole family became a worldwide phenomenon. Only a handful of cases around the world have received the same level of publicity. John Cole (47) and Laura Cole (45) were butchered to death by their only son, Harvey, who also killed a family friend, Ian Jones (age unknown) who was living with them at the time in a rented house in Little Castle, Essex. Harvey confessed to killing them, but refused to tell the police why, and to this day the case still remains a mystery. Of course this has given rise to a number of conspiracy theories. What is even more shocking, is at the time, Harvey was only fourteen years old. Child murderers are extremely rare in this country, so there was no question about it that this case was going to be big. Countless investigators have tried to solve the case over the years, with no success, and what is even more puzzling, is there is very little trace of this family before the murders. It appears that before they arrived in Little Castle they didn’t exist. The most logical explanation is, for some reason, the family, and Ian, changed their names. But no one has ever come forward claiming to know the family. On the eighteenth anniversary we spoke to key witnesses, who lived in the area at the time, about what they can remember from that fateful day. Alice Whitlock, who has lived in the area all her life recalls, “I remember this strange family arriving, I think they must’ve arrived in the middle of the night, no one saw them arrive during the day. My husband used to always make a point of welcoming anyone new, particularly if they’d moved into a house on our street. The first we knew someone was living in the house was when we spotted a blue car outside. My husband baked a cake for them, and when he went up to the gate, they wouldn’t let him in, wouldn’t even talk to him when he tried to make his presence known. He was in a right mood about it at the time I can tell you, and thought then there must be something odd going on. Of course we never saw the children while they were there, that’s why we were so shocked to hear a fourteen-year-old boy had been arrested.”

I stop reading. It’s weird hearing other people giving accounts of my family, thinking they know them. These people don’t know anything and yet they’re surmising what my family must’ve been like, it’s wrong. Shaking my head I glance at the bottom of the article. There’s a picture of the house where my family were killed. This is where we lived for three weeks. If only the walls of the house could talk. I let out a shaky breath. There’s a tall wrought iron gate at the foot of the drive, and the house is big. I read somewhere it was built in the seventeenth century. Why Ian chose this place to take my family to I have no idea. I’m pretty sure I read somewhere once the rent was cheap, and it sounds like they needed somewhere quick. Why did they need somewhere quick? What were they running from? I lean in closer, my heart racing. There’s a fountain before the front door, but it’s bare and dry, in fact I have no memory of there ever being water running in the fountain. There are big wide windows on the first and second floor. I picture myself as a six-year-old peering out of them. I must’ve been over the moon as a kid, living somewhere so big, with lots of garden space, although I have no recollection of ever playing outside. All I can picture is the kitchen, with its island table in the middle, red brick walls and the huge clock with Roman numerals, with the tinted gold frame. One thing that does stand out in my mind is that the curtains were always closed. Was that to prevent us looking out or someone else looking in? The last night we’d spent there, we’d had fish and chips in the living room in front of the television, as a treat for Harvey’s birthday. Some items of furniture still had white cloths thrown over them.

Taking a sip of my green tea, I close the article and rub my knuckles. I can’t read anymore. The reason I’m in this mess is because of one decision my brother made. He did this; he made my life what it is now. I wipe my eyes. This is his fault.

Pulling open my emails, I start to respond to the ones that flooded in over the weekend.

It’s coming up to quarter to eleven when Michael reappears in the living room, wiping his hands on a piece of kitchen paper.

‘Are you ready?’ he asks.

I sit back, thinking about the article I read earlier, my legs bouncing up and down under the table. I need to get this over with.

‘Yep, course. Let’s go,’ I say, picking myself up and switching off my laptop.

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 7
His Silence - Chapter Six

By Jacob1395

I text Callum as we’re leaving, letting him know we’re on the way to the prison. I shove my phone in my pocket, breathing steadily. We’re not going to be too far from where Emma works. It’s crazy we’re going to be a ten minute drive from her, tops, and she has no idea what we’re doing.

‘Are you sure you want to do this, you know there’s no pressure, you can always change your mind?’ Michael says, the car thrumming around us.

I shake my head. ‘No, I need to. I need to know what he has to say.’ Even if he tells me beyond reason of a doubt he killed Mum and Dad, at least I’ll know where I stand then. It’s the not knowing that kills me.

Michael manoeuvres the car off the driveway and onto the road. There aren’t any houses opposite us. From my bedroom window, above the front door, all I see are fields, and trees stretching on forever. There’s a couple of houses further up the road, but we’re quite isolated. It’s something I’ve always liked about living here; I would’ve hated living in a city. There’s something about the noise, and concrete jungle setting I don’t find natural.

What will Harvey look like now? He was so skinny twenty years ago. His floppy hair was always untidy. Mum spent ages trying to comb through it, but no matter how hard she tried it would never stay flat. I close my eyes, sleep calling me. What made him do it, what made him kill them? As the world around me darkens, I see myself as a six-year-old standing in a doorway. Mum’s in the small room in front of me, stuffing things into a small bag. She turns to me, raising a finger to her lips, telling me to be quiet. Her words echo to me from the past, “If you tell anyone where we came from, bad things will happen.” My body shudders. I never told a soul, and yet everything still went wrong.

My eyes flutter open. I could only have been asleep for half an hour tops. It was so real seeing Mum. I could smell her perfume, the scent of jasmine she always wore. I rub my eyes as tears threaten. I’ve had this particular dream before, I’ve never been sure if the memory is real, or if it’s something I’ve made up. I’ve always kept it to myself. I haven’t even spoken about it to Callum.

‘Looks like we’re here,’ Michael says.

The soulless, red brick building stretches out ahead of me, no thought or consideration appears to have gone into its appearance. Barbed wire curls along the walls, prickling the grey sky, making me think of Mum’s curly hair. I swallow. Harvey is inside there now. I clutch my seatbelt. I’m not like him, I can’t be like him. I’ve driven past this place so many times before now, often picturing myself going inside, demanding a meeting with him.

‘Are you OK?’ Michael asks parking up.

‘Yep, fine,’ I say, doing my best to keep my voice bright.

‘I’ll wait just here for you, remember, Danielle, you can’t trust anything he says.’

I climb out of the car, flinging the door shut and march towards the prison, a breeze whipping through my hair. The distant sound of the roar of traffic reaches my ears.

Keep yourself together.

As I enter the building I immediately want something to fan myself. Some of the guards have sweat patches under their arms; a fan on full blast is sitting on someone’s desk. I will for it to turn round and face me, it must be unbearable working here.

I hand my phone over to be scanned through the machine, and pass through the bleepers, as I’ve always called them. They’re exactly like the ones at security in an airport. The guards look me up and down, I rub my arms. I’ve always felt self-conscious going through airport security, like I might be guilty of something, even though I’m not. Do they know who I am? Do they know who I’m here to see? I keep my head down, not wanting to meet them in the eye.

I enter a wide room with sets of tables and chairs spread out, the chairs are secured to the floor. The back of my neck prickles. God it’s stuffy in here. This is the moment I’ve waited years for. It doesn’t feel real. Guards patrol the perimeter of the room; I keep my focus on the floor as I move closer to a table and sit down. My knees are jittering. I pull at my collar. Why isn’t there a window open in here? Now I want to get out, I want to go.

There’s a buzzing sound. People begin to stroll through from the other end of the room. Which one is my brother? I squeeze my hands together. The only photo I’ve seen of him was from when he was fourteen. I can’t believe he’s in his thirties now. We’ve missed out on so much together, birthdays, Christmases, all because of what he did. I flick my gaze across to the side of the room and fix my eyes on a brown haired woman with multi gold hoop earrings, sitting on her own to my right, with a pram by her side. She’s wearing a hell of a lot of make-up. I don’t think I would’ve gone for the gold eye shadow though, if I was her. Emma used to go mad at me if I stepped out of the house wearing even a shade of glitter on my face. Every so often the woman’s brown eyes meet mine then she looks away again. She’s rocking the pram gently back and forth. I picture the baby inside sound asleep. Is the baby’s father in here? Is that who the woman’s come to see? She smiles at someone and a burly looking man with short, blond hair shuffles over to them, before plonking himself in the seat opposite.

Everyone else moves towards their allocated table, to whoever it is whose come to see them. I let out a shallow breath and spot someone standing a few feet away. His dark eyes clock with mine, my heart lurches. It’s him. It’s Harvey. God, he’s got the exact same eyes as our dad. He shuffles across the room towards me, arms tight against his body, not looking at me.  

My heart gets louder and louder in my chest as he pulls the chair out from under the table and sits. Stars dance in front of my eyes. No don’t have a panic attack. I will not have a panic attack. He’s so close to me, the smell of his sweat hits me in the face. It’s running down his cheeks. Our eyes meet.

‘Oh God, Danielle . . . it’s . . . it’s so good to see you,’ he says and his lips break into a wide smile.

Chapter 8
His Silence - Chapter Seven

By Jacob1395

The murmurings of everyone else talking filters into my head. The brown haired, make-up woman lifts the baby out of the pram, and a broad smile appears on the face of the man sitting opposite. She turns the baby around so the man’s eyes and the baby’s meet. He reaches his hand out and starts squeezing it together, the baby murmurs. I force back tears and shift forwards, refocusing my attention back on Harvey. Harvey’s put on some weight since I last saw him. His muscles would be enough to make Rob jealous. What the hell am I thinking? It’s like I’m almost proud of him for thinking that. I can’t get over how pale he is. He used to tan really easily in the summer. He always seemed to have a darker shade of skin than me, even in the winter.

‘Um, so, I . . . I received your letter,’ I say, rubbing my sweaty palms on my jeans. How can he say it’s so good to see me when I’ve been trying to see him for years and up until now he’s ignored me? Back then I thought he didn’t care. I swallow. ‘On my birthday.’   

He wipes his eyes. How can he be the one who’s upset? I curl my feet together. The baby lets out a cackle. Did Mum hold me like that? Did she smile every time I made some sort of gurgling or excited noise?

Harvey sighs. ‘I’m sorry for refusing to see you all these years, Danielle, but . . . you were so young, I didn’t want to . . . I wanted to protect you from everything I’ve been through,’ he says.

I half-laugh. He can’t think he can say that to me, after all this time? ‘Protect me, are you being serious? You’ve made my life hell these past twenty years, Harvey. What was it, what made you decide to kill our parents? I’ve spent years trying to understand why you did it. I’ve had reporters chasing me down the street. We’ve had to get injunctions out to get them to stop writing stories about me.’ My fists shake as I squeeze them together. Oh God, I’ve raised my voice. Several people are staring at us from the other side of the room, their eyes wide. The last thing I want is for anyone to be talking about our visit after today. What the press would give to know this conversation between us was taking place. I flick my gaze back to Harvey and try my best to control my breathing.

Harvey shakes his head. ‘You have every right to be angry at me, Danielle, I understand. But, you . . . you must believe me . . . I . . . I didn’t kill our parents.’

I sink back in my seat. The room spins around me as I process his words. What the hell? Harvey’s looking at me with imploring eyes. His hands shake. ‘I . . . .’ I don’t know what to say to him. I’m reminded of Michael’s words; take everything he says with a pinch of salt. There was no way on earth I was expecting Harvey to say this. He’s guilty. He’s got to be guilty. ‘But. . . you confessed. You confessed to killing them and then you refused to tell the police why you did it.’ I do my best to keep my voice soft. I want to shout at him, I want to tell him how his actions have left an impact on me. This time I can’t help tears escaping my eyes. ‘How do you expect me to believe –’

‘I know, but I had no choice.’ Harvey cuts across me.

This is crazy. I shake my head. ‘I’m sorry, Harvey, but why didn’t you put any of this in the letter you sent me?’

He wipes his forehead. ‘Because I was afraid the letter might get lost and someone else would read it,’ he says. Tears fall down his cheeks. I look away, focusing again on the couple with the baby. Nausea sweeps through me. ‘Look, Danielle, the first few years after I was arrested I was a mess, I was only fourteen. In the three weeks prior to the murders our lives had been upended by . . .’ he breaks off. It’s like he’s trying to work out what he should say next. ‘But I . . . I might be getting parole next year, I’ve been denied it in the past because of . . . it doesn’t matter, but I’m determined to get out, Danielle, and I . . . I can’t leave here with people outside still thinking I . . . how much do you remember about our lives before the murders?’

I flick my gaze around the room and wipe my eyes. He might be getting parole? That means he’ll be out. He’ll be out on the streets. I fold my arms tight across my chest and let out a shaky breath. I can’t meet him in the eyes. No one else appears to be paying us any attention thank God. ‘Um . . . I remember us living in this house where there were lots of other people, but none of the memories I have make any sense to me. I’ve never been sure if I’ve made the memories up, or if they’re real,’ I say. I still can’t get my head around what he’s said. It’s mad. It doesn’t make sense. He could be out next year. He could be out. I push the thoughts deep to the back of my mind. ‘I don’t even know Mum and Dad’s real names, the press, and everyone else think they changed them to stop them from being tracked down by whoever they were running from.’

He picks at the corner of his right eye and shifts in his seat. ‘You’re right about us living in a house. We were part of this community; we were one big family.’

I frown at him. An image flashes in my mind of people wearing white clothing, sitting at a long table. I picture Mum by the sink, and me clinging to her legs. I shake the images away. ‘You’re making it sound as though we were part of some sort of cult,’ I say. He can’t be innocent; this isn’t what I’ve been told all these years.

‘I don’t think . . . when the community first got together it intended to start out like that, I don’t think, it can’t be . . . well, anyway, at the start, it was a group of like-minded people. I was there right from the start with Mum and Dad. This was, obviously, before you were born. You were born there, Danielle, did you know that?’ I shake my head. This is insane. I grit my teeth. ‘There were only a small number of us back then, no more than ten. There was this bloke, Oliver . . . Oliver Adams, well, he’s still there, he . . .’

‘Wait a minute,’ I say. ‘Are you telling me the same people, who we grew up with, are still there now? What the hell even is this place, what do they even –’

‘Danielle,’ Harvey cuts across me keeping his voice low. He chews his bottom lip. Come on, Harvey, spit it out. ‘This place, it’s a . . . it was a sanctuary, created by Oliver who, who still runs the place now.’

‘A sanctuary,’ I half-laugh as I sit back in my seat. ‘All I sort of remember is people wearing white clothing. Why did our family . . . why were we even there to begin with? I don’t remember them being religious fanatics.’

‘Because Oliver was Mum and Dad’s best friend,’ Harvey hisses. ‘That’s why. Look, I . . . um, I had a visit recently from one of the people, who still live there,’ he says, blinking rapidly.

‘OK, so is this the reason why you wanted to see me?’ I say through gritted teeth. ‘Not because you wanted to, but because someone told you to get me to come and see you?’

‘No, they . . . they need you, Danielle, they wanted me to persuade you to go back to them, but . . .’

They need me. What does he mean by that? ‘But what? Why do they need me?’ I snap; then kick myself, knowing I’ve raised my voice again. At least no one appears to be watching us.

‘He . . . he wouldn’t exactly tell me why, but it . . . look, the answer to what happened the night our parents were killed is there, I’m certain of it, Danielle. I know you might not want to help me, I know you think I must be trying to spin some sort of story to get you to believe me. But, I’m telling you the truth. I wouldn’t lie to you, Danielle. You mean so much to me.’

I shake my head. If he means so much to me why didn’t he agree to see me years ago? I rub my forehead. There’s got to be something he’s holding back from me. If he thinks he’s innocent, he must have an inkling of who really killed Mum and Dad. ‘So what happened the night you killed . . . the night they died? It wasn’t just Mum and Dad. There was Ian, their friend.’ I think back to the article I read earlier today.

Harvey shakes his head. ‘I don’t . . . the memory of that night is a blur, I remember, I remember telling you to hide in the wardrobe, I remember the police coming and taking me away, and the media frenzy that followed. But, the actual moments of the murders, I must’ve been . . . drugged somehow or . . . I don’t know, Danielle, I don’t know.’ He looks away from me. There’s something he doesn’t want to tell me. ‘I thought it . . .’ he breaks off and looks down at the table, tears slide his cheeks.

‘But, why did you tell me to hide in the wardrobe in the first place? Now, it sounds like you’re saying to me you didn’t know what was going to happen.’

‘I’ve always wanted to protect you, Danielle,’ he says. He reaches his hand across the table and it’s like, for a moment, he wants me to take it. I refuse. I keep my hands under the table. He draws his hand back and swallows. ‘You’re so important to me. I’ve never stopped thinking about you while I’ve been in here. Please believe me.’

I replay his words over in my mind. His lower lip wobbles.

‘So, if you are innocent, like you say, what d’you want me to do?’ I ask, running my tongue around the inside of my mouth.

‘Danielle, if there was any other way, I wouldn’t involve you, but, you need to go back, you need to go back to where we came from.’ His voice shakes as he speaks.

‘Why?’ I ask, my voice rising again. To my right the baby murmurs. It’s almost a comfort.

‘It’s the only way to find out the truth,’ he says. ‘Please, Danielle, if I’m released next year and people still think I’m guilty, they’ll . . .’ He shifts his attention away from me. ‘I won’t be able to do anything, I won’t be able to get a job, I’ll be reliant on the government for help, I’ll . . .’ his voice cracks. ‘I want to get my life back, Danielle.’

I shrink back into my seat. This is too much. This wasn’t what I was expecting.

‘How can I trust you?’ I say. I want to believe him. I want to believe he couldn’t be responsible for what happened. A single tear slides down my cheek. If he’s innocent, then there might not be some sort of faulty gene in our family. I might not be a risk to others.

Harvey keeps his gaze fixed on me. ‘Think about what we once had, Danielle,’ he says. ‘I want us to have that again.’

I wipe my eyes. But we can’t have what we once had again. I’m a grown woman, not a little girl anymore. ‘OK, so, like I said, what d’you want me to do?’

Harvey scrunches his hands together. ‘You need to get in contact with them, Danielle. They’ll . . . they’ll welcome you back. I have no doubt about that. They’ll love you, there’s no way . . . there’s no way they’ll hurt you, Danielle, I know they won’t.’ It’s almost like he’s trying to convince himself when he says the last part of his sentence.  

I rub my arms. I hadn’t even thought of the possibility of Harvey ever getting out. I’d never even thought of a future that Harvey might be a part of. His last words haunt me, making my skin crawl. I need to be certain he’s innocent. I want to believe him, but I can’t help picturing him as a wolf dressed in sheep’s clothing.

I shrug my shoulders. ‘Why don’t we see if we can get the press or the police involved?’ I suggest.

Harvey shakes his head. ‘No, Danielle, you can’t involve anyone else, not at this stage. If the press get wind of this then they’ll twist everything, you of all people know that. They won’t leave you alone.’  

‘But what about the police?’ I ask. ‘Haven’t you spoken to them about this?’

He laughs. ‘I’ve tried. Look, when they kept pressing me for answers, after I was first arrested, I remained silent, I think it was . . . I don’t know why, but I think I was still under the influence of . . . or I just might’ve been in a state of shock, I don’t know. There were a couple of years when I didn’t speak to anyone at all. But I started to get these memories back. A few years ago now I tried to convince the police to listen to me, but . . . they didn’t do anything. I told them about this place but they were convinced I’d dreamt it up. As far as they’re concerned they’ve wrapped the case up, they don’t want to spend any more money on it. But if we were to give them evidence, they would be forced to.’

‘What d’you remember?’ I ask. All I can picture is me cowering in the wardrobe, the only voice I heard was Mum’s shouting at Harvey to stop. ‘You’ve got to tell me something.’

‘There was someone else there that night at the house when Mum and Dad were killed,’ he says, his voice barely audible. ‘I don’t know who, but I know they did it. That’s all I know. Danielle, please, you have to believe me.’

I don’t know what to say to him. What if he’s lying to me?

‘What are our parents’ names, Harvey, you haven’t answered my questions?’

He rubs his eyes. ‘Their names were Sally and Neil before . . . before they changed them to John and Laura, the names the press have only ever called them.’

I sit back on my seat, letting this information sink in. What were their lives like before they had Harvey and me, what were their hopes, aspirations and dreams? There’s so little information I know about them it hurts. Their names were Sally and Neil, at this moment I feel like I’ve reclaimed part of my identity.

Chapter 9
His Silence - Chapter Eight

By Jacob1395

Warning: The author has noted that this contains the highest level of language.

I’m surprised I’m able to keep myself standing upright when I leave Harvey. My head’s spinning. If any of the newspapers manage to get a hold of what he’s told me, they’d be having a field day. He could be out of prison next year, regardless if he’s bloody innocent or not. He could be sending me on a wild goose chase. How can I trust him?

I breeze back through the prison, keeping my head down and sprint out, passing through the heavy door, and into the bright sunshine which makes my eyes squint. Michael will still be waiting for me in the car park. I reckon I’ve been inside the prison thirty to forty minutes tops. Harvey’s last words to me repeat over and over in my head taunting me. There was someone else there that night. Why couldn’t he tell me who that person was? I shake my head and hurry over to Michael’s car, holding up my hood as light spots of rain spit at my cheeks. Michael’s heads bent low, he’ll be reading a book, or messages on his phone.

As I reach the passenger door, Michael looks up. I yank the door open and slide in.

‘How did it go?’ he asks, putting his phone in his pocket. There’s a wrapper scrunched up in the footwell in front of him. He must’ve got something to eat somewhere nearby while I was talking to Harvey. The smell of melted cheese wafts into my nostrils, I roll down the window as nausea sweeps through me. Perhaps he got a McDonalds. Emma never allows McDonald’s in the house.

‘Yep, yep, fine,’ I say, plugging my seatbelt in. He’s desperate to find out more about what Harvey and I talked about. There’s a crease in his forehead as he stares at me, his eyes flicker back and forth. ‘Can we just go home?’ I ask, glancing out the window, lolling my head on the cool glass. I hope the tone of my voice will be enough to stop him asking questions.

‘Yes, of course,’ he says, starting the car up.

The radio blasts into life, Adele’s soft voice, singing Someone like You, fills the car. Michael steers the car out of the car park and back out onto the main road.

Harvey will be being led back to his cell now thinking there’s no way I’m going to help him. He told me the house I need to go to isn’t far from Leigh on Sea. Raven House it’s called. It would be about an hour’s drive from home. Why have the media never found a link to the place? There have been countless investigations into what happened to my family. The police stopped when Harvey refused to say why he did what he did. There wasn’t anything for them to work on. But there have been so many production companies employing top private investigators to look into what happened. Surely one of them should’ve found something. I pull out my phone. I need to talk to Callum. This is something I can’t talk to Michael and Emma about, not yet.

I open WhatsApp, and frown, Callum hasn’t responded to my last message, but he’s read it. He can’t be ignoring me, can he? I type a message, my breath fogging the screen as I hold the phone to my face.

            Can we talk this afternoon?

I wait until the screen shows the message’s been delivered. Come on, Callum, please reply. My phone bleeps in my hand, almost making me drop it. I glance at Callum’s reply on the screen.

            Sure, can pop over before footie.

Of course, it’s Friday, he normally plays football on a Friday. He’ll be going up the pub afterwards as well. Why didn’t he reply to my text earlier? I ignore the thought and type a reply.

            Yep sure, come over this afternoon when you can.

I send my reply and shove my phone back into my pocket.

I try to concentrate on the music now blasting Ed Sheeran’s, Shape of You.

Chapter 10
His Silence - Chapter Nine

By Jacob1395

‘Hey, are you sure everything’s OK?’ Michael asks as we pull up outside home half an hour later. ‘You know if you want to talk about what happened you can.’ He keeps his eyes fixed on me, the same way he used to when he knew I’d had a bad day at school. He always gave me that look, that sideways glance, but he would never put pressure on me to tell him what had happened, he’d wait for me to find him.

I nod, grasping the door handle. ‘Yep, of course, I’m fine. We chatted about things and that was that. There’s nothing really much more to say.’ Even I hear the sob in my voice as I speak.

He twists his wedding ring. He doesn’t believe me. I try my best to keep my gaze fixed on him. ‘Well, if you’re sure you’re fine, I think I’m going to head off. I’ll find a coffee shop to sit in for a couple of hours, or perhaps I might stop off at the golf club,’ he says. ‘At least there might be a few people there I know.’

I laugh. ‘You know you don’t need to do that, Michael. I’m sure you can just say to Emma you were feeling tired and decided to come home early, she’ll believe that.’

He smiles at me. ‘No, don’t worry, love, I can’t sit around all afternoon doing nothing.’ He winks.

I open the car door and step out to the sound of someone talking loudly on the phone a little further up the road. ‘Thank you, Michael.’ Perhaps I will tell him what Harvey and I discussed, but not now. Now I need to work out what to do.

I fling the car door shut and head towards the house, darting around the puddles on the drive. At least it’s stopped raining. Michael waits until I’ve unlocked the front door before backing out onto the road. He waves and heads up the road, the front car wheel sending a spray of water onto the drive, as he speeds through a puddle. I slip into the warm hallway and push the door shut, breathing a sigh of relief.

It’s half past four when there’s a knock on the door. Callum’s standing there in his football gear. He would’ve got changed before leaving work, he knows not to wear his football boots before coming into our house. Emma went mad when he did it a few years back, after the studs left muddy marks on the carpet.

‘Come in,’ I say, stepping aside to let him through, closing the door behind him, as though someone else might try to dive in to hear us talk.

He breezes into the hallway and we slip into the living room. I rub my hands together. I need to somehow get across everything to him what Harvey told me. What Harvey said still seems impossible. It’s like I’ve stepped into a dream.

‘Michael not in?’ he asks as we step through into the living room, his eyes flickering around.

I shake my head. ‘He went off to the golf club. I haven’t told him anything about what Harvey and I discussed. I need to speak to you about it first.’

We sit on the sofa. There’s no way Callum’s going to believe what Harvey said. I cross my knees over. Keep calm, breathe.

‘So, how did it go then?’ Callum asks.

I blink rapidly to try and stop tears from falling. I can’t cry. If I cry, it’ll strengthen Callum’s belief that what I’m planning is a bad idea. He would do a far better job of explaining this than me, he’d just come straight out with it, like the time when we spoke about his mum for the first time. He lost her to cancer when he was only four. It’s part of what drew me to Callum in the first place, knowing he’d lost someone, like me. He’d spoken so matter of factly about it, without breaking down, it shocked me. ‘I . . . I honestly don’t know what to think, he told me . . . he told me he’s innocent and he . . . he said he could be given parole next year and he doesn’t want the public to still think he’s guilty,’ I reply.

I can’t help but picture Harvey sitting across from me again. I see his dark eyes fixing on me, begging me to believe him, begging me to believe his innocence. I wrap my arms around my chest. I still can’t get over how much he looks like Dad, it’s scary. Why’s he inherited all the good looks, when I? I bite my lip.

Callum raises an eyebrow. ‘OK, so why’s he waited all this time to tell you then?’ There’s a hint of curiosity and anger in his voice that makes me shudder.

‘He told me he didn’t want to put me in danger, I know it sounds ridiculous, but . . .’

‘You don’t believe him, do you?’ Callum asks, his eyebrows shooting up.

I shrug my shoulders. ‘I’m not sure at the moment. Part of me wants to believe him; we were so close when we were small. I want to have back what I lost, I . . .’

‘OK, so he tells you he didn’t do it, who did then? The police didn’t find any other evidence to suggest anyone else was involved. If they had they would’ve looked into it.’

I shift in my seat. ‘Perhaps they didn’t look because Harvey confessed so quickly, and they had his DNA on the axe that was used. It was a water tight case. But he was adamant it wasn’t him who did it. He really believed it.’ It sounds like I’m defending him. He’s made my life hell and here he is begging me to believe he’s innocent. I clench my fists together. This is so wrong.

Callum puffs his cheeks out. ‘I take it he wants you to try and do something about it, then?’

I wipe my eyes. He doesn’t believe Harvey could be innocent. ‘He wants me to try and somehow help him clear his name,’ I reply, biting my lip.

Callum laughs. ‘Are you being serious? If he’s innocent, then why hasn’t he tried to get out of prison sooner?’

‘He didn’t exactly tell me why. I think he’s been denied parole in the past, perhaps, I don’t know, perhaps he got into a fight, or something like that. He told me, when we were growing up, we were part of this community, near Leigh on Sea. I do have memories of that time, flickers of stuff. This place, and the people who lived there with us, are still there now.’ The image of people sitting around a dining table in white clothing flickers through into my mind again. Who are they? Why did we all live together?

‘So, you want to go to this place then?’ Callum asks, raising an eyebrow.

‘Harvey said he wouldn’t have asked me if there was another way, but he said if there’s any way of proving who really killed Mum and Dad, then I would find it there, he doesn’t want to get parole next year and for everyone to still think he’s guilty.’ What I’m saying sounds so ridiculous. It’s like I’ve gone onto one of the countless conspiracy websites there are about the case.

Callum shakes his head. ‘I don’t like this, Danielle. He ignores your requests to speak to him for years, and then all of a sudden he’s telling you he’s innocent, and wants you to help prove it, are you sure he’s not having some sort of psychotic breakdown?’

‘I . . .’ Harvey’s words filter through into my mind, the way how his voice cracked as he said he was innocent makes goosebumps rise up my arm. He was begging me to believe him. Surely there’s no way he could’ve been faking that? ‘Callum, I want to find out what really happened that night. I need to know the truth, and if Harvey is innocent, then I need to help him, he has no one else.’ My breath comes out slow and steady. Callum’s words roll around inside my head taunting me. I don’t want Harvey to be lying to me.

‘Danielle, you need to really think about this,’ Callum says, shifting in his seat so he’s looking directly into my eyes. ‘You have no idea how dangerous this could be.’

‘I know,’ I say sighing. Does he not think I’ve not thought of that? ‘But this could be my chance to finally find out what’s happened. At least, if I visit this place, I could get some sort of closure at the very least. Could you live with it if you left your brother to rot in prison, even if there was only a small chance he might be innocent? If . . . if there was a way you could bring your mum back, would you do it?’ I kick myself, why the hell did I say that? ‘I’m sorry.’  

A memory passes through my mind. I’m sitting on Mum’s knee. We’re outside in a garden, sitting underneath a willow tree. She’s singing softly to me, the words of the song, You Are My Sunshine filter into my subconscious. She holds me up so I can play with the leaves and I giggle as they flutter in my face, there’s warm sunshine on my skin. A tear slides down my cheek. I need to know what happened.

‘Don’t worry about it, if there was a way, then yeah of course I would.’ He lets out a shaky breath. ‘When are you thinking of going?’ There’s still hesitation in his voice. Whatever I say isn’t going to convince him this is a good idea.

‘Um, next weekend, perhaps,’ I say. ‘But, will you . . . will you come with me? I know Michael came to the prison with me, but I’m worried if I tell him what I’m planning, he’ll try and stop me. He won’t understand.’

‘But what exactly do you know about this place?’

‘I’ve told you everything I know. That’s why I need to go back there,’ I say thumping my fist on the cushion. If Callum won’t help me, who will? I remember what I said to Harvey, “It sounds like some sort of cult,” and his response, “I don’t think it started out like that.” I lean back my in seat. The remote control sat on the cushion next to me slips off, and drops into the crevice. There’s no way I can tell Callum that, not now.

‘Well, if you think this is the only way, then of course I’ll go with you, but, if Harvey does think he’s innocent of the crime he was convicted for, shouldn’t he be telling the police?’

‘I think he’s tried, but . . . he said they’re not prepared to throw any more money at it, they think he’s having delusions. Perhaps he’s afraid it might spoil his chances of getting parole if he keeps going on about it. As far as the police are concerned the case has been solved.’

If Harvey was to offer a newspaper an exclusive, it’s clear how they’d twist it. They wouldn’t talk about him protesting his innocence. They would talk about a crazed lunatic who needs to remain locked up. Then they’d come after me. I swallow.

Callum gets up from the sofa and sighs. ‘Well, I knew he’d spin some sort of yarn to you, but this is crazy.’

I look up at him. ‘He’s my brother. If there’s a chance he’s innocent, I . . . I have to find out the truth.’ In my head I can see myself sitting on Harvey’s lap again as he reads to me my favourite story. He kisses me on the head and tells me to go to sleep.

‘I will help you, Danielle, in whatever way I can, but if this gets too out of hand . . .’ he shakes his head. ‘Why don’t you come to the pub later, it’ll be good for you to let your hair down?’

I stand, grabbing the remote control. I place it on the coffee table. There was something he wanted to say, but he chose not to. ‘Yep, I’ll . . . I’ll think about it, text me where you’re going and I’ll meet you there.’

My chest is tight as I show Callum out. He steps back out onto the street, gets back into his car and drives to the top of the road. He’s got to see this from my perspective. He’s got to. I close the door.

Chapter 11
His Silence - Chapter Ten

By Jacob1395

Warning: The author has noted that this contains the highest level of language.

I slip on my Nikes, tying the laces in a double knot. There’s something weirdly satisfying about tying shoe laces. Strangely it always makes me think of Mum. An image her walking around the kitchen, murmuring numbers to herself filters through into my head. If ever she messed up she’d have to go right back to beginning again. Only when she’d completed her task, did she smile. Looking back now, it’s more than likely she had a severe case of OCD.

‘Just heading out for a run,’ I call out to Emma and Michael, who are both in the living room watching EastEnders, one of the soaps Emma’s religiously watched for years.

‘OK, dinner will be in about half an hour,’ Emma calls out to me.

The herby aroma of sausages wafts towards me from the kitchen.

I yank the door open and step out onto the driveway, a slight breeze hitting my face, and crisscross the drive to avoid the puddles, as I break into a jog. A run was definitely needed today after going out with Callum last night. Callum kept bombarding me with texts until I said yes. It was a fun evening, to be fair, even if I did have too many Porn star martinis, which Bea suggested we get, and then she’d dragged me up to sing a horrible version of Bohemian Rhapsody at Karaoke, which I still can’t get out of my head. Michael could do a much better job. He was in a band in his twenties, they even had some small success, and he hasn’t forgotten how to sing. A memory passes through my mind of one of the last gigs he did, back when I was eight. He’d called me up on stage to a round of applause and I’d tentatively got up, squeezing the fabric of my dress. Then he’d dedicated his final song of the night to me.

At least, last night, I could forget about what happened earlier at the prison, for a couple of hours, even if I did murder one of the most popular songs on the planet, but it didn’t stop Harvey’s words to me, cramming my mind when I tried to get to sleep later. How can he be innocent?

I keep my head down to stop the wind stinging my eyes. Callum and I hadn’t discussed the visit to Raven House, while we were out last night. I feel like I’m putting too much of a burden on him already and we haven’t even gone. I turn left, passing the lily covered pond on my right as I pick up pace. Harvey’s face fills my mind; the way how he spoke filters into my sub conscience as he’d pleaded with me to believe him. I curl my fists. Another voice crams into my head as I surge onwards. But what if he is innocent? What if he is? Can you live with yourself if you don’t do anything?

‘Danielle.’ I come to a stop, breathing hard. The Old King’s Head is to my right. Jordan, the dark haired Scottish guy, who works behind the bar, is getting out of his blue Ford. He waves to me.

‘Hey, Jordan,’ I say, smiling.

I wait for a car to pass in front of us before heading over the road to join him.

‘How ya keeping?’ he asks, flinging his car door shut. ‘Haven’t seen you and your family in here in ages.’

‘Oh, I was up here with some of friends a couple of weeks ago,’ I say. ‘It was a Monday.’

‘Ah, Monday’s my day off,’ he says, grinning at me. ‘That’s why I didn’t see ya.’

‘I keep saying to Michael we need to come up here for a meal, I’ll mention it to him when I get back and get something booked up.’

‘Someone was asking me about you the other day,’ Jordan says, locking his car.

I frown at him. What the hell? ‘Someone was asking about me?’

‘They were in the pub. Think it must’ve been a couple of days ago now. Some geezer on his own.’

Some geezer on his own. Shit, the man I saw in the pub the night after my birthday, the man I thought was staring at me. What if it was him?

‘Did he say what his name was?’ I ask, stepping forward. My heart’s bouncing against my rib cage.

Jordan shakes his head. ‘Soz, didn’t get that information off of him.’

‘But what did he ask you?’ I say, my words coming out thick and fast.

Jordan’s eyes narrow. ‘Well, he . . . he asked if I knew you. He gave me your full name. I told him I’d known you for a few years, but just as a frequent customer. He then started asking who you came here with.’

I shake my head. It could’ve been a reporter, Jordan has no idea about my past; I haven’t told him anything. My eyes fix on a guy wearing a chef’s uniform lugging a bin out of the pub just beyond Jordan in the car park.

‘Can you remember what he looked like?’ I ask. Don’t get angry, don’t get angry. I try my best to keep smiling.

‘Erm, brownish hair, bit of a beard, that’s all I can remember, soz. I couldn’t spend long chatting to him as I had other people to serve. He didn’t hang about either. I haven’t seen him in the pub since.’ I run my tongue around the inside of my mouth. It sounds exactly like the guy who I saw. ‘Crap, I shouldn’t have said anything to him. You don’t know him.’

‘Don’t worry, Jordan, you weren’t to know, but please, if anyone, or if he comes back, can you please not say anything.’

‘Danielle, I’m sorry.’

‘It’s fine.’ I reply. ‘I’ll catch you later, Jordan.’

I break back into a jog and round the corner, past the bus stop and the red brick cottages on the high street. I need to get back. I don’t care if I’ve only been out for ten minutes. I glance over my shoulder. Jordan will be getting set up inside the pub by now. He can’t be here now, the bloke from the pub?

There’s only a woman walking a golden retriever behind me, and a couple of teenagers waiting in the bus stop. There’s no one who stands out. I hold my hand to my mouth and squeeze my eyes shut, and open them again. What does this man want with me?

Chapter 12
His Silence - Chapter Eleven

By Jacob1395

Friday creeps around quicker than I expected it to. Emma’s cooked up Shepherd’s Pie, a meal that’s been part of the weekly routine for as long as I can remember. At least Callum hasn’t got in contact to say he’s had second thoughts about us going to Raven House tomorrow. Every time my phone bleeps I panic, thinking its Callum telling me he doesn’t want to come. He will come. He won’t let you down.

‘Emma, just thought I’d let you know, Callum and I are thinking about going out for a day trip tomorrow,’ I say, pushing my fork into mashed potato.

Emma takes a sip of her water. ‘A day trip. Sounds fun, where you thinking of going?’

I shrug. ‘Not sure yet, we’re gonna get in the car and go for a drive, perhaps down to Leigh on Sea.’

There’s a strained reaction on Michael’s face. I squeeze my hands together under the table. He’ll be thinking this is something to do with what Harvey and I discussed. It’s the way he’s glancing at me, out of the corner of his eye. I look at my plate. There’s no way he’ll question me here in front of Emma.

‘Oh do you remember those times when we used to go to Adventure Island at Southend, just up the road from Leigh on Sea?’ Emma says, beaming. ‘You used to love the helter skeltar slide. It’s still there, I think.’

‘No way, it can’t be, it must’ve been at least fifty years old when I used to go on it.’ I laugh. ‘Wasn’t it called Peter Pan’s Playground though?’

‘It was, but it changed its name a few years ago. Perhaps you should go there tomorrow, take a trip down memory lane.’

‘Maybe,’ I say.

‘So, what time you thinking of going?’ Michael asks. There’s more than a hint of curiosity to his voice. What’s going through his mind?

‘Oh, it’ll be early. We want to make the most of the day. I think the weather’s supposed to be alright, so that’ll be a plus. I suspect we’ll be leaving at about nine, we’re not sure what time we’re gonna be back though, I’ll text you to let you know what we’re doing.’

‘You should make a weekend of it,’ Michael suggests. ‘You could book a B&B somewhere.’

I press my back into the seat. He’s trying to upend me. ‘We might do, depends how we’re feeling, I doubt we’ll get a room anywhere at this short notice,’ I reply.

‘Well, make sure you take your toiletries and a set of clothes just in case,’ Emma says.

‘Sure.’

‘Who’s going to drive?’ Michael asks.

‘Oh, we’ll take it in turns. I think Callum’s going to drive there and I’ll drive back.’

I place my fork and knife together. Can I do this? Emma’s chatting to Michael now about some woman she was speaking to, at the nail salon earlier today, only part of their conversation filters through. From the look on Michael’s face, it makes me wonder if he’s listening. He’s thinking about me. He knows I’m up to something. I focus on my plate, my cheeks stinging. It’s almost like he can see right through me. This time tomorrow I’ll be with the people I knew for the first six years of my life; the people who knew my family best. I try to think of the questions I want to ask, but my mind is a scrambled mess, I can’t think straight.

What if Harvey is innocent? If he is he’s spent twenty years in prison for something he didn’t do. I clench my fists under the table. Tomorrow, I might get some sort of answer.

Chapter 13
His Silence - Chapter Twelve

By Jacob1395

It’s coming up to a quarter to nine. Taking in a steady breath I focus on the fields opposite. A tractor’s moving steadily across the grass. At least the weather forecast was right. The skies a deep shade of blue today, the sun’s already warming the back of my neck. I study the trail left behind by an aeroplane in the sky. Everyone on board will be off somewhere on their holidays, without a care in the world, excited for the next few days ahead. If only that was me.

I tried to see earlier if I could get a look at Raven House on street view, on Google Maps, but the road was blocked up; I guess it must be private. I could see part of the house from the main road, but it wasn’t enough to give me a clear view. It isn’t too far from Hadleigh Castle; I went there on a school trip once. The house is surrounded by Hadleigh marshes. I reckon the nearest neighbour will be a good half hour’s walk away. I can’t imagine living so remote, I’ve always thought the area where I live now was pretty isolated, but it’s nothing compared to Raven House. Before I went to bed I googled the house to see if there was anything I could find. I’d found an old local community Facebook post. The comments are stuck in my head.

David Norman

Crazies were out in town again, did you see them all, all huddled together? My misuses was handed one of their leaflets. Went straight in the bin, lol.

I’d headed straight for the replies, and that’s where I’d come across the houses name.

Tim Lawrence replied

Raven House isn’t it, where they’re from?

David Norman replied

Yeah, it’s the house overlooking the marshes. They must perform some weird rituals up there. Religious nut jobs, the lot of them.

Someone had jumped to the defence of the people they were talking about.

Christine Allan replied

Leave them alone, why can’t you? It’s a community of likeminded people living together, sounds idyllic if you ask me. They’re all about peace, love and family, aren’t they?

David Norman replied

Off you go and join them, then. Go and join the crazies, bet you’ll be drinking sheep’s blood by next week lol.

The comments I’d read swirled in my head all night, making me feel sick. These Facebook users were referring to the people who supposedly knew my family. These were people who I lived with for the first six years of my life. They can’t be like that.

Callum’s blue Vauxhall appears at the top of the road, and a shiver pulses through me. I take a step forward as he pulls up. This is it.

‘All good to go?’ he asks, rolling down the passenger window and leaning across the seat.

‘Yep.’

I open the passenger door and slip in, flinging his West Ham scarf off of the seat and into the footwell. I glance back at the house. I left Emma and Michael in the kitchen; they’ve still got it in their heads we’re going to be spending the day strolling around Leigh on Sea, visiting the old haunts they used to take me. I bite my lip. I hate lying to them, but what other choice do I have? They’d go mad at me if they knew what I was doing. They can’t stop me from doing what I want to do now I’m an adult, but I don’t want to create any animosity between us, particularly after everything they’ve done for me.

Callum manoeuvres the car back out onto the road.

‘My sleep was shit last night,’ Callum says, yawning.

‘Tell me about it,’ I say. ‘You alright driving though? How was football?’

'Yeah, yeah fine, we won so that was good. Didn’t go out drinking with them all though, for obvious reasons.’

We pull out onto the main road. Callum gradually picks up speed, I texted him the address earlier so he could put it into his satnav. I’m reminded of when we used to go off together for days out, during the long summer months. We’d never go too far, but it was always amazing getting out of the house and spending all day together, and do whatever the hell we wanted. Sometimes we’d sit in the middle of the field near the forest and drink beer, once we were eighteen, of course. Now we’re working, those days are getting few and far between. It makes me ache for those days of freedom we once had.

‘Why do you reckon your parents lived with a bunch of people in the first place, bit weird, isn’t it?’ Callum asks.

‘I’ve no idea, but I’m sure they’ll be able to tell us everything when we get there. It’s going to be weird, being back in the place where I grew up, it’s strange I have virtually no memory of it, just snippets here and there.’

‘Perhaps your mind’s blocked it out,’ Callum suggests.

‘But I thought that only happened if you’ve suffered some kind of trauma?’ I say, frowning.

‘Well you suffered a pretty massive trauma when your brother killed your parents.’

‘Yep, but that was after I lived there.’ I shift in my seat and focus my gaze on a family walking up the pavement to my left. There’s a mum and dad holding onto each hand of their little girl. She can’t be more than three-years-old. In my head I’m the little girl and either side of me are my Mum and Dad. They’re both so happy. I wipe my eyes.

‘Well, weren’t you only living in that house, the place where the murders happened, for three weeks? Look, Danielle, there must’ve been a reason why your parents left,’ he says, keeping his voice soft.

I don’t reply. I stare out at the rolling fields passing me by and the horses grazing. The family I spotted are getting smaller and smaller in the distance behind us, like the ghost of my past I can barely remember. Callum doesn’t ask me again. Instead he keeps his focus on the road. I don’t want things to be awkward between us. He’s doing me a massive favour coming with me, there’s no way I could’ve done this on my own. I bite my lip.

‘Well, I’m hoping I might find out some information today,’ I say. There’s got to be something I can find out. I don’t want this to be a wasted journey.

I loll my head against the cool window. In an hour, or two hours’ time, I’m going to know more about my family than I’ve ever done. I rub my hands down my jeans. It won’t be long now.

Chapter 14
His Silence - Chapter Thirteen

By Jacob1395

‘Looks like we’re here,’ Callum says.

I lean forward as Callum turns a corner, jutting off the end of the long road; the turnings so sharp it would’ve been very easy to miss it. Perhaps they’ve let the bushes and trees grow wild deliberately. Branches either side of the road scrape against the side of the car. I swallow. It would’ve been a nightmare, if another vehicle met us coming the other way. I grab hold of the safety bar as the car bumps in and out of a massive pothole, wincing.

A white gate, speckled with mud at the bottom, looms ahead of us with a sign pinned to it announcing we’ve arrived at Raven House. There’s a picture of a raven engraved into the sign and a camera on the top of the right hand corner of the gate. I sit back in my seat, my heart beating fast. Someone could be watching us now. I look away from it, hugging my arms to my chest.

‘Is there a button or something we need to press, to tell someone we’re here?’ I ask.

Callum rolls down his window; a sharp breeze kisses my skin. ‘Ah.’ He reaches out with his hand, presses something, and there’s a crackling noise. No one speaks. Callum looks back at me with a frown in his forehead, I urge him to say something. He looks back to the intercom. ‘Err, hi, I’m here with Danielle Olsen, we were given this address by her brother, Harvey. She used to live here, twenty years ago.’

There’s no answer. They’re not going to let us in, we’ve come all this way and they’re not going to let us in. This has all been for nothing. I thump my thigh.

There’s a clang which makes me jump, and the gates ahead of us creak open to reveal a short further stretch of road ahead of us, although it’s more of a dirt track.

‘Bit security conscious, aren’t they?’ I say, releasing a sigh.

Callum pushes the car forward. A white farm house pokes through the gaps in the trees. Vines snake up the pale walls, curling around the windows. Gravel crunches under the car wheels as we pull onto the driveway. There’s only one other car here, a grey Ford, it’s parked close to the main entrance of the house. I thought there were quite a few people staying here. There’s a man standing at the entrance of the house, watching us, wearing a white T-shirt and white trousers. I frown. He has sandy brown hair. I freeze. It can’t be.

Callum parks next to the Ford, and switches the engine off.

I open the car door and step out into the cool air, seasoned with sea salt. A gull’s cry reaches my ear. Keep calm, breathe. This is where you grew up. My stomach does a somersault as my eyes fix on the man again. It’s him. He’s the man I saw at the pub.

‘Danielle, it’s such a pleasure to meet you, we weren’t expecting you, but we’re delighted you’re here. I’m Luke.’

Callum’s got out of the car now. He’s clutching his right arm and his eyes are travelling around the area, drinking in everything.

‘You were in the pub, the day after my birthday,’ I say to Luke. I’m surprised he’s welcoming me with such open arms, I haven’t been in contact with him, they had no idea we were coming today.

He frowns at me. ‘Sorry, I think you must be mistaken,’ Luke says.

I shake my head. ‘No, I saw you and, and then you were asking questions about me. You spoke to . . .’ I stop myself, I don’t want to mention Jordan’s name.

Luke flicks his gaze between Callum and me. It is him, it’s got to be. ‘I’m really not sure what you’re talking about, Danielle. Perhaps it was someone who looked like me who you saw.’ He shrugs.

I stare at him. It was you, I’m sure of it. A niggle of doubt prickles my conscience. Was it him? I think back to the moment our eyes met in the pub. Callum didn’t manage to get a glimpse of him like I did so he won’t be able to tell me if I’m right. I clench my teeth. It’s got to be him, why the hell is he lying?

‘Right,’ I say, unsure of what to say.

‘And who’s this who you’ve brought with you?’ he asks, turning to Callum, his eyes widening.

‘Um, this is my friend, Callum,’ I say, shifting closer to him. ‘I didn’t really fancy coming on my own.’

Luke beams at both of us shifting on his feet. ‘Any friend of Danielle’s is a friend of ours,’ he says, keeping the tone of his voice bright. It’s like they’ve been expecting me, but how could they have been? Butterflies dance in my stomach. ‘Welcome, Callum. Do you both want to follow me through? Oh, please don’t take pictures.’            

I spin around. Callum’s taken his phone out to photograph the building.

‘Oh, sorry,’ he says, gingerly placing his phone back into his pocket. His eyes flicker to me then back to Luke.

‘That’s fine,’ Luke says, although his knuckles have turned white and there’s a tightness to his voice. ‘I would ask you to please keep your phones out of sight whilst you’re here, we don’t encourage phones in the house, and it might upset some people. This way please.’

Callum glances at me with a raised eyebrow. I say nothing. We follow Luke towards the door, there’s a white plaque on the wall above which catches my eye, with the year 1868 inscribed in it. It must’ve been when the house was built. There’s another, newer looking sign above the door, with an inscription in fancy writing that reads: PEACE LOVE FAMILY.

We follow Adam into the porch. There are several pairs of muddy boots sitting on a mat, and into a cream coloured hallway with stone tiles. A vision flashes in my mind making me stop in my tracks. I reach out to the wall to steady myself. I’m being pulled by my hand by Mum. Dad, Harvey, and someone else are ahead of me, wearing dark clothing. Mum keeps glancing back at me as we head outside, putting a finger to her lips. She’s telling me to be quiet. Did that happen here?

‘Everything OK?’ Callum asks, keeping his voice low.

‘Yep fine,’ I say, taking in a steady breath. This is it; this is the moment I’ve been waiting for.

We follow Luke further down the hallway, before turning left into a living area, which I’m pretty sure must’ve been a barn at one stage, it’s huge. There’s a long, plain, wooden, rectangle table; it’s already set for the next meal, knives and forks laid out, glinting in the sunlight pouring through the arched windows, creating triangles of light on the tablecloth. There are two brown sofas at one end of the room. High above me wooden beams support the ceiling. There isn’t a television in the room. The walls are covered in wooden panelling. There are no pictures. Where is everyone?

‘How long have you lived here, Luke?’ I ask.

He smiles at me. ‘I’ve been here for thirty years now. I was here when your family were here, so I knew them very well.’

‘Wow, I . . .’ I don’t know what to say to him.

‘It was actually your mother who first introduced me to Oliver. They were out shopping one day in town and got talking to me. In fact, they may well have very much saved my life. I honestly don’t know where I would’ve ended up had I not found this place. May I ask, how you found us, I trust you know this is where you grew up?’ Luke asks.

I nod. I’m still sure it was him who I saw at the pub on my birthday. It has to be, he must’ve been following me. Why? ‘Um, I . . . it was Harvey who told me about this place, I spoke to him in prison last week. What . . . what exactly d’you do here?’ I think back to what Harvey told me, about someone from here coming to see him, was it Luke?

Luke beams at me. ‘Well, I’m sure Oliver will explain everything to you in due course, I understand you must have a lot of questions. Like I’ve said, I’ve been here thirty years and this place has become my home, the people who live here, my family, we all look out for each other.’

‘Right,’ I say.

‘I’ll just go and get Oliver, he’s sort of the man in charge,’ Luke says with a slight hint of pride to his voice. ‘He’ll be overjoyed to know you’re here, I won’t be one moment. Please do make yourselves comfortable.’

He slips out of the room. His footsteps get further and further away.

Callum’s frowning at me. ‘He’s a weird bloke,’ he says, folding his arms across his chest.

I nod. ‘Yep I know what you mean,’ I say, keeping my voice low. I look around the room and edge closer to Callum. It feels too empty. It should be full of people, talking, laughing and having a good time.

‘Why did he want me to put my phone away?’ Callum asks.

‘I don’t know. Why were you taking photographs?’

He shrugs. ‘I just thought I better have some sort of record of this place, y’know.’

I’m about to respond when there are footsteps, I nudge Callum, urging him to keep quiet. My heart’s going at a million miles an hour. A man appears in the doorway wearing a burgundy Ted Baker top and jeans, closely followed by Luke. I stare into the man’s deep blue eyes. His chest is broad and there’s slight stubble on his chin. Oh God, he’s ridiculously handsome, there’s a flutter in my chest. I look away.

‘Danielle, it’s such a pleasure to see you again,’ he says, his voice cracking with emotion. He smiles the widest smile I’ve ever seen, even his eyes seem to twinkle as he speaks.

Chapter 15
His Silence - Chapter Fourteen

By Jacob1395

Warning: The author has noted that this contains the highest level of language.

‘I trust Luke’s told you about me,’ Oliver says, still smiling. He keeps his gaze intently fixed on me, like I’m the only other person in the room. The corner of his mouth twitches. There’s a flicker of recognition in my mind. God, he would’ve been there for my birth. There’s a scar above his right eye. I flick my gaze away, my cheeks burning. I always find it embarrassing whenever I catch myself staring at people.

I nod. Callum’s eyes are fixed on Oliver’s, like he’s trying to work him out; Oliver doesn’t seem bothered by it. He continues to smile at me. ‘Um, yep, he did talk about you, a little. But he didn’t tell me a lot,’ I say.

‘I was very close to your family when you were living here. You don’t know how much this means to me to see you looking so well.’ His eyes shimmer with tears and he moves towards me, I flinch and move closer to Callum. He’s acting like it’s been no time at all since he last saw me, but a lifetime’s passed. ‘I’m sorry, who is this you’ve brought with you?’

‘This is Callum, my best friend. We’ve known each other since we were ten,’ I reply.

‘I see,’ Oliver says a slight hint of disappointment in his voice. He wipes his eyes. He’s not happy I’ve brought him. ‘Callum, I hope you don’t mind, but I would very much like to speak to Danielle on her own. You can wait here with Luke if you wish.’

Callum’s face is scrunched up. ‘Err, OK, so long as you’re OK with this?’ he asks me.

‘Yep, I should be fine,’ I reply. I can’t help my voice coming out in a squeak.

‘This way please,’ Oliver says.

Callum smiles at me. I follow Oliver towards a door at the other end of the room. He opens it, letting me step outside first. I stand still, my mouth dropping open. This is the garden from my memory, where I could see myself picking daisies as a child. There’s a willow tree at the end shimmering, its leaves making a whistling noise. Mum’s soft voice singing You Are My Sunshine filters through into my head. Beyond the bushes bordering the garden, I can make out the marshes stretching for what seems like miles. It makes me think of tiny islands dotted around a shallow sea.

‘Is everything OK?’ Oliver asks.

‘I . . . I remember this place, at least I think I do.’ Tears prickle my eyes as the memory grows bolder in my mind.

I scan the garden again, stepping forward onto the soft grass. There’s a small annexe to my right, further down the garden, with a bright green door. It wouldn’t look out of place in a Grimm fairy tale, there’s even a chimney poking out of the roof.

Oliver smiles. ‘You used to spend all of your time out here,’ he says. ‘Your arrival was so special, to all of us.’ He places his hand on his heart. I look away my cheeks burning. ‘We celebrated for days after your birth.’

My mouth’s dry. ‘I, there’s a memory I have of me picking daisies, there are a couple of women standing, hanging laundry out, they’re both wearing white clothes. I’ve never been sure if the memory is real, or if it’s something I’ve made up.’ The memory flashes in my mind, and I close my eyes as sunlight warms my cheeks.

‘Ah yes, I’m pretty sure I know who you mean, they’re still here,’ Oliver says.

‘Where is everyone? I thought there were a few people staying here. That’s what Harvey told me.’

‘There are,’ Oliver says. He’s walking with his hands clasped behind his back. ‘They’re currently out for this afternoon, but if you and Callum would like to stay for dinner, and you’re more than welcome to, I would love you to meet them. There is one girl, Eve, who’s around your age, she only joined us a couple of years ago; you’ll probably get on with her.’  

The grass squelches underneath my foot. ‘Oliver, um, when I saw my brother, in prison, he didn’t tell me a lot about what happened twenty years ago. Is there anything you can tell me about what happened?’ I can’t let him know Harvey told me he thinks he’s innocent. Oliver’s going to think I’m holding something back from him. I do my best to keep my emotions out of my facial expression.

Oliver shakes his head, and wipes his eyes. ‘I was so upset to find out what happened to your parents. Of course, I would’ve had you back here in a shot, we would’ve adopted you and taken care of you, but things got complicated. There did come a time when I thought I might never see you again.’ Birds chirp around me. It is peaceful out here. ‘It was . . . well what happened to your family was unforgivable. Your name had been changed by your parents, after you left, and then you were adopted. It proved impossible to track you down. Your name was never revealed by the press, of course, due to your age. Your parents were so valued amongst us all here; your brother was as well. He was a shining member of our community and that’s what made, what happened, even more devastating.’ Emotion trickles into his voice. My heart beats fast against my ribs.

‘Why did my parents leave, if they loved living here?’ I can’t stop anger and frustration from seeping into my voice. I want answers. I’ve waited far too long and it feels like everyone’s trying to stretch things out even further for me. It’s not fair.

Oliver sighs. He can’t be annoyed by my questions, can he? ‘I’m sorry to tell you, Danielle that I’m about as clueless as you are. There was someone who . . . I don’t know what he exactly said to them, but one morning we woke up and they were gone. He spread all sorts of lies about us and this had devastating consequences; if you’re looking for someone to blame for what happened to your family, I would blame him. He got them to leave,’ there’s a growl in his voice as he says the last part of his sentence. ‘But of course, Harvey’s the one who killed them. If they’d stayed, it wouldn’t have happened.’ He’s hiding something from me. He’s not telling me everything.

I run what he’s told me over in my mind. The flash of the memory I had earlier, when I entered the building, filters through. It must be Ian, who Oliver’s referring to. But what exactly did he say to Mum and Dad? How did he persuade them to leave this place? ‘Did you try to find them?’ I ask. ‘After they left.’

'I did, but I wasn’t successful. When they published the pictures of your parents, after their bodies were found, I howled like a wounded animal, that’s what Luke remembers. They were like a brother and sister to me. We shared the same ideals and ideas for the future. They truly were visionary, and I think you might be as well. You certainly take after your mother with your looks. She was so beautiful.’

My cheeks sting. I don’t think I look anything like my mother. How can he know anything about me? He hasn’t seen me for twenty years. We’ve reached the end of the garden now. We’re standing underneath the willow tree. I get a whiff of what to me, reminds me of rotten eggs, I glance again over the bush and towards the marsh. ‘Why did the police never find this place?’ I ask.

It seems to take an age for Oliver to respond. ‘I fully expected them to,’ he says. He runs his tongue across his lips. ‘But, like I said, your parents changed their names and your name. They didn’t have any other family members alive who could help fill in the missing gaps for the police.’

But you could’ve told the police, I think. ‘What were my parents like?’ I ask. ‘All the memories I have of them are snatches at best and I’ve never been sure if they’re real or something I’ve made up.’

Oliver clasps onto a gold ring on his finger. ‘Your mother was wonderful, kind, caring, always willing to do things for others, much like your brother was. Your father, on the other hand, he was more reserved, kept himself to himself. But he still helped out a lot,’ Oliver says. He smiles again. ‘You were a cheeky little thing when you were young, but everyone loved you. It was such a joyous moment when your mother told me she was pregnant with you. I have to say your mother was treated like a queen and she deserved it.’

‘I can’t imagine what it must’ve been like at that time, with everyone here.’ My heart beats hard against my ribs. I hate the fact he has more memories of my parents than I do. It’s so wrong.

Oliver’s beaming at me. ‘You don’t have to imagine it, you know. There’s always a room for you here. If you would like to stay here for a couple of nights, to see how it feels, then that’s fine too. Callum’s more than welcome. I created this place as a sanctuary for like-minded people, Danielle. I grew up in the care system, I had . . . I had no family, this place. I built this place for people like me, for people who grew up without that love, care and attention. Peace, love, family, that’s our motto here, that’s what we promise.’

I think of the sign I saw above the door. What’s he trying to say? I have been loved, I grew up with Emma and Michael; they took care of me. I flick my gaze towards the annexe, rubbing the back of my neck.

‘I . . . I think I’d like to, but I’d have to speak to my parents first, my adoptive parents,’ I say.

‘Of course, I totally understand.’ It’s like there’s a stone wedged in his throat.

‘But, I think we’d both like to stay for dinner.’

‘That’s excellent. We’re having lasagne tonight, it’s a vegetarian recipe; all of the products we cook with are locally sourced, so you’re in for a treat, all of our vegetables are grown on site. We don’t cook with meat here at all. We’re very concerned about the state of the environment, and cooking meat, rearing cattle, is one of the biggest causes of climate change, as I’m sure you know. I imagine, being so young yourself, this must be something that plays on your mind as well.’

‘Yep, it, it does a bit,’ I reply.

I stare back towards the house, hugging my arms to my chest.

Chapter 16
His Silence - Chapter Fifteen

By Jacob1395

‘What’s he like then?’ Callum whispers, crossing his legs as we sit beside each other at the table in the living area.

There’s the clink of cutlery and plates coming from the kitchen, along with the whiff of melted cheese. My stomach groans. I offered to help with the cooking, but Oliver wouldn’t hear of it, he said we were his guests. I still don’t quite get who he is. From the way how he spoke to me earlier he made it seem as though he was in business with Mum and Dad. Could they have been running a business from here years ago?

I take a sip of water. Callum asked for a beer, but Oliver told him, a little frostily there was no alcohol in the house. I could just imagine Emma’s and Michael’s reaction if they’d been told that, they have a glass of wine near enough every night. ‘He seems . . . nice,’ I say.

‘Bit weird though, don’t you think?’ Callum asks.

‘Yep, but then you think everyone’s weird,’ I say, rolling my eyes. ‘It sounds like he and my parents got on really well. From what he told me, they were the best of friends.’

‘So why did they leave?’

A lump bobs in my throat. ‘He doesn’t know, he says he was devastated and that he tried to find them before the murders. He . . . he said someone turned their heads and spread lies about him to get them to leave. I don’t know, it all sounds a bit crazy.’

‘I thought the whole point of us coming here today, was because you would find out those answers,’ Callum hisses.

I keep my eyes fixed on the kitchen door, to make sure Oliver and Luke can’t hear us talking.

‘I think . . . I’d like to talk to the other people who live here. Perhaps they might be able to tell me something more. Perhaps the only chance I’ve got of uncovering any more information is by staying here a few days, and talking to people.’  

‘Ah, the car’s just got back,’ Luke says, emerging into the room from the kitchen making me jump. He’s wiping his hands on a blue tea towel; his eyes are fixed on us.

Oh God. A nervous wave pulses through me as wheels on gravel from outside, reaches my ears. Seconds later, there are excited voices coming from the hallway. This is it. Adam must’ve called one of them earlier to let them know I was here. Adam heads into the hallway, perhaps he’s going to tell everyone not to crowd in on me. Callum gives me a reassuring smile. I used to hate too many people at once.

‘Danielle.’ A short woman with greying, brown, shoulder length hair breezes into the room. She must be in her mid-seventies. She rushes over to me, but stops a few paces away. Her green eyes fix on me. I get a whiff of a floral scent from her, mixed with something sweet, honey. ‘Oh, you’re exactly how I imagined you would look,’ she says, excitement in her voice. ‘Gosh you look just like . . . well, I’m Mary.’

She holds out her hand, I take it. A small crowd of people shuffle into the room behind her. There’s a mixture of men and women, it looks like there are an even number of each. They’re all wearing the same clothing; white trousers and a white shirt, like how it is in my memory. There’s a younger girl towards the back of the group with straight brown hair, falling in clumps on her shoulders. It must be Eve. For a moment our eyes meet, and then she flicks her gaze to the ground again, like she’s embarrassed. She purses her lips.

‘Hi,’ I say focusing my attention back on Mary standing in front of me, a lump lodging in my throat. What am I supposed to say? My eyes flicker to something dangling out of her left pocket, I frown. It looks like some sort of war medal. I can see the edge of a triangle. Perhaps it belonged to her father, or grandfather even.

Oliver appears in the room, holding a glass of orange juice. He steps closer to me, the ice in his glass clinking against the side of the cup. I feel like I’ve felt at times when I’ve been at a party, and I’ve only known one person there.

‘Hello everyone, I hope you all had a great day,’ Oliver says, his booming voice making everyone fall silent. They all stare at him with wide eyes and smiles on their faces. ‘It’s a great honour for me to be finally able to introduce you all to Danielle, after all this time. It feels so surreal, doesn’t it? In fact, I never thought myself that she would be back, so this makes her visit so special.’ I want to look away. It looks like he’s about to start crying. This is so awkward. All these people are looking at me like I’m something amazing, like they’ve known me all my life and I have no clue who they all are. ‘This is her friend, Callum.’ Callum nods at everyone, but they don’t respond with quite the same level of enthusiasm. ‘They’re both joining us for dinner this evening, so please, I would like you all to make our esteemed guests welcome.’

‘Welcome, Danielle and Callum,’ everyone says in unison.

Callum’s struggling to keep a straight face. He better not start laughing.

‘Well, now everyone’s here we can sit together and eat. Danielle, would you like to sit beside me?’ Oliver asks, smiling.

‘Um, sure, OK,’ I reply.

It doesn’t look like he’s going to offer a seat beside him to Callum. If anything it’s like he wants to try and separate us. I shrug at Callum and join Oliver, pulling out the chair and sitting down. A few people make their way into the kitchen, chatting amongst themselves, their voices excited.

Chapter 17
His Silence - Chapter Sixteen

By Jacob1395

Warning: The author has noted that this contains the highest level of language.

‘So, Danielle, why don’t you tell everyone a little bit about your life now?’ Oliver suggests, fixing his gaze on me. There’s a hint of pride in his voice. He’s expecting for me to say some great things.

Everyone falls silent and looks in my direction. Sitting beside me on the left is Luke, I’ve a feeling he’s sort of Oliver’s right hand man here. Every time I look at him, I picture the man in the pub. They must run this place together, whatever it is. Oliver told me it was some sort of sanctuary. I finish chewing a piece of lasagne. It’s surprisingly good; the cheese melts into my tongue. A little bit about me. My heart flutters. Callum’s sitting a few chairs away, beside the woman who first spoke to me earlier, Mary I think she said her name was. There’s a man sitting on her other side with a tattoo of some sort of bird on his neck, I can’t quite work out what one it is. Part of it’s covered up by his T-shirt. I swallow. ‘Well, um. I live with my parents . . . my adoptive parents, Emma and Michael, in this tiny village in Essex, so not too far away from here. I design websites for people, which is something I’ve been doing for five years now, although I’m not sure if it’s something I want to continue with long term. It doesn’t exactly pay very well at the moment,’ I say, my voice shaking as my gaze fixes on everyone sitting further down the table. There’s sweat on my forehead.

‘And what about school? Did you do well?’ Oliver asks.

Why can’t he stop asking me questions? I grit my teeth. ‘I . . .’ what would my education have been like if I’d grown up here? I’m not sure where the nearest school to here is. I certainly don’t have any memories of going to school until I was living with Emma and Michael. Did they home school Harvey and I? ‘I guess I struggled to fit in at school really, it’s why I wasn’t keen on going to university. People used to question me about what happened, once they realised who I was, but in the end they left me alone. After that people found being around me awkward, like they didn’t know what to say to me. That’s why Callum’s so important to me. He’s always been there for me, especially when I struggled with bullies at senior school,’ I reply.

Everyone looks towards Callum. He sort of half smiles. Eve continues to look towards him, even when everyone else, refocuses their attention on me. At least Callum doesn’t appear to have noticed Eve staring at him. She’s making her feelings pretty obvious for everyone to see. I curl my fist under the table and refocus my attention back on Oliver.

‘Well, I’m very grateful to Callum for being there for you,’ Oliver says, holding up his glass and smiling at him. It’s the first sign of friendship he’s shown towards Callum since we arrived. ‘It must’ve been extremely challenging for you, navigating those early years of your life.’

I pick up my fork and plunge it into the lasagne again, breathing in the scent of the roasted vegetables. ‘It was.’

I resist the urge to breathe a sigh of relief. Thank God that’s over. Oliver doesn’t put me on the spot again; he must’ve realised from the tone of my voice I found answering his questions uncomfortable. When I finish eating I pull out my phone under the table. It’s just gone six p.m. I haven’t had any missed calls or messages from Emma or Michael. They must think we’ve decided to get a B&B like they suggested.

‘Is everything OK, Danielle?’ Luke asks, his eyes flickering to my phone then to me.

‘Um, yep, it is, I think I just need to let Emma and Michael know what I’m doing this evening,’ I say, snapping my head up. I’m acting like I’ve been caught cheating in a school exam. Since everyone sat down for dinner, I’ve not seen one person get out their phone and check it, not even Eve.  

‘You’re more than welcome to stay the night if you wish,’ Oliver says. ‘It can be dangerous driving here in the dark, particularly as there are no street lamps.’

No street lamps. I hadn’t been paying attention when we were driving here. Callum’s watching me. He’ll want to know what Luke and Oliver are talking to me about. Mary’s speaking to the man with the tattoo on his neck beside her. She laughs at something he says and holds her hand over her mouth.

Is there a toilet I could use?’ I ask. I need to get out of here, my head’s burning.

Oliver points towards the door I came through earlier. ‘Through the door, up the stairs; it’s the first on your right.’

‘Thanks,’ I say. I’m surprised he doesn’t ask Mary or Eve to go with me.

My chair scrapes across the wooden floorboards. I get up. I can feel everyone’s eyes on me as I leave the room, I keep my head down. I will Callum to get up and follow me, but he remains seated.

I exit the room and the chatter in the barn continues once I push the door shut. The floorboards creak as I climb the stairs; my shadow grows across the wall. At the top I stare down the long corridor to my left. There are wooden doors opposite each other on both sides of the hallway. I rub my hands together. This would’ve been where my family and I slept when we lived here. My body chills. Straight ahead there’s a window overlooking the garden. I peer out, staring at the darkening sky and the shimmering mist on the marshes, making me think of spirits lost forever, wandering the earth. I edge closer to the window, my breath fogging the glass. There’s a light on in the annexe. It’s got to be living quarters. Is it where Oliver sleeps? The toilet’s to my right. I move towards it, but stop and glance over my shoulder again down the corridor. There’s no light on up here, not even a lamp. It would be interesting to have a look in the rooms; I might get a sense of who everyone here is. I listen out for anyone who might be coming up the stairs, but the only noise is of people chatting in the dining room. I’m on my own.

I edge further down the hallway, the floorboards creaking. I stand outside the first room, and try the handle. It’s locked. I try the one on the other side. It’s also locked. I try every single door, but they won’t open. Shit. I hold my hand to my forehead and stand still at the other end of the corridor, breathing steadily. The sounds of people chatting don’t reach me this far away from the stairs. The silence swallows me up, making the corridor ahead of me back to the staircase, seem longer than it is. Why are all the doors locked? Surely if these people are living together, it must mean they trust one another. They wouldn’t think anyone would go into their room and steal their personal belongings.

I pull out my phone. My heart feels like it’s ready to burst out of my chest. There’s no signal at this end. I hurry back the way I came; two bars appear by the toilet door. Yes. I open my contacts and call Emma. The phone continues to ring. I grit my teeth. Why does she never pick up when I want her to?

‘Danielle,’ Emma’s voice appears on the other end. She yawns.  

‘Emma,’ I say. ‘I . . . I wanted to let you know, Callum and I have found this little B&B, they’ve got a couple of rooms free tonight, so we’re thinking of staying.’

‘Oh, that’s fine, sweetie, where is it? You’ll have to let me know what it’s like.’

‘Oh, um, God I can’t remember, I’ll have to go outside and check, but it’s lovely, right on the sea front. We’re just gonna get sorted and go out for something to eat, I think. I just wanted to ring you to let you know so you weren’t worried about where I was.’

‘Well, it sounds like the pair of you have had a fun day.’

‘Yep, it’s been great.’ The lie feels thick in my throat. I can’t stand lying, it isn’t me.  ‘I’ll ring you when we leave in the morning.’

‘Try and make a weekend of it if you can, I’m sure Callum would love to.’

I roll my eyes. She’s always hoped Callum and I would end up together. She doesn’t know what really goes on inside my head, each time I think of that scenario.

‘I’ll see what he says, love you,’ I reply.  

‘Love you, sweetie, enjoy yourself.’

Emma hangs up. I breathe a sigh of relief. Now all I have to do is tell Callum we’re not going home tonight. He’s going to be harder to convince than Emma.

Chapter 18
His Silence - Chapter Seventeen

By Jacob1395

Warning: The author has noted that this contains the highest level of language.

‘You sure you want to stay?’ Callum whispers. His eyes flick to Oliver still sitting at the head of the table then back to me. ‘I honestly don’t mind driving back.’

I sigh. If I could, I would tell him he could go back and leave me here, but even if I did, I’m sure there’s no way he would. ‘I feel I need to, at least, just for tonight,’ I reply. I’d already told Oliver half an hour ago I’d like to take him up on his offer. ‘Don’t worry I’m sure everything will be fine.’

Mary approaches us, a sleeping bag stuffed under her arm. I’m not sure what to make of Mary. She seems nice, and always looks pleased to see me, but she looks at Callum a little too frostily, like the way Luke did when we arrived earlier. The only person here who’s shown Callum any attention is Eve. I flick my gaze around the room, but Eve’s left, she must’ve gone up to her room. I’m surprised she hasn’t asked Callum to follow her, after the way she was looking at him earlier. I shake the thought out of my head, but I can’t help picturing the two of them together, heads nestled next to each other. Stop it; they haven’t even spoken. I rub my arm.

‘I’m so sorry, Callum, but I’m afraid we don’t have a spare room for you, so if you don’t mind sleeping in this tonight? You can sleep here on the sofa,’ Mary says, patting the sleeping bag. ‘It should be comfortable enough for you.’

Callum smiles. There’s no way he’ll be happy about sleeping on the sofa. He’s only ever slept on a sofa once and that was at Rob’s when he moved into his apartment. Callum moaned for days about his back afterwards. ‘That’s fine, thanks.’ He takes the sleeping bag from her, shoving it under his arm.

‘Danielle, there is a room already here for you. It’s been here since you were born, I can take you upstairs to see it.’

I have a room here. The thought’s crazy. ‘Yep, please,’ I reply. Callum follows us out of the room. A couple of women brush past us in the corridor outside, talking in hushed voices. They both smile at me. ‘Where did Oliver go?’ I ask.

‘Oh, I suspect he’s out in the annexe, that’s where he stays,’ Mary replies as we climb the stairs. Upstairs people are going in and out of their rooms, some making their way into the bathroom. My eyes clap on a man entering his room to my right. He has thick, brown wavy hair. He keeps his gaze fixed on me, looking at me with what looks like pity in his eyes, before he slips into his room and closes the door. I shudder. ‘Your room is just at the end of the corridor.’

Someone must’ve unlocked the doors before everyone came up. We reach the end of the hallway, Mary opens the door. I stare into a small, comfortable room with a green carpet, fresh cool air greeting me. Someone left the window open a smidge. The walls are cream, like the hallway downstairs. There are two single beds in the room; the window looks out onto the gravel driveway below.

‘Why are there two beds?’ I ask.

‘You stayed in here with your brother,’ Mary explains.

This was the room I stayed in with my brother. I swallow. The memory I have of me being read to by Harvey. That happened in here. I see myself as a six-year-old getting ready, Harvey checking to make sure I was all set for the day.

‘Um, why can’t Callum stay in this bed?’ I ask, turning back round to face Mary.

Mary sharpens her gaze. ‘Oh, we don’t allow that. If you and Callum were to become members of our community here, then perhaps we might consider it, but not at this moment in time. We’ll both leave you now to get settled and ready for bed. There are glasses in the cabinet if you want to pour yourself a drink of water. Callum, would you like to come back downstairs with me?’

She’s not giving him a choice. ‘Well, I guess I’ll see you in the morning, Danielle. What time do you want to leave?’ he asks, tightening his grip on the sleeping bag. He wants to leave now. He doesn’t want to stay.

‘Between ten and eleven,’ I suggest, trying to ignore the anxiety flittering in my belly.

He nods. ‘Night, Danielle.’

Mary and Callum back out of the room. Mary pulls the door shut. I listen for the sound of their voices, but I can’t hear them chatting. Callum won’t want to make small talk with Mary.

I place my soap bag on the bed closest to the window, sit on the end of my bed and pull out my phone. Thank God I have signal. I text Callum on WhatsApp.

            Thank you for helping me out, I really appreciate it.

I wait to see if he’s received it; no blue ticks appear at the bottom. I put it back on the table. My stomach clenches. He can’t be mad at me for wanting to stay. I don’t want him to be mad at me.

Moving over to the window, I peer outside, my eyes seeking out Callum’s car, if anything, to reassure me our mode of transport’s still here. A dark cloud’s smudged the moon’s surface. I push the window shut. I don’t know if I should feel comforted about their being so many people here, being this remote, or afraid. It feels like everyone’s watching me. The memory of me and my parents racing down the stairs in the dead of night resurfaces in my head. I try to push it deeper into my mind. Something bad happened here. They were running from something, or someone.

My phone stays silent. Callum doesn’t reply to my text.

Chapter 19
His Silence - Chapter Eighteen

By Jacob1395

My eyelids flicker open. I sit upright in bed, and reach out for a light switch on the wall, running my hand across the smooth surface. There’s nothing. There wasn’t even a lamp in the room. I pull off my bed covers, flinching as I knock into the bedside cabinet as I swing around. I must’ve fallen asleep pretty quickly, but I’ve no idea for how long. I pick up my phone, the light from the screen making me squint. It’s just gone three a.m. outside it’s like someone’s thrown a dark curtain across the moon and the stars. I switch the torch on my phone. The room brightens around me with a silver glow. I remember coming to the house, Oliver and Luke greeting us. My beating heart begins to calm. I sometimes get like this the first night I go away anywhere. I wake up in the night and panic when I don’t recognise where I am.

‘Callum,’ I hiss.

I was certain I’d heard something. Movement. The sound of a door clicking into place, I’m sure of it. I shine the light from my phone onto the spare bed. I edge closer towards it. There’s an imprint in the sheets, like someone’s . . . like someone’s been sitting on it. My blood freezes. Was someone in here, watching me while I slept? I don’t want to move. Someone was in here, watching me, I’m sure of it. Fuck. My heart skips against my chest.

Forcing my legs to move, I dive towards the door, yank it open, and shine the light from my phone down the corridor, expecting to find someone standing at the very end. It’s cooler up here, the window’s been left open slightly. The corridor’s empty. Every door is shut. Callum was told he could have the sofa downstairs to sleep on; he’ll be there now. On tiptoes I edge my way along the corridor. I reach the top of the stairs and edge down, one step at a time. Keep going. Don’t look back. Keep going. I grip my phone tighter in my hand, clinging onto the precious light I have, as though any moment it might flicker out and plunge me into darkness. I reach the bottom. The door to the living room area, where we had dinner, is ahead of me. I dart over to it, reach for the door handle. It’s locked. No, no, no, no. I rattle it again, it doesn’t budge. This can’t be happening.

‘Callum,’ I say, keeping as quiet as I can, knocking gently on the door. He’s got to hear me. There’s no movement. I call his number; it goes straight through to voicemail. I squeeze my eyes shut, this can’t be happening. Perhaps his phone’s run out of battery. He doesn’t normally switch it off when he goes to bed. There are some evenings when I’m still chatting to him gone midnight. Something’s wrong.  

I switch my gaze to the front door to my left and hurry over to it, cursing when I find it’s locked too. It’s like the walls are beginning to press in on me. There’s a window to the right hand side. I peer out of it. Callum’s car is still parked outside. At least that’s something. I spin around. The kitchen’s at the other end of the hallway. The door’s ajar. There’s a light on inside. How could I not have noticed it? I race over to it and push it open. My heart stops.

Oliver’s sitting at the table, wearing a purple dressing gown, his hands clasped around a mug. The comforting scent of hot chocolate reaches me. Around him the kitchen is spotless. The plates, left in here after dinner earlier, have been cleaned and tidied away. He doesn’t look surprised to see me.

‘Danielle would you like to join me?’ he asks, gesturing to the seat opposite.

Chapter 20
His Silence - Chapter Nineteen

By Jacob1395

My legs remain frozen. What’s he doing here?

‘Where’s Callum?’ I ask, running my tongue around the inside of my mouth to try and moisten it, but it has little effect. In my head I think Oliver and I are the only two people here and somehow everyone else in the house has left us, without me realising. I think back to the sound I heard which woke me a few moments ago. Was it the sound of everyone leaving? Oh God, I’m here all on my own with Oliver.

Oliver frowns at me. ‘Callum’s in the living room. He’s fine.’

I shake my head. ‘Why’s the door locked? I haven’t been able to get through to his phone.’

‘We lock all the doors of an evening, it’s a security precaution.’ He’s speaking so calmly. He’s making me sound like an idiot for getting concerned. ‘We ask everyone to switch their phone off so it doesn’t disturb people’s sleep.’

‘My door wasn’t locked, and no one asked me to turn my phone off.’ I edge a little back towards the corridor. My heart screams in my chest. ‘Were you . . . were you in my room?’

He shakes his head and continues to stare at me with the same neutral expression on his face. ‘No, Danielle, I wasn’t in your room, I’ve been sitting here for the past half an hour. I suffer from anxiety at night and have struggle sleeping, something I’m sure you can relate to.’

‘Why wasn’t my door locked when everyone else’s was?’ I ask.

He frowns at me. ‘I’m not sure, it should’ve been. Mary locks all the doors of an evening. Perhaps she forgot as she hasn’t had to lock your door for years.’

‘But then she remembered to lock the living room door?’ I say, raising an eyebrow.

‘The living room door is always locked after we finish in there, so she wouldn’t have had to think twice about that. Please sit with me. There are some things I’d like to discuss with you. I was going to wait until the morning but as you’re here now.’ I stand still for a few more moments our eyes locked, then edge over to the table, pull out the chair opposite him and sit down. He’s being so calm. ‘Do you want a drink? Do you know, I remember the very first time I had cocoa, this sweet lady who spent time with me, allowed me to have some before I went to bed one evening. You see it’s those precious memories I cling onto, it’s a real comfort.’

‘No, thank you,’ I say. I can’t shake off the feeling he’s been expecting me to come downstairs to find him here.

He sighs. ‘Danielle, you have to trust me, we have your best interests at heart here. You’re family. You always have been and you always will be. We would never harm you or your friends.’ I want to believe him.

‘Can I see Callum?’ I ask, my voice coming out in a croak. ‘Please.’

Oliver gets up; the legs of his chair squeaking across the stone floor. He strides over to the wall beside the kitchen door, and unhooks a set of keys; they’re rusted, thick and heavy looking. I get up and follow him into the corridor. He slides the key into the lock, unlocks the living room door, and it swings open with a creak. My heart’s still beating like crazy. Callum’s asleep on the sofa at the far end of the room, the shape of his body, rising and falling underneath a blanket. The tick of a clock reaches me. I want to go over to him, wake him up.

‘See, he’s fine,’ Oliver says.

He closes the door and locks it again.

‘Can you not?’ I ask, holding my hand out.

He stares at me for a brief moment, before unlocking the door. I want to go into the living room. I want to be with Callum.

‘Come, sit down. If you’re up to it, we can have a chat, it does get lonely sitting up at this time of the night,’ he says

Somehow I don’t feel I can refuse him. There’s something about his voice. I want to talk to him. I want to hear what he has to say. At least I know everyone else hasn’t left me alone in the house with him.

I follow him back into the kitchen, and sit opposite him.

‘What d’you want to talk about?’ I ask, shifting in my seat. Although I want to hear what he has to say, every nerve inside me is screaming at me to run out of the room, grab Callum and go. Perhaps I should never have listened to Harvey in the first place. Perhaps he is having a psychotic breakdown like Callum suggested.

‘Your future,’ he says, taking a sip of his drink. ‘I would very much like to welcome you back here as a fully-fledged member of our community.’

‘What about my parents?’ I ask.

He shrugs, like it’s no big deal. ‘Well, you’re twenty-six now, aren’t you? Surely you must’ve been thinking about moving out for some time, although I know how hard it is for your generation to afford to rent, let alone buy your own home.’

‘I have been. Callum and I have even been talking about moving in together,’ I say. It’s like he can see right through me.

‘I’m sure they’d understand if you tell them you’ve found somewhere and want to move out, you wouldn’t have to pay any bills if you move here, for a start.’

I stare at him, my mouth dropping open. ‘No bills, are you serious?’ Even Emma and Michael charge me house-keeping at homeHe smiles. ‘I am. Everyone would be delighted to have you back here, you’re so important to us.’

I tap my foot underneath the table, I still haven’t found out much about my parents and my brother, and what our lives were like when we were living here. I haven’t had a chance to speak to anyone else, other than Mary, individually. The answers are still here. Someone here knows something.

‘I . . . it’s something I’ll have to think about, I can’t just rush into this,’ I reply.

Oliver nods and picks up his drink. ‘Of course, I totally understand. You can either contact me or Luke, when you feel ready to come back. I’ll give you my contact details.’  

‘But I . . . Oliver, I came here looking for answers, I want to find out why Harvey killed my parents.’ Oliver’s got to know something. I force back the tears. If Harvey’s innocent, that means someone here is responsible. Someone here killed Mum and Dad.

Oliver shakes his head. ‘I can’t imagine the pain you must feel, believe me, Danielle, the pain of not knowing why he did it has driven me crazy for twenty years, so I understand. I keep thinking to myself if there’s something I could’ve done to have prevented it. If I could take your pain away from you, I would. Look, if you come back here, you will find a community ready to welcome you with open arms, everyone here will love you unconditionally, and perhaps you’ll find peace. I can promise you that. Remember our motto, peace, love, family.’

I replay his words over in my mind. There must be something more he can tell me about what happened, surely. ‘I think I’m gonna go back up to bed, if that’s OK,’ I say, faking a yawn. I get up from my seat. I need to get out of here.

‘Of course, Danielle, we can talk more about this in the morning.’

‘Night, Oliver.’

I leave him in the kitchen. Even as I walk back down the hallway, I feel his eyes on me, seeking me out. I think again of the imprint on the second bed in my bedroom. It must’ve been Oliver sitting there, no matter what he says.

I climb the stairs and return to my room, willing the morning and the light to come.

Chapter 21
His Silence - Chapter Twenty

By Jacob1395

‘Sorry I didn’t respond to your messages, Mary took my phone off me last night,’ Callum says, taking a sip of his orange, the sharpness of the juice reaching my nostrils. Oliver insisted I try some earlier, when I came down to breakfast; telling me it was freshly squeezed. ‘I tried to hang onto it but she got a bit shirty with me, so I felt I needed to hand it over. She didn’t threaten me as such, but I could see it in her face. Did she not take yours off you?’

I shake my head, balancing my elbows on the soft white table cloth. ‘No, I thought that was a bit weird, if I’m honest, like with my door being left unlocked. Oliver says that could’ve been a mistake, but there’s something about the way he said it that doesn’t quite make me believe him. It’s OK though, Oliver told me Mary would’ve taken your phone, so I realised that you weren’t, well . . . I thought, I thought you were ignoring me at first.’

‘I’d never ignore you,’ he says, looking at me with pleading eyes. ‘When did you end up speaking to Oliver?’

I glance down the table. There are a couple of people seated at the far end still eating breakfast, but that’s it. I eye the woman with curly red hair, her face is turned away from me; she’s sitting beside the person I saw chatting to Mary at dinner, with the tattoo of the bird on his neck, a plate of scrambled eggs in front of her. Oliver went back out to the annexe half an hour ago, telling me he needed to meditate. He’d spoken to me a little bit earlier about coming back to live here, and then he’d given me his and Luke’s phone number. ‘It was at three a.m. in the morning. I woke up, thinking someone had been in my room. I went downstairs to find you, and that’s when I found Oliver, sitting in the kitchen.’

‘You thought someone was in your room,’ Callum says, leaning closer towards me.

‘I thought there was. It doesn’t mean anyone was though.’ 

‘You should’ve woken me,’ he says, keeping his voice low.

‘I tried I was banging on the living room door. Didn’t you hear us when Oliver unlocked it?’

He shakes his head. ‘Strangely enough I slept really well on the sofa. Normally when I sleep on someone else’s sofa it takes me ages to get to sleep. So do you think it was Oliver then, who was in your room?’

‘I told you, I could’ve imagined it.’

Mary wanders into the room from the kitchen with a big smile on her face. Her seaweed green eyes flicker over to me. ‘Did you sleep well, Danielle?’ she asks, drifting over to us. I get a whiff of honey, like I did yesterday.

Does she know about me sitting in the kitchen with Oliver last night? I shudder. ‘Um, yep, I did, thanks,’ I reply.

‘We really hope you’ll come back and take up your old room here,’ Mary says. ‘How did you sleep Callum? I hope the sofa wasn’t too uncomfortable for you.’

‘Yes, fine, thanks.’ He rubs the back of his neck.

Why do I get the sense she’s come over to us to try and work out what we’re talking about? I shift in my seat. ‘I think we’re going to head off in about half an hour or so,’ I say. ‘Oliver’s kindly given me his phone number, so I’ll let him know soon if I want to come back.’

‘Wonderful,’ Mary says. ‘Well, I hope you have a safe journey home and I hope very much to see you back here again soon.’

Mary drifts towards the kitchen.

Callum mouths, ‘weirdo,’ at me, I have to resist the urge to laugh.

‘Right, we can leave in half an hour, can’t we? I’m just gonna go upstairs and grab my things,’ I say, getting up.

‘Yeah, that’s fine with me, I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to get out of this place.’

‘Shhsh,’ I hiss at him, keeping my eye on the other people still sitting at the other end of the table. If they hear us talking like this, it’s going to spread around the place like wildfire.

I pick up my empty bowl and take it through into the kitchen, the smell of freshly baked croissants hitting me as I step inside. Everything’s stacked on the worktop waiting to be loaded into the dishwasher. I think back to how clean it was last night, when I was sitting in here with Oliver.

‘Morning, Danielle.’ I spin around, clutching my bowl tight. A blond curly haired man, dressed in white clothing, saunters into the kitchen, through the door leading into the hallway, carrying a yellow mug in his hands. I’d put him in his early to mid-forties. His eyes are a deep, icy blue; there’s something unnerving about them which makes me tremble. ‘I’m sorry I didn’t get the chance to speak to you yesterday, I’m Abraham.’ He takes a step closer towards me. There’s a hint of tension in his voice.

I frown at him. ‘You all have very religious sounding names here.’

‘It’s something we choose when we join,’ he says.

‘But not Oliver?’ I ask.

Blond strands of his hair, flick to the left and to the right as he shakes his head. ‘No, Oliver kept his name for personal reasons, and for other reasons that will become clearer to you. Have you enjoyed spending time here with us?’

‘Yep, sort of. It’s a bit weird coming back here after the all this time, I don’t have many memories of my time here.’

‘That is such a shame,’ he says shaking his head.

I place my bowl with the other stacked items. I don’t like the way he’s looking at me, it’s like he’s trying to work me out. ‘Were you here at the time when I was living here with my brother?’

‘I joined shortly before your family left,’ he says, taking a step closer to me. I back up against the worktop. A couple of plate’s crash into each other as I disturb the pile. He places his mug on the worktop. He’s getting too close to me. My chest tightens. What the hell is he doing? ‘I was only twenty-five at the time, a similar age to you are now. They took me in, Oliver and Mary. I’d been in prison, you see, my family had rejected me, they didn’t want anything to do with me when I was released, no one wanted me. This place has been my lifeline. You are so like your mother. It’s a shame I didn’t get to know you when you lived here before, I hope you don’t make the same mistake your parent’s did.’ He’s leaning in so close; his warm breath tickles my nose. He’s not going to kiss me is he? God please don’t say he’s going to try and kiss me.

‘Abraham,’ Mary’s sharp voice reaches my ears as I’m about to say something. I breathe a sigh of relief. She’s standing behind him in the hallway door, the features on her face pinched tight. Still Abraham doesn’t move. He keeps his eyes fixed on mine. What had he been in prison for? My heart bangs in my chest. ‘I’m sure Danielle would like to get ready.’

Abraham’s shoulders drop, he turns and smiles at Mary before he turns to me again. ‘Of course, I hope to see you again very soon, Danielle.’

Abraham nods towards Mary, heads out of the kitchen, keeping his hands clasped behind his back, and into the garden. A cool breeze flickers against my skin as he opens the door. I rub my brow. Mary keeps her eyes fixed on me for a few moments, before she too leaves the kitchen, following Abraham.

I dart into the hallway and hurry up the stairs to my room, my heart thudding. What mistake did Abraham seem to think my parent’s made?

Chapter 22
His Silence - Chapter Twenty One

By Jacob1395

‘Thank God that’s over,’ Callum says, hands clamped on the steering wheel. I prepare myself for the pothole ahead, grabbing the safety bar, but it still makes me jolt forward. Jesus, I’d be straight onto the council about it if I lived here. ‘I tell you what I fancy a drink up the pub tonight after that weekend. We could see if the gang are free?’

I glance over my shoulder at Oliver still standing outside the house, watching us, his hand raised. He saw us off. He’d hugged me as we’d made our way out through the front door in a way no one else, not even Emma and Michael have ever hugged me before. Part of me wanted to stay there with him. I wanted to hold him tight and never let go. But like a dream fading, we’d parted. He didn’t make me promise to come back like I thought he would do, he didn’t beg me to stay. He let me go. There’s a clang and the gates open in front of us. It’s so weird, there’s a creepiness about him that makes part of me want to run, but there’s also something mysterious, it’s like gravity pulling me towards him.

‘I think you’re going to be mad with me,’ I say, looking into my lap and biting my lip.

‘Why?’ he asks, steering the car through the gates, curiosity etched in his voice 

‘I kind of, I want to come back and stay for longer.’ My feet drum in the footwell.

‘You can’t be serious,’ Callum says.

He’s keeping his focus on the road, but he’s tightening his grip on the steering wheel.

I sigh. ‘Something’s going on there, I’m sure of it, and whatever it is, it must be something to do with what happened to my family. I still don’t have the answers I came here for, I need more time. If Harvey’s innocent, then someone there is responsible.’

Callum shakes his head. ‘This is something we should be leaving for the police to investigate,’ he says. ‘I s’pose you want me to come back with you.’ I don’t say anything. My silence pretty much confirms it for him. ‘What are we going to say to our parents? Not so much your parents, they’re fine with whatever you do, so long as you’re sensible, but Dad won’t stop worrying about me if I’m away from home for some time, y’know what he’s like. Even if I get a small injury at football he goes into a meltdown.’

‘I know, I know and I’ve been thinking about that. We could either tell them we’ve found somewhere where we’d like to live for the next, I don’t know how many months or so, or we can tell them we’re going away to do some travelling.’

‘Travelling, how are we gonna prove that?’ Callum asks, shaking his head. ‘They’re gonna want to see photos and stuff. That’s not gonna be possible, Danielle.’

I purse my lips. ‘We can always photo shop them, to make it look like we’re abroad. We could say we’re planning to go away for three months or so, we don’t have to give them a definite time on when we’re going to be back.’

Callum shifts in his seat. ‘Danielle, it sounds like you’re planning on staying here for months. What about my job? What about your job? It’s not something I just want to give up.’

I stare out at the fields passing us by on Callum’s side of the car, and the sheep grazing. In the distance Hadleigh Castle rises out of the marsh like a beacon of hope for anyone who might get lost here.

‘Can you not work from home?’ I ask.

Callum lets out a sigh. The car continues to trundle along the road. ‘Do you really think Oliver and his lot are gonna let us set up our laptops and work from there?’

‘I can ask him,’ I say. Even in my head my response sounds weak. I’m not convincing Callum and I need to.

‘Danielle, I know we went for a weekend, but it didn’t strike me that they all had jobs to go to during the week. I need to really think about this, OK, it’s not something I can just jump into. You need to think about it as well.’

Silence stretches out between us. I can’t do this without Callum, I need him. He has to see that.

‘Sure, I’ll think about it,’ I say.

In my head, my mind’s already made up. I’m going back, no matter what Callum says. I need to find out if Harvey’s telling me the truth. Something weird is going on at Raven House and for whatever reason, at one time, my family were a part of it.

Chapter 23
His Silence - Chapter Twenty Two

By Jacob1395

Callum pulls the car to a stop outside my house an hour later. I clutch my bag. I want to go straight to my room, lie down on my bed and go to sleep. At least, after a good nap, I might be able to gather my senses, and think about the best next course of action. Perhaps there’s someone else I should speak to before going back to the house.

‘Danielle, I want you to seriously think about this, please tell me you will,’ Callum says, fixing his gaze on me.

I smile at him. ‘Of course, I will. I’ll speak to you later, and thank you for coming with me this weekend, I really appreciate it.’

I slip out of the car and gently push the door shut. Emma’s watching me from the living room window. Great, it doesn’t look like I’m going to be able to go straight up to my room without her questioning me. I curl my fists. Callum drives the car back to the top of the road. I watch him turn the corner, before I head in the direction of the front door, my bag brushing the side of Emma’s white BMW, keeping my head down. Perhaps if I convince Emma I’m tired, she’ll leave me to go straight to my room.

‘So, how was it?’ Emma asks, before I’m even halfway through the front door. She’s staring at me with a big beaming smile, phone in her hand. She’ll be straight on the phone to her sister to let her know how my weekend went I’m sure. They always have a good natter on a Sunday. They’re like a couple of school girl’s gossiping in the school playground when they’re on the phone to each other.

‘Yep it was great,’ I reply, resisting the urge to roll my eyes.

‘So what was the B&B like?’ Emma asks, following me into the kitchen with big curious eyes.

What am I going to say to her? I should’ve checked on my phone coming back here what some of the B&B’s in the area look like, to make my story sound more convincing. ‘It was pretty basic y’know. I’m not sure if it would be your cup of tea, but yep it was nice.’ I think of waking up in the middle of the night, finding the imprint on my bed.

Emma tuts, then smiles at me. ‘I think you seem to think Michael and I can’t cope unless we’re in a five star luxury hotel, but it wasn’t always like this for us, you know. I might not stretch to a hostel, but I’d be perfectly happy in a B&B.’

‘What with no turn down service every day and little chocolates left of on the pillows?’ I laugh. ‘Right just gonna go upstairs.’

‘I’m doing beef for lunch later by the way, Callum could’ve joined us. Why don’t you send him a text and ask him?’ Emma asks as I climb the stairs.

‘I think he wants to get home. You know what his Dad’s like. Call me when lunch is ready.’

I leap frog up the stairs, slamming my bedroom door shut behind me and sit on the edge of my bed, thinking back to the weekend, to everything I learned. Oliver told me someone, the other person, who Harvey supposedly killed, spread lies about him to my parents. What lies? Did Ian want my parent’s to think Oliver was a bad person?

The countless articles I’ve read about the case mainly focused on Harvey, me and my family, not the other person who Harvey killed. Ian sort of almost got brushed under the carpet, but what if he’s the key? A podcast covered the case a couple of years ago. The presenter called it, His Silence, referring to my brother’s eighteen year silence at the time he produced it. I’d downloaded each episode, saving them on my computer, scrutinizing every piece of information I could learn. They’d spoken about the other man my brother killed. It was the first podcast I’d listened to, to speak about him at length. I reach for my laptop sitting on my bedside cabinet, open it up, and select the files I want, pressing play, fingers trembling. I need to hear what it was he said. The presenter’s nasally tone fills my room. I lean back on my cushions and close my eyes.

‘Hello and welcome to another episode of His Silence. In this series we are looking into the infamous case of the murders of the Cole family and Ian Jones. My name is Max Hardy; for the past week I’ve been covering this case and revealing everything I know and have uncovered myself about what happened.’ A corny theme tune begins to play. I roll my eyes. A police siren wails through the speakers before the noise fades away. Once again, Max starts speaking. ‘So, one of the most intriguing aspects about this case, which I want to cover in tonight’s episode, is that not only did Harvey bludgeon his parents to death, but he also murdered one of their friends, Ian Jones. It’s been speculated Harvey’s father was the mutual connection here, but this has never been proven, as virtually nothing about their lives, has been uncovered. This leads me to think they must’ve changed their names, otherwise more about them would’ve been found. This is what makes this case so much more intriguing, why it’s continues to endure and haunt us to this day. Now, the media’s primarily focused on Harvey’s parents. The media’s speculated that the reason why the family changed their identity is because of something Harvey did, that forced them to move, but I’ve always thought this man, Ian, is the key to everything. The neighbours in Little Castle claim they saw him before the family moved into the house, where they were to meet their fate, but he never conversed with anyone. As one local put it, everyone who comes to live in Little Castle wants to become integrated with the local community; there are always events going on and it’s a great way to make new friends, and get to know the neighbours. This person also said she thought Ian was controlling, especially of the young family who were staying with him; Harvey, his parents, and Harvey’s sister. So what do we know about Ian? Unfortunately very little, but there must be people out there who do remember him. I think the police failed to pursue this line of enquiry as adequately as they could have. I believe this family and this man were running from something. Is it possible, Ian Jones, was their saviour, or had he taken them against their will? Did Harvey only intend to kill Ian because of what he’d done, but things spiralled out of control? There are so many unanswered questions about this case. It’s like falling into a black hole, once you’re in there’s no escaping the pull of its gravity. It’s why I’ve been fascinated by it for so long. Many of you will be hoping for me to reveal something spectacular tonight, but, I’m afraid, you will have to wait for the second part of this series, I know, I know I’m being a terrible tease here. Now, to tempt you, I have an exciting contact who I will be speaking to in the coming weeks, someone with first-hand knowledge of this case. I’m so excited he’s agreed to talk to me; he’s promised there’s information the public aren’t aware of and is promising to reveal all. So, stay tuned for another episode of His Silence coming soon where we’ll delve even further into darkness and perhaps, together we might uncover something that blows this case out of the water.’

I press pause. I’ve read about the proposed theory that the reason my family moved and changed their names, was because of something Harvey did. People often move to start anew, if they’re forced out of an area because of a crime that’s been committed. The police even asked me about this when they interviewed me. I’d shaken my head and said no. They’d asked me where we’d come from and I couldn’t say, because . . . because Mum told me not to say anything. She said if I told anyone, I’d be in trouble. Big trouble. A lump wedges in my throat. At the time I thought, whoever did this would come back for me. The police asked me to draw the place we’d left. I’d drawn a white house. I can see it now. I’d drawn the four of us standing outside, stick figures, it was all I could manage, not much for the police to work on. I rub my eyes.

Max knows how to grab his listener’s attention. There would’ve been thousands of true-crime fans across the world, waiting with bated breath for what he had to say next. This was the last podcast recorded. There never was a follow-up, despite Max’s alluring promises.

Two years ago, I considered getting in touch with Max, but decided against it, fearing he would end up being some nutter who wouldn’t leave me alone. I’ve no idea if he did find out more about Ian. Did he even speak to the police officer he was referring to? I want to know why he never made another podcast.

I find Max’s website. He’s not covered my family’s case in the last two years. I thought he was obsessed with the mystery. There’s an about section on his website, I click on it; he’s in his late thirties and lives in Suffolk, not too far away. There’s a picture of him, his arms are folded across his chest, and his dark hair’s a little untidy. He’s standing in a wooded area, a solemn expression on his face, looking like he’s about to star in some paranormal investigator drama, the kind Emma and Michael love watching. Should I be doing this? I drum my finger nails on my laptop. There’s a contact form on his website for people to get in touch. I click in the box and begin to type a message.

            Hi Max,

            This is a difficult message for me to write, my name is Danielle Olsen; my brother, Harvey murdered my parents twenty years ago. You covered my family’s case in 2022 on your podcast, and I really want to know if you managed to find out anything more about Ian, the other person who my brother killed. You were going to do another episode, but I don’t think you ever did. I would really appreciate it if you could get back in touch with me as soon as possible.

Can I do this? It’s like my heart’s ready to burst. Callum’s warning from weeks ago filters through; the moment you invite one nutter into your life, the rest are going to start crawling.

I shake the thought out of my head, and press send.

Chapter 24
His Silence - Chapter 23

By Jacob1395

My eyes flicker open. I sit up straight in bed and glance at my alarm clock, glowing half past six in green. I groan, it’s half an hour before my alarm goes off, there’s no point in going back to sleep now. I hold my hand over my mouth and yawn. I’d spent the rest of last night slopped on the sofa after Emma’s dinner. She always does far too much food. Even now I still feel bloated.

Stretching out under my duvet, I pick my phone off my bedside table. Oh my God. My fingers tingle. There’s a notification in my Gmail account. Max. I unlock my phone and open my emails, heart thumping in my chest. Max sent me a reply half an hour ago. I scan the words on the screen, lapping up every single word. He wants to talk. He actually wants to talk.

From: Max Hardy

To: Danielle Olsen

Date: 7 June 2024 at 06:00

Subject: Podcast

Hey Danielle,

I was surprised, to say the least, to receive your message, I think about what happened to your family every day. I think if we’re to talk about this it would be best to do so face to face. Are you able to talk on Zoom at all? I can arrange a meeting for later on this afternoon if that works well with you, or any other time this week? Let me know.

Max

Zoom. Why didn’t I think of that? Emma and Michael get in from work at just after five. If we do a zoom call at four, an hour should give us plenty of time. I type out a reply.

From: Danielle Olsen

To: Max Hardy

Date: 7 June 2024 at 06:35

Subject: Podcast

Can we do a Zoom call for four pm?

I press send. The reply comes back in seconds. He’ll be sitting by his computer, or phone, waiting for my response. He’s going to be buzzing at the thought of speaking to me. This’ll be like Christmas coming early for him.

            From: Max Hardy

            To: Danielle Olsen

            Date: 7 June 2024 at 06:36

            Subject: Podcast

            Sure, I’ll send you a link. Looking forward to speaking to you.

Max is hedging his bets it’s actually going to me he’ll be speaking to. I could be anyone, for all he knows. He’s not asked me to show him any identification, to prove I’m who I say I am. Perhaps he’s thinking he can’t pass up this opportunity, even if it does sound too good to be true. I place my phone in my pyjama pocket, jump out of bed, hurry out of my room and down the stairs. Emma and Michael are both in the kitchen.

‘Blimey, you’re not usually out of bed this early on a Monday,’ Michael says, taking a sip of his tea. He grins at me.

‘Oh well, I was awake so I thought might as well get up,’ I say, grabbing two slices of bread from the bread bin and dropping them in the toaster. I’m going to need something to eat to calm my nerves.

My phone bleeps in my pocket. It’s Max sending me a zoom invitation. This is actually happening. We’re going to be speaking this afternoon. I shove it back to make sure Emma and Michael don’t catch a glimpse of it. My heart’s bouncing against my ribs. I get a whiff of bread as it begins to cook in the toaster and breathe it in. I need to keep calm.

‘So you didn’t tell us much about what you and Callum got up to at the weekend,’ Michael says, taking another sip of his tea.

Can’t they leave it alone? It’s like they’re both thinking something happened at the weekend. ‘Oh well, we just strolled around the area, had a few drinks at one of the pubs on the sea front. It was nice. We’re thinking, actually, about going away for a couple of months.’

‘Where to?’ Emma asks, placing the jar of marmalade back in the fridge.

I know we haven’t agreed what we’re going to do yet, but at least I can start planting the seed so it doesn’t come totally out of the blue.

‘We’re still in the planning stages, we might do Europe, Asia, we’re not sure yet, but we want to do it soon.’

Emma’s frowning at Michael. ‘This is all very sudden, Danielle,’ she says, stepping closer to me.

‘Emma, I’ve got the money saved up and to be honest I hate my job, so I’m thinking about throwing the towel in anyway, you know I’ve been looking for something else. I’m not going to be young forever; I won’t go mad and spend all my money.’ I let out a slight laugh.

Emma holds out her hands, a strained expression on her face. ‘Honestly, sweetie, I’m not saying it’s something you shouldn’t do. I’m sure you’ll have a great time.’

My toast pops up. Michael finishes his tea as I spread a thick lump of butter on the bread and plonks his cup in the sink. I wait for Emma to say I’m using far too much butter, but she doesn’t say anything. Perhaps she’s thinking she doesn’t want to upset the boat anymore, she can be like that.

‘Right, I’ll see you guys later,’ Michael says as I take a bite of my toast.

He pecks us on the cheek as he leaves.

I finish my toast. ‘Just going to get ready and get set up for work,’ I tell Emma.

‘Well, I’ll probably be gone by the time you get back down,’ Emma says, not quite looking me in the eye. ‘So I’ll see you later tonight.’

‘At just after five?’ I ask.

‘Of course, why?’ Now she’s giving me a curious look. Damn, I shouldn’t have said anything.

‘No reason, just checking.’ I smile at her.

I place my plate in the sink next to Michael’s cup and hurry out of the room, keen to get out of Emma’s way.

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) William (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 25
His Silence - Chapter 24

By Jacob1395

Warning: The author has noted that this contains the highest level of language.

Every half an hour, once Emma’s out of the house, I find myself checking the time. I try and focus on the emails piling up in my inbox, but my brain is a mess. How can I concentrate on work when I’m going to be speaking to Max this afternoon? I need to work out what I’m going to say to him.

At lunch I spend half an hour trying to find out more about Max. He’s got a big following on Facebook, around fifteen thousand followers. It says his podcast gets on average twenty thousand listeners a month. Twenty thousand, I sit back and try to imagine that number of people listening to me, ramble on for an hour; the first thing anyone listening would think would be, well she’s miserable, and switch off. His Facebook page seems full of armchair detectives and conspiracy theorists discussing old crimes and their own theories about what might’ve happened. I roll my eyes when I read some of the comments; no one appears to be discussing what happened to my family though. At least that’s something.  

Four p.m. at last, rolls round. My heart presses hard against my chest. I click on the Zoom link Max sent me. Come on Max, don’t leave me hanging. I straighten up in my seat, the calls connecting. Max’s face fills my screen he must be sitting in his bedroom. I can make out the side of a bed to the left of the screen with a blue duvet. He’s not how he looked in the photos I saw of him. His dark hair’s bedraggled. Glasses are balancing on his nose, and sweat’s shining on his forehead in the light. He’s at least ten years older than his photo on his website. There’s a blue folder on his desk, I shiver. My family’s name is printed in bold on the cover. In the background, on his wall, there’s a Coldplay poster from one of their world tours. Well, that would impress Callum; he’s a massive Coldplay fan. He dragged me along to one of their concerts once. I don’t mind a couple of their songs, but Callum’s more into their music than I am.

‘Danielle, are you there?’ Max asks, leaning in closer to his screen. His glasses slip further down his nose.

Damn, I haven’t switched my video on. ‘Oh, yep, sorry, one sec.’ You’d think I’d be a master at Zoom since I work from home.

I click on the camera and my face appears on the screen. I shrink back, cringing. I hate seeing myself on video.

‘Hi,’ Max says, smiling, sitting back. ‘Wow, it’s . . . it’s great to talk to you, you have no idea how much I’ve thought about you and your family over the years. God, what some journalists would give for the chance to speak to you.’

I shift in my seat. He has no personal connection to me but he must feel he knows me. ‘Um, yep, it’s great to talk to you, I was listening to the podcast you did a couple of years ago again last night, that’s why I contacted you,’ I say.

‘How did you manage to listen to the podcast? I was asked to take it down,’ he asks, a slight hint of panic in his voice.

I frown. ‘I downloaded it, why were you asked to take it down?’ This is new.

His eyes dart around his room. What doesn’t he want to tell me? I lean in closer to the screen. ‘Erm . . . OK I got a lot of emails from fans asking why I’d taken the podcast down, and about what happened to the next episode I promised. I couldn’t reply to anyone I was . . .  I was threatened. I thought . . . I thought it was going to be the end of the podcast, all my hard work built up over the years over in the blink of an eye.’ His voice cracks, his gaze flickers to his desk for a second. He takes in a breath. ‘Sorry.’

‘Threatened, I don’t understand, who threatened you?’ I ask. This is crazy.

He shakes his head, and rubs his hands together. ‘I don’t know, although I have a theory. A couple of weeks after the podcast went live, I started receiving these . . . Erm . . . letters in the post. They were threatening to come after everything. It made me think I’d accidentally stumbled across something incredible without realising. I was excited at first, I thought I could prove what happened, but when I didn’t stop investigating, they started threating my family. They sent stuff to my parents, my grandparents, horrible stuff. My Nan, who’s in her eighties, was terrified. It made me really ill, and I lost a load of weight. I did have to think before replying to your email, but I couldn’t pass up on this opportunity.’ He wipes his eyes.

‘I did notice you’ve not discussed what happened to my family since that first podcast you did.’

Max lets out a heavy sigh. ‘Yeah, you hear of cases of people being threatened, but you never think it’s going to happen to you. I’ve covered some big, well known cases since I set up my podcast, and I’ve never had anything like this happen to me before. So, why . . . why did you want to contact me?’

I keep thinking of what Callum would be saying to me if he knew what I was doing. Don’t think of what Callum would do. This is your choice. ‘I wanted to find out more about the other man who Harvey . . . my brother . . . murdered, Ian . . . you said in your podcast, if we found out more about him, it would bring us closer to finding out the truth. I also . . . I spoke to Harvey in prison a few weeks ago.’

Max’s mouth drops open. ‘You . . . you spoke to your brother.’

I nod. Should I be telling him this? ‘I’ve been trying to speak to my brother since I was eighteen, but he’s always refused my request to see him, up until now. He wrote to me on my birthday the other week.’

‘What did he say?’ Max asks, the pitch rising in his voice.

‘He . . . he didn’t tell me why he killed them, he, he told me to go to this place, he says if I went there I would find out what happened, but, I did go there and still I don’t know the full story. Bits and pieces are coming together, but there are a lot of gaps missing.’ I can’t tell him Harvey said he thinks innocent; not yet, I need to hear what Max has to say first.

Max wipes his brow. ‘Jesus, I thought he was never gonna talk about what he did, he’s remained silent for twenty years, that’s why I named the series His Silence. Well, I did do some digging into his life, Ian’s life. I was all set to do another episode, I thought it was going to be my most popular podcast ever, but that’s when the letters started arriving. At the time I decided to dig a bit more. I put a teaser about it on my Facebook page, saying I might’ve uncovered something huge. My fans went nuts.’

‘What did you find out?’ I ask. He’s glancing off to the left. He doesn’t want to tell me. ‘Please, Max. This might help me.’

He sighs. ‘OK, I’ll tell you everything I found out.’

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) William (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 26
His Silence - Chapter 25

By Jacob1395

Max lets out a steady breath and shifts a little in his seat. ‘OK, there was virtually nothing I could find out about Ian. I spoke to the people who lived in Little Castle at the time of the murders. There were only a couple of people who seemed, sort of familiar with him, at the time he was there. I spoke to the guy who runs the news agents in town. He said Ian popped in a couple of times to buy milk and eggs, and the occasional newspaper. Said he tried chatting to Ian a couple of times, but never got much of a response out of him.’

‘D’you know how he met my parents?’ I ask, keeping an eye on the time. Emma gets back just after five, another forty minutes away, we’ve got plenty of time, but I still can’t get rid of the tightness in my chest. I flick my gaze back at Max.

He sighs. ‘I still didn’t quite get to the bottom of where they met, I’m afraid. I was hoping to find some sort of connection to his past life, from the locals of Little Castle. I figured there must’ve been some sort of link there; otherwise, why else would he choose to stay there. It seems that he chose the area randomly. Unless, of course, people weren’t willing to tell me what they know, that’s a possibility. Do you mind me asking what your brother spoke to you about?’ Max asks.

I bite down hard on my lip. Harvey’s voice echoes in my head telling me not to go to the media. ‘I wanted him to tell me why he did what he did all those years ago. It’s been hell for me growing up knowing everyone in the country knows what happened. He, he didn’t say anything new to me, he just . . .’ I’m not sure what to say to Max. I don’t want to tell him everything. If I tell Max Harvey might be innocent, it could make him want to do another podcast again, despite the threats he’s received.

‘I’m sorry, if you think I might’ve played a part in that, Danielle,’ Max says. His eyes flicker away for a second, then focus back on me ‘But I can assure you I’ve only ever dealt with the facts. I’ve never given the conspiracy theorists time of day and whenever people discuss different theories on my Facebook page, I always shut the comments down.’

I nod; tears prickle the corners of my eyes, blurring my vision. ‘Harvey told me to go to this address in Essex. I’ve since been told this is the place I was born. I found out, how true it is, I don’t know, but Ian got it into my parent’s heads that they needed to leave, I still don’t know why though. This was three weeks before the murders. So that would kind of suggest he was trying to help them, doesn’t it?’

‘This is some scary stuff, um, do you have any memories from that time, before your parents were killed?’ he asks, curiosity etched in his voice.

I think back to the image of me running out of the house in the dark with Mum. She's telling me to be quiet.

‘I . . . there are snatches of things. I remember hiding in the wardrobe the day my brother murdered my parents. There are memories of me playing in this garden, which I’m pretty sure is the garden at the house, where Harvey told me to go and memories of Harvey reading to me. I’ve never been sure if they’re real. I went to this place at the weekend, it was quite weird. They all seemed pleased to see me and wanted me to stay.’

Max leans forward in his seat. ‘Danielle, I would urge you to be careful here. These people may claim to be like your family, but they sound dangerous. I’ve already told you about what happened to me, and now I think it might’ve been them who threatened me.’

Would Oliver or Luke have threatened Max because of his podcast? It could’ve been someone who was jealous of Max because of his success threating him.

I shake my head. ‘I don’t know what to do. I want to get to the bottom of what happened to my family so badly, but . . .’

‘I can only imagine how difficult this must be for you,’ Max says. ‘Look, when I was speaking to various people about the case, before the threatening letters started arriving, I spoke to a police officer, who worked on the investigation. He was the contact I spoke about in the final episode. He’d been let go by the force due to some sort of misconduct, which made him quite angry. He was willing to talk to me when I spoke to him, turns out he was a fan of my podcast, but God could he drink. I wouldn’t say he was particularly reliable, if you know what I mean.’

‘What did he say to you?’ I ask the back of my neck prickling. This was what I wanted to hear.

‘He . . . look, Danielle, he could’ve been spouting lies because of the way he was treated, but . . . he told me the DNA of an unidentified person was recovered from the scene at the house the night your parents were murdered. It was compared to the owner of the house, but it wasn’t a match. It, of course, wasn’t a match for Harvey. It appears no one else visited your family while they were staying there during those three weeks. So the question is who does this DNA belong to?’

I swallow. Sweat patches are forming underneath Max’s arms now.

‘What else did the police do to look into this?’ I ask.

Max shakes his head. ‘Not a lot, they had your brother’s confession that was what they needed to wrap the case up. I think they took a swab from near enough everyone in the village but again came up with a negative result. There’s only a small population there, no more than a few hundred. It wouldn’t have been hard to trace the person if they came from the village.’

‘What about this police officer who spoke to you, d’you know what happened to him?’ I ask. Perhaps there’s a way I can speak to him, he might be willing to give me more information.

Max shrugs. ‘Sorry, but I think he ended up going off the rails, he was spouting out all kinds of stuff about the police and the government, that’s why I would take what he’s said with a pinch of salt, Danielle. I haven’t tried contacting him since, his name’s Ben Parker. He was only a Detective Constable. But the DNA could’ve been from anyone, I think there were reports of people breaking into the house where your family were murdered, before you lived there . . . so it might not necessarily be from the killer.’

He can’t expect me to put this to the back of my mind. I shake my head.

‘And this is everything, there’s nothing you haven’t told me?’ I ask, my voice trembling

He sighs. ‘I wish I could be of more help, Danielle, but please . . . I’m not sure what it is you’re thinking of planning, but please be careful.’

I smile. ‘Don’t worry, I will,’ I say. ‘Thank you for talking to me.’

‘I’m here for you if you need me,’ he says. ‘If there’s anything you want to talk to me about please don’t hesitate to contact me.’

‘Sure, thanks, anyway, I think I better get going, I really appreciate you taking the time to talk to me.’ I want to get off the call now.

‘Stay safe, Danielle,’ Max says.

The call ends. I pull up Google and search for the detective’s name, my heart beating fast. The words swim in front of my on the screen. There’s an article right at the top dated from a few years ago. I click on it and read the first few lines.

            Ben Parker, a former Detective Constable who worked with Essex Police, has spoken out about his time investigating the murders of the Cole family in Little Castle, Essex. Ben Parker, who was dismissed after sharing confidential information on conspiracy theorist websites, unrelated to this case, has made a series of outlandish claims that have been denied by Essex Police. Ben is claiming there are lines of enquiry that exist that have still not been followed up. When approached for a comment, a spokesperson for Essex Police said, “All lines of enquiry have been pursued and we are satisfied that the right person is behind bars. We will be making no further comment.” Ben responded by saying Essex Police are trying to gag him. Ben has also been outspoken about his claims that UFOs are real and that the police are assisting the government in a nationwide cover-up.

The article abruptly ends. There are a couple of other reports covering what Ben’s supposed to have said, but they’re not extensive. Perhaps people did think he was a waste of space, particularly with what he’s said about UFOs. But there’s got to be something in what he’s saying.

I get up and drift out of the living room and into the kitchen, my head swimming. There was a stranger’s DNA recovered from the house. Harvey could be innocent. I grip hold of the edge of the kitchen work surface, and throw up in the sink.

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) William (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 27
His Silence - Chapter 26

By Jacob1395

Emma picks up the fan and starts flapping it in front of her face.

‘You’re very quiet this afternoon, sweetie,’ she says.

I glance across at her, rubbing sweat from my forehead, in the distance there’s the thrum of a lawn mower. My mind keeps drifting to my conversation with Max a couple of days ago, particularly his revelation about the DNA. What if the police officer was just spouting lies about it because of the way he was treated by the force? He could’ve been saying it to try and bring them into disrepute.

‘Just thinking,’ I reply, picking up my glass of lemonade. I take a sip.

‘Have you and Callum spoken anymore about going away?’ she asks.

She’s looking at me with the biggest smile. She wants me to take this opportunity and go. If only she knew what I was planning.  

‘Yep, we’ve been talking about it.’ I shift in my seat, I haven’t mentioned it to Callum since we spoke on the way back from Leigh on Sea, and he’s not asked me. This is beginning to drive a wedge between us. The last thing I want is to harm our friendship. He’s already done so much for me. If there’s any chance we might have some deeper relationship after this, I don’t want . . . I don’t want to lose that chance. I tighten my grip on my glass.

‘Well, remember, like my mum used to always say, you’re a long time dead, seize the opportunity and go for it,’ Emma says.

I stare at the end of the garden.

‘I’m going to call him now,’ I say, getting up.

‘Go for it, Danielle. I’m jealous, wish I was young and free like you guys are. I’ll have to talk to Michael about booking a Saga cruise while you’re away.’ She laughs and closes her eyes. Perhaps she’s thinking if Callum and I do go away it might put my mind off Harvey.

I pull out my phone as I head back towards the house. Michael’s making himself a sandwich in the kitchen. There are a couple of sheets of paper on the kitchen table, he’s been writing ideas down. He never could give up writing songs, even though he doesn’t play live much anymore.

‘Did you want anything, while I’ve got the bread out?’ he asks as I breeze past.

I shake my head. ‘No don’t worry, just got a call I need to make.

I race up the stairs and dial Callum’s number. He answers as I sit on my bed.

‘Hiya,’ he says.

I sigh. ‘Look, Callum I really, really want to go back to the house. I understand you’ve got your own life and if you don’t want to come with me then . . . that’s fine. But I’m telling you, with or without your help, I’m going.’

There’s silence. He’s going to hate me for putting him on the spot like this. He’s got to come with me. He’s got to. I close my eyes then open them again.

‘Look, how many weeks are you thinking?’ he asks.

I squeeze my duvet. ‘I dunno, Callum, I guess, a minimum of three to four weeks.

There’s another pause. ‘OK, I s’pose I could talk to work, I still haven’t booked off any holiday yet this year. The problem with you sometimes, Danielle is you’re stubborn. Once you get an idea into your head, there’s no one who can change your mind.’ I’m stubborn. He’s never told me that before. I pick at the corner of my eye. Maybe I am.

‘You have to really want to do this Callum. I don’t want to put any pressure on you.’

‘Do you think there’s any way I’m gonna let you go back to that place on your own? I know how important finding out what happened to your family is to you, but promise me this, after four weeks is up we’re leaving, no matter if you haven’t found anything out, that’s it.’

I swallow. ‘Of course.’ I don’t want to stay there any longer than I have to.

‘Let me speak to work and I’ll get back to you.’   

‘Callum, I –’ the phone goes dead before I finish my sentence.

I’m shaking. If work can’t give him the time off I’m going to have to go on my own, no matter what he says. I find Luke’s details in my phone, I think about texting him, but call him instead.

‘Danielle, this is a pleasant surprise,’ he says, I can almost hear the smile in his voice.

‘Hi, I’ve had a chance to think about Oliver’s offer, and I’d love to take up a temporary room,’ I say.

‘That’s excellent news,’ Luke says. ‘Oliver will be overjoyed. When do you think you’ll be able to come?’

‘The earliest would be week after next, I’ve gotta get stuff sorted out here first.’

‘I understand, would it just be you, or your friend, Callum, wasn’t it, as well?’

‘Callum would like to come,’ I say. He might not. I ignore the voice in my head. He will. He won’t let me down.

‘Well, a week should give us plenty of time to get everything organised. I’ll speak to Oliver and we’ll get sleeping arrangements sorted.’

‘Thank you,’ I say.

‘That’s no problem, Danielle. We can’t wait to have you as part of the community here again.’            

I end the call, get up from my bed, and check outside my room to make sure Emma wasn’t listening in. I edge into their bedroom and stare out the window. She and Michael are sitting in the garden eating their sandwiches. The sound of the lawnmower starts up again. Am I doing the right thing? A banging voice in my head overrides my fears. You want to find out what happened. This is the only way.

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) William (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 28
His Silence - Chapter 27

By Jacob1395

‘So where’ve you booked to go first?’ Emma asks me, excitement in her voice.

I lean against the kitchen worktop, taking a sip of my tea, breathing in its comforting scent. Emma’s looking at me with wide eyes as she wipes her hand on a tea towel. She hangs it back on the oven handle. My chest tightens. No, I won’t have a panic attack. Everything’s going to be fine. I’ll be leaving in half an hour.

‘We’ve booked Italy first, we’re gonna do Spain next, then we’re gonna move onto Austria and Hungary, all around there basically. I fancy Croatia as well. Everyone keeps saying it’s nice there. We’ve got a few hostels booked along the way, so nothing too dear.’ I decided it would be best to say we’re going to Europe rather than further afield.

Emma picks up a plate with crumbs on the surface from the worktop and places it in the dishwasher. ‘The flights weren’t too dear were they? You know if you’d booked this for another few months, you probably would’ve got them cheaper,’ she says, flinging the dishwasher shut.

‘I’ve got savings, when was the last time I splashed out on myself?’ I take a sip of my tea.

She holds her hands out in defence and takes a step back. ‘I’m just saying, just saying. Well you make sure to keep us updated with lots of pictures. Call us as often as you can, and if you have got some money left over why don’t you treat yourself to somewhere nice to stay at the end of the holiday?’

‘I’ll try,’ I reply, taking another sip of my tea.

‘But most importantly, have fun,’ she says.

I smile and drift into the hallway, breathing a sigh of relief. If only we were going away on a holiday to Europe. My green suitcase is by the front door. I glance back towards Emma, guilt gnawing at my heart. I hate lying to her, but what other choice do I have? There’s no way she and Michael would approve of what we’re really doing, Emma would be worried sick. I want to protect them. I don’t want them to be distressed. Everything’s going to be fine. Before I know it I’ll be back home.

Callum’s car arrives outside at quarter to nine.

‘Have a lovely time,’ Emma says, hugging me. I breathe in the familiar scent of her perfume, wishing I could stay in this position for a few moments longer. It won’t be for long. You’ll be back soon.

I hug Michael.

‘Stay safe,’ he says, tightening his grip on me. His heartbeat reverberates against mine, I shiver. Why do I have the feeling he has some sort of inkling of what we’re up to?

I head through the front porch, slipping my feet into my trainers and step outside. Emma and Michael both step out of the house to see us off. Michael wraps his arms around Emma’s shoulders. She’s not going to relax until she gets a text from me telling her we’re ok.

‘Got everything?’ Callum asks, getting out of the car. He’s wearing his ray ban sunglasses. There’s no excitement in his voice. I resist the urge to look back at Emma and Michael. They won’t notice, they won’t notice.

‘Yep,’ I say.

I dump my suitcase in the boot and wave to Emma and Michael. They think we’ll be landing in Italy at around two o’clock in the afternoon, UK time. Callum waves at them before sliding back into the car. I don’t have to do this. I could tell Emma and Michael I’ve changed my mind, go back into the house. I push the thought further away. Harvey needs me. 

‘You’ve not received any more correspondence from Harvey, have you?’ he asks.

I shake my head and plug my seatbelt in. ‘Nope, nothing.’ Callum sighs and grips the steering wheel. ‘Callum, I did say to you that you have to be certain you want to go through with this. If you want to you can drop me off at the house and drive home.’ I keep my voice soft. I don’t want to make him angry. Not now. Emma and Michael better not have heard me.

‘No, don’t worry, it’s fine, it is,’ he says. ‘Right I s’pose we better get going.’

Please don’t say he’s already having second thoughts. I watch Michael and Emma go back into the house, sit back into my seat and close my eyes as Callum steers the car onto the road.  

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) William (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 29
His Silence - Chapter 28

By Jacob1395

Warning: The author has noted that this contains the highest level of language.

Callum and I don’t speak for most of the journey. This is horrible. Usually we’d be talking non-stop, cracking jokes, making fun of each other; our bellies would be aching with laughter by the end of the journey. I shift in my seat and glance out of the window as a huge Range Rover roars past us. I’m sure this isn’t how Callum would’ve wanted to spend his four weeks leave. I’ll make it up to him somehow. When we’ve got this out of the way, I will treat him to a holiday somewhere. Somewhere exotic, I think we’re going to need it.

The white gates appear at the end of the dirt track. Twenty years ago my parents fled this place along with me and my brother, and now here I am going back, agreeing to stay. The gates are already open, I texted Luke last night to tell him we were coming today. I think of Emma and Michael, they’ll be thinking we’ll be in the airport by now. I haven’t had a text from either of them. Emma will be expecting a picture from me, showing Callum and I having a couple of beers.

I grip the safety bar again like I did before as we head up the track. The car bumps along before Callum swings it into the space next to the mini bus. Luke and Oliver are waiting for us outside the house. Their hands are clasped behind their backs. They both beam at us.

‘Here we go,’ Callum says, turning off the engine. He climbs out of the car.

‘Danielle, it’s so good to see you,’ Oliver says, trudging over as I climb out. The sharp sea air stings my eyes making me wince. ‘And Callum, welcome back, I’m really pleased you’ve both decided to stay with us.’

‘Thank you,’ I say, clutching the handle on my suit case. ‘I’ve been really looking forward to coming back.’ I think back to my conversation with Max last week, when he warned me, like Callum did, about coming here again. His revelations about being threatened filter through into my head.

‘This way please,’ Oliver says and we move towards the house, the gravel crunching under our feet as we head for the open front door. I look around for signs of anyone else nearby, but it’s just us four. Oliver stands aside to let me through into the house first. I step into the porch and into the hallway, feeling like I’ve stepped into the lion’s den. ‘Now, I hope you don’t mind, but since you said Callum wanted to stay, we’ve had to alter some of the sleeping arrangements, for the time being. Callum will be in the room you stayed in Danielle the other week, and Danielle, I hope you don’t mind, but I have a spare bed in the annexe for you. I think you’ll be very comfortable there.’ There’s a hint of a smile on Oliver’s lips. I tremble.

Why won’t they let us share the room together? I want to be with Callum. I take in a deep breath. Stay calm. My heart continues to race.

‘That’s fine, thanks,’ I say. It’s best to go along with it for now, don’t try and be difficult.

‘I’ll show you to your room now,’ Oliver says. He looks over to Luke. ‘Luke, would you mind showing Callum where he’s staying?’

Why’s Oliver so keen to get me on my own? The sounds of people chatting reach me, from the living space where we ate dinner the other week. I’m sure I recognise Mary’s voice. Before we reach the door, it’s pulled shut, the sound becomes distant. What don’t they want us to hear?

‘I’ll take Callum up to his room,’ Luke says, holding his hand out and directing Callum up the stairs. It looked like Callum was going to follow me for a second. It’s clear Oliver and Luke aren’t going to allow that to happen.

‘I’ll catch you later then, Danielle,’ Callum says a slight hint of concern in his voice.

I nod and follow Oliver into the kitchen, breathing in the smell of freshly baked bread, and listening to the sound of Callum and Luke heading up the stairs. They don’t speak to each other. Callum will probably try and make conversation, but whether or not Luke will reciprocate I have no idea.

‘So, I take it you ended up speaking to your family about staying here?’ Oliver asks, holding the kitchen door open for me. Sunlight floods in warming my skin.

‘Yep, they’re fine about it,’ I say. The lie feels thick in my throat, I’m sure Oliver will realise I’m lying. There’s something about his face that suggests nothing gets past him. I shake the thought out of my head as we head into the garden, my suitcase crunching along the pathway as I drag it behind me.

‘That’s good,’ he says, holding the door of the annexe open for me, once we get to the bottom of the path. ‘Your room is just to the right here. Mine’s on the left.’

‘Thanks.’ My suitcase bounces in behind me. We’re standing in a small hallway with wooden floorboards. There are two pictures hanging from the wall on either side showing the marshes from above. Perhaps they’re there to remind people of the danger they pose. My heart flutters. Oliver holds open my bedroom door. It’s a bigger room than the one I stayed in before. The bed is a king sized one by the looks of it. There are two bedside cabinets on either side with an empty photo frame, and a black lamp on each cabinet. On the other side of the room is a large mahogany wardrobe. It’s almost like a hotel room. There’s a purple dress lying on the duvet. ‘What’s this?’ I take a step closer.

Oliver steps further into the room. ‘Ah, this dress belonged to your mother when she was living here. I thought you would like to have it and, it’s up to you, of course, but you might want to possibly wear it to dinner later.’

I take a tentative step closer to the bed, and feel the soft fabric of the dress. I picture Mum wearing it and going out to dinner with Dad, hand in hand. Tears prick the corners of my eyes. She wore this. She actually wore this.

‘Why was it left here?’ I ask, flicking my gaze back to Oliver.

Oliver rubs his right eye. ‘When your parents left, they ended up leaving a few of their belongings behind. I’ll be very happy to give them to you.’

I nod. ‘That’ll be great, thank you.’

Oliver beams. ‘I’ll get them sorted for you right away. So, lunch will be served in the dining room, where you ate the first night you stayed here at one thirty. There’ll be a meeting, which I would like you and Callum to attend straight after lunch, and then dinner will be served at six thirty. Do you have any questions?’

‘Yep, where’s the bathroom here?’ I ask.

‘Oh, of course, you have your own ensuite in this room,’ he says, walking over to a white door on the left hand side of the bed and opening it. The smell of jasmine, coming from the diffuser on the sink hits me in the face. I stare at the pristine bath and shower. This is like a whole other world to the sleeping arrangements in the house. Oliver turns back to me. ‘I hope you’ll be very happy here. I’ll leave you to get settled and I’ll see you at lunch.’

‘Oh, sorry just one more thing, what’s the Wi-Fi code?’ I ask.

Oliver pauses in the doorway. He looks back over his shoulder at me, his forehead creasing. ‘We don’t actually have Wi-Fi up at the house, but we do have it here in the annexe. I can give you the code so long as you promise not to share it with anyone else.’

I stare at him, his features on his face soften. No one’s allowed to have Wi-Fi here. ‘Yep, OK, that’s fine.’

‘I just need to check what the code is, and then I’ll give it to you,’ he says.

He exits the room, shutting the door behind him. I sit on the bed and feel the dress again, rubbing it between my fingers. It’s a bit odd he suggested I should wear it tonight. I remind myself of the reason why I’m here. If I’m going to find out anything about what happened the night my parents were killed, I need to keep on Oliver’s good side.

This won’t be for long, like I promised Callum. Then we’ll go home.

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 30
His Silence - Chapter 29

By Jacob1395

Warning: The author has noted that this contains the highest level of language.

It’s half past twelve. Oliver said lunch would be served at one, my stomach groans. I couldn’t eat anything this morning, the anxiety flittering in my belly destroyed my appetite. I pick up my phone, shove it into my pocket and run my hand through my hair. What will Callum be doing? It’s surprising he hasn’t contacted me. I pad across to the bedroom door, the floorboards creaking, and stop, my heart jumping in my chest. Someone’s knocking on my door. I wrench it open, expecting to see Oliver standing there, my chest tight. It’s Mary. She’s wearing the same clothing she was the last time I saw her; white trousers and a white top. There’s a glint of gold in the lobe of her ears, I didn’t notice the earrings when I first met her. She might’ve been the person who pulled the living room door shut, when we passed it earlier. Were they talking about Callum and me? They must’ve been.

‘Danielle, I was hoping to find you. Do you mind if we go for a quick walk before lunch?’ she asks, her voice bright.

She’s staring at me expectantly, waiting for my answer. I don’t want to go with her, I want to see Callum. I pinch at the soft fabric of my top and rub it between my fingers.

‘Yep, OK,’ I say. ‘I was just leaving to find Callum actually.’

Did Mary stiffen? The corner of my mouth twitches. I try to ignore the alarm bells flashing in my mind. What does she want to talk to me about it. My eyes flicker over the star shaped medal in her pocket.

‘Good, we’ll go for a walk down the path, outside the house, we’ll only be ten minutes. It’ll be good to get you on my own for a while.’

Mary clutches my arm and half pulls me out of my bedroom. I get a whiff of honey again, which makes me want to cough, I try my best not to. I push my bedroom door shut and we stried out of the annexe, I breathe in the cool air. Abraham, the man who spoke to me in the kitchen the last time I was here, is in the garden. He’s wearing the same clothing as Mary. He’s tending to what looks like a vegetable patch by the side of the house, underneath one of the barn windows. There’s a spade in his right hand covered in mud. He glances across at me, and smiles. I look away, remembering what he told me about him being in prison before he came here, my cheeks tingling.

‘Mary, d’you mind me asking why everyone here, apart from Oliver, wears the same clothing?’ I ask.

‘Oh, it’s tradition, dear,’ she says patting my arm. ‘We’ve been here for more than twenty years now, most of us, anyway. Eve’s the only fairly new person here. I’ll introduce you to her later. I think Oliver may have told you about her the last time you came here. Wearing the same clothing gives us a real sense of community; it makes us feel as though we’re a part of something.’ I get the sense she’s not told me the real reason why. Is it something Oliver insists? We stride round the side of the house, my shoes squelching in the soft grass and onto the driveway. A sharp, salty breeze stings my cheeks, carrying with it the stench of the marshes. I rub my eyes. I suppose it’s something I’ll get used to. ‘Now, I wanted to ask you how much Oliver explained to you about our community here.’

‘He’s told me a little bit,’ I reply, thinking back to our first conversation more than a week ago now.

My shoe slaps into a puddle sending a grubby stain up the leg. Shoot. Mary continues to pull me in the direction of the main gate. Long blades of grass flatten under my feet.

‘Well, as you may have noticed, we have, near enough, an even number of men and women here. Most of the people, who you’ll gradually get to know, over the course of the coming days, were lost souls when they came to us, unsure of what they wanted to do with their lives. Once they arrived here we put them on the right path, we made them see what their true potential was, and helped guide them towards their forever partner. That’s what Oliver promises: true love, acceptance, peace, and family. We’re a family here, Danielle, that’s the most important thing above all. We sometimes have people stay with us for a few days like you did a week ago, we advertise our services in town and some people feel compelled to take us up on our offer. Of course, anyone who uses this particular service pays for this.’

I frown at Mary. She’s making this place sound like some sort of match making centre. Is that was this place is? ‘So, everyone here is paired up?’ I ask. I try to remember everyone I saw at dinner last time I was here. There were a couple of people, who I thought back then, who might’ve been partners.

‘Well, most of us, dear. What Oliver teaches, is that we have one true soul partner in this world, I . . . I did have mine, but he, um, he died.’ There’s a tremor in her voice, she clutches the medal in her pocket. ‘And I . . . I haven’t felt strong enough to try and find love again, Oliver understands that.’

She stops, her grip on my arm tightening. ‘I’m sorry,’ I say.

She shakes her head. ‘It’s been a while now, but every time I think of what happened, it hits me like a sledgehammer. Anyway, like I was saying, of course, you were born here all those years ago, but some other force, greater than ourselves, guided you back to us. You must feel as though you’re at home here, don’t you?’ She says the last part of her sentence with so much force it’s like she wants me to believe what she’s saying.

‘Um.’ A man and a woman are standing outside the front of the house, holding hands, talking to each other, their heads almost touching. It’s the woman with red hair, and the man with the tattoo on his neck. Even Emma and Michael don’t hold hands like that. Well, I never see them do it. It’s like they’re putting on a show for me. ‘Well, it hasn’t even been a day yet, but I’m sure, with time, it’ll feel like home.’

We stop walking. Mary’s staring at the marshland over the hedges to my left. My eyes snake around the little channels of water and the dark grey mud. It makes this place feel like we’re at the very end of the earth. Ahead of us is the imposing white gate, now shut. It looks fairly new though. Has the community always been gated? An image of my parents escaping this place filters into my mind. They’re trying to be as quiet as they can while they bundle themselves into Ian’s car. How many people have accidentally stumbled across this place while out walking?

‘If you follow everything Oliver teaches us, you’ll feel as though you’ve reached eternity, I promise you that,’ she says. ‘There are exercises which you will be asked to practise, and when you start to do them, you’ll find your forever partner isn’t so far out of reach.’

I shake my head. ‘I’m not sure I’m ready to settle down with anyone yet.’ I think of Callum and my heart rate accelerates.

Mary smiles. ‘Oh, believe me, dear; I felt the same as you did when I was your age, nearly fifty years ago now. I was so certain of what I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to study medicine. When I was younger than you are now I dreamed of becoming a midwife, but sometimes you don’t get to choose what path your life takes you on.’ Her eyes turn misty, like she’s lost in a memory.

‘Right,’ I say, somethinbg squirming in my belly. I want to go back to the house. I want to find Callum, but Mary’s still holding my arm. ‘Mary, were you close to my parents when they lived here?’

A wide smile breaks across her lips. ‘Oh yes, we got on so well, particularly your mother and I, she had everything going for her, but she chose to . . . anyway, I’m rambling on. But yes, I just wanted to explain a little about what we do here, but Oliver will give a more detailed overview at lunch, I’m so proud of what he’s achieved here.’ She’s talking about Oliver almost like she’s a cooing mother. There are even tears in her eyes. ‘So, you and Callum, the pair of you are very close, are you and he?’ She breaks off, as though she’s not sure what to say next.

‘If you’re asking if we’re boyfriend and girlfriend, no, Callum’s more like a brother to me,’ I say, my cheeks burning. I decide to leave out that I hope we might, one day, mean something more to each other.

I think about the time Callum asked me to the leaver’s do at school.

‘As friends, yep?’ I’d said to him.

There’d been a slight pause before he’d replied. ‘Yeah of course.’ He’d tried so hard to keep the disappointment out of his voice, but it had still slipped through, making me hate myself. But we can only be friends.

‘Oh, it’s just you seem very close, I just thought . . . never mind, it was just my imagination going into overdrive, something I’ve never got under control. I understand he lost his mother.’

I raise an eyebrow. She must’ve had a conversation with Callum before coming to see me. I’m surprised he’s even told her about his mum so soon. How the hell did she manage to get that out of him?

‘Yep, he did, when he was six,’ I reply.

She shakes her head. ‘It’s so horrible, losing someone you love, believe me I have . . . I have experience of that, I can see why you’ve been such good friends. Shall we take a mooch back then, dear? I’m sure you must be hungry, I am too,’ Mary replies, her voice croaking.

I nod. She wanted to say something to me a few moments ago, but chose not to. Something about my parents? I search her face for any sign of nervousness or anxiety. There's nothing.

We turn around. The couple who were standing outside the house a moment ago have disappeared.

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 31
His Silence - Chapter 30

By Jacob1395

Warning: The author has noted that this contains the highest level of language.

Max lets out a steady breath. ‘I managed to track down some of the people who Ian was friendly with in his early thirties, before he, sort of, went missing. You’ll know from the podcast that I revealed he worked in the steel industry. They all said the same thing that he wasn’t too keen on hanging out outside of work, and only came to very few work events; he seemed to them to be a bit of an introvert, although he was pleasant enough to deal with in the office. They told me they spoke to the police about this at the time, but they were only questioned about Ian a couple of times, I s’pose the police thought there wasn’t much for them to pursue.’

‘D’you know how he met my parents?’ I ask, keeping an eye on the time; Emma normally gets back just after five, another forty minutes away, we’ve got plenty of time. I flick my gaze back at Max.

He sighs. ‘I still didn’t quite get to the bottom of where they met. I asked the people Ian knew and they didn’t know either; it’s why it came as such a huge shock to them when his name was revealed by the police, they hadn’t heard from him in years. It was only seeing his photo in the press that made them remember him. One thing I did find interesting, is that bearing in mind he’d been working in the same job for more than ten years, all of a sudden he left, with no explanation, he didn’t even hand in his resignation. They tried to get in contact with him, but he blocked all their calls.’

I study this piece of information inside my mind. Could this have been around the same time he met my parents? ‘So there was no sign, at all that he was intending on leaving his job?’ I ask trying to think if any other news reports have covered this, but nothing springs to mind.

Max shakes his head. ‘They all told me he was a lot quieter in the weeks leading up to it, they all just assumed something was going on in his family life and that he didn’t want to talk about it.’

‘But did he have any family?’ I ask.

Max opens the blue folder and flicks through the pages, I catch glimpses of pictures, scrawled writing on pages; these are the notes he must’ve made when he was investigating for the podcast. I spot a picture of the house where my parents were killed, I look away. ‘I think he might’ve have had one parent still alive, but they’ll be dead by now, he had no brothers or sisters who I’m aware of. Do you mind me asking what your brother spoke to you about?’ Max asks. 

I bite down hard on my lip. ‘I wanted him to tell me why he did what he did all those years ago. It’s been hell for me growing up knowing everyone in the country knows about my family. He, he didn’t say anything new to me, he just . . .’ I'm no sure exactly what to say to Max. I don't want to tell him everything. 

‘I’m sorry, if you think I might’ve played a part in that, Danielle,’ Max says. ‘But I can assure you I have only ever dealt with the facts; I’ve never given the conspiracy theorists time of day and whenever people discuss the different theories on my Facebook page, I always shut the comments down.’

I nod; tears prickle the corners of my eyes, blurring my vision. ‘He told me to go to this address, this place in Essex. I’ve since been told this is the place where I was born. I also found out, how true it is, I don’t know, that Ian got it into my parents heads that they needed to leave, I still don’t know why though, this was three weeks before the murders.’

Max is staring at me, eyes wide. He’s probably wishing he could interview me for his podcast, I’m pretty sure that would end up sending his ratings sky high. I look into my lap. There’s no way I’m doing that, even if he suddenly thinks it’s a good idea.

‘This is some scary stuff, um, do you have any memories from that time at all, before your parents were killed?’ he asks.

‘There are snatches of things. I can remember hiding in the wardrobe the day my brother murdered my parents; there are memories of me playing in this garden, which I’m pretty sure is the garden at the house, where Harvey told me to go to, and memories of Harvey reading to me, but I’ve never been sure if they’re real. I went to this place at the weekend, it was quite weird; they all seemed really pleased to see me and wanted me to stay.’

Max leans forward in his seat. ‘Danielle, I would urge you to be really careful here. These people may claim to be like your family, but they sound dangerous. I’ve already told you about what happened to me, and now I think it might’ve been them who threatened me.’

I think of Oliver and Jeremiah. Would they really have threatened Max just because of his podcast?

‘I don’t know what to do. I want to get to the bottom of what happened to my family so badly, but . . .’

‘I can only imagine how difficult this must be for you,’ Max says. ‘Look, when I was speaking to various people about the case, before the threatening letters started arriving, I spoke to a police officer who worked on the investigation. He’d recently been let go by the force due to some sort of misconduct, which I think made him quite angry. He was quite willing to talk to me when I spoke to him, turns out he was a fan of my podcast, but God could he drink.’

‘What did he say to you?’ I ask the back of my neck prickling.

‘He . . . look, Danielle, he could’ve just been spouting lies because of the way how he was treated, but . . . he told me that the DNA of an unidentified person was recovered from the scene at the house the night your parents were murdered. It was compared to the owner of the house, but it wasn’t a match. No one else was known to have visited your family while they were staying there during those three weeks.’

I swallow. Jesus. There are sweat patches forming underneath Max’s arms now.

‘What else did they do to look into this?’ I ask.

Max shakes his head. ‘Not a lot, they had your brother’s confession that was what they needed to successfully wrap the case up.’

‘What about this police officer though who spoke to you, d’you know what happened to him?’ I ask.

‘Sorry, but I think he ended up going off the rails, that’s why I would take what he’s said with a pinch of salt, Danielle. I haven’t tried contacting him since then. But the DNA could’ve been from anyone, I think there were reports that before your family moved in, people used to break into that house, particularly teenagers.’

He can’t expect me to just put it to the back of my mind. I shake my head.

‘And this is everything, there’s nothing you haven’t told me,’ I ask, my voice trembling.

He sighs. ‘I wish I could be of more help, Danielle, but please . . . I’m not sure what it is you’re thinking of planning, but please be careful.’

I smile. ‘Don’t worry, I will,’ I say. ‘Thank you for talking to me.’

‘I’m here for you if you need me,’ he says. ‘If there’s anything you want to talk to me about.’

‘Sure, thanks, anyway, I think I better get going.’ I want to get off the call now.

‘Stay safe, Danielle,’ Max says.

The call ends. I get up from my seat and drift out of the living room and into the kitchen, my head swimming. I grip hold of the edge of the kitchen work surface, before throwing up in the sink.

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 32
His Silence - Chapter 31

By Jacob1395

Emma picks up the fan and starts flapping it in front of her face.

‘You’re very quiet this afternoon, sweetie,’ she says.

I glance across at her. This is actually the first time we’ve been able to sit out in the garden this year. The sun’s roasting, in the distance the thrum of a lawn mower reaches me. My mind keeps drifting to my conversation with Max a couple of days ago, particularly his revelation about the DNA.

‘Just thinking,’ I reply, picking up my glass of lemonade.

‘Have you and Callum spoken anymore about going away?’ she asks.

She’s looking at me with the biggest smile. God she really wants me to take this opportunity and go. If only she knew what I was really doing.

‘Um, yeah, we’ve been talking about it.’ I shift in my seat, I haven’t mentioned it to Callum since we first spoke about it on the way back from Leigh on Sea the other day, and he’s not asked me. I feel like this is beginning to drive a wedge between us, the last thing I want is to harm our friendship. He’s already done so much for me.

‘Well, remember, like my Mum used to always say, you’re a long time dead, seize the opportunity and go for it,’ Emma says.

I stare at the end of the garden.

‘I’m gonna call him now,’ I say, getting up.

‘Go for it, Danielle. I’m jealous, wish I was young and free like you guys are; I’ll have to talk to Michael about booking a Saga cruise while you’re away.’ She laughs and closes her eyes. Perhaps she’s thinking if Callum and I do go away it might put my mind off of Harvey. She would’ve said something to me if she’d found out about me visiting him.

I pull out my phone as I head back towards the house. Michael’s making himself a sandwich in the kitchen.

‘Did you want anything, while I’ve got the bread out?’ he asks as I breeze past.

I shake my head. ‘No don’t worry, just got a call I need to make.’

I dial Callum’s number as I race up the stairs. He answers as I sit on my bed.

‘Hiya,’ he says.

I sigh. ‘Look, Callum I really, really want to go back to the house; I totally understand you’ve got your own life and if you don’t want to come with me that’s fine. But I’m telling you, with or without your help, I’m going.’

There’s silence on the other end. He’s going to hate me for putting him on the spot like this.

‘Look, how many weeks are you thinking?’

I squeeze my duvet. ‘I dunno Callum, I guess, a minimum three to four weeks.

There’s another pause. ‘OK, I s’pose I could talk to work, I still haven’t booked off any holiday yet this year.’

He’s going to use his holiday to help me. I rub my eyes.

‘You have to really want to do this Callum; I don’t want to put any pressure on you.’

‘D’you think there’s any way I’m gonna let you go back to that place on your own? I know how important finding out what happened to your family is to you, but promise me this, after four weeks is up we’re leaving, no matter if you haven’t found anything out, that’s it.’

I swallow. ‘Of course.’

‘Let me speak to work and I’ll get back to you.’            

‘Callum, I –’ the phone goes dead before I finish my sentence.

I’m shaking. If work can’t give him the time off I’m going to have to go on my own, no matter what he says. I find Jeremiah’s details in my phone, I think about texting him, but call him instead.

‘Danielle, this is a pleasant surprise,’ he says, I can almost hear the smile in his voice.

‘Hi, um, I’ve had a chance to think about Oliver’s offer, and I’d love to take up a temporary room,’ I say.

‘That’s excellent news,’ Jeremiah says. ‘When do you think you’ll be able to come?’

‘Um, the earliest would be week after next, I’ve gotta get stuff sorted out here first.’

‘I totally understand, would it just be you, or your friend, Callum, wasn’t it, as well?’

‘Callum would like to come,’ I say. He might not. I ignore the voice in my head.

‘Well, a week should give us plenty of time to get everything organised. I’ll speak to Oliver and we’ll get sleeping arrangements sorted.’

‘Thank you,’ I say.

‘That’s no problem, Danielle; we really can’t wait to have you as part of the community here again.’      

I end the call, get up from my bed, and check outside my room to make sure Emma wasn’t listening in. I edge into their bedroom and stare out the window; she and Michael are sitting out in the garden eating their sandwiches. The sound of the lawnmower starts up again. Am I doing the right thing? But a banging voice in my head overrides my fears; you want to find out what happened. This is the only way.

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 33
His Silence - Chapter 32

By Jacob1395

‘So where’ve you booked to go first?’ Emma asks me excitement in her voice as she stacks plates in the dishwasher.

I lean against the kitchen worktop, taking a sip of my tea.

‘Um, we’ve booked Italy first, we’re gonna do Spain next, then we’re gonna move onto Austria and Hungary, all around there basically. I fancy Croatia as well; everyone keeps saying it’s really nice there. We’ve got a few hostels booked along the way, so nothing too dear.’ I decided it would be best to say we’re going to Europe rather than further afield.  

‘The flights weren’t too dear were they? You know if you’d booked this for another few months, you probably would’ve got them cheaper,’ she says.

‘I’ve got savings, when was the last time I splashed out on myself?’

She holds her hands out in defence. ‘I’m just saying, just saying. Well you make sure to keep us updated with lots of pictures. Call us as often as you can, and if you have got some money left over why don’t you treat yourself to somewhere nice to stay at the end of the holiday?’

‘I’ll try.’

I drift into the hallway. If only we were going away on a holiday to Europe. My suitcase is by the front door. I glance back towards Emma. I hate lying to her, but what other choice do I have? There’s no way she and Michael would approve of what we’re really doing.

Callum’s car arrives outside at quarter to nine.

‘Have a lovely time,’ Emma says, hugging me.

I hug Michael.

‘Stay safe,’ he says, tightening his grip on me. Why do I get the feeling he has some sort of inkling of what we’re up to?

I head outside. Emma and Michael both step out of the house to see us off.

‘Got everything?’ Callum asks, getting out of the car.

'Yep,’ I say.

I dump my suitcase in the boot and wave to Emma and Michael. They think we’ll be landing in Italy at around two o’clock in the afternoon, UK time. Callum waves at Emma and Michael before sliding back into the car.

‘You’ve not received any more correspondence from Harvey, have you?’ he asks.

I shake my head as I plug my seatbelt in. ‘Nope, nothing.’ Callum sighs. ‘Callum, I did say to you that you have to be certain you want to go through with this. If you want to you can drop me off at the house and drive home.’

‘No, don’t worry, it’s fine, it is,’ he says. ‘Right I s’pose we better get going.’

Please don’t say he’s already having second thoughts. Michael and Emma both go back into the house. I relax into my seat.

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 34
His Silence - Chapter 33

By Jacob1395

Callum and I don’t speak for most of the journey back to the house. I’m sure this isn’t how he would’ve wanted to have spent his four weeks leave; I’ll make it up to him somehow. When we’ve got all of this out of the way, I will treat him to a holiday somewhere. Somewhere exotic, I think we’re going to need it.

The white gates appear at the end of the dirt track, the sight of them makes me shudder. My parents fled this place along with me and my brother, and now here I am going back, agreeing to stay. The gates are already open, I texted Jeremiah last night to tell him we were coming today. I think of Emma and Michael, they’ll be thinking we’ll be in the airport by now. So far I haven’t had a text from either of them.

I grip the safety bar again like I did before as we head up the track. The car bumps along before Callum swings it into the space beside the mini bus. Jeremiah and Oliver are waiting for us outside the house. Their hands are clasped behind their backs; they both beam at us as we park up.

‘Here we go,’ Callum says, turning off the engine. He climbs out of the car.

‘Danielle, it’s so good to see you,’ Oliver says. ‘And Callum as well, welcome back, I’m really pleased you’ve both decided to stay with us.’

‘Thank you,’ I say, clutching the handle on my suit case tight. ‘I’ve been really looking forward to coming back.’ I think back to my conversation with Max last week, when he warned me, like Callum did, about coming here again. His revelations about being threatened filter through into my head. It must’ve been Oliver who threatened him, there can’t have been anyone else.

‘This way please,’ Oliver says. ‘Now, I hope you don’t mind, but since you said Callum wanted to stay as well, we’ve had to alter some of the sleeping arrangements, for the time being. Callum will be in the room you stayed in Danielle the other week, and Danielle, I hope you don’t mind, but I have a spare bed in the annexe for you. I think you’ll be very comfortable there. It’s in a separate room, of course, you won’t be staying with me.’

I think back to the spare bed there was in my room. Why won’t they let us share the room together?

‘That’s fine, thanks,’ I say. It’s best to go along with it for now, don’t try and be difficult.

‘I’ll show you to your room now,’ Oliver says. ‘Jeremiah, would you mind showing Callum where he’s staying?’

Why’s Oliver so keen to get me on my own? We enter the building, our feet creaking on the wooden floorboards. People are chatting in the living space where we ate dinner the other week. Before we reach the door, it’s pulled shut, the sound becomes more distant. What don’t they want us to hear?

‘I’ll take Callum up to his room,’ Jeremiah says, holding his hand out and directing Callum up the stairs. It looked like Callum was going to follow me for a second; it’s clear now Oliver and Jeremiah aren’t going to allow that to happen.

‘I’ll catch you later then, Danielle,’ Callum says a slight hint of concern in his voice.

I nod and follow Oliver into the kitchen, listening to the sound of both Callum and Jeremiah heading up the stairs. They don’t speak to each other. Callum will probably try and make conversation, but whether or not Jeremiah will reciprocate it I have no idea.

‘So, I take it you ended up speaking to your family about staying here?’ Oliver asks.

‘Um, yeah, they’re fine about it,’ I say. The lie feels thick in my throat, I’m sure Oliver will realise I’m lying. There’s something about his face that suggests nothing gets past him.

What’s going through Oliver’s mind? I shake the thought out of my head as we head out into the garden, my suitcase crunching along the pathway as I drag it behind me.

‘That’s good,’ he says, holding the door of the annexe open for me once we get to the bottom of the path. ‘Your room is just to the right here. Mine’s on the left.’

‘Thanks.’ My suitcase bounces in behind me. We’re standing in a small hallway with wooden floorboards. There are two pictures hanging from the wall on either side showing the marshes from above. I shiver, perhaps they’re there to remind people of the danger they pose. Oliver holds open my bedroom door. It’s a bigger room than the one I stayed in before. The bed is a king sized one by the looks of it. There are two bedside cabinets on either side with an empty photo frame, and a lamp on each. On the other side of the room is a large wardrobe. It’s almost like a hotel room. My eyes clap on the purple dress lying on the duvet. ‘What’s this?’

Oliver steps further into the room. ‘Ah, this dress belonged to your mother when she was living here. I thought you would like to have it and, it’s up to you, of course, but you might want to possibly wear it to dinner later.’

I take a tentative step closer to the bed, and feel the soft fabric of the dress; I imagine Mum wearing it years ago. I picture her wearing it and going out to dinner with Dad, hand in hand. Tears prick the corners of my eyes.

‘Why was it left here?’ I ask.

Oliver rubs his right eye. ‘When your parents left, they ended up leaving a few of their belongings behind; I’ll be very happy to give them to you.’

I nod. ‘Yes, please.’

Oliver beams. ‘I’ll get them sorted for you right away. So, lunch will be served in the dining room, where you ate the first night you stayed here at one thirty. There’ll be a meeting, which I would like both you and Callum to attend straight after lunch, and then dinner will be served at six thirty. Do you have any questions?’

‘Um, yes, where’s the bathroom here?’

‘Oh, of course, you have your own ensuite in this room,’ he says, walking over to a door and opening it. The smell of jasmine, coming from the diffuser on the sink hits me in the face. I stare at the pristine bath and shower. This is like a whole other world to the sleeping arrangements in the house. Does anyone else from the house ever come into the annexe? ‘I hope you’ll be very happy here. So, I’ll leave you to get settled and I’ll see you at lunch.’

‘Oh, sorry just one more thing, what’s the Wi-Fi code?’ I ask.

Oliver pauses in the doorway. He looks back over his shoulder at me, his forehead creasing. ‘We don’t actually have Wi-Fi up at the house, but we do have it here in the annexe; I can give you the code so long as you promise not to share it with anyone else.’

I stare at him. ‘Um, yeah, OK, that’s fine.’

‘I just need to check what the code is, and then I’ll give it to you.’  

He exits the room, shutting the door behind him. I sit on the bed and feel the dress again, rubbing it between my fingers. It seemed a bit odd that he suggested I should wear it tonight. I remind myself of the reason why I’m here. If I’m going to find out anything about what really happened the night my parents were killed, I need to keep Oliver onside. This won’t be for long, just until I get the answers I need, like I promised Callum.

Author Notes

Danielle (protagonist) Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 35
His Silence - Chapter 34

By Jacob1395

It’s half past twelve. I’m about to head out of my room for lunch up at the house, when there’s a knock on my door. I wrench it open, expecting to see Oliver standing there, but it’s Mary. She’s wearing the same clothing she was wearing the last time I saw her; white trousers and a white top, the same as everyone else. I suspect she might’ve been the person who pulled the living room door shut, when we passed it up at the house earlier, to stop us hearing whatever it was they were discussing inside. Were they talking about me and Callum? They must’ve been.

‘Ah, Danielle, I was hoping to find you. Do you mind if we go for a quick walk before lunch?’ she asks, her voice bright.

She’s staring at me expectantly, waiting for my answer. I don’t want to go with her, I want to see Callum. I pinch at the fabric of my clothes.

‘Yeah, OK,’ I say, my pulse quivering. ‘Let me just grab my phone.’

Was it my imagination or did Mary stiffen? I grab the phone off my bedside cabinet and slip it into my pocket, trying to ignore the alarm bells flashing in my mind. Oliver still hasn’t got back to me with the Wi-Fi password, and that was a couple of hours ago I last spoke to him. I can’t push him for it though. I need to be patient, even though Emma and Michael always used to say I was never good with being patient.

‘All ready?’ she asks. I nod. ‘Good, we’ll go for a walk down the path, outside the house. It’ll be so good to get you on my own for a while.’

Mary clutches my arm and half pulls me out of the annexe with her. I get a whiff of her perfume, which makes me want to cough, but I try my best not to. Abraham, the man who spoke to me in the kitchen the last time I was here before I left, is in the garden. He’s wearing the same clothing as Mary. He’s tending to what looks like a vegetable patch by the side of the house, there’s a spade in his right hand covered in mud. He glances across at me; I look away.

‘Mary, d’you mind me asking why everyone here, apart from Oliver, wears the same clothing?’ I ask.

‘Oh, it’s tradition,’ she says patting my arm. ‘We’ve been here for more than twenty years now, most of us, anyway. Eve’s the only fairly new person here; I’ll introduce you properly to her later today, I think Oliver may have told you about her the last time you came here. Wearing the same clothing gives us a real sense of community; it makes us feel as though we’re a part of something.’ I get the sense she’s not told me the real reason why. Is it something Oliver insists? We walk round the side of the house, my shoes squelching in the soft grass and onto the driveway. A sharp, salty breeze stings my cheeks, carrying with it the stench of the marshes. I rub my eyes as they begin to water. I suppose it’s something I’ll get used to over time staying here. ‘Now, I wanted to ask you how much Oliver explained to you about our community here; which your parents were once a part of.’

‘He’s told me a little bit,’ I reply, thinking back to our first conversation more than a week ago now.

My shoe slaps into a puddle sending a grubby stain up the leg. Shoot. Mary continues to pull me in the direction of the main gate.

‘Well, as you may have noticed, we have, near enough, an even number of men and women here. Most of the people, who you’ll gradually get to know over the course of the coming days were lost souls when they came to us, but once they arrived here we put them on the right path, we made them see what their true potential was, and helped guide them towards their forever partner.’

I frown at Mary; she’s making this place sound like some sort of match making centre. Is that was this place is? ‘So, everyone here is paired up?’ I ask.

‘Well, most of us. What Oliver teaches us, is that we have one true soul partner in this world, I . . . I did have mine, but he, um, he died quite a while ago now.’ There’s a tremor in her voice.

She stops; her grip on my arm tightening. ‘I’m sorry,’ I say.

She shakes her head. ‘It’s been a while now, but every time I think of what happened, it hits me like a sledgehammer. Anyway, like I was saying, of course, you were born here all those years ago, but some other force, greater than ourselves, has guided you back to us. You must feel as though you’re at home here, don’t you?’ She says the last part of her sentence with so much force it’s like she wants me to believe what she’s saying.

‘Um.’ A man and a woman are standing outside the back of the house, holding hands, talking to each other, their heads almost touching. They both look so happy. Even Emma and Michael don’t hold hands like that, well; I never see them do it. ‘Well, it hasn’t even been a day yet, but I’m sure, with time, it’ll feel like home.’

We stop walking. Mary’s staring out at the marshland over the hedges to my left. My eyes snake around the little channels of water and the dark grey mud which makes me shiver. It makes this place feel like we’re at the very end of the earth. Ahead of us is the imposing white gate, now shut. It looks fairly new though. Has the community always been gated? An image of my parents escaping this place filters through into my mind. I can see them trying to be as quiet as they can while they bundle themselves into Ian’s car. How many people have accidentally stumbled across this place while out walking? Has anyone ever stopped and asked for help, for someone to point them in the right direction? I swallow. Somehow, I don’t expect they would get a warm reception.

‘If you follow everything Oliver teaches us, you’ll feel as though you’ve reached eternity, I promise you that,’ she says. ‘There are exercises which you will be asked to practise, and when you start to do them, you’ll find your forever partner isn’t so far out of reach.’

I shake my head. ‘I’m not sure I’m ready to settle down with anyone yet.’

Mary smiles. ‘Oh, believe me, I felt the same as you did when I was your age, I was so certain of what I wanted to do with my life; I wanted to study medicine. When I was younger than you are now I dreamed of becoming a midwife, but sometimes you don’t get to choose what path your life takes you on.’

‘Right,’ I say. I want to go back to the house. I want to find Callum, but Mary’s still holding my arm. ‘Mary, were you close to my parents when they lived here?’

A wide smile breaks across her lips. ‘Oh yes, we got on so well, particularly your mother and I, she had everything going for her, but she chose to . . . anyway, I’m rambling on. But yes, I just wanted to explain a little about what we do here, but Oliver will give a more detailed overview at lunch. So, you and Callum, the pair of you are very close, are you and he?’ She breaks off, as though she’s not sure what to say next.

‘If you’re asking if we’re boyfriend and girlfriend, no, Callum’s more like a brother to me,’ I say. I think about the time Callum asked me to the leaver’s do.

‘As friends, yeah?’ I’d said to him.

There’d been a slight pause before he’d replied. ‘Yeah of course.’ He’d tried so hard to keep the disappointment out of his voice, but it had still slipped through, making me hate myself. But we can only be friends. There’s no way he’s going to be interested in me in that way now, not after I turned him down.

It was the first time he’d shown any sign of being romantically interested in me. I’d shut him down. I hadn’t wanted to get closer to him. I couldn’t stop thinking, if we become a couple that I might . . .

‘Oh, it’s just you seem very close, I just thought . . . never mind, it was just my imagination going into overdrive, something I’ve never got under control. Shall we take a mooch back then? I’m sure you must be hungry, I am too,’ Mary replies.

I nod. She wanted to say something to me a few moments ago, but chose not to. Something about my parents?

We turn around; the couple who were standing outside the house a moment ago have disappeared back into the house.

Author Notes

Danielle (protagonist) Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 36
His Silence - Chapter 35

By Jacob1395

It’s quarter to one when Mary and I enter the hallway. It seemed like we were talking for ages, much longer than fifteen minutes. My arms aching a little from where she was clutching hold of me, she mustn’t have realised how tight her grip was. The smell of jacket potatoes wafts into my nostrils as I slip into the kitchen. It immediately makes me think of long afternoons that stretched on forever in the summer, when I was on school holidays. Emma and I would sit in the living room in front of the television and have a jacket potato with cheese and beans, our favourite treat; she’d always make sure the cheese was like a mountain on my potato. 

‘Hi, Danielle,’ a woman with red curly hair approaches me, as I step into the kitchen, carrying a bowl of salad with pomegranates sprinkled over the top. ‘I’m Abigail.’

‘Nice to meet you,’ I say. Oh God, I’m the only one standing here not wearing the same clothing. I didn’t check in my wardrobe to see if Oliver had left any clothes for me. Abigail’s the woman I saw chatting to the man with the tattoos on his neck last time I was here at breakfast.

‘How’re you settling in?’ Abigail asks her eyes wide.

‘Yes, doing good, thanks,’ I say. ‘I’ve just had a chat with Mary actually.’

‘Oh, Mary’s lovely,’ she says. ‘If ever you’ve got a problem, or if you’d like to talk to someone, she’s your person to go to. She’s like a mother to everyone here.’

‘I’ll bear that in mind,’ I say, thinking to how tight Mary held onto my arm again, I think I might be staying out of her way. ‘Would you like me to put the salad on the table?’

She shakes her head. ‘No, no, no, I’ve got everything in hand; you go into the dining room and make yourself comfortable; we’ll be through with lunch in a second, you’re in for a treat, the meals are always fantastic here, better than anything I ever had before I started living here.’

Voices from the dining room reach me as I edge further into the kitchen; I push the living room door open. Callum’s sitting on the sofa, arms folded across his chest. My eyes widen. He’s wearing the same clothes as everyone else.  

‘Where’ve you been?’ he asks, getting up from the sofa.

‘Sorry, I ended up just having a rest on my bed earlier and Mary took me out for a quick walk.’ I say. Callum looks me up and down; he’ll be wondering why I’m not wearing the same as him. ‘How comes your wearing this?’ I ask. 

‘Jeremiah insisted,’ Callum says irritation in his voice. ‘God I feel like a right idiot.’

I want to say ‘you look it,’ but decide not to.

‘What he literally made you get changed?’

‘Well, he said I had a choice, but it was the way in which he suggested it that if I didn’t, he was going to end up making my life hell. I see you’re still wearing your clothes. How’s things out in the annexe with Oliver?’

‘Well, I’ve actually been given this massive room with its own bathroom. What’s even crazier than that is this dress was left out for me on my bed; Oliver sort of implied I should wear it to dinner tonight. He told me it used to belong to my mum.’

Callum raises his eyebrow. ‘Sounds like you won’t have to follow this stupid clothing rule, then.’

I’m about to reply when there’s a clink of a spoon against a glass.

‘Would everyone please take a seat?’ It’s Oliver.

Jeremiah follows him closely behind as they enter the room, they smile warmly at me. At least it doesn’t look as though Oliver’s going to ask me to sit next to him this time. I take a seat at the table next to Callum. Eve, the girl who seemed to be keeping an eye on Callum last time we were here sits opposite us. Plates of food are placed in front of us, again there’s no meat; I remember Oliver’s words to me about the environment when I first spoke to him. The smell of something minty reaches me from further down the table.

‘Looks like he’s gonna give another one of his speeches,’ Callum whispers, leaning into me. ‘Brace yourself.’

Oliver sits next to Jeremiah; everyone else sits near enough at the same time. It’s like they’re all in synch here and Callum and I are the odd ones out, well more me, as I’m the only one, apart from Oliver, not wearing white clothing.

‘Thank you, everyone,’ he says. He switches his gaze towards me and Callum, I look away, biting my lip. ‘I would like to take this opportunity to formally welcome Danielle and Callum. I hope you’ll both be very happy here and that you’ll become outstanding members of the community, we expect big things from the both of you. To Danielle and Callum.’ Everyone repeats his words in unison and raises their glasses of water. Eve’s eyes drift towards Callum as she speaks. A shiver races through me. What should it matter to me if she’s interested in Callum, it’s never bothered me when girls have been interested in Callum before? I can’t allow myself to get too close to Callum. ‘Please everyone help yourselves; let’s not let all of this wonderful food go cold.’

Callum lets out a slight snort, but covers it up by blowing his nose. ‘Jacket Potato, Danielle?’ he asks, in a rather posh voice.

I resist the urge to smirk. ‘Stop it,’ I say to him, feeling Oliver’s eyes on us.

‘So, Danielle, I’d be happy to show you some exercises we do here after lunch, we can practise together over in the annexe,’ Oliver says to me.

‘Sure, sounds OK, I guess. Oh, you were going to give me some items that belonged to my family.’

‘Yes, of course, why don’t we meet back in the annexe after lunch and I’ll happily show them to you.’

Show them to me, I thought he wanted to give them to me? Surely, if anything, they belong to me now.

I nod and go back to my jacket potato.  

Author Notes

Danielle (protagonist) Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 37
His Silence - Chapter 36

By Jacob1395

‘You sure you want to go with him back on your own?’ Callum hisses at me as we finish with lunch. Mary takes my plate from me; she lingers for a few moments, looking once over her shoulder before disappearing through the kitchen door. What does she think we’re talking about?

‘I’d watch out for her if I were you,’ I say to Callum. ‘I think she’s gonna be keeping an eye on us. It’ll be fine with Oliver though, I’ll catch you later. Try and get talking to people if you can. Ask them about life here; see if you can get anything more out of them.’ It'll be fine with Oliver; I've no idea what he even wants to do with me? 

I give him a hug and stand. Oliver’s waiting for me by the kitchen door, he’s looking at the ceiling, but I’ve a feeling he’s getting impatient with me for taking so long. I hurry after him. What sort of exercises does he want to practise with me? I think back to my earlier conversation with Mary, but there wasn’t much she gave away, other than her talking nonsense about finding your life partner.

Oliver smiles at me. ‘I promise you, Danielle, what I’m about to teach you will change your life in more ways than you can imagine.’ He totally believes what he’s saying.

We head back towards the annexe, the salty air kissing my cheeks. Oliver waves to Abraham whose back by the vegetable patch. I don’t look towards him; there’s something about him that unnerves me, I keep my gaze fixed on the path ahead. Oliver holds the door of the annexe open to me as we arrive.

‘Do you want to come through into my room?’ he asks.

I stand still for a second, replaying what he said to me over in my mind.

‘OK,’ I say.

He opens his door. His room’s a similar size to mine. In the corner to my right there’s a television. His window’s open a smidge.

‘Please sit,’ he says. He’s directing me to a plush purple armchair by the window. I sit, feeling the cool air race up my arms as I do. Oliver moves over to his bedside cabinet on the right hand side of his bed. He yanks the top drawer of the cabinet open. ‘I’ve always hoped that one day I would be able to give these back to you.’ He lifts out a small notebook and a few other items. An image slips into my mind of him sitting in here, holding my parents belongings, thinking about what happened fifteen years ago over and over again. Why couldn’t they have been kept in a safe, where no one could touch them? ‘I’m sure you’ll be interested in all of these, but this book, this was actually your mother’s diary. She kept it the nine months she was pregnant with you.’

I stare at him. This was Mum’s diary. God, what the true crime podcasters would give to get their hands on this. I take it from him, tears prickling my eyes. Mum held this book. It’s like I can almost reach out and touch her. I flick through the pages, staring at Mum’s neat, tidy handwriting. My writing’s so untidy compared to hers. I want to read it, I want to lap up everything she’s said, but I’ve a feeling I’m going to have to wait until tonight when I’m in bed, or before dinner.

‘Um, what about the other items?’ I ask, looking back at Oliver.

‘Ah, yes, this watch belonged to your father; it’s a very nice watch, a Rolex, your parents were quite well off when I first got to know them. I imagine if you choose to sell it, it might fetch you quite a bit of money.’

‘You’ve never actually told me how you met, and why you ended up living here,’ I say.

I take the watch from him, a shiver racing through me as my skin comes into contact with the cool metal. Did Dad feel a sense of pride at having saved up enough money to buy something so expensive? Years ago, I thought there was no way I would ever own anything that once belonged to Mum and Dad. They didn’t have anything at the house where they were killed, apart from a few sets of clothes. They’d only been living there for three weeks.

Oliver sits on the edge of his bed. ‘I was newly married at the time we met; we got chatting one afternoon on the promenade, they lived in Southend. But . . . a year later, my wife and I were involved in a car accident and she . . .  she didn’t make it.’ He rubs his hands together.

Did he get the scar above his eye from the accident?  I look away. ‘Oh God, Oliver I’m really sorry.’ Now I wish I hadn’t asked. I’ve always found it awkward when someone gets emotional with me.

He shakes his head. ‘It’s fine. It happened a long time ago now. But as I’ve always believed, everything happens for a reason, and although I suffered a tragedy, like you did, it led me to the path I’m now on. But your parents and I, we remained firm friends, and shortly after my wife passed away, your mother made the suggestion we live together and things grew from there. Now we’re a thriving community; I’m so proud of what we’ve all achieved together.’

‘So, you and my parents really were the founders of this place, then?’ I ask.

He nods enthusiastically. ‘Yes, Danielle, and look at what we’ve achieved and how we’ve helped everyone. And you too can achieve the same level of happiness everyone here has achieved. Now, if you’d like to, I’d like to practise these exercises which I believe Mary may have spoken to you briefly about before lunch.’

‘Um, she did, yeah,’ I say, my body tensing. He hasn’t explained yet what he wants to do. I want to take Mum’s diary back to my room and read it, I don’t want to complete whatever stupid thing he’s got lined up.

‘Firstly, I want you to focus on your breathing; can you do that for me, Danielle? I’ll shut the window, so there’s no distraction from any noise outside.’ He gets up off the bed and heads over to the window, gently shutting it. The back of my neck prickles, tension coils around my stomach. I feel like I’m being trapped in the room with him. Oliver sits back on the bed. ‘That’s better, now, focus on your breathing, in and out; close your eyes.’ I don’t want to close them, but there’s something about his voice, it’s so smooth, like honey. I’m unable to resist. I close my eyes. I sense him move closer to me, his breath tickles my nose. I shift backwards in my chair. ‘It’s OK, it’s OK,’ he says. ‘I want you to picture a place where you feel most at ease. Somewhere where you can be yourself.’ I'm in the garden, back home. Emma’s beside me, like she was the other day, sunbathing. My shoulders drop. ‘That’s it, that’s excellent, now, slowly, I want you to count backwards from ten, and I . . .’ The vision distorts. My spines pressing into the back of the cupboard. No, please. There's a scream coming from downstairs; coats are flapping in my face. ‘Danielle, Danielle.’ Oliver’s voice tries to reach me, but it’s like I’m drowning. Mum’s calling out, begging Harvey to stop. No. There are footsteps. Thump, thump, thump. Harvey’s staring at me through the gap in the wardrobe, his shirt soaked in blood.

‘No!’ My scream snaps me out of the vision. 

Author Notes

Danielle (protagonist) Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 38
His Silence - Chapter 37

By Jacob1395

‘Danielle, Danielle it’s OK.’ My senses return, Oliver’s warm breath on my cheek, carrying a hint of garlic from something he ate at lunch. His arm’s wrapped around me. My shirt’s drenched in sweat. The room comes back into focus, big and bold, like a camera sharpening its lens on an object. ‘Let me get you some water.’

Oliver darts into his bathroom. I hold my hand to my forehead taking in steady breaths. What the hell happened? For a moment, in my head, I was with Emma relaxing in the garden, and the next moment I was . . . I clutch the armrest tight. No, I can’t go back there. Oliver returns, handing me a glass. I take greedy long gulps of water.

‘Thanks,’ I say, gasping for air. I place the palm of my free hand onto the soft leather armrest.

‘I’m sorry,’ he says, wiping his forehead. ‘This is a trusting exercise I do with everyone when they first come here and I didn’t mean to . . . what did you see? You went as white as a sheet.’

‘I was . . . I was back in that moment, the day Harvey killed Mum and Dad. For a moment I was relaxed, I was thinking of a special place, like you told me to do, and the next thing it changed. It felt so real, like I was back there in that moment.’ Don’t think about it.

‘Have you ever had a panic attack before?’ Oliver asks.

‘Um . . . years ago, I think, when I was at school, but that was the only time.’ I think back to that day. I was ten. My teacher had given me a copy of The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe to read, the moment I realised what the book was panic gripped me. I’d ended up passed out on the floor. I haven't been able to look at the book since.

‘Well I think it’s best if we stop there for now. I’ll leave you to get settled in your room, and I suggest you try and get some rest before dinner this evening. Is there anything you would like in the meantime?’ Oliver asks.

‘Um, I’d like to see Callum, and you were going to give me the Wi-Fi code.’

‘Of course,’ he says, a slight hint of hesitation to his voice. ‘The Wi-Fi box is just by my bed if you want to take a look, I’ll tell Callum you’d like to see him.’

He drifts out of the room. I head over to the Wi-Fi box near his bed, punching the code into my phone. I grab Mum’s diary and the watch Oliver gave me, and slip out of the room.

From the hallway I watch Oliver make his way up the path towards the house, hands buried in his pockets. There are a couple of people, including Abraham, working by the vegetable patch again. I dive into my room and sit on the edge of the bed. I open the diary and run my hands over Mum’s handwriting. There’s a date inscribed in the top left hand corner, 29th August 2002.

Told Oliver the news today about bean, it’s strange to think I was more nervous about telling him than anyone else. If only I could’ve recorded the look on his face. Gosh, he was so overjoyed, I was worried he might not welcome the news of us having a new little one to look after, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. Actually, he’s the one who suggested I keep this diary, so, I guess that’s what I’m doing.

Bean? She must be referring to me. When Emma’s sister was pregnant with Milo and Niall she gave them nicknames while they were in the womb. I continue reading.

I’ve a feeling it’s going to be a girl. I knew straight away with Harvey that he was a boy, we didn’t ask to be told the sex when we went for the scans, so on the day of Harvey’s arrival, I looked up at Tom and told him, I told you so. Now I’ve said I’ve a feeling bean’s going to be a girl, he’s already started suggesting girl’s names. Grace is a nice one actually.

There’s a knock on my bedroom door. I flick the book shut, as the door opens, it’s Callum.      

Author Notes

Danielle (protagonist) Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 39
His Silence - Chapter 38

By Jacob1395

‘Hey, what’s wrong?’ Callum says, sitting on the bed beside me.

I wipe my eyes. ‘Oh, think I’m alright now, just had a mild panic attack.’

He stares at me with wide eyes. ‘A mild panic attack, you haven’t had one of them since we were at school. What caused it?’

‘Oliver . . . he did this sort of, weird exercise thing with me he said he was going to do. I . . . I could see myself back in the cupboard, the day Mum and Dad were killed. I was back there; I was physically in that space. It was so real.’ I clamp my hand to my forehead. I can’t let it get to me again. When I draw my hand away from my head I notice it’s shaking.

‘Hey, it’s OK. Nothing can hurt you, remember. You’re safe,’ he says.

‘Am I?’ I ask. ‘Perhaps you’re right; perhaps it wasn’t the right decision to come here. Do you think we should go home?’

A brief silence stretches between us.

‘That’s your decision,’ Callum says.

I stand up from the bed. ‘I’m fed up of everyone telling me this is my decision.’ I kick the bedside cabinet and hold my scrunched hands tight to the side of my head, so I can feel my knuckles pressing into my skin.

‘OK, OK.’ Callum holds out his hands. ‘Why don’t we sit tight for a couple of days? It’ll look a bit weird to our parents if we suddenly say we’re coming home, we’ll be faced with loads of questions about that, which we’ll have to try and find the answer to. Let’s try and see what we can find out first, OK. If we haven’t found anything worthwhile by the end of the week, we can make a decision then.’

I let out a steady breath and wipe my eyes. ‘Oliver did tell me how he first came to live here with my parents.’

‘Did he? Do you think he told you the truth?’ Callum asks.

‘I’m not sure, he said he’d had some sort of car accident and lost his wife. That’s how this whole thing started.’

‘Perhaps there’ll be a report about it online,’ he suggests.

‘Oh, he gave me the Wi-Fi code, don’t share this with anyone else though, he told me not to,’ I say. ‘Put your phone next to mine and I’ll share it with you.’

Callum shakes his head. ‘Phone’s still up in my room, will have to do it later. Quickly Google it now to see if you can find out anything about this accident.’

Opening Google on my phone, I try to think of the dates for when the car accident would’ve been. I was born in 2003; Harvey was born eight years earlier in 1995. So it would’ve either been in the late or mid-nineties. I type the decade, the local area and car accident into the search engine. I scroll down; nothing jumps out at me.

‘There’s nothing here,’ I say.

Callum shrugs. ‘Perhaps it wasn’t reported on back then, or the company archives didn’t hang onto it.’

‘I don’t know,’ I reply. ‘He got quite emotional about it though, so I’m inclined to believe it did happen.’

I tap my phone on my leg. What reason would Oliver have to lie to me about something like that?  

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 40
His Silence - Chapter 39

By Jacob1395

It’s seven p.m. I stare at myself in the mirror wearing Mum’s dress. It’s not the sort of dress I would ever choose to wear; I much prefer to keep things casual, I hate the thought of people looking at me if I wear something fancy. I twirl around in it once. Wearing her dress feels the same way how I felt when Oliver passed me her diary. It feels like I can reach out to the past and hug her. It’s like she’s with me here in this moment. What would Emma and Michael say if they could see me like this now?  

There’s a knock on my door, which makes me jump.

‘Danielle, its Oliver.’

I hold back a sigh. I would’ve preferred it to have been Callum. ‘OK, just a sec.’

I head over to my door and open it. I’m surprised to see Oliver standing there wearing a tuxedo. He beams at me.

‘Wow, you look stunning,’ he says, my stomach flutters. ‘You look just like your mother. It’s incredible.’ He keeps his eyes fixed on me, they turn watery, like he’s about to start crying.

My cheeks tingle. ‘Thanks.’

He coughs, as if to compose himself. ‘I knew it was the right decision to give you the dress, everyone’s going to be amazed. Would you like me to escort you to dinner?’

‘Um, OK, sure.’

How can I refuse his offer really? I look around the room to make sure everything’s as it should be and link arms with Oliver. He leads me out through the hallway and into the garden, letting me out through the door first, like a proper gentleman, Emma would say. A breeze whips through my hair; the blue sky is beginning to turn indigo. A waft of herbs, including garlic, hits me in the face as we approach the house. At least, whatever it is they’re cooking, smells alright, so far all the food I’ve had here has been remarkably good.

‘We’re having a bit of a celebration tonight to welcome you and Callum,’ Oliver explains, still clutching onto my arm tight, almost as though he’s afraid I might pull away and make a run for it. I push the thought to the back of my mind. ‘It’s not every night we get to celebrate the arrival of two new members, so we’re having a feast. Eve was the last person who we had a celebration for and that was a couple of years ago now. You and Callum are the guests of honour.’

‘Oh, great,’ I say, then I kick myself, my words sounded harsh, I should’ve said it in a more grateful way. Even now I can feel my Emma’s eyes burning into the back of my neck, like she used to do when I didn’t show enough appreciation for something someone had done for me.

We breeze into the kitchen. There’s no one standing around waiting to take stuff into the dining room. My eyes fall on all the pots and pans ready to be washed up, sitting in the sink.

As we near the living room door, excited murmurings of everyone else chatting inside reaches my ears. Oliver eases the door open. Everyone falls silent and flicks their gaze in our direction. I feel everyone’s gaze on us as we make our way to towards the head of the table. God, everyone’s going to be talking about me. I flick my gaze to the wild flowers decorating the table cloth. Callum’s sitting at the head of the table; at least I’m not going to be on my own with Jeremiah and Oliver, like I was the first night. It looks like they’ve picked out something for Callum to wear as well; his crisp white shirt is untucked at the waist and he’s wearing a dark, stripy jacket. The clothes suit him.

‘Looks like they’re really pulling all the stops out for us tonight, check out the wine, I thought Oliver said they didn’t have alcohol on the premises,’ he says to me, keeping his voice low, as I join him at the table. I eye the bottles of wine on the table. ‘Mary insisted I wear this thing. You feeling better?’

I nod. ‘Yeah a bit, think I’ll be having an early night though, my head’s still pounding.’

Oliver’s smiling as he pulls out his chair from under the table next to me. Everyone else remains standing.

‘Thank you everyone. Tonight we’re celebrating the arrival of Danielle and Callum, but it is even more special to be welcoming Danielle back into our fold this evening. I’d like you to all raise your glasses please.’ My cheeks burn, like how I felt the other week when everyone sang happy birthday to me. Callum clutches my hand and I glance at him out of the corner of my eye. There’s a hint of a smile on his lips. He’ll be resisting the urge not to laugh. ‘To Danielle and Callum.’

‘To Danielle and Callum,’ everyone replies.

‘Well, on this, rare occasion, I have made the exception that tonight, as it is a special celebration, that we can all have a glass of wine. I would urge everyone not to go mad though, some of us haven’t touched a drop for more than a decade.’ There’s a murmur of laughter. Actually I could use a drink now. I eye the bottle of white in front of me, it’s a Sauvignon Blanc, Emma’s favourite. ‘So, all I can say to everyone now is please tuck in and enjoy the evening.’

Everyone gives a round of applause, Callum and I both tentatively join in. 

‘Wine?’ Callum asks, picking up the bottle of white, once the clapping dies down. I’m glad when it does.

I nod enthusiastically. ‘Please,’ I say sitting in my seat. I pull my chair closer to the table.

‘How did you find your first day, Danielle?’ Jeremiah asks me, plunging his fork into a vegetarian sausage. ‘I heard there was a bit of a situation earlier out in the annexe, Oliver was quite concerned.’

‘Oh, it was just a mild panic attack,’ I say, taking a gulp of my wine once Callum’s finished pouring. It doesn’t look like either Oliver, or Jeremiah, are going to drink, despite everyone else helping themselves to alcohol. Even Mary’s having a glass. ‘But I’m feeling much better now.’

‘That is a real shame that happened. I can vouch for Oliver that these exercises will really help steer you onto the path to enlightenment,’ Jeremiah says. ‘They’ll make you realise things about yourself that you never thought possible before, and help you see the world in a new light.’

‘Sounds like I’ll have to have a go at this exercise thingy,’ Callum says, taking a sip of his drink. I bite my lip, feeling the laughter building inside me.

‘Oh, all in good time, Callum,’ Oliver says. ‘Like I said, everyone here masters these exercises and look at how happy everyone is. They’re so important to our daily lives here.’

My eyes drift down the table. It’s true everyone looks like they’re loving life. My eyes find a man sitting right at the other end, looking into his plate of food and I’m hit by a jolt of realisation. I remember him from my first night here, when Mary was showing me to my room. He’d looked at me with such pity in his eyes, but hadn’t said anything; it almost felt like he was trying to give me a warning. Then he’d disappeared into his room without even saying hello.

Apart from everyone else he’s the only person not chatting. I will him to look at me, but he continues to stare into his plate of food, everyone else continues to ignore him, like he isn’t even there.

‘Check out the guy at the end of the table,’ I whisper to Callum.

‘Err, OK, what about him?’ he asks.

‘It’s like he’s invisible to everyone else,’ I say.

Callum shrugs. ‘Perhaps he’s not very talkative,’ he suggests.

‘Maybe,’ I say. ‘There’s just an odd feeling I’ve got about him.’

The man picks up his water and takes a sip. His eyes keep flickering over to the living room door, it’s like he can’t wait to get out of here. I return to my meal.

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 41
His Silence - Chapter 40

By Jacob1395

Warning: The author has noted that this contains the highest level of language.

The music starts playing the moment the plates are cleared away. It’s not a song I recognise, it’s soft, classical. Well, I hardly expected Oliver to start playing Eminem or Taylor Swift. Oliver claps his hands together and stands up from his chair. Everyone stops talking. It’s like they all wait for his lead; he’s the shepherd and we’re his sheep. It’s cringe worthy.

‘Danielle, would you like to dance?’ he asks, holding out his hand to me.

Callum shifts in his seat beside me. I sink into my chair. Shit, why the hell is he asking me to dance? I can’t dance to save my life.

‘Um, OK, sure,’ I say, and take his hand. My head is giddy from the amount of wine I’ve had as I stand up, I’ve only had a couple of glasses; I haven’t gone mad.  

It isn’t long before we’re joined by other couples; Abigail’s joined us, holding the hands of the guy with the tattoo on his neck. Callum remains seated, watching me. It’s then I notice Callum’s eyes aren’t the only ones focused on us, Abraham’s are as well. He’s leaning his arm on the back of his chair, staring at us with a hint of a smile on his face. Why does he give me such creepy vibes? I focus on Oliver.

‘I would like to try the exercise again with you tomorrow, if you’re feeling up to it,’ he says, as we gradually waltz to the music. I’m letting Oliver lead; he’s definitely had some dancing lessons in his time. His steps are in perfect time to the music, I feel hopeless. ‘But of course if you don’t feel ready I’ll be happy to wait a few more days.’

I shake my head. ‘No, tomorrow will be OK, at least I sort of know what to expect, so hopefully I won’t go down that same dark path.’

He beams at me. ‘That’s excellent, Danielle. That’s exactly what I’d hoped you would say, and I’m certain that won’t happen again. It will be a beautiful experience for the both of us, I can assure you.’  

‘How long did it take everyone else to learn how to . . . how to complete the exercise?’ I ask Oliver, a lump bobbing in my throat.

We continue to dance in time to the music. ‘Oh, well of course everyone is different, some take longer than others, but you need not feel ashamed at all, Danielle. You’ve suffered horrors in your past that people here can scarcely imagine. Perhaps it was wrong of me to start today, but I’m glad you’re feeling up to it again.’

‘I am,’ I say, half smiling. Out of the corner of my eye, I spot the man I saw at the end of the table, not talking to anyone else, get up. He takes his empty wine glass into the kitchen. ‘Actually, Oliver I really need the loo, do you mind if I?’

‘Of course not, Danielle.’

‘Thanks.’

He releases me from his grip and I head in the direction of the kitchen. Callum frowns at me, but I don’t look back.

I push the kitchen door open and scan the room frantically. The man isn’t here. There’s a squeak which makes me spin round, but it’s the kitchen door, the one leading out to the garden, flapping on its hinges, like someone’s just shut it. I dart over to it and step out into the cool night air, looking over my shoulder to make sure Oliver hasn’t followed me. I know I won’t have long. I’m pretty certain Oliver will send someone after me, if he thinks I’ve been gone for too long, or he’ll come after me himself. The thought sends a shiver racing through me. I spot the man standing over by the vegetable patch, looking towards the sky, as though he’s lost in thought.

‘Hey, hey,’ I say, sprinting over to him.

He looks at me, eyes wide. ‘What are you doing?’ he asks, keeping his voice low. From where we’re standing by the vegetable patch I can hear the music playing from inside the dining room.

‘I . . . I wanted to talk to you,’ I say, my words coming out fast.

He shakes his head, and holds his hands out in front of him. ‘No, you need to go back inside now, before you’re missed.’ He can’t look me in the eye. It’s like he’s looking over my shoulder to make sure no one is watching us.

‘Please,’ I insist, stepping closer to him, my shoes squelching in the soft grass. ‘You’re the only one who doesn’t appear to be head over heels in love with Oliver and this place, whatever it is. I want to know why?’

His breath mists out in front of him. His dark eyes fix on mine.

‘You need to be really careful, Danielle,’ he says.

‘Why?’

‘Because . . . because your parents left here for a reason.’

I shake my head. ‘But you must know why they left, don’t just say that to me and say nothing else. That’s not fair.’

‘You need to get out of here while you still can, Danielle. The longer you stay, they . . . they won’t let you leave,’ he hisses at me. ‘They’ll go after everyone you love if you try to defy them.’

A shudder pulses through me.

‘Who do you mean?’ I ask. ‘Do you mean Oliver and Jeremiah?’

He backs away. ‘I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have –'

‘Look, I’m not leaving until I find out why my family left.’

He shakes his head. ‘You’re making a mistake,’ he replies. 'You should've learned from what happened to your brother.'

I stare at him, it feels like I've been punched in the gut. 'What do you mean?'

He shakes his head. 'Your brother signed his life away, when he . . .' he breaks off. 'He's . . .'

My heart slams against my chest. I think of what happened between me and Oliver earlier today. Shit could he have . . . could he have done smething similar to Harvey? ‘Is . . . is my brother innocent?’

The man disappears into the darkness. I want to follow him, but something compels me to stop. I didn’t even get his name. How can he just leave me standing here like this? Holding my hand to my forehead I make my way back into the dining room, yawning as I step back inside. Callum’s waiting for me by the kitchen door.

‘Who was that you went after?’ Callum asks.

Oh shit, if Callum noticed perhaps Oliver did as well. I glance in Oliver’s direction, but he’s deep in conversation with Jeremiah. People are still dancing.

‘Oh, no one . . . I just wanted to speak to him,’ I say.

I head back over to my seat, half stumbling as I head towards it.

‘Danielle, are you OK?’ Callum asks.

‘Fine, fine, just need to sit down.’

Oliver’s watching me. My body feels sluggish. It’s like the signals my brain’s trying to send, aren’t working properly. My eyes droop. No, no, I can’t collapse. Not like earlier today.

‘Danielle.’ Oliver’s voice comes out on a long, slow drawl. He’s standing up. A few more people have glanced in my direction with concerned expressions on their faces.

I don’t have the chance to reply, before my head hits the table. I pass out.

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 42
His Silence - Chapter 41

By Jacob1395

Warning: The author has noted that this contains the highest level of language.

There’s a bitter taste in my mouth when my eyes flutter open. The sun’s blazing through the window ahead of me, warming my face. For a moment I panic, I grip the bedsheets and bang my head on the headboard as I pull myself up, then I remember where I am. Mum’s dress I wore last night, is hanging from the handle on the wardrobe to my left. The last thing I remember is hitting my head on the table at dinner and passing out. What the hell happened to me? Who brought me back here and got me out of my clothes? My phone’s lying on my bedside cabinet, I pick it up, it’s just gone nine a.m. Shit, there are several texts from Emma, I forgot to text her yesterday.

Hope flight was alright?

How’s the hotel?

I know you’re probably tired but text me as soon as you see this. You’re making me worried xx

Heart thudding I type a reply out to Emma and press send.

All good, sorry was absolutely shattered when we landed. Forgot to text.

Flinging off my covers, I dive into the bathroom. There’s no way I want to stay here for the full three months I was planning to. I want to find out the answers I need and leave.

When I leave my bedroom, I notice Oliver’s bedroom door is shut. I consider knocking, but decide against it, the last thing I want right now is to get into a conversation with him.

I trudge up the pathway towards the house. Even though I’m not planning on staying here long term, it still feels weird not being asked to do anything to help out. They obviously didn’t want me to help out with breakfast; otherwise someone would’ve come and woken me up.

‘Ah you’re awake.’ It’s Mary who greets me when I open the kitchen door, making me jump. ‘Oh, sorry I didn’t mean to startle you. How are you feeling? You gave us all a bit of scare last night.’

‘I’m fine. What happened last night?’ I ask, unable to stop myself from rubbing my forehead.

The door connecting the kitchen and the dining room creaks open. The man I spoke to, before I passed out, walks through, carrying a bowl. His eyes meet mine for a brief second, and then he turns his gaze away. There’s no way I can question him, not with Mary standing here. I’m certain whatever we discuss she’ll tell Jeremiah and Oliver about it. He doesn’t make eye contact with me again as he heads out of the room and into the hallway.

‘You had a bit of a funny turn,’ Mary says, concern in her voice. She’s appraising me like a school nurse does, checking me over for any signs I might still be unwell. ‘Oliver carried you back and I got you all sorted for bed, I hope you don’t mind.’

‘No, no, it’s fine,’ I say, the back of my neck prickling. God the thought of Oliver carrying me back makes me feel sick. I would’ve preferred it if it had been Callum, but something tells me Oliver would’ve dismissed that idea. ‘I’m just going to grab some breakfast.’

‘I’ll see you later, Danielle,’ Mary says, still fixing me with a concerned stare.

I enter the dining room, rubbing my arms. Oliver and Jeremiah are both sitting at the head of the table, talking quietly to each other. My stomach sinks. Perhaps I should grab something to eat and take it back to the annexe.

‘Danielle,’ Oliver says waving his hand. Can’t he just allow me to have some toast in peace? ‘Please join me; I hope you’re feeling better.’

My eyes flick around the room. Where’s Callum? I thought he would’ve wanted to have waited around for me. He must be upstairs.

‘Erm yeah, I am, thanks. Mary just told me that you carried me back last night after I collapsed,’ I say. I shuffle over towards him, and sit beside him.

‘I’ll sort you something out,’ Oliver says, picking up some toast and the butter. He begins to scrape it onto the bread. The wild flowers that decorated the table last night are still strewn across the table cloth. ‘You gave us all a bit of scare last night when you passed out like that.’

‘Think I scared myself, perhaps I still wasn’t quite recovered from what happened earlier on,’ I say, laughing slightly.

Oliver places a plate of toast in front of me. I can’t stomach the thought of eating, but there’s no way I want to pass out again. I need to eat something to keep my strength up if I’m going to get through the day.

‘Perhaps, coming back here, has stirred up some old memories that you may thought you had forgotten. I should’ve foreseen that,’ he says sitting back in his seat. ‘But that’s something we can work on in our sessions together.’

I take a bite of my toast, it’s not quite well done enough for my liking, but I continue to eat it anyway. There’s no way I’m going to say that to Oliver. ‘Honestly I think yesterday was just a bit overwhelming for me, but I’m glad I’m here Oliver, I really am, and I want to be an active member of the community.’

He nods. ‘I understand, Danielle. But I think to truly help you move on from your past, I think you need to choose a new name, like everyone else here has.’

Nausea skitters through me. Except you, I think to myself. ‘I hadn’t thought of changing my name,’ I say softly.

‘I think it would really help you, Danielle. You could, if I might suggest, go back to the name your birth parents gave you when you were born, Grace. I think it suits you much better than Danielle.’

I shift in my seat. He wants me to agree to it now; I can see it in his eyes. My stomach squirms. I don’t want to change my name; I like the name I have. I swallow. It’s like he’s trying to claim ownership of me. ‘If you think that’s the best thing,’ I say.

He smiles at me. ‘I really do, Grace,’ he says. Shit he’s already using my old name, I’m going to have to get used to this, I don’t think he’s going to give me much of a choice. ‘Also, I know we talked about having another session today, but I’d just like you to take things easy. I get you might be keen to become more integrated with what we do here, but we can start to look at ways at how you can help out in the coming days. Is that OK?’

‘Sure.’ I take another bite of toast. A headache’s beginning to form now. I think back to my conversation with the man last night, I can’t believe I still don’t even know his name. Should I ask Oliver? I decide against it, I don’t want Oliver getting suspicious. At least, so far, Oliver hasn’t asked me what I really got up to last night, when I left the table, so at least that’s something.

But if Callum noticed I’d followed him outside, surely Oliver must’ve as well?

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 43
His Silence - Chapter 42

By Jacob1395

Warning: The author has noted that this contains the highest level of language.

I find Callum out in the hallway when I finish breakfast; he’s putting his shoes on by the front door. He has his back to me.

‘Where are you going?’ I ask, stepping forward. Why’s he not come to find me? Whenever something bad happened at school, and I was bullied a lot, Callum was always the first person to seek me out, and he knew exactly where to find me. We’d sat many afternoons in the janitor’s closet, knees scrunched into our chests calling Lesley Watkins all the names we could think of under the sun. Callum always wanted to go and talk to her, but I forbad it, fearing it would only make the situation worse. Then we’d sit there and talk about our dreams for the future. I was going to go and work for NASA, or the European Space Agency; of course that dream fizzled away when I spotted the amount of qualifications I needed.

He turns around. ‘They want me to help out with getting some shopping in town,’ he says. That’s something I could’ve helped with, if Oliver hadn’t said to me to take it easy today. He didn’t even mention it. ‘There are a few of us going. Are you OK after what happened last night?’ He stands up.  

‘Yes, fine, perhaps it was just the dancing with Oliver that made me dizzy, as well as the two glasses of wine I had.’ There are murmurings from people getting ready upstairs. Shit they’ll be down here in a moment. I won’t have time to talk to Callum. ‘Have you got a sec?’

He looks up the stairs. I spot someone head into the bathroom, the lock clicks, it was Eve. I still haven’t been properly introduced to her. I bet she’s had a few words with Callum already.

‘Think I’ve got a few minutes,’ he says.

‘C’mon,’ I say, and open the front door.

He follows me outside, at least there’s no one here. There’s a cool breeze today. Above me a seagull squawks.

‘That guy who I spoke to last night, the one who you saw me follow, he warned me about staying here.’ I keep my voice low. I can’t shake off the feeling that where ever I go someone’s watching me. Looking up at the house, I find the room where I stayed in the first night, the room Callum’s in now. There doesn’t appear to be anyone looking out.

Callum puffs his cheeks out. ‘Well, I warned you about staying here, but you didn’t seem to want to listen to me, did you?’

God, he’s never spoken to me in that way before. Ignore it. ‘The thing is, Callum, he said they won’t allow us to leave, and by that I assume he means Jeremiah and Oliver.’

‘Well, I pretty much gathered that from the moment we came to this place,’ he says. ‘I think Oliver likes being the man in charge of everything here, and if things don’t go his way, well, I can imagine the fallout isn’t pretty.’

Why is he being like this with me? I try my best not to show my emotions in my face, but the tension in my cheeks is making them ache.

‘Look, Callum, it was like he wanted to tell me something, but he was afraid to. He told me my parents left here for a reason, and that I’d made a mistake in coming back, I need to know what he meant by that. If he’s going with you to the shops, can you see if you can speak to him?’

Callum glances towards the door. ‘Well Mary’s coming with us, so I think she’s going to be keeping her eyes on me all day, so it might be difficult, but yeah I’ll try.’

‘Thank you, Callum, I promise you I will make it up to you.’ The front door open, a few others slip out, there’s about five. Abraham, and the man I spoke to last night emerge; Abraham’s walking in front of him. God I don’t want to hang around here any longer. ‘I’m gonna head back to the annexe, I’ll see you later. Oh by the way, Oliver thought it might be a good idea if I have a new name.’

‘What?’ Callum asks, raising an eyebrow.

‘He’s actually suggesting the name my birth parents gave me, Grace. So if you hear people calling me by that name, that’s why, you’re not going mad.’

Callum opens his mouth to say something but stops himself.

‘Ah, Grace, I hope you’re feeling well this morning?’

I turn around, Mary’s striding towards us, the features on her face pinched tight. Damn, Oliver must have already spoken to her about what we’d discussed.

‘Yes, fine thanks, I see you’re all off to the shops?’ I reply. 

‘Yes indeed,’ Mary says. ‘It’s good of Callum to come and give us a hand as well. I suspect you’ll want to rest up today after yesterday, won’t you? Let’s leave Grace in peace shall we, Callum?’

Callum’s staring at me with wide, bemused eyes. ‘Enjoy your day . . . Grace,’ he says, with a hint of a smirk.

They all climb into the mini bus. There’s about six of them, surely they don’t need that many people to go to the shops. Callum’s sitting beside the bloke I spoke to last night; at least it looks like he’s trying to help. Mary’s the one who’s driving. It looks so strange seeing everyone sitting inside the bus, all of them wearing the same clothing.

I wave as they pass; Callum doesn’t wave back.

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 44
His Silence - Chapter 43

By Jacob1395

The moment the minibus leaves I run back into the house. Jeremiah and Oliver are both still talking in the dining room. Mary might’ve spotted Callum and I speaking from the window. There’s no way she would’ve been able to have worked out what we were talking about though. Could she have bugged either of us?  I shake the thought out of my head, and then I think of Oliver carrying me back to my room last night, and her getting me out of the clothes. It would’ve given her ample enough time and the perfect opportunity to place a bug on me. Stop thinking about it, I would’ve noticed if they had.

I enter the kitchen. A young couple, they can’t be much older than me are at the sink, washing up. I recognise the woman I spoke to yesterday; her curly red hair makes me realise who she is. Abigail, I’m sure she said her name was. God, it’s going to be hard remembering the names of everyone here, it took me ages to get everyone’s name who I work with right.

‘Oh, Grace.’ Damn, they must have some sort of secret WhatsApp group Callum and I aren’t a part of yet. Or if not, once Mary has hold of something from Oliver and Jeremiah, it spreads around the house like wildfire. I turn around. ‘There’s a fresh pot of coffee on the table. Help yourself.’

‘Thanks, but I’m just heading back out to the annexe,’ I say, inching closer to the door.

‘Oh, you haven’t been introduced to my partner. This is Isaac,’ she says.

The man with the tattoo on his neck looks over his shoulder, hands still submerged in soapy water. Now I can make out the tattoo is of a raven. ‘I’ve been meaning to say hi to you, Grace. I hoped to catch you last night at dinner, but . . .’

Abigail glares at him. ‘It wasn’t Grace’s fault she passed out.’    

‘I wasn’t suggesting that in the slightest,’ Isaac replies, the water in the sink sloshing over the side.

The features on Abigail’s face tighten. Were they discussing me before I came in? Did Isaac think I’d faked passing out last night?

‘Anyway, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Isaac, I’m sure we’ll have a chance to have a proper conversation at some point soon. D’you mind if I head off, I just want to freshen myself up after breakfast?’ I say.

‘Of course, and Grace, when you’re ready come and talk to me, yes,’ Abigail says. It doesn’t sound like an invitation, more like a command. ‘I’d love to have a moment of your time.’

Danielle, my name is Danielle. I repeat the words over and over in my mind. I won’t let them take my identity away.

‘Um, sure, yep, I’ll come and find you.’

‘See you soon,’ she says, waving.

I feel as though I’ve been holding in my breath when I step outside into the garden. I was only in the kitchen with them for a few moments, but God it felt awkward. I race to the annexe, keen to get back there before Oliver does.

I fling open the door and step into the hallway. Silence greets me. He’s not here. Heart thudding I turn to his door. He can’t be here.

‘Oliver,’ I say, unable to stop my voice from shaking.

There’s no reply. He’s not here. I glance up the path through the window in the door. He’s not coming.

I reach my hand out, and push open Oliver’s bedroom door.

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 45
His Silence - Chapter 44

By Jacob1395

Warning: The author has noted that this contains the highest level of language.

I don’t know what it is I’m hoping to find. I need to be quick. I dive round to the right hand side of his bed, approaching the purple bedside cabinet, my heart banging like a crazed prisoner fighting to get out of their cage. The Wi-Fi box is glowing green, sitting against the wall. Don’t mess anything up. You’ve got to leave everything the way you found it. I yank open the drawer. Shit, it’s empty. I pull open the second one at the bottom; it’s empty too. I edge around to the other side of the bed and check the drawers of the cabinet there. It’s the same result. I stare at the bed. It could be one of those ottoman ones that lift up. Emma and Michael store all the Christmas decorations underneath their bed at home, Emma said it makes it easier than storing everything in the loft, especially as they’re getting older.

I’m not going to have enough time to check under his bed. I take a step forward; the sound of footsteps on gravel reaches me. It’s Oliver. He’s coming back down the path. The way how he’s walking makes it seem as though he’s forgotten something and he’s running back to get it. If he sees me, what the hell am I going to say to him? He’s going to know I’ve been in his room if I leave now, he’ll see me coming out. I eye the wardrobe, a lump wedges in my throat. No I can’t. The door to the annexe squeaks open. I have no choice; I fling open the wardrobe door and dive inside, carefully shutting the door behind me.

I clamp my hand over my mouth to muffle the sound of my breathing. He’s in the room, he’s moving stuff about, there’s a thud as something hits the floor. Dizziness sweeps through me. No, I will not pass out. Not in here. He might only be in his room for a few moments. There’s a creaking sound, he’s got onto the bed. What’s he doing? I have to resist the urge to open the wardrobe door a smidge to have a look. A vision flashes in my mind of me peeking out of the wardrobe years ago and seeing Harvey, his shirt stained with blood.

‘I know you’re there, Grace.’ The soft tone of Oliver’s voice fills me with absolute dread. No. How could he have seen me? He hadn’t looked in the direction of the room while I was coming down the path. ‘Why don’t you come out and we can have a little chat?’

If he knows I’m here why doesn’t he just open the wardrobe doors himself? I ease the door open. He’s lying on the bed, holding his hands behind his head.

‘I’m sorry, Oliver, I . . .’

‘It’s quite alright, Grace. Sit down; we can have a nice chat.’

I do as he says and edge over to the armchair by the window. I don’t have a choice.

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 46
His Silence - Chapter 45

By Jacob1395

‘Would you like to explain to me why you were hiding in my wardrobe?’ he asks, still not changing his position on the bed. It’s like he’s trying to pretend he’s not bothered by me being here, the tone of his voice is enough to send a shiver racing up my spine.

I squirm in my seat. There must be a camera in here somewhere, or perhaps there’s one outside in the hallway. He must’ve seen me come in, that’s why he marched over here with such purpose. He already knew I was here. But there’s nothing that looks like it could be a camera. Why didn’t I think of that before I came in?

‘I don’t know, I . . . I sort of made an impulsive decision,’ I reply. ‘I’m sorry, Oliver. I really am.’

‘OK, it’s just, by you hiding like that in the wardrobe, well, it implies you were snooping around, and I must tell you, Grace, no one comes into my room uninvited. No one.’

There it is a slight hint of anger to his voice. I shudder. ‘I’m sorry, I thought I.’ Think, think, think. ‘I wanted to see if perhaps you had any more items that belonged to my parents.’

Oliver stares at me, his chest rising and falling. ‘You do realise you could’ve asked me, Grace.’

That name again. He must’ve noticed the reaction in my face when he first suggested changing my name. My name’s Danielle. I don’t care if Grace was the name my parents gave me; I barely have any memories of anyone calling me Grace.

‘I’m sorry, I don’t know what I was thinking, I just.’ The tears come at the right time. I allow them to flow.

Oliver sighs. ‘It seems you still don’t trust me. You need to understand, Grace, we have your best interests at heart here.'

‘I do trust you, Oliver, it’s just.’ Please don’t let my expressions betray me. Not now. ‘You don’t know how it made me feel when you gave me Mum’s diary and her dress; I’ve never owned anything that belonged to them.’

‘I’m sorry, Grace, but that’s all I have that belonged to your family. I don’t encourage members here to keep material goods. Material goods aren’t needed in this world for us to survive. In fact, I believe the world would be a much better place without them, don’t you think?’

Except you have a television, Wi-Fi and God knows what else in your room, I want to say. He’s staring at me, expecting my answer. ‘Um, yes,’ I reply.

‘I’m glad you agree,’ he says. He rubs the bridge of his nose. ‘Why don’t you get some rest, Grace? I can see you’re still upset after what happened yesterday. We won’t speak of this again, but if you are found to be in here at any future date, I’m afraid I will have to punish you. Is that understood?’

Punish me. His words taunt me at the back of my mind. I feel like I’m a child who’s been told to go and sit on the naughty step.

‘Yes, I understand.’ I resist the urge to bite my lip. I want to get out of here.

‘Go on, I’ll speak to you later,’ he eventually says, making my body sigh with relief.

I dive out of the room, wiping my eyes as I step back out into the hallway. No one’s ever been able to put the fear of God in me like the way Oliver just has, not Emma or Michael, or any of my teachers. The only time I felt fear anywhere close, was fifteen years ago when I was back in the wardrobe, and Harvey was downstairs killing my parents. I yank open my bedroom door, slam it shut and dive onto my bed, burying my face in the pillows.

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 47
His Silence - Chapter 46

By Jacob1395

Warning: The author has noted that this contains the highest level of language.

It’s another hour before Callum gets back. Oliver must realise why I was in his room; I’m not sure he quite bought my explanation it was because I wanted to see if he had any more items belonging to my family. If I’d had more time, I would’ve been able to have thought of a better excuse.

The minibus pulls back in through the gate; I watch it bounce through the same potholes Callum and I did. Mary drives it up the rest of the drive and swings it into the space beside Callum’s car. Has Mary spoken to Callum at all about getting rid of his car? No one else here appears to have one.

‘Let me help,’ I say, hurrying over to the van as Mary climbs out of the driver’s seat.

‘Oh, thank you, Grace, but there’s really no need,’ she says, flicking her dark hair over her shoulders.  

I shake my head. ‘It’s fine, I want to. I need to have something to do otherwise I’m going to end up going crazy.’

‘Well, the shopping’s all in the back, I’ll just get the door open,’ Mary says, brushing what looks like crumbs off of her seat.

The passenger door swings open, everyone else begins to pile out. I dart over to Callum.

‘How did it go?’ I ask looking over my shoulder to make sure Mary isn’t watching us.

He shakes his head. ‘It was strange, people seemed to know who we were; they gave us weird looks, there were a couple of teenagers who shouted things at us, it wasn’t pleasant.’

‘Did anyone confront them?’

‘Nah, everyone pretty much stuck to the tasks they had. Mary told me to ignore them.’

‘Callum.’ A voice reaches me from behind. I turn around, Eve’s striding over to us carrying two shopping bags. ‘Would you mind taking one of these?’ she says.

‘Course,’ he says, taking one. A wave of jealousy pulses through me. ‘Think it’s best if we chat later,’ he whispers to me and hurries into the house. 

‘How’s things, Grace? I thought earlier I haven’t been properly introduced to you yet,’ Eve says with a bright smile, once Callum's left us. God she’s a lot more confident than I imagined her to be. I expected her to be quite quiet and nervous.

‘Um yes fine, I’ve been meaning to come and speak to you actually, Oliver’s spoken a lot about you.’

Her face brightens. ‘Has he? It must be because we’re a similar age; I was twenty-seven in February. Callum’s great, isn’t he, I remember what you said when you first came here, about him being there for you since you were ten. You aren’t . . . you aren’t together, are you?’

God she really does fancy him. ‘No we’re not, we’re friends. He’s more of a brother to me,' I reply.      

She beams at me. ‘Oh, that’s great, Oliver keeps telling us how we’ll find our one true soulmate and I . . .’ she breaks off, I shift on my feet. ‘Anyway, listen to me, I’m rambling. I’ll catch you later, Grace.’

I breathe a sigh of relief when she enters the house, following Mary. God that was awkward, I’ve never had a conversation with any girl who’s fancied Callum before.

I grab a couple of bags that have been dumped on the driveway and hurry them through into the house, leaving them on the kitchen table. I flick my gaze around the room and dart outside. Callum’s out in the garden. At least it looks like he’s got out of helping everyone else put all the stuff away.

‘Got a sec?’ I ask. He nods; I drag him round to the side of the house. Thank God Abraham isn’t lingering around the vegetable patch like he normally is. ‘So, how did it go with you know, with the guy I spoke to last night?’

‘Well, I managed to get his name out of him for a start; it’s Noah,’ Callum says. ‘Another religious name, but he’s a pretty closed book I’m afraid. Every time I sort of tried to make any sort of conversation with him, he shut me down. He didn’t even try to speak to anyone else, but no one else tried to converse with him either.’

‘Shit,’ I say. ‘That’s like how they were all with him last night at dinner. There must be something he knows, there’s got to be –’ Voices reach my ears, the back of my neck prickles. Glancing over my shoulder, I spot Jeremiah and Mary walking towards us, hands buried in their pockets as they stride our way. There’s no other way for us to go. Ahead of us, to our left, are thick prickly brambles with purple thistles poking through, a strong stench of pollen hits me. If we were on the other side of the house, we would’ve been able to have escaped onto the driveway. ‘Just act natural.’

I make my way out back into the main garden area, my nose tingling from the pollen; Callum follows me.

‘Grace, Callum,’ Mary says, as she spots us, stopping in her tracks, I have a feeling she already knew we were here. ‘I thought you were helping out with the shopping in the kitchen.’ There’s a trickle of ice in her voice.

Jeremiah’s staring straight at me, he mutters something but I can’t quite work out what he’s said.

‘We were, we just wanted to grab some air quickly,’ I say. I have to force myself to keep looking at her in the eye.

‘OK,’ she says, her eyes flickering from me, to Callum standing behind me. ‘Why don’t you go and see if they need any more help? I’m sure they could use an extra pair of hands.’

‘Um, yes, of course, Mary.’

I dart in the direction of the kitchen with Callum following me closely behind. I run my tongue around my dry mouth. At least it didn’t seem as though Mary heard what we were discussing.  

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 48
His Silence - Chapter 47

By Jacob1395

Callum and I don’t get another chance to speak to each other for the rest of the afternoon. Every time I think we might be able to snatch a few moments, Mary appears. It seems she’s finally willing to give me plenty of stuff to do, at the expense of spending time with Callum.

Eve’s kneeling on the floor in front of me, shovelling laundry into the washing machine in the utility room. Eve wouldn’t have been my first choice of person to help out, but Mary insisted.

‘Oliver said you came here a couple of years ago,’ I say to Eve, picking up a cream towel that missed the washing machine as Eve was loading it, in an effort to make conversation.

‘That’s right,’ she says, smiling back at me, taking the towel from me and flinging it into the washing machine. ‘I was so lost before I came here, so lonely, I’d never experienced what it was like to be part of a big family before and everyone here they . . . they made me feel so welcome, particularly, Oliver. Believe it or not I’m jealous you’re getting to spend so much time with him, I’m sure everyone is. You’re so lucky.’ She smiles at me.

I shudder as I think back to earlier, to him finding me in his room and warning me not to go in there uninvited again.

‘How often d’you get to see your parents though?’ I ask.

Eve chucks a laundry capsule into the washing machine and flings the door shut. She flicks the dial round and makes sure it’s running. ‘I don’t see my parents,’ she replies. The tone in her voice has darkened. She gets up from her crouched position.

‘What d’you mean?’ I ask, stepping out of the way as she brushes past me, carrying the empty basket, balancing it against her hip.

She spins around. ‘My parents held me back for years, Grace. They . . .’ she wipes her eye. I wasn’t expecting this.

I step forward. ‘Eve, you don’t have to tell me anything, if you don’t want to.’

‘My parents forced me out,’ she says, emotion trickling into her voice. ‘I was . . . I was . . . I begged them for help, I tried to make them see what they were doing was wrong, but they. I ended up . . . I ended up on the streets. For days I slept in doorways. People would say nasty things to me when they passed; they’d call me low life, scum; there were only a couple of people who actually gave me any money. There was one night though, when I was lying in a doorway of a shop, after closing time, and these boy’s came up to me. They were drunk, high on drugs, or whatever, but they . . . I thought they were going to.’ She holds her hand over mouth and takes in a deep breath. ‘That’s when Oliver found me. If he hadn’t been there at that moment, I don’t know what would’ve happened to me. He saved me and brought me here. He told me I could stay for as long as I liked and eventually, after a couple of weeks, I realised I didn’t want to leave. Well, where was there for me to go back to, I can’t go back to my parents. This is my home now. I don’t need anyone else.’

I process everything she’s said to me. I suddenly hate myself for feeling the way I’ve felt about her in the past couple of days.

‘I’m so sorry, Eve,’ I say.

She shakes her head. ‘There’s no need to be sorry. Everything worked out for the best in the end,’ she says.

I think of Oliver. What would he have been doing hanging around in town at that time of day anyway? Was he on his own, or were Jeremiah or Mary with him? I want to ask Eve, but I don’t want to make things even more awkward for her. Perhaps the reason she likes Callum is because I told everyone what a good friend he’s been to me.  

‘I’m sorry for putting you on the spot, Eve, but does anyone here have any family visiting them at all?’

It seems to take an age for her to respond. ‘Grace, we’re your family now. You don’t need anyone else.’

She takes hold of my hand. The emotion in her voice has been replaced by something fierce.

‘But, surely there are some people who would like to still remain in touch with their parents. I know your situation is different, but . . .’

‘Grace, you’ll learn from Oliver, in due course, that we don’t need anyone else. Right, that’s the laundry done. C’mon, I’m sure Mary will be able to find us something out to do.’

She breezes out of the utility and into the kitchen, now buzzing with people preparing lunch. I shake my head and follow her.

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 49
His Silence - Chapter 48

By Jacob1395

I manage to grab half an hour to myself after lunch. I’ve no idea where Callum is; actually I’ve no idea where Eve’s got to as well, it seems she wasn’t too keen on working with me after our conversation in the utility room earlier. They must be together. I head back to the annexe, sprinting down the path to avoid being stopped by anyone else.

I pull open my bedroom door and fling it shut. Mum’s diary is sitting on my bedside cabinet; I haven’t had a chance to have a read of it since yesterday. I pick it up, clutching it tight. It’s impossible to believe Mum held this and wrote in it near enough every day.

Opening the flap, I turn to the next entry.

            9th September 2002

            Spoke to Oliver today about Bean’s education.  I know it’s a few months off yet before I’m due to give birth, but it’s been playing on my mind. Harvey’s never been to school, I think if we were to introduce him to one now it would upend him, there’s no way he would be able to fit in with everyone else, and I’m fearful for him if we did try. But with Bean, there’s a chance. Oliver keeps going on about how special Bean will be, the first child to be born here, the first person to be assimilated into our community from birth.

I read Mum’s words over again, her last line making me shiver. Mum’s making it sound like I was something awaited for a long time. It’s the first entry where Harvey’s been mentioned. So I’d been right about my education, we must’ve been home schooled. After I was born, Mum’s desire to send me to school must’ve been overruled, but by who, Oliver? I’ve no doubt he would’ve wanted to keep me secluded here, away from outside influence.

Oliver’s words about his wife from yesterday filter through into my mind. There’s got to be something about what happened somewhere online. I open my Gmail account, and my last message to Max. Perhaps Max can help me, if anything this could be something he could look into, that’s his expertise. I begin to type out a message. He would’ve been thinking the Zoom call was the last he would hear from me.

            From: Danielle Olsen

            To: Max Hardy

            Date: 15 June 2024 at 14:15

            Subject: Oliver Adams

            Hey Max,

            I hope you’re well. I was wondering if you could do something for me. There’s a person called Oliver Adams, who I need to find more information about and I was wondering if you could see if you could find something out for me, you might have more knowledge of where to look than I do. I know what you said about people threatening you the last time you looked into my family’s case, but you could do this discreetly, can’t you?

I press send. There’s no point giving Max any more information until he comes back to me. I’m still reading the message I sent to him when there’s a knock on my door which makes me jump. I shut my phone down.

‘Danielle, are you in there?’

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 50
His Silence - Chapter 49

By Jacob1395

Warning: The author has noted that this contains the highest level of language.

I open my bedroom door. Abigail’s standing there, two mugs of tea in her hands. She gives me a warm smile. I don’t know why but she sort of reminds me of Emma’s sister. Whenever I was feeling upset or angry at all, and I didn’t want to talk to Emma, when I was in my early teens, I’d always ring her; we always had such a close relationship when I was growing up. It altered slightly when she had Milo and Niall; she didn’t have as much time for me as she once had. It used to make me jealous of my cousins, it made me feel like they were taking her away from me.

‘Hi, Grace, I hope you don’t mind me popping by like this, but I thought I’d just come over for a quick chat.’

‘Oh, sorry, I completely forgot you’d asked me to come and see you.’

‘That’s quite alright; I know Mary gave you a few tasks to do. Do you mind if I come in, I brought you a cup of tea? I wasn’t sure if you had sugar or not so I just did it without to be safe.’ She holds a mug with painted gold stars out to me.

‘That’s fine, I don’t take sugar anyway,’ I say, stepping back. I place my phone face down on the bedside cabinet, just in case Max replies to me while Abigail’s in the room, I can’t risk her seeing it. ‘Um, I guess you may as well sit on the bed.’

Abigail beams and does as I suggest, handing me the mug she’s brought with her.

‘You and Eve seem to be getting on well,’ she says as we both sit on the edge of the bed, I hold the palm of my hand over my tea as we sit to avoid spilling it.

I nod. ‘Oh, yeah, we had a good chat when we were doing the laundry earlier. She . . . she told me about how she found this place.’ And then she didn’t seem to want anything to do with me.

Abigail shakes her head. ‘Yes, it’s such a sad story, but at least it’s one with a happy ending. There are so many people in the world, who go through the same struggles, who don’t have that. Since Eve joined she’s become a real asset here, she’s so helpful, and will do anything for anyone, you don’t have to even ask, it’s like she already knows what you want to ask her. Mary and I sort of took her under our wing when she first joined and since then she’s flourished. When she first came here she was such a quiet thing, I’m so pleased with the way how she’s developed.’ Abigail sips her tea, and crosses her legs. ‘Anyway, it was actually Eve who I wanted to speak to you about.’

I stare at her. ‘Um . . . OK,’ I say. ‘Why do you want to speak to me about Eve?’

‘I wanted to talk to you specifically about Eve and Callum,’ she says.

Heat races into my cheeks. Eve and Callum, what the hell? ‘OK, why?’

She smiles at me. ‘I’ve not been the only one to notice Eve’s attraction to Callum and it’s clear to see why; he’s very good looking, and not only that, he’s kind and compassionate, which is a real rarity today, even rarer in men. I know you’ve said you’re not in a relationship, and that you look at Callum as more of a brother, if anything, but I was wondering if you might want to speak to him, and encourage him, to spend more time with Eve. Do you think you would be able to do that for me?’

I stare at her. God, she’s asking me to help put Callum and Eve together. I hold onto my tea tighter, I feel as though I’ve slipped into a dream. ‘I . . . I’ve no idea if he feels the same way about Eve as she feels about him.’ My phone buzzes on my bedside cabinet, making my flinch, Abigail appears not to have noticed, or at the very least she’s not bothered by it. It’s got to be Max replying to my message.

‘That’s why we need to let this spark between them grow,’ Abigail says. ‘When I first came here, I didn’t feel anything for Isaac, and I’m guessing he felt the same about me, but with time, and as we were encouraged, more and more, to spend time with each other, a bond between us deepened, and now I’m so glad I’ve found him. Oliver was instrumental back then in helping our relationship grow and we’ll be forever thankful for that.’

Shit, shit, shit. How can I try and persuade Callum to deepen his friendship with Eve? I focus on my bedroom door, breathing steadily. What if some sort of connection does end up developing between Callum and Eve? Will he want to leave if that happened? I look back to Abigail. She’s giving me a look that tells me, right now, this is the most important thing in the world to her.

‘Um, yeah, sure, I can . . . I guess I can speak to Callum,’ I say, shifting on my bed. ‘But I’m not going to try and force anything.’

‘That’s amazing,’ Abigail says. ‘And of course, I wouldn’t expect you to try and force anything between them, love needs to develop naturally, but I’m sure, once we push them in the right direction, it will. I knew I could count on you, Grace. Oliver will be so thrilled that you’ve agreed to help.’

‘Have you um . . . spoken to Eve about her feelings?’ I ask, taking a big gulp of my tea.

Abigail sighs. She hasn’t taken a sip of her drink since she came in. ‘Unfortunately, Eve is a very closed book when it comes to talking about her feelings. I spoke to her about her obvious attraction to Callum this morning and she sort of shut down and brushed the subject away, but that’s what we do when we like someone, don’t we, we can’t help it, we’re embarrassed. I remember how I felt when I fancied a boy at school, every time my friends asked me about him, I went bright red and ran as far away from them as I could, the sounds of them laughing at me used to follow me all the way home. Even now I can still hear it. Anyway I’m rambling here, aren’t I? That’s all I really wanted to talk to you about. I guess I’ll see you at dinner?’

‘Yeah, see you there,’ I say.

Abigail gets up from the bed and makes her way over to the door. I think of Callum somewhere back up at the house, unaware this conversation between me and Abigail is happening. We’re basically deciding his future for him, it’s clear to me, Abigail doesn’t give a damn what Callum thinks, it’s all about what she thinks is the best thing.

I reach for my phone and pick it up, my body shaking. Max has replied.

            From: Max Hardy

            To: Danielle Olsen

            Date: 15 June 2024 at 14:20

            Subject: Oliver Adams

            Hi Danielle, I didn’t think I’d hear from you again after we spoke. I can look into this for you, but it’s going to have to be under the radar, I can’t have anyone finding out what I’m doing after what happened the last time, I’m not putting myself through that again. Who is this bloke, what do you know about him?

I type out a reply.

            To: Max Hardy

            From: Danielle Olsen

            Date: 15 June 2024 at 14:30

            Subject: Oliver Adams

            Not much at the moment, but I can get more information for you, all I know about him is, and I’m not sure if it’s true, is his wife died in a car accident which must've been around thirty years ago now. It would've happened, I think, in Leigh on Sea. I’ve tried looking for stuff about it online but nothing’s been reported. Give me some time and I’ll be able to get some more information.

I press send. Max’s reply comes back in seconds. He must be sat by his phone or computer the whole time. Sometimes I get a message and it takes me ages to respond.

            To: Danielle Olsen

            From: Max Hardy

            Date: 15 June 2024 at 14:30

            Subject: Oliver Adams

            OK, but where are you, Danielle? You’re not in any sort of trouble, are you?

I type a reply.

            To: Max Hardy

            From: Danielle Olsen

            Date: 15 June 2024 at 14:30

            Subject: Oliver Adams

            No, I’m fine. I’ll try and get some more information for you by this evening, but I don’t know how easy it’s going to be.

I press send and place my phone in my lap. If there’s anyone who can find out more information about Oliver, I’m sure it’ll be Max.

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) - renamed Grace by Oliver Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 51
His Silence - Chapter 50

By Jacob1395

I don’t see Callum again until dinner that evening. At least Oliver hasn’t asked me to wear the dress again. It was uncomfortable enough wearing it last night. I’ve still not been given a pair of white clothes, the same everyone else wears. It’s like Oliver’s going out of his way to make me stand out. I don’t like it, as weird as I find everyone else wearing the same clothes is; at least I wouldn’t be the odd one out.

‘Grace, do you want to sit next to me?’ Oliver calls out.

Callum’s already sitting at the table. Eve’s sat beside him. She tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear. It would be obvious from a mile off how much she fancies him.

‘Um, yeah, sure,’ I reply.

I head over to the seat beside him and sit. Once everyone else has sat, Oliver takes my plate and begins to load it with food.

‘I was wondering, Grace, if you would like to come out with me for dinner tomorrow evening?’

I cut a piece of quiche, it’s roasted vegetable, not my favourite, but there’s no way they’re going to be serving a Quiche lorraine here.

‘Um . . . where d’you want to go?’ I ask a nervous shiver racing through me. Why does he want to go out with me? I thought they never left this place, unless it’s to get food in for the week ahead.

‘Somewhere in town, there’s a wonderful Italian nearby I think you’d like, I know we don’t eat meat here, but they do an amazing steak. I sometimes indulge in it every now and again. But that’s our little secret.’ He keeps his voice low.

Has he ever asked anyone else here to go out with him for dinner? I look further down the table; at least no one else is looking in our direction. Eve’s doing her best to make conversation with Callum. Oliver’s making it sound as though he goes out for dinner on a regular basis.

‘Um, OK, sure,’ I say. ‘That would be nice.’

God, I want to be sitting next to Callum. Eve laughs at something Callum’s said. Butterflies dance in my stomach; at least Abigail will be pleased to see them getting along so well.

‘Excellent, we’ll leave here at around six pm, don’t worry we won’t be out late. I’ll tell Mary to exclude you from helping to prepare dinner tomorrow.’    

I nod, and take another bite of the quiche, trying not to show the disappointment in my face as I taste roasted vegetable. It’s as I put my fork down I notice there’s an empty space right at the far end of the table. I frown. The only person who isn’t here is Noah.

‘Oliver, where’s Noah?’ I ask, my heart rate beginning to increase.

Oliver looks at me. ‘Oh, he’s not well I’m afraid, he’s up in his room. Mary’s taken some food up for him; hopefully he’ll be alright tomorrow.’

I stare into my lap and bite my lip. Oliver starts to speak to Jeremiah who’s sitting the other side of him. I try to listen to their conversation, above the noise of everyone else talking, but there’s nothing they say to each other that jumps out at me. They’re just talking about the general day to day running of the place.

‘Oliver, can I ask you how long you’ve been here?’ I say.

Oliver switches his gaze round to me, taking a sip of his water. ‘Well, I moved here with your parent’s way back in 1996, a year after your brother was born.’

I file the information away inside my head. 

‘What’s with the name, Raven House?’ I ask, thinking again of Isaac’s raven tattoo.

Oliver smiles. ‘That was your father’s suggestion. Do you know how intelligent ravens are?’ I shake my head. ‘Your father was fascinated with them, he was a keen artist as well when I knew him and they were his favourite bird to draw. Plus there’s also the legend of the ravens at the Tower of London, you must’ve heard if the ravens were to ever abandon the castle, the Tower of London itself and the country will fall.’

I nod. I went on a school trip to the Tower once. I can still remember the Beefeater’s booming voice as he told us the legend, a chord of fear in his voice, almost as if it might, one day, come true.

I think of Noah, and all of a sudden I lose my appetite.

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) - renamed Grace by Oliver Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 52
His Silence - Chapter 51

By Jacob1395

Warning: The author has noted that this contains the highest level of language.

I pick my phone off my bedside cabinet. It’s just gone one a.m. I sit up in bed. I haven’t been to sleep at all. My head’s swimming. Images keep crashing through my mind of Callum and Eve, then me and Oliver sitting together in a restaurant. Why does he want to take me out and no one else? I fling off my covers and swing my legs over the side of the bed. Noah’s face fills my mind. I think back to what Oliver said about him not being well. I’d seen him earlier in the day, when he’d gone out with the others into town, he’d seemed fine. I think about lying back down and trying to get to sleep, but I’m wide awake, there’s no way I’m going to be able to relax until I’ve checked to make sure Noah’s OK.

I grab a coat from the wardrobe, pull it on, and creep over to my bedroom door. Any sound I make I’m certain Oliver’s going to hear it. Unlike the bedroom doors in the house, mine and Oliver’s, for some reason, aren’t locked. I stare at my door for what seems like a long time. I keep picturing Oliver sitting outside. I reach out for the door handle, my heart crashing against my chest, and turn it. There’s a slight squeak which makes me freeze. For a second I consider going back to bed and diving under the covers. There’s no further sound. I ease the door open and step into the dark hallway. There’s no light peeking from under Oliver’s bedroom door. There’s every chance though he could be sitting in the kitchen in the house, like he was the first night I stayed here, when he told me he suffered from anxiety. At least, perhaps, I could use that as an excuse if he’s there.

I edge towards the door of the annexe and ease it open, wrapping my jacket tighter around me. The distant hoot of an owl makes me jump. Keep calm, nothing out here can hurt you. I grit my teeth and make my way towards the kitchen, keeping to the grass, so no one can hear me coming on the gravel pathway.

There isn’t any light on in the kitchen. Oliver can’t be here. I look back towards the annexe, which remains coated in darkness. Keep going. He’s not following you. He’s not in the house. Hand trembling, I reach out for the kitchen door handle and turn it. It opens. I was sure it was going to be locked; perhaps Mary keeps it unlocked in case Oliver wants to come in and use the kitchen.

Taking a deep breath I step into the cool kitchen. Something electronic thrums, making me freeze; it’s just the dishwasher. There were at least a couple of people still stacking it when I left to go back to the annexe at half eleven. Callum and Eve both helped with the washing up; Callum appears to be settling in better than me, and he didn’t want to come here in the first place.

I pad into the hallway, keeping a focus on my breath as I edge nearer to the stairs. The house is so silent. There isn’t even a clock ticking. Am I really the only one awake out of twenty people here? I begin to climb the stairs, trying to remember which room I saw Noah going into the first night I stayed here. I’m pretty sure it was the third door on the right.

I reach the top of the stairs. I eye my old room at the end of the hallway. Callum will be in there right now. Will he be asleep, or will he have been lying awake like I have? I push further on ahead. There’s no point in trying the door handle, they’ll be locked; Mary will have made sure of that. Edging further along the corridor, I keep my focus on the door I’m pretty sure is Noah’s. What if I get the wrong one and someone else opens it? Shit what if it’s Abraham’s door? I consider running back down the stairs and all the way back to the annexe, but I’ve come this far now, I’ll be annoyed with myself if I don’t do what I set out to do.

I reach the door I’m sure I saw Noah go into on the first night and try the door handle. It’s locked, of course it would be. I rap gently on the door. He’s got to respond to me, he’s got to.

‘Noah,’ I hiss, as I continue to knock. ‘Noah please, it’s Danielle.’

There’s no sound from the other side of the room. He’s not going to answer me.

I’m about to call out for him again when a sharp voice makes my blood freeze.

‘Grace, what are you doing here?’

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) - renamed Grace by Oliver Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 53
His Silence - Chapter 52

By Jacob1395

Warning: The author has noted that this contains the highest level of language.

I don’t want to turn around. I know the voice. I know it all too well.

‘I won’t ask again, Grace. What are you doing here?’

I step away from Noah’s door, it's like my chest is on fire. Mary’s standing in the middle of the hallway, her eyes wide, wearing a purple dressing gown. The lines in her forehead are deep.

‘I . . . I,’ I say, unable to string the words together. Shit, what the hell am I going to say? ‘I was worried about Noah, Oliver told he me wasn’t well at dinner.’

Mary continues to stare at me. The silence between us seems to stretch on forever.

‘So you didn’t think to come and find him in the morning when everyone will be awake?’ Mary asks. She’s still keeping the tone of her voice soft, but anger's simmering away.

Tears are threatening behind my eyes, I force them back. My knees are shaking like mad.

‘I couldn’t sleep, I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep until I was sure he was OK,’ I say.

Mary sighs and draws a key from out of a pocket in her dressing gown. I move out of the way as she approaches Noah’s door; she slides the key into the lock. My breath catches in my throat. She eases it open. Noah’s asleep in his bed.

‘There. Are you satisfied?’ Mary asks. I nod. This can’t be right. Mary pulls the door shut, softly and locks it again. ‘I should punish you for this, Grace. Even Callum hasn’t been up like this. I thought, out of the two of you, that he would’ve been the more troublesome one, I thought you were sensible.’ That’s because you’ve locked his door, unlike mine, I think to myself. He wouldn’t be able to. Is he listening to our conversation now? Did my voice wake him up? Mary’s stare hardens. ‘Oliver’s given you a lot of freedoms since you joined here, that many people, including myself, don’t have, and this is how you repay him?’

‘I’m sorry,’ I say, keeping my gaze fixed on the floor.

She knows I think Noah knows something about my past. I bite my lower lip. If I hadn’t put him in danger before now, I certainly have now. I’ve been such an idiot. I’ve risked everything.

‘I know you got out of bed the first night you were here, but Oliver asked me not to do anything about that.’ She shakes her head. ‘Get back to annexe, go to bed and don’t get up until the morning, Grace.’

I nod, fighting the urge not to cry. I brush past her and head back to the stairs, not caring about the sound I make now when I head down the stairs.

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) - renamed Grace by Oliver Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 54
His Silence - Chapter 53

By Jacob1395

I push open the kitchen door the next morning and the sound of people chatting immediately gives me a headache. Mary’s standing by the sink chatting to Abigail, a mug of tea in her hand. She glances across to me, before switching her gaze to Abigail, not even bothering to say morning. I must’ve drifted off to sleep some point after I got back into bed. I keep picturing Oliver in my mind last night, lying awake in bed listening to me head out of the annexe and returning, after my confrontation with Mary. I’m sure he knows I went back to the house, and if he doesn’t, there’s going to be no way Mary’s going to keep it from him.

Callum’s already sitting beside Eve at breakfast. They're leaning in close together as they talk, watching them makes my skin bristle.

‘Morning, Callum,’ I say, taking the empty seat next to him before Oliver can ask me to join him at the head of the table.

He looks around; Eve’s face pinches tight. ‘Oh, hi, Grace,’ he murmurs.

I stare at him. I thought he wasn’t going to call me by that name.

‘Sleep well?’ I ask, helping myself to some orange juice.

‘Um, yeah,’ he says, leaning back in his seat.

‘Oh, I haven’t interrupted anything, have I?’ I ask, grabbing some toast.

‘No, no, it’s fine, we were just talking,’ he says.

‘I could see that,’ I say. ‘Eve would you mind passing the marmalade?’

She smiles and grabs the jar before passing it across to me. God, I’ve a feeling if Mary was here she’d be tearing me away from them. I shake the thought out of my head.

‘Looking forward to your dinner this evening?’ Callum asks a hint of jealousy to his voice.

I spread a thick lump of marmalade on my toast, but to me it looks sickly now. I put the toast back onto the plate. ‘Um, feeling a bit nervous about it if I’m honest,’ I reply.

Eve widens her eyes. ‘Grace, you know how lovely Oliver is,’ she says. ‘You’ll have a great time, I know the place he’s taking you to, I used to go there years ago, before, well, you know what happened.’

I shake my head. ‘I don’t get it though, why is he taking me?’

Eve smiles. ‘I’m sure he’ll explain everything to you later, I’m jealous, I wish I was going.’

The door to the living room opens. Noah half-stumbles into the room. His eyes are bloodshot. Perhaps what Mary was saying about him was correct.

‘Sorry, ex-cuesme one sec,’ I say getting up; I can feel Callum and Eve’s eyes on me as I cross the room. Noah sits at the other end of the table, but it doesn’t look as though he has much of an appetite. ‘Noah, hi,’ I say.

He looks up at me. ‘What are you doing?’ he hisses.  

‘Can I sit down?’ I ask.

The silence stretches out between us. He’s going to say no.

‘Erm, ok, sure,’ he replies.

I take the seat next to him. ‘I hope you’re feeling better.’

He picks up the tray filled with scrambled eggs, and heaps a ladleful onto his plate.

‘Feeling a little more sprightly this morning, but not one hundred per cent there,’ he says. ‘There was no way I could’ve made it down to dinner last night.’

‘Noah, did you manage to speak to Callum yesterday when you went to the shops?’

Noah eats a mouthful of scrambled egg. ‘I told you, Danielle, you made a mistake coming back here.’

At least he isn’t using the name Oliver gave me.

‘But you won’t tell me why I made a mistake,’ I say. ‘I came here because . . . because my brother told me he didn’t kill my parents. If that’s true, then he’s been in prison for the last fifteen years for something he didn’t do.’

Noah continues to shovel eggs into his mouth. It’s like he wants to get away from me as quickly as possible. Noah picks up his plate and stands up.

‘You need to be wary of Oliver, Danielle. He pretends to have your best interests at heart, but.’ He shakes his head. ‘Your parents made the mistake in trusting him, and they paid for it with their lives.’

Noah takes his plate through into the kitchen, leaving me sitting on my own at the table.

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) - renamed Grace by Oliver Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 55
His Silence - Chapter 54

By Jacob1395

I’m not wearing Mum’s dress out to dinner. I choose something I brought with me, something casual, and light, but still nice. The place Oliver's taking me can’t be fancy; he would’ve told me to dress up if it was. I open my phone. I messaged Max the details I’ve discovered so far, but he hasn’t got back to me. It isn’t a lot for him to go on, but then he didn’t have a lot to go on when he was investigating the murder of my parents when he did the podcast. Perhaps there’s a chance Oliver could slip more information tonight.

I open my bedroom door. It’s just coming up to half past five; Oliver should be waiting for me up at the house. I head out of the annexe, running my hand through my hair; the sun’s casting an orange, reddish glow across the sky as it begins to set. There’s no one in the garden.

The kitchen door's open ahead of me. Abigail’s at the sink washing a pot up, the scrape of the scourer against the iron fills up the room. She looks over her shoulder.

‘Oh, Grace, don’t you look nice. Oliver’s in the living room with Jeremiah, I think he’s giving both of you a lift,’ she says.

She's going to tell everyone what I'm wearing, then they're all going to be discussing what Oliver and I are doing this evening. ‘Thanks,’ I say, biting my lip.

I leave the kitchen before she has the chance to speak to me again and slip into the living room. Oliver’s standing with Jeremiah at the far end of the room. At least he’s in casual dress as well. Callum isn’t in the room.

‘Ah, Grace, you’re ready. We can leave now if you like, I don’t want us to be out too late,’ Oliver says, checking the time on his watch.

‘Yeah, fine,’ I say, rubbing the back of my neck.

I want to speak to Callum before we go, but I don’t think I’m going to be allowed to have that opportunity.

Oliver walks towards me and I stride out of the room, after him and Jeremiah. Upstairs people are moving about getting ready for dinner. Will Callum be alright without me being here tonight? I resist the urge to call out for him. I have no idea how Oliver will react if I do. I think of Noah’s warning to me earlier. I shiver.

In twenty minutes we’re heading into town. It’s surreal to see shops and people going about their normal lives; I’ve only been staying here for a couple of days and already the outside world seems alien to me. I watch people laughing, and hugging each other, kids on bikes.

Jeremiah pulls his car up on the side of the road.

‘I suspect we’ll be finished by nine at the latest,’ Oliver says to Jeremiah as we climb out of the car.

A couple of people glance at us; they mutter something under their breath. I think back to what Callum said about people jeering at them in the street when they went shopping. Oliver could be well known around here.

‘No problem, call me when you’re ready,’ Jeremiah says, starting up the car again.

‘This way, Grace,’ Oliver says, smiling.

We head down a side alley, Oliver clutches tight onto my arm as we emerge onto a high street. I want to pull away but decide not to. It won’t be long and we’ll be sitting at the table, having something to eat. People passing us must think we’re father and daughter. There’s a big M&S opposite me, a couple of doors down there’s a Waterstones; I used to spend all my time in bookshops when I was a kid.

‘How often do you come to this place then?’ I ask.

‘Oh, as often as I can, like I said, their steak is to die for. But if you’re not a red meat lover I would recommend any of their pasta dishes.’

I want to ask him if he ever takes Jeremiah or Mary with him, but keep the thought to myself.

Sea air whips through my hair as we near the promenade. There’s a small looking restaurant with a red, white and green canopy covering tables outside a few feet away. A young couple are sitting outside leaning into each other, there's a bottle of red wine on their table.

We step through into a small reception area, the scent of basil and garlic immediately hits me in the face; I eye the large pizza being demolished by the young boy on a table to my right.

‘Ah, Oliver.’ A young woman with dark hair and olive skin greets us. She speaks with an English accent. ‘Lovely to see you again and who is this who you’ve brought?’

‘This is, Grace,’ he says, smiling.

‘Lovely to meet you, Grace, if you’d like to follow me I’ll show you to your table.’

The walls are a cream coloured stone, and there are pictures hanging from the walls of Venice, The Colosseum and Pompeii. The woman shows us to a table close to the bar at the back the restaurant.

I pick up the menu; the pages sticky in my hands.

‘Are you having wine, Grace?’ he asks.

‘Um, yes . . . if you’re having a glass,’ I say, not looking up from the menu.

‘I’ll order us a bottle of merlot, do you like red?’

‘Yes, that’s fine.’

He calls the waitress over and places an order.

‘So, I hope you’re settling in OK?’ Oliver says, offering me a breadstick, which I take and place on the plate to my right. ‘I understand the first few days can be a little bit difficult, but you seem to have made friends with Eve, which is good.’

‘Um, yes, she seems nice,’ I say, my stomach churning. ‘Callum seems quite keen on her.’

‘Yes, that’s so lovely, I’ve been giving Eve some private coaching lessons, like what we had a couple of days ago; she’s been desperate to find someone, and it’s amazing to see how much the private coaching has helped her.’

The waitress returns with a bottle of wine and pours it for Oliver to taste, before pouring me a glass.

‘Would you like to order?’ she asks. ‘I think I know what sir is having?’ she says the last part of her sentence with a mischievous grin.

‘Of course; bruschetta to start for me please, and then the T-Bone steak, Grace, what would you like?’

The waitress and Oliver both look at me. I hadn’t even thought of getting a starter. ‘Um, I’ll have the garlic bread and the carbonara please.’ There’s no way I can eat a steak.  

The woman smiles. ‘Perfect,’ she says and takes the menus away, drifting back towards the kitchen.

‘Abigail had a chat with me about them yesterday,’ I say, taking a sip of my wine. I feel it rush down my throat, it’s surprisingly good. ‘About Callum and Eve.’

‘Oh yes, she mentioned to me she was going to talk to you, she’s really keen for the two of them to get together,’ Oliver says. ‘But tonight, I want to talk about us,’ he says.

He reaches out and squeezes my hand, which sends electric shock waves pulsing through me.

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) - renamed Grace by Oliver Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 56
His Silence - Chapter 55

By Jacob1395

Warning: The author has noted that this contains the highest level of language.

Oliver keeps his eyes fixed on me as he squeezes my hand. I want to pull my hand away from him, but I can’t, it’s like I’ve become physically attached to him. What the hell did he say?

‘Us,’ I say, the word buzzing inside my mind.

‘You must’ve felt the connection between us when you first came here,’ he says, lowering his voice. Someone laughs behind me, making me jump.

What’s he saying? Does he want us to . . . to be together?

‘Um, I’m not sure . . . it’s not something I’ve given much thought,’ I reply. Around me people are talking, unaware of the conversation we’re having. God if some of the people here could hear what we’re talking about, they’d be thinking Oliver’s some sort of pervert.

He leans forward in his seat, squeezing my hand tighter. ‘I understand this must be a bit sudden for you, Grace, but you must feel it. When we start working together on the exercises again, you are going to realise that . . .’ he breaks off, it’s as if he’s trying to find the right words. ‘That we’re meant to be together.’

I shrink back in my seat. I want to get out. I want to run back to the house, get Callum and go. This was a mistake, I shouldn’t have come here.

‘It’s . . . it’s a lot to think about,’ I say, picking up my fork, the metal is cool against the palm of my hand. ‘I’ve only been back for a couple of days; it’s not enough time for me to . . . for me to develop feelings for someone.’ How can he seriously think I want to be with him? I barely know him.

Oliver nods. ‘I’ve always felt this connection to you,’ he says. ‘For years, I just knew, one day, you would find your way back to me.’

I feel sick. ‘Have you?’ I smile weakly at him. ‘Actually, d’you mind if I just use the bathroom?’

Disappointment crosses his eyes. Shit, I’ve offended him. But right now, I want to get away. ‘Of course,’ he says.

I stand from my seat, it knocks into the person sitting behind me; I mouth an apology as they switch round, glaring. Panic grows in my chest as I head to the back of the restaurant, past the bar area. It looks like there’s only one unisex toilet. I dive in and lock the door, breathing hard. This can’t be right, this can’t be happening. My head swarms.

I run the tap with cold water and splash my face. How can Oliver expect me to want to be with him . . . he’s twenty-odd-years-older than me for a start? Mary and Jeremiah must know about this as well, I can’t imagine him keeping this from them. There’s another burst of laughter coming from outside in the restaurant. I picture Oliver sitting there, picking at a breadstick, taking a sip of his wine. I’m going to have to go back out and join him. I spin around; pull the towel off the hook on the wall. I grimace; knowing everyone will have used it to wipe their hands, but it’ll have to do. I rub it around my face, check myself in the mirror again and leave the bathroom. The waitress is placing our starters on the table as I make my way back out into the restaurant.

‘Sorry about that,’ I say, doing my best to smile as I sit back down.

I can’t stomach the thought of eating anything now. Oliver’s already tucking into his bruschetta.

‘Don’t worry about it, Grace. Let’s have a nice evening, shall we?’

There’s tension in his voice. What was he expecting, for me to just fall head over heels at his feet and tell him how much I want to be with him as well? God I hope my real Mum and Dad aren’t looking down at me right now. What the hell would they be thinking if they could see us? They were best friends with Oliver, once upon a time.

I pick up my fork and cut into my garlic bread, the smell of melted cheese wafting into my nostrils as I do.

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) - renamed Grace by Oliver Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 57
His Silence - Chapter 56

By Jacob1395

Warning: The author has noted that this contains the highest level of language.

It’s dead on nine when Oliver gets the bill. Where does he get his money from? He must have some sort of income. The carbonara was quite nice when it came; it’s always been one of those real comfort foods. Emma used to make it for me whenever I’d had a tough day at school. Oliver insisted on getting another bottle of red wine. Perhaps he wanted to try and rid himself of the thoughts that must’ve been going on in his head, after my reaction to his question earlier. But what the hell did he expect, for me to jumps straight into his arms?

We walk back to where we were dropped off in silence; the only sound I hear are our shoes making contact with the pavement and the distant crash of waves striking the rocks. There are a group of teenagers with bikes ahead of us, cans of lager in their hands. I flick my gaze away, not wanting them to notice me.

‘I hope you enjoyed tonight, Grace,’ Oliver asks. He’s managing to keep the tone of his voice light.

‘Yes, the restaurant was lovely,’ I say. A fox races across the street in front of us.

‘You must try their rib eye steak next time.’

‘Yeah, sure, um, Oliver, I . . . I know you spoke about us being together, it’s something I would like to pursue, but.’ I’m going to have to try and keep myself on his good side if I’m going to get anything out of him.

Oliver stops walking. ‘But what, Grace?’

‘When I first came here, you spoke to me about Ian poisoning my parent’s minds against you. I don’t understand how they even met in the first place. Who was he?’

A siren splits the silence around us making me jump.

‘Grace, all I can tell you is Ian was a resident here many years ago now. He lost his way and your parents . . . I should’ve paid closer attention to what was happening at the time. Can you imagine how it must’ve been for Harvey? All he ever knew was Marsh View and our community, his parents and Ian took that away from him, it’s no wonder he, I’m sorry . . .’ Oliver shakes his head. ‘But this isn’t what we should be talking about, Grace. The past is the past; it’s the future, our future we need to concentrate on.’

Ian was a member of the community. Oliver’s still convinced Harvey murdered Mum and Dad. I don’t look at Oliver, Jeremiah's ahead of us waiting with the car on the side of the road underneath a street lamp.

It’s another forty minutes or so before we’re back at the house. There are still a few people in the dining room. Oliver goes straight back to the annexe, keeping his head down. No one speaks to him. Perhaps they can all sense the tension. God, everyone’s going to suspect I’ve done something to upset him. Callum and Eve are sitting on the sofa in the living room; he waves at me, relief floods through me.

‘How was dinner?’ Callum asks, shifting upright in his seat to make room for me.

‘Yeah, yeah it was fine,’ I say, rubbing the back of my neck. I don’t want to tell him about what Oliver spoke to me about, not in front of Eve.

‘Looks like you’ve had a bit to drink,’ he says, grinning.

I hold my hand over my mouth. ‘Oh yeah, Oliver insisted on getting a couple of bottles of red.’

‘Lucky you,’ he says.

Eve gets up from her seat. ‘I’m going to head up,’ she declares, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. ‘Callum do you want to . . .’ she breaks off and glances over her shoulder towards the living room door.

‘I’ll be up in a sec,’ he says, smiling at her.

Eve hurries out of the room and into the hallway.

‘So are you two, like, official now?’ I ask.

Callum rolls his eyes. ‘I think she thinks we are, but I’m just . . .’ He bites his lip. ‘I get the feeling if I don’t conform to what everyone wants us to do, I might end up.’

‘I know what you mean,’ I say. Thank God no one’s looking in our direction. I’m sure if we were to head outside to talk, it wouldn’t take long for Mary to appear. I drop my voice. ‘Things got a bit weird at dinner, between Oliver and me.’

Callum stares at me. ‘How do you mean?’

‘Oliver he . . . he sort of went on about there being some sort of special connection between us.’

‘What the hell, is he implying you should get together?’ I nod. ‘Jesus Christ, he’s like double your age,’ Callum says, shaking his head.

I let out a sigh. ‘I know I don’t know what the hell he’s thinking; I think he could sense how uncomfortable I felt about the idea.’

‘Well, what did he expect, springing it on you like this?’ he hisses. ‘What did you say to him?’

‘I told him I would have to think about it,’ I say. ‘I’m not just gonna jump into something like this.’

I hold my hand to my forehead; I can feel the red wine swimming through me. Red’s never my go to choice whenever I’m out, it always gets me drunk far quicker than any other alcoholic drink.

‘I take it you didn’t manage to find any more information out from him?’ Callum asks.

‘Not much, all I know is Ian, the third man who Harvey supposedly killed, used to be a resident here.’

‘Ian actually lived here,’ Callum says. ‘Do you reckon Noah might know –’

‘I don’t know,’ I say, cutting across him. ‘We’ve gotta be really careful here. I think I trod the line a little bit with Oliver tonight. I don’t think he’s going to appreciate me asking questions about my parents again.’ His words about Harvey replay in my mind. It makes sense, if Harvey was upset about leaving here, it could’ve driven him to kill Mum and Dad. Is he lying to me?

‘Yeah, yeah, I know,’ Callum says. ‘I reckon if there’s anyone who knows why your parents and Ian left, it’s Noah and it’s not going to be easy getting the answers out of him.’

Noah isn’t in the room. ‘We’re not gonna get anywhere more with this tonight, though,’ I say. ‘I’m going to head back to the annexe.’

Callum nods. ‘Sure, I’ll see you tomorrow.’

The moment my head hits the pillow, I’m asleep. I’m pretty sure I would’ve slept right through till morning, had it not been for the scream piercing through the silence of the night.

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) - renamed Grace by Oliver Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 58
His Silence - Chapter 57

By Jacob1395

I sit bolt upright in bed, my chest tight. I still feel drunk from the red wine. I rub my eyes. It’s got to have been a fox crying I heard, or an owl. The only sound reaching my ears is my breath. The night remains silent. There’s no way I’m going to be able to get back to sleep until I’ve found out what made that noise. I get up, the floorboards creaking under my weight. I edge over to my door. It’ll have been an animal, that’s all. There’s nothing to worry about.

I open my door.  

‘Grace.’

My head shoots up. It’s Oliver, he’s standing outside his bedroom door, tying his dressing gown into a knot.

‘You scared me,’ I say, holding my hand against my chest. ‘I heard a noise, was it you?’ Perhaps he might’ve had a bad dream and woke up screaming, there’ve been times when that’s happened to me in the past.  

He shakes his head. ‘I heard it too; I was just seeing if I could find out what it was. I thought you might’ve been in trouble.’

'It could only have come from outside,’ I say, motioning towards the door.

‘Give me one sec,’ he says. He returns to his room and makes his way back out, carrying a torch; he flicks it on, the light flooding the room around us. At least there still isn’t the sternness in his voice there was at dinner. ‘Come on.’

Oliver opens the door. We step out into the cool night air. The long grass around the side of the annexe flicks backwards and forwards in the breeze. Oliver stops dead in his tracks, making me almost walk into him. He’s seen something.

‘What is it?’ I ask, my breath catching in my throat.

Oliver breaks into a run, his shoes stamping into the gravel pathway. It’s then I catch sight of the black mass on the ground by the back of the house, my stomach lurches.

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) - renamed Grace by Oliver Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 59
His Silence - Chapter 58

By Jacob1395

Warning: The author has noted that this contains the highest level of language.

It’s a body. There’s a body on the ground. He's still wearing his pyjamas. No, no, it can’t be. I clutch my stomach.

‘Shit, it’s Noah,’ Oliver says, my blood freezes.

‘Noah . . . what, what happened?’ I ask.

The kitchen door flies open, Mary runs out; she’s wearing her dressing gown; a cry escapes her lips as she catches sight of Noah. Her hand flies to her mouth. Goosebumps erupt on my arms. 

‘No, no, no, no,’ she says, running to Oliver, tears streaming down her face.

‘I’m sorry, Mary, I’m sorry,’ Oliver says, hugging her.     

Oliver moves out of the way and I catch sight of Noah’s battered and bruised face. His soulless eyes are staring straight in my direction. Did anyone else hear the scream? If Mary has they must’ve done. I run my hand through my hair. This can't be happening. This can't be happening. Callum will be up in his room now wondering what’s going on. I can’t take my eyes off Noah’s body.

‘He . . . he was really struggling,’ Mary says, sobbing into Oliver’s shoulders. ‘But I never thought he would. I tried to help him . . . I really did.’

Shit, it sounds like they’re saying he committed suicide. My vision blurs. 

‘Grace, go back to the annexe, please,’ Oliver says. I can hear the pain in his voice as he speaks. He looks at me with pleading eyes. I want to stay. I want to stay here with Noah, I don't want to leave him. 

It’s then Mary notices me standing there for the first time. She refocuses her gaze on Oliver and continues to cry into his shoulder. She's putting on an act. There's no way she's crying for real. I let out a steady breath. 

I shake my head. ‘But he can’t be dead . . . he . . .’

‘Grace, we need to phone the police, please just go back to the annexe and stay there . . .  I’ll come and see you in a bit.’ His voice trembles.

He’s not really asking me to go back to the annexe, he’s telling me. I stand still, staring at Oliver and Mary. I force my legs to move and half-stumble back to the annexe, my head is spinning. I take in big steady breaths, trying to calm the thoughts racing round my mind and push open the door to my bedroom. There’s no way on earth I’m going to be able to get back into bed and go to sleep now. It’ll be another two or three hours at least until the sun comes up. I perch myself on the edge of my bed, my body shaking. What the hell is going to happen now? 

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) - renamed Grace by Oliver Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 60
His Silence - Chapter 59

By Jacob1395

Warning: The author has noted that this contains the highest level of language.

I wrap my arms around my knees, rocking backwards and forwards on my bed. My head is banging. Noah is dead. I can’t shake the image of his body out of my mind. I didn’t get a wink of sleep last night after Oliver told me to go back to the annexe; he didn’t come back and see me, like he told me he would, in fact I didn’t hear him come back in at all. He must’ve stayed up at the house with Mary. They would’ve needed to have called the police.

I pick up my phone and dial Callum’s number, please pick up, please pick up. It’s early still, but I’m sure the news about Noah will have spread, unless Mary’s keeping everyone under lock and key.

‘Hey,’ Callum’s voice appears on the line. ‘You alright?’

Callum doesn’t know. Has he just woken up? I hold my hand to my forehead.

‘Have you not . . . have you not heard about Noah?’ I can’t stop the shakiness in my voice.

There’s silence on the other end as Callum takes in what I’ve said.

‘I . . . I’ve heard a couple of people talking about him, but, what’s happened?’

‘Callum, he’s dead,’ I say, the words tumbling out of my mouth.

‘Shit, what the hell?’

I can’t believe he hasn’t figured it out yet. ‘It’s looking like he threw himself out of the window. I heard the scream last night, me and Oliver, we . . . we found his body.’

‘Fucking hell, I thought something was up, but . . . have the police been called?’

‘Oliver said they were gonna call them last night, but I don’t know if they’ve turned up yet,’ I reply. I get out of bed and tiptoe over to my window. There’s no one standing outside the house, it looks like they’ve moved the body. I shudder; thinking of Noah’s last words to me. He knew something and now there’s no way I’ll be able to find out what that was. ‘I can’t see anything outside the house where his body was found last night. Look, I’m gonna have a shower, then I’ll be at the house.’

‘OK, yeah, need to get changed myself; I’ll see you in a bit,’ Callum says.

‘See you.’

I end the call. Opening my Gmail account I find my last message to Max. He still hasn’t got back to me after I sent him the information I had about Oliver. God, now Noah’s gone; Max is the only one who can help me. I send him a message.

            To: Max Hardy

            From: Danielle Olsen

            Date: 17 June 2024 at 06:00 a.m.

            Subject: Oliver Adams

            Have you got anywhere yet?

I place my phone back on the cabinet and dive into the bathroom.

Once I’ve showered, I sprint to the house. Thank God no one’s hanging about in the garden. It’s still only a quarter past six.

The kitchen is still and silent when I enter. I feel physically sick at the thought of Noah’s body potentially being brought in here last night. Oliver must’ve called an ambulance, there’s no way he and Mary would’ve wanted everyone to have come down this morning, to see his body lying on the ground. Unless they removed it.

Voices reach my ear. They’re coming from the living room, I recognise Oliver’s. I open the door. Oliver and Mary are sitting beside each other on the sofa, there are two people sitting in chairs in front of them. I freeze.

‘Ah, Grace,’ Oliver says looking up at me. His eyes are red. ‘This is PC Graham Smith and PC Sarah Clarke; they’re going to want to speak to you about Noah.’

The two police officers turn round to face me. They can’t be much older than me. Sarah smiles warmly at me, a strand of her chestnut hair falls over her left eye. They’re both holding onto mugs of tea. How long have they been here?

‘Hi, Grace,’ Sarah says. She’s frowning at me. There’s no way she could recognise me, my picture’s never been published. ‘Do you mind if we have a quick chat? I understand this must be very shocking for you, but we have to get to the facts of what happened.’

I nod. ‘Um, yeah, sure,’ I say.

Sarah switches her gaze back to Oliver and Mary. ‘Do you mind if we speak to Grace on her own?’

A long pause stretches out, before Oliver smiles. ‘Yes, that’s fine.’

He and Mary get up from the sofa. There’s no way they want to leave me on my own with the police. Once they’ve left the room, I sit opposite the two police officers. God, I would give anything to find out what’s going on in Oliver and Mary’s minds now.

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) - renamed Grace by Oliver Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 61
His Silence - Chapter 60

By Jacob1395

Warning: The author has noted that this contains the highest level of language.

I haven’t had any dealings with the police since I was six, which I can barely remember. I rub my hands together. They might’ve tried to question me, but there was nothing much I could tell them. I’d hidden in the wardrobe, I hadn’t seen anything. Sarah’s smiling warmly at me, her green eyes fixing on mine.

‘So, Grace, how long have you been staying here?’ she asks, crossing her legs over.

‘Um, not long, actually, just a few days,’ I reply.

‘Just a few days, so you’re a fairly new arrival then?’ she says, raising an eyebrow.

Do they know anything about this place? Heat rises in my cheeks. What about the Facebook posts I found before I came here. They must be aware of them.

I nod. ‘Yes.’

‘How did you come to live here then?’ she asks.

Shit. Shit. Shit. Oliver will be listening at the door, I’m sure of it. ‘I sort of, I sort of found this place by accident,’ I reply. It’s partially the truth.

‘Right,’ Sarah says in a tone that tells me she’s unconvinced by my answer. ‘So Oliver says you were with him when you found Noah’s body last night?’

I swallow. ‘Yes, I . . . I heard a scream and got up to investigate, I thought it was just an animal at first making the noise, and then Oliver came outside with me as well.’

‘What time was this?’ It’s Graham who speaks now.

Did I check the time on my phone when I woke up? ‘I’m . . . I’m not sure, I think it might’ve been around three a.m. I didn’t check.’

‘That’s fine, don’t worry. Sometimes when I wake up disorientated, I don’t check the time either,’ Sarah says her voice a little softer than Graham’s. ‘I know you’ve only been here a few days, but did you speak to Noah at all?’

‘Um.’ Again I think of Oliver standing outside with Mary. ‘I spoke to him a couple of times, but we didn’t have a long conversation.’

‘Did he say anything to concern you?’ Sarah asks, leaning slightly forward.

I shake my head. ‘No, I’m sorry. We only had the briefest of conversations. If I’d known he was struggling with his mental health, then I would’ve . . . I wish I could’ve helped him,’ I say, wiping my eye.

‘What exactly did you talk about though?’ Graham asks.

My stomach tightens. ‘Just about this place in general,’ I reply. ‘I did notice that he didn’t seem to engage as much with everyone else, and he did seem to keep himself to himself, which I thought was a bit unusual.’

‘I see,’ Sarah says, glancing at Graham.

God they’re going to think I’m holding something back from them. They continue to quiz me for another half an hour. My head’s spinning by the time I’ve finished. I can’t believe I’m leading them to believe that Noah’s death was an accident. The voices saying it wasn’t, and that Oliver and Mary are somehow responsible are getting louder in my head, taunting me. You've lied to the police. 

I exit the room. Oliver and Mary are both sitting in the kitchen.

‘Well done, Grace,’ Oliver says.

‘I think they’re going to want to speak to everyone,’ I say.

‘Yes, I gathered that,’ Oliver says. ‘I’ll go back in and talk to them.’

He gets up and saunters out into the hallway, keeping his head upright.

‘I’m just going to find Callum,’ I say, before Mary can start talking to me and race out into the hallway after Oliver.

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) - renamed Grace by Oliver Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 62
His Silence - Chapter 61

By Jacob1395

My first week drags into the next. God, I can’t believe it’s been a week since Oliver and I found Noah’s body. I’d eventually heard back from Max a few days ago. He told me there was nothing he could find about the accident Oliver mentioned, but said if there’s anything else I needed him to look into he would. He asked again what I was doing and I refused to answer him.

Oliver raised a toast to Noah that night at dinner, and spoke about how wonderful, kind and caring he was, but his words felt hollow to me. I was amazed at how everyone seemed to carry on as normal, and no one seemed visibly upset by what happened. It’s like they don’t care and he’s been forgotten about. The police came back a couple of times, but it looks like, for the time being, they’re buying the story that he committed suicide. I keep thinking of someone being in his room with him, and the only person who keeps popping into my mind is Mary. I know it can’t have been Oliver, because of where he was at the time I heard the scream. There’s no way he would’ve been able to have made it back to the annexe in such a short amount of time, and I would’ve heard him. How did they get him to stand by the window and jump out?

I help Callum unload the shopping out of the back of the minibus. We both went into town today; Eve stayed particularly close to Callum while we were in the supermarket, like she was trying to keep us apart. I heard a couple of people whispering about us behind our backs, thinking we weren’t listening, but at least no one jeered at us like Callum said they did last week.

‘D’you think there’s going to be a funeral we’ll have to go to?’ I ask him.

‘For Noah?’ he says, dropping his voice. ‘There’s been no mention of it, has there? It seems to me Oliver and Mary are glad it’s all out of the way.’

‘I know, that’s the most disturbing thing about it,’ I say, taking a shopping bag from him, the onions inside the bag rolling about on top of each other. ‘He didn’t commit suicide, Callum. He knew something about my family; he was a threat to . . .’

‘Grace,’ Oliver calls me from the front of the house beckoning me over.

For God’s sake. I resist the urge to roll my eyes. ‘I’ll see you soon.’

I hurry over to Oliver, still carrying the bag of shopping.

‘Oh don’t worry about sorting that out, just leave it here and Callum will sort it out for you,’ Oliver says, beaming at me, although his voice comes out a little sharp. ‘I’d like us to work on the exercises.’

My back stiffens. Ever since Noah’s death, Oliver’s been more insistent we work together every day. I’m surprised he even allowed me to go to the shops today to help everyone else out; he won’t let me help in the kitchen, or with anything else. I follow him back through the house, keeping my head down. I don’t risk looking back towards Callum; I know Eve will take this opportunity to grab him.

I slump after Oliver back to the annexe; he’s walking ahead of me.

‘Have the police not said anything more to you about Noah?’ I ask, as he closes his bedroom door behind me. I haven’t questioned him about what happened all week, but I want to see his reaction.

‘No, I’m afraid not, Grace. They’ll have completed the post mortem this week, I’m not sure if they’ll want to contact us once that’s been done. I’ve not had many dealings with the police in the past.’ He keeps the expressions on his face neutral.

I frown at him. ‘What about when your wife was killed?’

‘Oh, well, apart from back then, but I was in too much of a state of shock to really understand what was going on around me. Please sit, Grace.’ I take a seat in the armchair next to the television. He drags his spare chair and pulls it closer to me. ‘I really need you to concentrate, Grace. The more you concentrate the easier this will be for you, the more you’ll see the path you’re meant to be on.’            

I resist the urge to shrink back into my seat. I hate it when he uses words like that. It makes all of this sound so creepy.  

‘I’ll . . . I’ll try.’

I close my eyes, knowing what’s coming next. Focus on your breathing. It’s Oliver’s voice I hear in my head. At least, in the past couple of times we’ve done this exercise this week, I haven’t had a memory relapse to the time I was hiding in the wardrobe, like the first time.

‘Are you in your special place, Grace?’ Oliver’s voice drifts into my ear. At least there’s no intensity in his voice like there was a few moments ago.

I want to laugh, but I manage to keep a straight face. In my head all I can see is darkness, no special place, like Oliver keeps insisting I must see.

‘Yes,’ I lie.

‘That’s good. Now, this time, I want you to picture me there with you. Picture us talking, holding hands.’ This time I can’t help but imagine Oliver and me, walking in the garden at Emma and Michael’s. He’s clutching my arm tight, speaking softly to me. God, it actually seems so real. ‘That’s excellent, Grace, now tell me, how do you feel?’

‘I feel . . . I feel at peace.’ It’s the most random thing I can think of on the spot, but I know it’ll please him at least. He’ll think that whatever it is he’s trying to do, it’s working.

‘Excellent, Grace, that’s really excellent. Now I want you to picture us here, living together, working together. Can you do that for me, Grace?’

The vision in my head changes. I’m sitting with Oliver at the head of the dining table up at the house . . . I’m, I’m sharing a bed with him . . . my eyes snap open. I look down, I’m drenched in sweat.

‘I’m sorry,’ I say, wiping my brow.

Oliver shakes his head. ‘You don’t need to be sorry, Grace, you connected, you connected to me for the first time. That’s incredible.’

I want to leave. He’s looking at me in a way like he could see the visions I could. But that’s impossible, there’s no way he could’ve.

‘It felt weird,’ I say, shifting in my seat.

‘It always does the first time,’ Oliver says. ‘But we’ve broken through the barrier at last. Now, I’d like to try that again, OK.’ This time he reaches out and clutches my hands. I try to think about what was different to what I’d done before. I’m certain this is just a load of nonsense; Oliver’s using mind games to try and get through to me. ‘Close your eyes, Grace. Picture yourself back in that space. He holds my hands tight. It gets harder and harder to focus. My head spins. ‘Focus, Grace.’

I shake my head, opening my eyes. ‘I’m sorry, I can’t breathe.’

I stand, almost knocking into Oliver, as I make my way over to the window; I fling it open, not caring about asking Oliver if it’s OK, and drink in greedy gulps of air.

‘Grace, you were doing so well, I thought we’d made a real breakthrough,’ he says, sighing.

I nod. ‘Yes, um, I just need a break.’

I stare in the direction of the house. Visions of Noah’s limp body pop into my head. I shake my head.

‘It’s OK, we can take five minutes,’ Oliver says, although I can hear the frustration in his voice. ‘What is it, Grace, that you find so hard? There seem to be moments when you just allow yourself to let go, and then there are other moments when you just seem so tense.’

I rub my forehead. ‘It’s just . . . it’s my family, I thought, by coming here, I would get answers, and it’s been a week and . . . I need to find out the truth.’ I can’t help the words from tumbling out of mouth.

Oliver gets up from his seat and moves over to me. ‘Grace, you need to stop holding onto the past. There’s nothing you can do to change it, what happened to your family was a tragedy, but you’ve got to focus on you now. Not them, do you hear me?’ He fixes his gaze on me. ‘Do you hear me, Grace?’

I stare at him, how can he say that to me? He told me when I first came here how devastated he was when my parents were killed, and now, it’s like he’s ready to brush them to one side.

‘I need to lie down,’ I say.

Oliver clutches my arm before I have the chance to leave the room. He fixes his eyes on mine.

‘Grace, we have the chance for something special here,’ he says. His eyes are shining. God please don’t say he’s about to start crying. ‘Don’t throw it all away just because you can’t let go of the past.’

I don’t say anything to him; instead I leave the room and head into mine.

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) - renamed Grace by Oliver Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 63
His Silence - Chapter 62

By Jacob1395

I sit on the end of my bed and pick up Mum’s diary, my body trembling. It feels like every time I get the chance to read it, Oliver calls me away for another pointless exercise session. What the hell he thinks these sessions are going to achieve, I still have no idea. My grip on the diary tightens.

I flick through the pages; I tried, earlier on in the week, to see if there was ever any mention of Noah, but I only found his name mentioned a couple of times. I return to the pages where Mum first wrote about him. At this point she was six months pregnant with me.

Chatted with Noah this afternoon about the future, for someone who’s our age he’s got such a wise head on his shoulders. He’s full of ideas for this place; Oliver’s really keen on him. They’ve been having a lot of private meetings recently, think Oliver’s keen to expand; it would be great if we could get some fresh faces here, once Grace arrives it’s going to be all hands on deck. I think if there was one person I would choose as a godfather for little Grace, it would be Noah.

My heart aches as I read the last part of her sentence. It’s the first time she’s referred to me by the name she chose for me. Mum wanted to make him my godfather. Why did he never tell me that when I had the chance to speak to him? I read back her sentence about Noah, seemingly, having such a close relationship with Oliver. What changed? There must’ve been something that happened after my family left here, had Noah, somehow been involved in helping them to escape? Perhaps he’d even been working with Ian, but why did they leave? I flick further through the book, fast forwarding a couple of weeks. There’s another entry mentioning Noah.

Noah and I had a nice chat after dinner this evening, I tried to help with the cooking, but Oliver said absolutely not and insisted I rest. I know I’ll have my hands fall when Grace arrives, but I’m getting sick of sitting around not doing anything, I need to keep myself busy, I never could just sit still, not even when I was a child. I asked Noah about his life before he came here, and he sort of, went a bit quiet on me, almost as though he was ashamed of something. He’s been so open with me about plans for the future, that he and Oliver have been discussing, but his past is the one thing he’s shut off. I know Oliver teaches us to let go of the past and focus only on the future, but it’s still an important part of our lives. I’ll try again to speak to him.

I slap the diary shut. Everyone else who I’ve spoken to here seems to think the sun shines out of Oliver’s arse. Noah was the only one, to me, who didn’t buy the bull crap he keeps spouting off about, but in this diary, it appears he and Oliver were as close as brothers.

I run my hand across the front cover of Mum’s diary and imagine her holding it again. Tears fill my eyes; I wipe them away, almost scratching the lid of my eyelid in the process.

There’s a bang which makes me jump. It must be Oliver leaving his room. I get up from my bed, still holding onto the diary and dash to the window. There’s another bang, which must be the front door of the annexe. I hold my breath. Oliver’s storming back to the house, head down, hands buried deep in his pockets. What the hell has happened now?

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) - renamed Grace by Oliver Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 64
His Silence - Chapter 63

By Jacob1395

Warning: The author has noted that this contains the highest level of language.

The moment I’m sure Oliver’s no longer outside, I slip out of the annexe. Shit, Abraham’s over by the vegetable patch again.

‘Afternoon, Grace,’ he says, smiling at me.

I smile back. ‘You must get back ache being in that position all the time,’ I say.

He glares at me. ‘I’m used to it.’ he says, before returning to his work.

I dart into the kitchen, the back of my neck prickling. Abigail’s at the sink, peeling potatoes, humming to herself. I think it’s All Things Bright and Beautiful, we used to always sing it in school assembly. Oliver’s not here; he must be in the living room.

‘Did you see where Oliver went?’ I ask Abigail.

Abigail flicks her gaze round at me. Her stare hardens. ‘He’s in there; he might need to see you in a moment.’ She returns to the potatoes. Why did she speak to me like that, it's like she's telling me off?

I edge closer to the living room and ease open the door. Oliver’s talking to someone, a woman, she has her back to me; I squint, hang on she can’t be.

‘Grace,’ Oliver says his voice tight.

The woman he’s speaking to turns round. I have to stop myself from letting out a gasp. It’s Sarah, the police officer who was here the day Noah died. She gives me a warm smile. In an instant I want to head back outside.

‘Hi, Grace,’ Sarah says, stepping forward. ‘I was wondering if you could spare a few moments for me to ask you a few more questions?’

‘About Noah?’ I ask.

‘That’s right,’ she says, stepping closer to me. ‘Have you got five minutes?’

Why’s Sarah come back on her own? They must’ve found something. She wouldn’t have come back if the police did think Noah committed suicide.

‘Um, yes, sure,’ I say.

‘I’ll leave you two alone,’ Oliver says.

‘Actually, I was thinking perhaps we could have this conversation outside,’ Sarah suggests, her eyes flicking towards the window. ‘It’s such a lovely day; it would be a shame not to make the most of it.’

She wants to talk to me without the risk of anyone overhearing. 

‘OK, yeah, that’s fine,’ I say.

Oliver’s smiling but there’s strain in his forehead.

‘Excellent, well, there’s no time like the present, is there?’ Sarah says. ‘Don’t worry, Oliver, I’ll have her back in one piece.’

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) - renamed Grace by Oliver Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 65
His Silence - Chapter 64

By Jacob1395

Sarah follows me out to the front of the house. I want to know where Oliver is. He didn’t stay in the living room when we left. Did he go into the kitchen or back to the annexe? Someone’s bound to be listening to our conversation. He’ll have told someone to keep an eye on us.

‘Have you completed Noah’s post mortem?’ I ask, gravel crunching under my feet as we head down the drive towards the dirt track and the gate.

‘Yes,’ Sarah replies, the tone of her voice dropping. ‘It is a tragic case; his injuries are consistent with a fall. My colleagues back at the station believe the most likely scenario is that he did, sadly, commit suicide.’

‘But you don’t believe that?’ I ask, stopping in my tracks.

Sarah stops walking. She’s staring out over the bushes in the direction of the marshes. What is she thinking?

‘I just have a few questions I need to iron out first, I’m sure once they’re cleared up the case will be closed.’

I nod. ‘But . . . but why did you want to specifically speak to me?’

‘You came here with your friend, Callum, didn’t you, just over a week ago?’ she asks.

I nod. ‘Yes.’

‘There don’t seem to be many other people here around your age, I think there was one young girl, Eve, she said her name was, who is of a similar age to you. I did wonder why you would want to live with a bunch of people who you don’t appear to be related to. Callum seems like a great guy, doesn’t he; I can see why you like him.’

‘Oh we’re not –’ I stop myself, I can feel myself blushing. I want to get this over with. I swallow. ‘What d’you want to ask me?’

‘I wanted to talk to you about Oliver,’ she says. 

‘What . . . what about him?’ I ask my body tensing.

‘You’ve only known him for a couple of weeks, haven’t you?’

‘Yes,’ I reply.

‘Do you know what happened to his wife?’ Sarah asks.

I shudder. I can’t help but picture the scene inside my mind, the body of his wife, hunched over her seat in his car. I’m not even sure if he was in the car with her when it happened. ‘Um, he told me she was killed in a car accident. That’s all I know. I tried to find some information about it online, but there was nothing I could find,’ I reply.

Sarah nods. ‘Of course, it was a long time ago, and the media weren’t particularly interested in what happened at the time, but . . .’ She pauses, her focus fixed on the house behind us. I look back, but no one’s hanging about outside, there’s no one standing around who might be able to hear us. We’re alone. ‘He was a person of interest at the time of that investigation.’

I frown. ‘What, you believe he might’ve been responsible for her death, it wasn’t an accident?’

She sighs. ‘I wasn’t working here at the time, but after what happened here last week, I decided to do a bit of digging. I found some old reports from the time of the investigation, and found that Oliver had been interviewed once under caution. It appears there must’ve been some reason for the police to want to interview him.’

My heart begins to ram against my chest. ‘What happened? Why wasn’t he charged?’

Sarah sighs. ‘I guess, at the time, they couldn’t prove he was responsible. Technology’s moved on a long way since the time this incident took place. If it happened today, then there might’ve been something for us to find, but . . .’

‘When did his wife die?’ I ask.

‘It was in November, 1994,’ Sarah explains.

‘Was it here, I mean in the local area?’

Sarah nods. ‘Not too far from Leigh,’ she says. ‘There’d been low lying mist while they were driving, their car veered off the side of a main road and went into a ditch. Traces of alcohol had been found in her system, but not enough to make you over the limit. Her friends though were bemused by this. They said she would never drink and drive, according to them she wouldn’t even have a sip of alcohol if she was intending to get behind the wheel. But, unfortunately, that’s as far as the investigation got. Nothing concrete was found.’

I process what she’s said; there’s got to be some sort of record of what happened somewhere. ‘D’you think he did something to Noah?’ I ask. But he can’t have done, he was in the annexe all evening.

Sarah purses her lips. ‘It’s only a feeling I’ve got, Grace. I’ve got no evidence that suggest he might be involved in what happened, but, if he’s already been a person of interest in another death, then, it says to me something isn’t right here. I really need you to tell me if there is anything going on here that might help us understand why Noah did what he did.’

My brain is buzzing. The urge to tell Sarah everything, why I’m really here gets stronger and stronger. But if I do, they might decide to arrest Oliver and take him in for questioning. It would spoil my chances of finding out the truth. I need to hang on here, just for a little bit longer.

I shake my head. ‘I’m sorry, I really wish there was more I could say to help, but.’

I’m not convincing Sarah. ‘Please, Grace, I really need you to think about this.’ She’s staring at me with big, imploring eyes. She knows I’m hiding something.

‘I’m really sorry, Sarah, I wish I could help, but I can’t. That’s the truth.’

Sarah nods, disappointment etched in her eyes. ‘OK, well, it’s been nice chatting to you, Grace. Like I said before though, if you can think of anything, please don’t hesitate to give us a call.’

I nod. ‘Sure, I will do.’

I can’t shake away the thought I’m throwing away a lifeline here. I’ve snapped it, plainly in two and thrown myself to the wolves.

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) - renamed Grace by Oliver Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 66
His Silence - Chapter 65

By Jacob1395

Warning: The author has noted that this contains the highest level of language.

Sarah doesn’t hang about after our conversation. Her car’s parked outside the front of the house. I can tell she doesn’t want to speak to Oliver again; in fact it looks like she can’t wait to see the back of this place. If only I could go back with her, I’d go to the station, file a report, and get this place shut down. Get Oliver arrested. Instead, I let her go; I watch her car manoeuvre through the gate and in the direction of the main road. I can just imagine Oliver sitting in an interview room, answering every question with the reliable “no comment,” like how it’s always portrayed in television dramas. There wouldn’t be enough to hold him.

‘What did she ask you, Grace?’ Oliver’s voice makes me jump.

I spin around; he’s standing a few feet behind me. How long has he been standing there? He can’t have come out while I was speaking to Sarah, we would’ve noticed.

‘Oh, she just had a few more outstanding questions about what happened last week, nothing more, she said they’d had the results back from the post mortem.’

‘Oh,’ Oliver says. Did she not tell him while they were in the living room together?

‘She said his injuries were consistent with a fall, she just wanted to clarify a few things before the investigation was wrapped up.’

He stares at me for what seems like ages, like he’s trying to work out what I’m really thinking. I resist the urge to look away. ‘I see, well, let’s hope that’s the end of it and we can all move on from this terrible tragedy,’ he says. ‘And Noah can, at last, be laid to rest.’ He says it almost like an afterthought. ‘It’s disrespectful of her to come back like that, while we’re all in mourning.’

I smile but I feel sick in my stomach as I remember what Sarah told me, that he was a person of interest in his wife’s death. Why couldn’t I find anything about it online? At least Sarah told me when his wife was killed, November 1994. I can give that information to Max. I sprint into the house. Thank God Oliver didn’t stop me to ask me more questions; it was bad enough having to lie to Sarah. Other people are mingling about inside now, bustling about in the kitchen. In the living room; Callum’s helping to set the table for dinner.

‘Who was that you were talking to?’ he asks, as I approach, placing a knife and fork on the table.

‘Sarah, the police officer who came here last week after Noah was found.’

‘I thought they’d finished with their enquiries?’ he says, frowning. ‘Oliver seemed pretty confident last week at dinner that the case was done and dusted.’

‘Yeah I know, but, she specifically wanted to talk to me.’

‘You don’t think she’s gonna come back, do you?’

I shake my head. ‘Not unless there’s something for them to follow up on. She told me the rest of her team seem to think Noah killed himself, but . . . she told me Oliver was a person of interest in his wife’s death.’

‘What the hell?’ The sharpness in Callum’s voice makes me flinch.

‘Keep your voice down,’ I say gripping hold of the seat beside me. ‘There wasn’t enough evidence at the time for them to pursue it. It seems like she’s doing all this extra investigative work in her spare time though, so it isn’t likely she’s going to be able to pursue it any further. Unless she finds something.’

‘Shit.’ Callum shakes his head. ‘And yet he wants you to be with him. What motivation would he have for wanting to kill his wife though?’

‘I don’t know, Callum,’ I say. ‘The only person who could’ve perhaps given us more information isn’t here anymore.’

‘What are we going to do? We can’t stay here anymore,’ he says, this time making sure he doesn’t raise his voice.

‘Leave it with me, if push comes to shove we’re gonna have to leave the same way my parents did, but.’ My body goes cold with shock.

‘What is it?’ Callum asks.

I shake my head. ‘Oliver and Jeremiah must know where we live. If they think . . . they’ll come after us.’ Noah’s words haunt the back of my mind; they’ll come after everyone we love. I hadn’t taken him too seriously at the time, now the dawning realisation of what he meant hits me like a sledgehammer. ‘This isn’t going to be easy.’

Callum takes hold of my hand and squeezes it. ‘Danielle, whatever you want to do, I’m behind it.’

We need to get out of here. There’s no way we can stay. Tears prick my eyes. How the hell can we do it without risking the safety of our families?

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) - renamed Grace by Oliver Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 67
His Silence - Chapter 66

By Jacob1395

Warning: The author has noted that this contains the highest level of violence.
Warning: The author has noted that this contains the highest level of language.

I step out of the house, my body trembling. I know Jeremiah assured me the other day he wasn’t the man who I’d seen at the pub, but I’m sure it was him. He could’ve been tailing me for days. Abraham’s kneeling underneath my bedroom window as I march back towards the annexe. I consider running back into the house, but it’s too late, he’s seen me.

‘Grace, have you got a moment?’ he says, getting up from his crouched position. His jeans are caked in mud.

He’s staring at me, spade in hand.

‘What d’you want?’ I ask, not caring about the sharpness in my voice.

He takes a step forward. ‘I just want to have a quick word with you.’ There’s a hint of a smile on his lips.

‘Can it not wait?’ I ask.

He shakes his head. ‘Not really.’

I stare at him. What the hell does he want to talk about that can’t wait until later?

‘Sorry, Abraham, but I really need to do something; I’ll catch you later at dinner, yeah? We can talk then.’

I don’t wait for him to reply. I open the annexe door and step inside, looking left to right, from my room to Oliver’s. The door to the annexe opens again behind me; I freeze, cool air prickles the back of my neck.

‘Grace, I promise you I won’t take up more than five minutes of your time.’

I spin around. He’s left the spade he was carrying outside. Perhaps it would just be best to get this over and done with. ‘OK, five minutes, what d’you want to talk to me about?’

‘You’ve really got to learn to start trusting people, Grace. Can we speak inside your room?’ he asks, edging forward.

Tell him to piss off, my mind screams at me. I open my bedroom door. Why is he doing this?

Before I have the chance to react he grabs hold of me and shoves me against the wall. I wince as pain floods through me. He holds his arm tight against my neck. Shit. Shit. Shit.

‘What . . . what?’ My voice comes out croaky. I can’t get in any breath. 

‘You betrayed us, Grace,’ he says, venom in his voice as he speaks. ‘You brought the police here.’

He wants to kill me, oh God he wants to kill me. His eyes are wild.

‘No, please,’ I croak.

Dizziness begins to sweep over me. No, this can’t be it. This can’t be my life over.

I’m aware of movement to my right, there’s a flash and Abraham’s wrenched away from me. I collapse to the ground, coughing and spluttering, holding my chest. I raise a shaky handy to my throat. Oliver’s pulled Abraham off me. He’s pinned Abraham to the floor by sitting on his chest; he’s . . . swinging punch after punch.

‘You bastard. You bastard!’ Oliver yells at him.

‘Oliver.’ My voice doesn’t seem to reach him. It’s like he’s lost in some sort of trance. He continues to pummel Abraham, blood spurts from Abraham’s nose. Oliver’s going to end up killing him. I push myself forward, grappling for his shoulder. ‘Oliver please stop!’

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) - renamed Grace by Oliver Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 68
His Silence - Chapter 67

By Jacob1395

Warning: The author has noted that this contains the highest level of language.

‘Oliver please, I’m sorry.’

Abraham grapples for the side of my bed. Oliver breathes heavily; his fists are still raised in the air. Abraham flicks his gaze to me, before flicking his gaze back to Oliver towering over him. Blood is spurting from Abraham’s nose and onto the carpet now. I feel the urge to go to the bathroom and get him some tissue, but stop myself. He was going to kill me.

‘What the fuck did you think you were doing?’ Oliver shouts at him, fists clenched.

I flinch. Since I’ve been here, I’ve never heard Oliver swear. It doesn’t sound natural; it’s like hearing your parents swear for the first time.

‘I just . . . I just lost control,’ Abraham says, tears streaming down his cheeks. ‘I was so upset, I couldn’t help myself. This whole business with Noah and the police, it’s all because of her. She’s going to spoil everything, can’t you see?’ 

‘You were going to kill her,’ Oliver says, spittle flying out of his mouth, landing on Abraham’s cheek

‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean . . .’

‘You knew what you were doing,’ Oliver says, a growl in his voice. No, he’s going to hit him again. He turns to me, placing both of his hands on my shoulders. I want to move back, leave the room. Run as far as I can. Across the marsh if I have to. Oliver stares at me with kind eyes. ‘Grace, I know this won’t be easy, but please go back to the house, I’ll deal with him, don’t worry.’ He’s trying his best to keep his voice soft. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Abraham eyeing the door. He’ll be weighing up his options, wondering if he can take this opportunity and run, but I’m sure if he tries to, Oliver will pounce on him within seconds. He won’t make it to the door.

I don’t say anything. Gasping for breath, I dart out of my room and into the hallway. Abraham wanted to kill me. He wanted to kill me. I knew he didn’t like me, that had been obvious since day one, but I never thought he would try anything this drastic. Had someone else here convinced him to take this course of action? Does someone else want me dead? I think of Mary, Eve, Abigail, they always seem so nice. What are they hiding?

I pelt to the house, kicking at the gravel, furiously wiping my tears. People are going to asks questions. They’re going to want to know what’s happened.

I burst into the kitchen. Callum’s at the sink. He stares at me with wild, confused eyes. Without giving him a chance to speak, I fling my arms around him and sob into his shoulders.

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) - renamed Grace by Oliver Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 69
His Silence - Chapter 68

By Jacob1395

Warning: The author has noted that this contains the highest level of language.

Someone’s shouting. I open my eyes, blinking rapidly. The ice pack I was holding against my neck has slipped onto the sofa, forming a wet patch on the fabric. Mary looked me over earlier and was convinced I didn’t need to be seen by a doctor; of course they don’t want me to see a doctor, they don’t want to risk the police coming back here again. Callum’s still sitting beside me; he’s flicking through a book. It must be at least forty minutes or so since I left Oliver in the annexe with Abraham.

‘What’s happening?’ I ask, getting up, a cushion falling off the sofa and onto the floor.

‘Woah, take it easy,’ Callum says.

I ignore him and go to the window. There’s a crowd outside on the driveway. Someone shouts again, making me jump. Oh shit, it’s Abraham.

‘C’mon,’ I say.

‘Danielle, wait,’ Callum says, pelting after me as I sprint to the front door.

The moment I’m outside I spot Abraham at the foot of the drive; it looks as though no effort’s been made to tidy up his face since Oliver pummelled into him earlier.

‘Please, Oliver. Please forgive me,’ he cries, holding his hands out in front of him.

Oliver’s advancing towards him, his face full of fury like it was in the annexe. There’s still blood on his fists. ‘How on earth do you think we can trust you again after what you’ve done?’ Oliver stamps his foot into the gravel. ‘How can we trust you?’

Abraham sobs hard now. ‘You can’t throw me out. This . . . this is my home; I haven’t known anything else for twenty years, I’ve got nowhere to go, please, Oliver.’

I scan the crowd. No one appears to have noticed I’m standing here yet. My eyes fall on Abigail; she’s covering her face with her hand; she’s crying, but she’s trying her best not to show it.

‘You should’ve thought of that before you tried to kill Grace,’ Oliver snarls. ‘You’ve violated everything we stand for. How can we possibly allow you to stay here?’            

Abraham falls to his knees, mud splattering across his jeans as he collapses into the ground.        

‘I’m begging you, Oliver. I’m begging you, please let me stay, I’ll do whatever I can to make up for my mistake.’

‘Go,’ Oliver says. ‘Perhaps you can find some way to repent for your sins out there.’

Oliver says ‘out there’ as though we’re somehow disconnected from the rest of the world. The gates ease open, squeaking. Abraham stands there, disbelief still etched into his face. I shrink back, not wanting him to spot me standing here. He might come for me again if he sees me.

An age seems to slip past before at last Abraham seems to realise he can’t do anything. He’s not got anything with him, just the bloodied clothes he’s wearing. What will people think of him when he does make it back to the town? It’ll take at least a couple of hours, maybe more to walk.

He trudges towards the gate, still sobbing. Before he gets there he looks over his shoulder one last time, as though hoping this has all been a nasty trick, and Oliver will welcome him back with open arms. Oliver says nothing.

Abraham keeps his head down and edges out onto the main road. The gates clang shut behind him.

A few seconds pass before everyone turns and begins to trudge back towards the house. As Oliver turns round, he fixes his gaze on me and a coldness sweeps through my body. 

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) - renamed Grace by Oliver Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 70
His Silence - Chapter 69

By Jacob1395

I can’t get the image of Abraham making his way out of the complex on his own out of my mind, without anything; he won’t have had any money on him. How on earth will he even be able to find a place to stay? I shake the thought out of my head. He tried to kill me. He deserves this. If he hadn’t, he wouldn’t have had to leave.

No one put any effort into making a meal this evening. We all helped ourselves to whatever was in the cupboards and the fridge.

I glance across at Oliver. He’s moving his salad about on his plate with his fork. He’s barely eaten anything.

‘Oliver, are you OK?’ I ask.

The fork collapses to the plate and he sits up a little straighter. ‘Yes of course, just feeling a little tired.’

I nod. I search for Callum; he’s sitting a couple of spaces away next to Eve.

‘Are you doing OK, Grace?’ Adam asks. ‘You must’ve been terrified.’

I stare into his eyes, thinking back to what I thought earlier. Does someone else here want me dead?

‘Yeah, I think I’m OK,’ I say, shifting in my seat.

‘Look, I don’t think you should sleep on your own tonight,’ Oliver says. ‘You’ve suffered enough trauma as it as and with what’s happened today added on top, I’m worried that you.’

‘What are you suggesting?’ I ask my heart rate increasing. He’s not going to suggest I sleep with him, is he? 

‘Perhaps you should sleep in Eve’s room tonight; she has a single bed in there.’

I resist the urge to breathe a sigh of relief.

‘Um, OK, sure.’

Oliver gets up from his seat and walks over to Eve. He leans in to, I presume, tell her what he just told me. Bloody hell, hasn’t he already cleared it with her yet? She smiles as he speaks to her and looks towards me, still smiling.

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) - renamed Grace by Oliver Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 71
His Silence - Chapter 70

By Jacob1395

Eve’s room is on the same side of the house my old room is. It’s basic, like mine was. Oliver was right about everyone not having any material goods. There aren’t even any chargers in her room. There’s a small clock on her bedside cabinet, a nature calendar on the wall, and that’s it. There aren’t any pictures. She only has three pairs of shoes, sitting under her bed. Has Callum already been in here? I stare out onto the driveway below, replaying the scene inside my mind of everyone gathered outside earlier, watching Oliver throw Abraham out. How far has he managed to get? Perhaps he’s managed to get someone passing by to offer him a lift into town. I turn away from the window.

‘Sorry I didn’t mean to startle you.’ Eve’s standing in the doorway.

I shake my head. ‘Don’t worry, you didn’t, I was just thinking about earlier.’

Eve places her toiletry bag on her bedside cabinet. ‘I can’t imagine what you must’ve gone through. Everything’s . . . everything seems to be.’ She sits on the edge of her bed and wipes her eyes. ‘I’m sorry, don’t listen to me, I shouldn’t be the one getting upset here.’

I sit on the bed next to her. ‘We’ve all had a terrible shock, not just me,’ I say to her. ‘You’ve known Noah and Abraham far longer than I have.’

She fixes her eyes on mine. ‘What did you think about Abraham, before . . . before he tried to . . .’ she breaks off, as if unsure how to say the next part of her sentence.

I shake my head. ‘Honestly, Eve, I didn’t like him, he gave me the creeps. Everywhere I went he seemed to be there. It’s like he was following me all the time.’

Eve sniffles. ‘I don’t think he trusted you,’ she says, dropping the tone of her voice.

I’m about to open my mouth to respond when there’s a knock on the door. The door opens, Mary peeks her head round. She smiles at me.

‘I just wanted to check to make sure you’re alright, Grace,’ she says.

I nod. ‘Yes fine. We’re just having a bit of a chit chat, aren’t we, Eve?’

Eve nods, but doesn’t look Mary in the eye. I thought she and Mary got on well. Didn’t she tell me the other day that Mary was like a mother figure to her?

‘Well, I’ll let you both get some rest. See you both in the morning.’

Mary pulls the door shut; the sound of her locking it from the other side sends a shiver racing through me. There’s a few people talking outside, but the voices soon die down.

Eve looks back at me. Her eyes fill with tears. ‘I’m scared, Grace. I’m really scared.’

She buries her head into my shoulder and sobs. I soothe her head, my heart thumping against my chest as I do.

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) - renamed Grace by Oliver Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 72
His Silence - Chapter 71

By Jacob1395

My eyelids flutter open. I sit upright in bed. It takes me ten seconds to realise I’m in Eve’s room. I hold my hand to my chest, and breathe in deeply. My throat still hurts from where Abraham pinned me against the wall. I won’t have another panic attack. Eve isn’t in the room. She must’ve gone to the bathroom or gone down to breakfast. I check my phone, picking it off the floor. It’s just gone nine thirty. I need to speak to Max; I still haven’t had the chance to tell him what I found out about Oliver from Sarah.

A knock on my door makes me jump.

‘You alright?’ It’s Callum.

He edges into the room and sits on the edge of my bed. He’s already got dressed. Has he already eaten this morning?  

I nod, and wipe my eye. ‘Yeah, I just . . . if Oliver hadn’t been there yesterday, I just can’t stop thinking if.’

‘Hey, Danielle, it didn’t happen, you don’t need to worry about Abraham anymore. He’s gone.’

‘I know, but it’s the others we need to worry about,’ I say. Has Oliver had to expel anyone like that before? ‘What’s Eve actually discussed with you, y’know when the two of you have been on your own together?’

‘Erm, she’s mainly been asking me about my life really, why?’

I shake my head. ‘It’s something she said to me last night. She’s scared, Callum, that’s what she told me.’

He frowns at me. ‘She’s probably scared because of what happened yesterday,’ he suggests.

‘No, it was more than that. She didn’t tell me anything further, but, perhaps you might have more luck with her. She doesn’t seem to want to open up to me, well, apart from the time when she told me she was living on the streets, but since then she’s sort of been a bit cold with me.’

‘I can try, but, bloody hell, what the hell is there for her to be scared about? I thought she loved this place.’

‘I know, but she’s been here for a couple of years now, perhaps she’s had to learn how to hide her feelings, like Noah.’

I rub the palms of my hands as I shiver. What the hell does Eve know about this place? What does she know about Oliver?

‘Are you coming down to breakfast?’ Callum asks. 

‘I will do in a minute, you go on ahead of me and I’ll join you in a bit.’

He gets up from the bed and heads out of the room. Before he turns into the corridor, he looks back towards me.

‘Everything’s gonna be OK,’ he says.

I nod. ‘Go on, I’ll see you in a minute.’

I wait until his footsteps get further away before I open my last message to Max. I begin to type another message, detailing everything Sarah told me yesterday and press send. This has got to give him something more concrete to work on.

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) - renamed Grace by Oliver Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 73
His Silence - Chapter 72

By Jacob1395

After breakfast I slip into the garden and mooch back to the annexe. There’s the electricity of a storm in the air, chilling my skin; clouds are rolling in from the coast, bubbling up like a potion in a witch’s cauldron, that’s what Emma used to always say whenever there was a storm when I was kid.

I’ve no idea how long it’s going to be before Oliver feels I should move back into my room, but I want Mum’s diary. I didn’t have a chance to remove it from the room yesterday. I slip into the annexe, easing the door shut behind me to make sure it doesn’t slam. I’m about to head into my room when voices reach my ears. It’s Mary. Her voice is coming from Oliver’s room. I freeze; I hadn’t seen either of them when I was in the dining room. They must think I’m back up at the house.

‘Do you not think you were a little too hasty in your decision yesterday?’ she asks.

I frown, is she asking about Oliver’s decision to expel Abraham? Does she think he should’ve been permitted to stay?

‘You didn’t see the look in his face, Mary. It was like he was possessed; he would’ve killed her if I hadn’t been there and stepped in,’ Oliver replies.  

‘Yes I know, but . . .’

‘But what? He’s lucky we didn’t call the police,’ Oliver says, spitting the words out.

‘Yes, but . . . might he not go to the police now that he’s outside,’ Mary says.

I stiffen. What does Abraham know? I want to edge closer to the door so I can hear better, but I dare not, one creak of the floorboard might give me away.

‘If he does they won’t listen to him,’ Oliver says. ‘They’ll see him as a washed up drunk, that’s all. I don’t think there’s anything for us to worry about.’

‘But that Sarah woman, the one who came back to speak to Grace, she, she think’s something’s going on. She might be more inclined to listen to him.’ There’s menace in Mary’s voice that makes my toes curl.

‘Abraham won’t go to the police, Mary,’ Oliver says, his voice coming out fierce. God, it’s the first time I’ve ever heard him use that tone with her. ‘Heck, I’ll be surprised if he even makes it into town.’ Oliver almost laughs as he says the last part of his sentence.

‘What about Grace though,’ Mary says. ‘I still don’t trust her; she’s not warming to us like you said she would. She’s still too suspicious.’

My heart’s banging in my chest.

‘She will come round,’ Oliver says. ‘It’s only been a little over a week since she first came here, don’t forget.’

‘Yes, but everyone else –’

‘Grace is on a different journey to everyone else. Eve conformed quickly because of the situation she was in. Yes, Grace has suffered trauma, like Eve in her past, but she’s been raised by a loving family since then. If there’s a way, somehow that we can shake that off.’

Shake that off. I think of Emma and Michael at home, still thinking Callum and I are off on holiday, touring all over Europe. Tears prick my eyes. Oliver wants to make me forget about them. Is that his aim?

‘She spoke to her brother before she came here, didn’t she?’ Mary says. ‘Do you we know exactly what he said?’

‘No, but –’

‘I think you should’ve just told her right from the start,’ Mary cuts across him. ‘It would’ve saved us a hell of a lot of bother.’

Told me what?

‘We must be patient, Mary. Things will work out, they always do; I’ll make sure of it. If in the meanwhile you keep working on Callum, that’ll really help.’

Working on Callum, what the hell does he mean?

Mary sighs. ‘I want to believe you, Oliver, I do, but I just have a feeling, that . . . never mind, look, I better get back to the house. I’ll see you at lunch, I suppose.’

I tiptoe to my room, easing the door open as quietly as I can and dive inside, my chest tight. Please don’t hear me, please don’t hear me. As I push my door shut I hear Mary open Oliver’s door and step out into the hallway, the floorboards outside creak. At least my curtains in the room are closed. She won’t be able to see me as she heads back to the house. But Oliver’s still in his room, I’m going to have to stay here until he leaves. I flick my gaze to where Oliver had Abraham pinned to the ground yesterday, there’s still blood on the carpet. I sink to the floor, letting out a shallow breath. The storm outside breaks and rain begins to strike the window.

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) - renamed Grace by Oliver Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 74
His Silence - Chapter 73

By Jacob1395

It’s half past ten by the time I’m finally able to leave the annexe. I was sure Oliver was going to open my bedroom door and find me there. Fifteen minutes ago I’d heard his door open, I thought my heart was going to explode, and then I could hear the crunch of the gravel pathway.

I clutch Mum’s diary and dash outside the annexe, closing my eyes as the sharp, salty air whips at my skin. At least the rains stopped, the storm appears to be moving further inland. I half-expect to see Abraham tending to the vegetable patch, but the area is empty.

The kitchen’s filled with smells of herbs, I get a waft of dill as I step inside the house; Emma uses it a lot in her cooking, particularly in the summer. Eve’s washing salad in a colander in the sink. It doesn’t seem as though she’s heard me come in.

‘Is Callum not with you?’ I ask. They normally seem to be paired up together whenever they’re helping out.

Eve jumps and glances over her shoulder. ‘Oh, it’s you, Grace, I was in a world of my own. Erm, no he’s with Mary actually.’

Oliver’s words from earlier filter into my head making me shiver. You keep working on Callum. What the hell did he mean by that?

‘D’you want me to help you with the salad?’ I ask.

She shakes her head and tips the salad from the colander into a bowl, before wrapping it with cling film. ‘No, that’s fine, Grace. Why don’t you go and relax, you need to take some time out after what happened to you yesterday?’

I bite my lip. God, she’s really not making this easy. I make sure no one’s standing in the hallway; people must either be upstairs or in the dining room. I have no idea where Oliver is. Maybe he’s gone into town. It’ll be a blessing if he has. ‘Eve, last night, you said to me you were scared. What did you mean?’

‘I don’t know what you’re talking about, Grace,’ Eve says, grabbing a chopping board from the cupboard underneath the sink and placing it on the work surface. She picks out an onion from the brown bag sitting on the floor, still smiling.

I shake my head. ‘I think you do, Eve, you were crying into my shoulder.’

‘Look, Grace, I was just upset about what had happened to you yesterday. That’s what frightened me. It was a terrible day for all of us.’

I take a step towards her, the smell of onion hitting me in the face, immediately making my eyes water as Eve begins to slice it. ‘Eve, it wasn’t because of what happened yesterday. You were scared about something else.’

‘I can’t talk to you here,’ she hisses, which makes me take a step back. ‘Wait until tonight, Grace, please.’

The sound of people talking reaches me from the hallway. I nod. ‘Yeah, of course, we’ll speak later.’

Eve goes back to chopping the onion as Abigail and another woman with brown hair, who I haven’t spoken to yet properly, enters the room. I slip into the dining room before they can stop to talk to me. Where the hell is Mary with Callum?

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) - renamed Grace by Oliver Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 75
His Silence - Chapter 74

By Jacob1395

Warning: The author has noted that this contains the highest level of language.

I was right about Oliver going into town earlier. He pulls up outside the front of the house at midday. He doesn’t even come into the house; instead Oliver walks round the side and straight to the annexe, hands buried in his pocket. Where’s he been? Perhaps he just fancied going for a walk somewhere. There’s no way he could’ve heard me go into the annexe earlier, if he had then I’m sure he would’ve stopped talking to Mary.

‘Hey.’ I jump as Callum’s voice reaches me.

He saunters into the living room, a big smile on his face.

‘Jesus, you frightened me,’ I say to him.

I’m sitting on the sofa, Mum’s diary in hand. I’d spent the last hour or so going through it, from beginning to end, reading every entry. It’s the first time, since Oliver gave it to me, that I’ve had a proper chance to go through it.

‘Sorry, you did look a little lost in thought there. What’s on your mind?’ he asks.

'Nothing much, I just spotted Oliver getting back, he’s headed straight round to the annexe. Have you just finished with Mary? Eve said you were with her earlier.’

‘Oh, yeah, yeah we had a good session actually,’ he says.

I frown at him, thinking back to my own sessions with Oliver. ‘A good session, so I take it she’s trying out these stupid exercises with you as well?’

He shakes his head. ‘It’s not just that, and they’re not stupid, Grace.’ I flinch as he calls me by the name Oliver keeps insisting on.

‘Why are you calling me by that name?’ I ask.

‘What do you mean?’ he says, sitting next to me.

‘You know my name’s Danielle, don’t you start falling in line with everyone else.’

He bites his lower lip. Jesus, what’s Mary been saying to him?

‘So, have you found anything else from your mum’s diary?’ he asks, seemingly brushing off my question. God, at this rate I’m going to have to make sure I keep drumming it into him.

‘Um, no, nothing much. Back then, when she was pregnant with me, she seemed to be head over heels in love with this place, there’s nothing to suggest what was to come in the future. She doesn’t have a bad thing to say about Oliver, but, there’s this person’s name, which keeps cropping up, Gavin. No one’s mentioned this guy’s name since we’ve come here. He must’ve been a resident here at the time, for example here.’

I flick through the pages of the book until I find the page I’m looking for. I pass the diary to Callum; I can still see the text.

Chatted with Gavin today at lunch about Grace. Gavin spoke to me about Harvey though as well, telling me how important it is for us to show as much attention to Harvey when the new baby arrives. Children, especially boys, can go off the rails if it seems to them as though they’ve been pushed to the side and forgotten about. Of course, I’m never going to allow that to happen, but it is going to be hard with the new baby and having to entertain Harvey. I don’t think Harvey quite understands what’s coming.

Callum shrugs. ‘I don’t know; perhaps he left here a few years ago, or he could’ve died, you just don’t know. This all took place years ago.’

I picture Mum speaking to this man at the dining table, even though I’ve no idea what he looks like.

‘No one’s mentioned him though, have they?’ I say. ‘People have spoken to me about my parents and Harvey, but not him.’

‘I don’t know,’ Callum says, handing the book back to me. ‘Perhaps Oliver and Mary are right; perhaps you need to focus more on the present.’

I stare at him. ‘What the hell, Callum, you know the reason why I came here,’ I say to him, standing up from the sofa.

‘I know, but remember when I said to you that finding out the truth might make you angrier,’ he says.

‘What’s Mary said to you?’ I say. This isn’t him, this isn’t Callum speaking. I curl my fists.

Callum stands up. ‘I’m only trying to help you,’ he says.

‘No, you’re not,’ I say, my spittle flying out. 

‘Danielle, please, I . . .’

‘Just leave me alone,’ I say, tears brimming in my eyes.

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) - renamed Grace by Oliver Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 76
His Silence - Chapter 75

By Jacob1395

Callum and I don’t speak for the rest of the afternoon. He sat beside Eve at lunch. I chose to sit beside Oliver, I didn’t want to be anywhere near Callum, God he’s never made me feel like this before. How could Callum say to me I need to forget about the past? The only reason he came here was to help me. Mary must’ve said something to him during their session. He hasn’t even told me how often they’ve been having these sessions for.

It’s half past nine when we begin to clear the plates away after dinner. I haven’t even managed to speak to Callum about what I overheard Oliver and Mary talking about earlier. Perhaps it’ll make him think twice about listening to her if he knows what Oliver said. Keep working on Callum. They’re trying to turn him against me. Whatever Mary’s saying to him it’s beginning to have an effect.

Eve’s scrubbing at a bowl in the sink when I make my way into the kitchen.

‘Y’know you should wear gloves,’ I say, remembering Emma telling me the same thing to me years ago. ‘Otherwise your skin will go red raw.’

‘I’m nearly finished,’ she says, going once again around the bowl before placing it on the drying up rack.

‘Well, I think I’m gonna head up soon, are you going to join me?’ I say.

She turns round. She’s trying to think of some sort of excuse not to.

‘Let me see if Mary wants anything more done down here first then I’ll come up, you go up first.’

‘You are still going to talk to me about –'

‘I’ll be up in a minuet, Grace,’ she says, water slopping over the side of the sink and onto the floor.

She isn’t looking me in the eye. I leave her in the kitchen, my chest tight. Everyone else is beginning to make their way up the stairs, even though it’s still fairly early. There’s no way I would be going up to bed at this time if I was at home. Perhaps people still don’t feel like hanging around at the moment, after what happened yesterday.

Abigail and Isaac are at the top of the stairs speaking to each other. The moment they spot me coming up, they move in the direction of their room. They don’t even say goodnight to me. They’re next door to Noah’s old room. They must’ve heard something from that night. If anyone had gone into his room they would’ve had to have unlocked it, unless Mary deliberately kept it unlocked. I picture the police speaking to them both, I’m sure they would’ve found it easy keeping straight faces when they lied.

As I edge further along the corridor, my phone bleeps in my pocket. I fish it out, it’s Max. I wait until I’m in Eve’s room before I read it, I can’t risk anyone looking over my shoulder and seeing the message.

            From: Max Hardy

            To: Danielle Olsen

            Date: 24 June 2024 at 21:15

            Subject: Oliver Adams

            Sorry for the radio silence, I’ve been trying to see if I can get anywhere with the information you gave me, which was definitely a lot more useful than what you gave me before. I’ve just sent off a form to one of the local archive centres in Leigh on Sea, which looks after old records, I should hopefully hear back from them within a couple of days.  

Another couple of days. I clench my phone. Max doesn’t know where I am, I haven’t told him. He probably thinks I’m safe at home. If he knew what’s really been going on he would’ve been pressing to get the results quicker. I think of Callum and the way how he was with me earlier. I kick the bottom of the bedside cabinet and wince as my toe strikes the corner. There’s got to be some way Max can get this sped up.

I’m about to send a reply when movement out in the corridor makes me jump. It’s Eve. She’s standing in the doorway, twirling her finger in her hair. I thought it was going to be another half an hour or so before she was up.

‘Have you used the bathroom, yet?’ she asks, her eyes flicking to the floor then to me.

I shake my head. ‘No, not yet, I –’

‘I’ll nip in now and use it if you don’t mind,’ she says.

She dashes back down the corridor. I step outside and peer after her. It’s like she’s terrified to be in the same room as me. She opens the bathroom door and slips in, avoiding my eye contact. What’s got into her?

It’s ten p.m. when Mary comes round to check on us. I’m lying underneath my duvet, pulling it tight to my neck. The wind batters against the window. There must be a crack in the wall somewhere because I can hear it whistling.

‘Do you think you might want to move back into the annexe tomorrow, Grace?’ Mary asks, smiling.

‘Oh, um.' I look across at Eve; she’s turned away from me so she’s facing the wall. ‘If you think it’s OK.’

‘I’m sure it will be,’ says Mary. ‘You could’ve moved back into the annexe tonight, but I think tomorrow will be for the best. Good night.’

She pulls the door, the key twists in the lock from the other side. I lie awake, staring at the ceiling.

‘Eve,’ I whisper. She doesn’t reply. I sit up in bed, scrunching my duvet. ‘Eve, talk to me, please.’

She turns to face me. ‘What is it, what do you want me to talk to you about?’ she asks, her voice coming out neutral.

‘I need to know what you were going to tell me yesterday,’ I say. ‘You said this morning you would talk to me this evening.’

‘Look, Grace, I’m sorry if I led you to think there was something I was upset about, but the truth is I’m fine. You need to stop asking questions. I’m going to sleep.’

I listen to the silence around me, tension thrumming in my chest. Why is Eve lying to me?

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) - renamed Grace by Oliver Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 77
His Silence - Chapter 76

By Jacob1395

There’s no further update from Max when I wake the next morning. I sigh. He might not find anything. It could take more than a couple of days for him to get a response. I swing my legs over the side of the bed, placing my feet on the soft carpet. Eve isn’t in her bed. I didn’t hear her when she got out of bed yesterday morning, she must creep out to avoid disturbing me. I leave the room, dive into the bathroom, then sling on a fresh pair of clothes. Most of my stuff is still out in the annexe, I’d only grabbed a couple of things when I was told to stay in Eve’s room. I’m going to have to clear my stuff out of Eve’s room tonight; I bet she’s pleased she no longer has to share with me.

Downstairs Callum’s already sitting at the table. Eve and Mary are both sitting beside him. Mary turns around.

‘Oh, morning, Grace,’ Mary says, taking a bite of her toast.

Callum looks over at me. He’ll be remembering what I said to him at dinner yesterday. I don’t want things to awkward between us. Perhaps he’s already said something to Mary about our argument. No, there’s no way he would’ve done that.

‘Morning,’ I say, sitting beside Eve, doing my best to smile.

Eve doesn’t say anything to me.

‘Right, that’s me finished,’ Mary says, taking a final bite of her toast. The tangy scent of marmalade hits me. ‘I’ll see you in an hour, Callum.’

I wait for her to leave the room before speaking. I’m just going to have to put up with Eve sitting next to me; it doesn’t look like she’s going to move any time soon.

‘I’m sorry about yesterday, Callum,’ I say.

He smiles at me. ‘Don’t worry about it, Grace.’

I want to say I’m worried about him, there’s no way he should be having anymore sessions with Mary, but I don’t want to say anything in front of Eve. I can’t understand her at the moment. One moment she’s sobbing into my shoulder telling me how frightened she is, and the next she’s telling me everything’s fine and there’s nothing to worry about.

‘Are you helping out with the shopping today?’ I ask, helping myself to some toast and scrambled egg.

‘I think so,’ he says. ‘Eve and I will be; you’re more than welcome to help out if you want, Grace.’

‘I’d like that,’ I say. Eve finishes her bowl of cereal and gets up from her seat. She slinks off into the kitchen without a word, not even to Callum. Is she annoyed because I’ve said I would join them later? I move into her seat and lean in close to him. ‘Callum, how often are you having these sessions with Mary now?’

‘Erm, once a day,’ he says, picking up his coffee. ‘It’s normally in the morning before lunch, why do you ask?’

‘I think you’ve got to be really careful, yesterday, I . . . I overheard Mary and Oliver talking.’

He stares at me. ‘Where was this?’

‘Out in the annexe, I went there yesterday to get Mum’s diary and heard them talking. Whatever it is they’re trying to do, it’s like they’re trying to turn us against each other.’

Callum clutches my hand. ‘I won’t let that happen, Danielle,’ he says. I breathe a sigh of relief; at least he’s calling me by my name. What made him call me Grace though? It must’ve been something Mary said to him during their session.

It strikes me I still haven’t told him about Max. He doesn’t even know I spoke to him a couple of weeks ago before we came here.

‘Look, I’m speaking to someone who might be able to help us,’ I say.

He fixes his eyes on mine, frowning. ‘Who?’

‘He’s . . . he’s a podcaster, years ago he did a podcast about my family’s case, but I spoke to him before we came here and . . .’

‘You spoke to him?’ Callum says, pulling away from me.

‘It’s alright, he won’t publicise anything about this,’ I say. ‘But I’ve asked him to look into Oliver for me, I gave him the information Sarah gave me when she came back yesterday, but it might take him a couple of days to get anywhere with it.’

‘Why didn’t you tell me?’ he asks.

‘Because I wasn’t sure how you would react,’ I say. ‘You’ve always warned me about speaking to journalists, and true crime enthusiasts, but Max isn’t like them. He wants to help. He’s not after anything in return.’

‘Except the amount of publicity working with you will get him.’

‘He’s not after publicity, Callum, he was . . . when he first produced a podcast about my family he was threatened and was asked to take all the episodes down, I only had them because I downloaded them at the time,’ I say.

‘Who was he threatened by?’

I want to say Oliver, but I keep the thought to myself; I still have no proof of that.

‘He’s not sure.’

‘Well, he must know who threatened him.’

‘He doesn’t know, Callum. He was terrified about posting anything about what happened to my family again. It made him think that perhaps he'd stumbled across something by mistake that might've blown the case wide open.’

‘Why did you speak to him in the first place?’ Callum says, keeping his voice calm.

I keep my eye on the living room door, but it remains shut.

‘Because I wanted to know if he had any more information about Ian, the third man who Harvey’s supposed to have killed, the guy who Oliver says spread poison about him to my parents. Max was all set to produce another podcast about him, but that was when these people started threatening him.’

Callum shakes his head. ‘You should’ve told me this before we came here.’

‘I’m sorry,’ I say.

‘So, did he find out anything about Ian?’

‘He wasn’t able to find much, the only other thing he managed to find out about the case, was from a former police officer. This police officer told him that the DNA of an unidentified third person was found at the scene, if this third person was there the night of the murders, then it could help prove Harvey’s innocence.’

Callum puffs out his cheeks. ‘That’s a big if, Danielle.’

‘I know,’ I say. At least Callum’s not telling me to move on from the past like he was yesterday. ‘But it’s something, something that might chime with what Harvey was telling me. The police will still have that DNA on file; if it’s from someone here then the police will be able to prove that.’

Callum rubs his chin. ‘I think I better get going otherwise Mary’s gonna come looking for me.’

I nod. ‘I guess I’ll see you on the bus into town later then?’

He picks up his plate. ‘Keep me updated on whatever this guy finds out.’

He takes his plate through into the kitchen, leaving me on my own at the table.

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) - renamed Grace by Oliver Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 78
His Silence - Chapter 77

By Jacob1395

It’s eleven o’clock when we’re ready to go into town. I climb into my seat on the bus beside Callum. He’s glancing out of the window keeping his gaze fixed on the house. There’s something up with him. He hasn’t even said hi, and this is the first time I’ve seen him since breakfast. Mary gets into the driver’s seat and switches the engine on, before fastening her seatbelt.

‘How did it go?’ I ask Callum, making sure Mary’s preoccupied so she doesn’t hear us talking. At least we're sitting at the back of the bus. No one appears to be paying us any attention.

He looks back towards me and shakes his head. His eyes are wet. I've only seen him cry a couple of times before. ‘I’ll talk to you later, when we get back.’ His voice cracks as he speaks which sends a shiver racing up my spine. What’s Mary said to him?

We don’t speak for the rest of the journey into town. I can tell Callum’s fighting to keep the tears in, he keeps wiping his sleeve against them. Every now and again Callum keeps glancing across at the people sitting to the other side of us, and towards Mary. Something’s happened. She’s said something to him. I curl my fists. I want to ask him what they talked about but I know I’ll have to wait. I’ll make sure I ask him the moment we’re back at the house.

Seagulls are fighting over a dead fox on the road as Mary swings the van into a car park; they don’t even seem bothered by the van passing them by. One of the birds yanks something away from the animal and flutters into the sky, their big white wings carrying them off. Once the engines died, I unbuckle my seatbelt and get up from my seat. We file off the bus in an orderly fashion, and once I’m by the door; I’m hit by the bracing sea air. The sound of people chatting catches my attention. There are a couple of twenty-odd year olds, wearing hooded dark jackets, looking in our direction, standing by their bikes, grinning as Mary parks up. It’s like they already knew we were going to be here. We must come around the same time every week; someone watching us would easily be able to take note. I look away. Please don’t say they’re going to start jeering at us.

‘Everyone all OK?’ Mary calls out once we’re all off the bus. Either she hasn’t noticed the group of lads still staring at us, or she doesn’t care. She doesn’t once look in their direction. ‘Right, let’s go.’

Mary leads the way, taking the same route to the shops we took last week, through a side alley, past a couple of greasy spoons, where men wearing green uniforms are hanging outside. If we were in London, we wouldn’t look too out of place; people might think we’re a tourist group following a guide, but not here in Southend. It reminds me of the school trips I used to go on, our teacher would tower above us and make sure we followed her in a straight line; we had to wear the same colour hat so she didn’t lose us. We must look a strange sight to people. It’s like we’re playing a game of follow the leader. Mary’s our shepherd and we’re her sheep.

We break into the High Street, the bright sunshine making my eyes squint. Beside me, Callum stiffens. He’s looking straight ahead. I follow his line of sight and freeze. Abraham’s lumbering towards us, tears streaming down his face. He’s still in the same clothes he left in yesterday. There’s dried blood on his shirt. What time did he end up getting into town after Oliver expelled him? Did he manage to find somewhere to stay last night?

‘Mary . . . Mary please,’ he says, ambling closer towards us. Is he drunk? I move slightly behind Callum. He better not see me, I’ve no idea how he’ll react if he does; Abraham’s going to blame me for what happened to him. ‘I’m sorry, you’ve got to let me come back, I understand what I did was wrong. I’m sorry, but she’s the fault of all this if you hadn’t allowed her to come back.’

Mary strides over to him, grabs him by the collar and whispers something into his ear I can’t hear. ‘I won’t be one moment,’ she calls out to us, still in her same cheery voice.

My heart thumps in my ears as I watch Mary drag Abraham over to a coffee shop. A couple of people sitting in the window look at them as they enter, grimacing. Mary directs Abraham towards a seat at the back and goes to the counter. He’s not seen me. Thank God. A few people are watching us now; one guy’s even got his phone out, holding it brazenly out for everyone to see. This better not end up on Tik Tok. Another person leans into someone else to say something, they both snigger at us.

‘C’mon,’ Callum says, pulling me towards the M&S supermarket. ‘We need to get out of here.’

I glance back over my shoulder towards the coffee shop as we dive into the store but Mary and Abraham have disappeared from my line of vision. At least no one else appears to be paying us any attention. I turn my head back and focus on the aisle ahead of us, breathing in the different scents of herbs and fresh vegetables. I take hold of Callum’s hand and he squeezes mine.

Mary doesn’t reappear until we’re heading back for the mini bus. I’m holding onto two shopping bags, already my arms are beginning to strain. I want to keep my distance from the group, but there’s no way I can. We need to get back to the house; I need to ask Callum what’s going on. Mary’s keeping her head down, hands buried in her pockets. It doesn’t look like she’s going to tell us what she and Abraham discussed, but I’ve no doubt she’ll be telling Oliver back at the house. She’ll be thinking about what they spoke about now. Is she thinking that’s the end of it? What the hell’s happened to Abraham? She must’ve sent him on his way somewhere. Perhaps she told him to seek help.

It’s as we get to the entrance of the car park Mary stops. Her gaze is fixed on the mini bus. Someone’s spray painted the word, “Freaks,” on each side of the van in red spray paint. My knees shake. I think of the people who were here in the car park when we arrived. It could only have been them.

‘Get into the bus everyone, now,’ Mary spits the words out.

We load the shopping into the back of the minibus, and file in. No one speaks. Mary slams the door after the last person and buckles herself into the driver’s seat. The engine revs as she turns the vehicle on.

‘It was one of those lads we saw, I’m sure,’ I say to Callum as Mary pulls the minibus onto the road, ignoring the blare of a horn of the car she pulled out onto.

Callum doesn’t say anything. Instead he stares straight ahead. 

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) - renamed Grace by Oliver Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 79
His Silence - Chapter 78

By Jacob1395

I drink in greedy gulps of fresh air as I climb out of the minibus and hold my hand to my forehead. At least we’re back. No one spoke during the journey. The atmosphere in the bus was horrible; Mary kept revving the engine, in my head all I could think of was our speed creeping over the limit. There’s no way Mary’s going to want to report what’s happened to the police, someone’s going to have to clean the spray paint, if they can. She won’t want the police turning up here again.

‘Grace, will you help with the shopping?’ someone calls to me from the back of the minibus.

‘Yeah, sure, won’t be one moment,’ I reply.

I let out a steady breath as my eyes flicker over the spray paint on the side of the minibus. I turn my gaze away and race towards the boot where people are helping to get out shopping. No one’s talking about what happened. I suspect it’ll ripple around the house once everyone’s inside.

‘You alright?’ Callum asks, taking two bags from the boot. His eyes are still a little red from when he was crying earlier.

‘Yeah, fine,’ I reply, picking up a couple of bags. It’s him I’m worried about. Can’t he see that?

‘Just carry all of the bags straight inside, I need to speak to Oliver,’ Mary says, climbing out of the mini bus and flinging her door shut.

Eve steps out of the house as Mary races past her, her eyes big and wide. Eve frowns at us, and then her hand flies to her mouth.

‘What happened?’ she asks, stepping out onto the driveway.

‘We reckon it was a couple of idiots; they seemed to be waiting for us in the car park,’ Callum says as we head towards her. I shiver as I remember the two guys I saw, and the grins on their faces. They planned this. They were waiting for us. ‘God that was embarrassing having to drive back here with those words spray painted on the side.’

‘What about Mary though, she seemed pretty upset?’ Eve asks, glancing back over her shoulder. Mary’s disappeared. She must’ve gone straight to the annexe.

‘Well, yeah, because of what happened to the bus,’ Callum says, looking back over his shoulder.

I frown at Callum, how could he speak to Eve like that, she was only asking a question?

Eve takes a step back. ‘No, I mean, this sort of stuff has happened to us before, so she knows how to deal with it, but there was something else bothering her, I could see it in her face. It wasn’t just the spray paint.’

‘Oh, that might be because of Abraham,’ I reply, glaring at Callum. He’s glancing into the house over Eve’s shoulder. What’s he thinking?

Eve stares at me, her eyes wide. ‘Abraham.’

‘He accosted us in the High Street, begged Mary to allow him to let him come back,’ I say.

‘What . . . what did Mary say?’ Eve asks, her voice coming out in a tremor.

I shrug. Callum’s fixing his gaze on the gravel now, biting his lip. I focus on Eve. ‘None of us know, she took him into a coffee shop to talk to him and didn’t tell us. We didn’t see him when we came out of the supermarket.’ Eve shakes her head, turns and runs back towards the house. What the hell? ‘Eve wait.’

Callum and I race after her, dumping the shopping bags in the hallway. Eve heads up the stairs brushing past someone on her way up, the woman stares at us frowning. I ignore her.

‘Eve, hold on,’ Callum says.

She pelts down the hallway and into her room, flinging her door shut behind her. Callum and I both reach her bedroom, breathing hard. What the hell’s going on?

I knock on the door, looking towards the bathroom to make sure no one’s watching us. ‘Eve,’ I say, doing my best to keep my voice calm.

‘Leave me alone,’ she shouts, her voice coming out choked.

I ignore her and ease the door open, pushing it shut behind me once Callum and I are inside. Someone’s bound to have heard us. They’ll tell Mary something’s going on. Eve’s lying face down on her bed, her face buried in her pillows.

‘Eve what is it?’ I ask, taking a step towards her.

She doesn’t reply. Callum sits on the edge of her bed.

‘Eve, you can trust us, it’s OK,’ he says. At least the animosity in his voice from earlier has gone.

Eve lifts her face off the pillow and sits up, brushing her hair out of her eyes.

‘I thought Abraham was gone, that he wasn’t coming back,’ she says, wiping her eyes.

I frown at Callum. This is about Abraham? ‘He is gone, there’s no way Oliver’s gonna want him back here,’ I say.

She shakes her head. ‘You don’t understand,’ she says, scrunching her duvet cover in her hand.

I rub my shoulder. Was this what she wanted to talk to me about when she told me she was scared?

‘Eve, talk to us, we can help,’ I say. She has to tell me what’s going on.

Eve wipes her eyes. ‘When I first came here two years ago, Abraham, he . . . he sort of became fixated on me, followed me everywhere, insisted on doing tasks with me. At first I thought he was just being friendly.’ I think back to how Abraham was with me when I first came here and shiver. It had been enough to give me the creeps. ‘It was a while before he first spoke to me, but then he became pushy with me, saying we were meant to be soul partners, but I didn’t feel the same way about him. I was scared Mary and Oliver were going to start encouraging me to . . . this went on for months, I . . . I was terrified he would come into my room, and . . .’ she lets out a shaky breath. ‘That’s when I spoke to Mary about it, and that’s when she started locking the doors of a night. I think she had a word with him and he sort of backed off after that, but I could always feel him watching me.’

‘Eve I’m so sorry,’ I say. My heart bangs against my ribs. God, I feel bad now for pressing her to talk to me. This would have been eating away inside her.

‘I thought, after what happened between you and him that he was gone for good, but what if they . . . what if they let him come back?’ Tears fall down her cheeks.

I kneel beside her bed, take hold of her hand and look her straight in the eye. ‘Eve they won’t, you should’ve seen the look on Mary’s face when she saw him, she was disgusted to see him, most likely she took him to the coffee shop and gave him a stern talking to. There’s no way she wants him back here.’ I picture the two of them sitting in the shop together. What did they discuss, what was Abraham’s reaction?

Eve shakes her head. ‘You don’t know for certain, Oliver has a habit of forgiving people. If he hears about the state you saw Abraham in, he might . . .’

I purse my lips. I thought Eve loved this place, I thought this was a sanctuary for her after what happened in her past. Now, it seems she wants to leave. Does she?

‘Eve, do you know what happened to my family?’ I ask. My heart’s banging hard now, so hard I find it impossible Eve and Callum can’t hear it.

She looks at me, tears shining in her eyes and nods. ‘Oliver told me about what your brother did,’ she says. ‘He told me how you all used to live here.’ So Oliver’s still telling everyone it was my brother who murdered my parents.

‘Eve, I came here because I want to find out the truth about what happened to my family. If we find that, then we can leave, we can . . .’

‘But where would I go?’ Eve asks, shaking her head. ‘I’ve got nowhere.’

‘You can come with us,’ I say. ‘Eve, if you help me, I promise we’ll help you.’

Eve wipes her eyes. ‘OK,’ she says. ‘But, I don’t know what I can do . . . I –’

‘Don’t worry, Eve, we’ll get through this we will,’ I say, squeezing her hand.

Eve’s story about Abraham revolves around inside my head. How the hell did he come to find this place?

I swallow. I better be right. There’s no way Mary and Oliver are going to welcome Abraham back. Surely they can't. 

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) - renamed Grace by Oliver Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 80
His Silence - Chapter 79

By Jacob1395

Warning: The author has noted that this contains the highest level of language.

I hold my phone tight for the rest of the afternoon, expecting to hear from Max any second, nothing comes through. What if the address he’s sent the query to at the archive centre isn’t working anymore? There might not even be anyone there to see the email.

It’s mine and Callum’s turn to help with the washing up after dinner this evening. Everyone else is still in the dining room chatting, at least they seem to have forgotten, or moved on from what happened to the mini bus today. I didn’t notice anyone go out and try and clean the spray paint off earlier.

‘You were gonna talk to me about how you got on with Mary earlier on,’ I say, placing a plate on the washing up rack. My heart begins to thump hard against my chest.

Callum looks over his shoulder, pursing his lips.

‘It got really weird this morning,’ he says, rubbing his neck.

‘Weird how?’ I ask.

He turns his attention back to the sink. ‘She started talking about my family and your family; I remembered what you’d said about hearing her speaking to Oliver, but . . .  God, it was so convincing the way she came out with it. I had to keep focusing on what you told me. I just pretended to go along with what she was saying.’

‘What did she say?’ I ask, lowering my voice.

There’s a burst of laughter coming from the living room, but no one comes into the kitchen. My heart rate continues to increase. Callum’s not looking at me in the eye, it’s like he’s trying to work out if he should tell me or not. Come on, Callum, say something. Please.

‘She was going on about . . . about Dad being the reason Mum died.’

‘What?’

‘Keep your voice down,’ he hisses. ‘She was quite intense about it, not gentle at all.’

‘Fuck,’ I say.

‘She said if he’d been stronger he could’ve saved her.’

I shake my head. ‘You know that’s not true, Callum, don’t you?’

‘I don’t know what to think,’ he murmurs.

I place my gloved hand on his shoulder. ‘Callum, you can’t seriously be thinking that what she’s telling you is true, are you?’

‘But what if it is? I was only four at the time Mum died, I can’t really remember, what . . . perhaps Dad missed certain signs, if he’d been . . .’

‘Your mum died from cancer, Callum, there was nothing your dad, or the doctors could’ve done, it was terminal, you know this. Mary’s trying to mess with your head; you know how much your dad loves you.’

Tears form in his eyes. ‘It went on for about an hour,’ he says, wiping his face. ‘I had to splash my face in cold water afterwards it was that intense.’ I yank off the washing up gloves and sling them on the counter. Callum frowns at me. ‘What are you doing?’

‘I’m gonna message Max, see if he’s heard anything, the waiting’s driving me insane.’ I’m not going to allow Mary to tell Callum his dad is responsible for what happened to his mum. She knows nothing. There’s no way I’m going to let her get inside Callum’s head.

‘Danielle, it’s only been a day since you spoke to him,’ he says.

‘I know and look what’s happened since,’ I say. I type out a message to him and press send. He can’t be having second thoughts about helping me because of what happened to him in the past, can he? ‘If we don’t find out the truth we’re not going to be able to leave, we’ll be putting our families in danger if we do.’

The door to the kitchen open and Abigail enters, carrying a glass of water.

‘Oh, Callum, you’re in here, Mary would like to have a word with you,’ she says, a slight hint of curiosity to her voice.

I freeze. Callum continues to dry the glass he’s holding. ‘What now?’ he asks, his eyes flickering between me and her.

Say you feel ill, say can it wait until tomorrow; I try to urge Callum, fixing my gaze on him. He keeps his eyes fixed on Abigail.

‘Yes, she’s in the dining room, I’ll help Grace with the rest of the washing up.’ Abigail breezes over towards me, and places her glass on the kitchen table.

Don’t go Callum, don’t go. He wipes his hands down his trousers.

‘See you later,’ he grumbles.

He crosses the kitchen and heads into the living room. He’s walking straight into Mary’s arms; she’s going to turn his head. I’m going to lose him.

‘So, how are you feeling after what happened today, Grace?’ Abigail asks, picking up a plate Callum left on the draining board.

‘Oh, I . . .’ she’s the first person who’s mentioned what happened since we got back. No one spoke about it at dinner. ‘Fine, I guess, a bit shaken up.’

‘People just don’t understand us,’ Abigail says, scrunching the cloth in the sink tighter. ‘They think stuff goes on here when it doesn’t. We’re a family, but then you know that, don’t you?’

‘Yes, I do,’ I reply, my cheeks burning. It was a mistake to come here. I should never have dragged Callum into this. ‘Has Mary or Oliver never reported this sort of thing to the police?’

Abigail shakes her head. ‘Oh no, it’s not worth getting the police involved, they’ll only give the people who did it a slap on the wrist anyway. It’s far better to not let it bother us. We can show them then that we’re stronger than they are.’

I focus on the pots still in the washing up bowl. What the hell is Mary saying to Callum now?

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) - renamed Grace by Oliver Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 81
His Silence - Chapter 80

By Jacob1395

Warning: The author has noted that this contains the highest level of language.

There’s a shimmer of mist outside when I head to the annexe, bathed in the silver glow of the moonlight. The cold’s beginning to creep beneath my clothes. I hug my arms to my chest. We’re supposed to be heading into July and yet it feels like we’re in winter. I’d darted into the living room after finishing the washing up, thinking Callum must be finished with Mary, but couldn’t him. I’d asked Abigail where they were and she’d said they were having a chat, like it was no big deal. Mary’s probably planting more ideas into Callum’s head. God, what if she’s thinking that working with him at night, when he might be tired, might make him more susceptible to her suggestions. He needs to remember what I said to him this morning. I need him.

The sound of the willow tree whistling reaches my ear as I dive into the annexe, breathing hard. There’s no sound coming from Oliver’s room. I head straight into my room. The blood's still there on the carpet, of course it would still be there, it was only earlier on this morning I saw it. I thought, after our conversation with Eve this afternoon, she might ask Mary, or Oliver, if I could still share her room tonight, but she didn’t.

My phone bleeps in my pocket. I pull it out. It’s Max.

            From: Max Hardy

            To: Danielle Olsen

            Date: 25th June 2024 at 21:30

            Subject: Oliver Adams

            Hi Danielle,

            Sorry for taking the time to get back to you. This is what the archive centre managed to find, I had to pay extra for an express turnaround for them to get it to me a soon. There are few newspaper articles about the crash Oliver was involved in, some of which make some interesting reading. Anyway, I hope this is what you’re looking for.

He’s actually found something. I click on the first link he’s sent me. It’s a PDF. The date at the top of the article is the 29th November 1990.

I begin to read.

Yesterday evening on the 28th November 1990 at 10 pm a young woman in her early thirties, was pronounced dead at the scene following a horrific car crash on Marine Parade. No other vehicle was involved. Another person, also in the same car as the woman was injured, but it is not believed their injuries are life threatening. While an investigation is ongoing and the road remains closed, it is believed that this was sadly a tragic accident.

This would’ve been in just a small section of the newspaper. There’s no wonder it wasn’t uploaded online.

I turn to the next article, fingers trembling. It’s from a week after the date of the crash.

            VIGIL HELD FOR SANDRA ADAMS

            Last night at 10pm, at approximately the same time a horrific car accident took place on the 28th November, a vigil was held for Sandra Adams, who sadly passed away at the scene. Sandra was a well-known and well-liked figure in the community, often helping out at the local food bank. She also had a part time job at St Francis Hospice, where she worked three times a week. More than one hundred people attended the vigil, which was led by the Reverend Thomas Smith of St. Clement’s Church and Sandra’s husband, Oliver, who she only married two years ago. Supporting Oliver was his half-brother Gavin Burns.

What the hell? My hearts banging against my chest. Gavin Burns. The name Gavin kept popping up in Mum’s diary. It’s got to be the same person . . .  it’s got to be. Shit, he’s Oliver’s half-brother. There’s a black and white photograph of the vigil at the bottom of the page. I recognise Oliver straight away; he hasn’t changed much in the years since. Beside him there’s another person standing, hands clasped together in front of him, eyes glancing to his left at Oliver. No, it can’t be. I continue to stare at the image. It’s . . . Jesus Christ, it’s Ian. Gavin is Ian Jones.

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) - renamed Grace by Oliver Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 82
His Silence - Chapter 81

By Jacob1395

Warning: The author has noted that this contains the highest level of language.

That can’t be right. I’ve only seen a few photographs of Ian’s face before, printed in the media since the murders took place. They’re identical, aside from the fact the man in the photo in the paper looks a few years younger than the pictures of Ian I’ve seen. It’s him, it’s got to be. It’s the link I’ve been searching for. 

I send a reply to Max.

            To: Max Hardy

            From: Danielle Olsen

            Date: 25th June 2024 at 21:40

            Subject: Oliver Adams

            Bloody hell, can’t you see that Gavin, Oliver’s half-brother is Ian, the other man who Harvey’s supposed to have killed.

I return to Max’s first message and go to the next article. It was published another few days after the article about the vigil.

            SANDRA ADAM’S HUSBAND OLIVER QUESTIONED BY POLICE ABOUT HER DEATH

            Last night, Oliver Adams, the husband of Sandra Adams, who was killed last on Marine Parade last month, presented himself at the police station in Leigh for questioning. Officers held Mr Adams for several hours before he was allowed to leave. It’s believed he is helping the police with their enquiries at this stage, but this has been an interesting development as previously the police have said they believed this was a tragic accident. One local, who lived nearby the couple, had this to say, “I never liked him, I thought she made a mistake in choosing him, of course I couldn’t say that to her, especially when she seemed to head over heels in love with him.” Oliver’s brother, Gavin, spoke to the press outside the family home, where he has been staying to support his brother, and had this to say. “My brother is assisting the police in their enquiries; at this stage there is no evidence to suggest that this was anything other than an accident. I would ask that the press leave us alone so we can grieve in peace.” The Leigh Echo has contacted Essex Police for a comment.

A reply from Max pings on my phone.

            To: Danielle Olsen

            From: Max Hardy

            Date: 25 June 2024 at 21:45

            Subject: Oliver Adams

            Jesus, I didn’t even think of that. Bloody hell, that’s . . . God I can’t believe it.

I turn back to Max’s original email. There’s still another attachment I haven’t opened yet. I click on it, it feels like a cords wrapping itself tighter and tighter around my chest.

            FUNERAL HELD FOR SANDRA ADAMS

            At two p.m. yesterday, 5th January 1991, the funeral of Sandra Adams was held, a little over a month after she was tragically killed. Despite her husband, Oliver Adams having been questioned by the police, it appears they may have finally wrapped up their investigation. We spoke to PC Ben Parker who told us that they were satisfied all lines of enquiries had been pursued, and that it had been ruled that Sandra Adams had been killed as a result of a tragic accident. Oliver Adams has still made no comment to the media, despite being released by the police without any charges brought against him. 

There’s another photograph at the bottom of the article taken from outside the church. Oliver’s easy to spot; Gavin’s standing next to him. But there are . . . I nearly drop my phone. There are two people standing behind them. My parents. Of course, their names aren’t printed anywhere in the article. But it’s them. There would’ve been no reason for anyone to have discovered this before, without them knowing about the link to Oliver. Oliver must know about these reports, he would’ve read them at the time.

            I go back to Max’s message.

            To: Max Hardy

            From: Danielle Olsen

            Date: 25 June 2024 at 21:50

            Subject: Oliver Adams

            Was this all they had?

His reply comes back in seconds. He’ll be waiting by his phone now, eager to reply to me.

            To: Danielle Olsen

            From: Max Hardy

            Date: 25 June 2024 at 21:50

            Subject: Oliver Adams

            This was literally all they sent. Who is this bloke, Danielle, Oliver Adams? If he’s Ian’s brother, then he could unravel everything.

God what am I going to say to him? I type out a reply.

            To: Max Hardy

            From: Danielle Olsen

            Date: 25 June 2024 at 21:55

            Subject: Oliver Adams

            He used to know my parents. They were all living together at this house in Essex, Raven House. I’m here now.

I don’t have to wait long before he replies.

            To: Danielle Olsen

            From: Max Hardy

            Date: 25 June 2024 at 21:55

            Subject: Oliver Adams

            Jesus you’re there now!!!! Danielle your parents must’ve escaped that place for a reason, you need to get out.

I send a reply.

            To: Max Hardy

            From: Danielle Olsen

            Date: 25 June 2024 at 21:56

            Subject: Oliver Adams

            I know I do, but not until I find out the truth.

I pick up Mum’s diary which is sitting on my bedside cabinet and flick through. Mum didn’t write in it every day, just every other day. I turn to December 1990 and begin to read.

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) - renamed Grace by Oliver Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 83
His Silence - Chapter 82

By Jacob1395

December 1990

Sally lifts her mug of tea to her lips and takes a sip. She can’t believe what’s happened. It’s surreal, it’s like she’s slipped into a bad dream and can’t wake up. Oliver's wife’s dead. She can only imagine how she would feel if she was in his position; if Neil had died and she hadn’t. The guilt would be awful.

‘I didn’t know you and this bloke were so close,’ Neil says to her, raising an eyebrow.

She shakes her head. ‘He’s just; he’s just been really friendly. He was there for me when I needed a helping hand a couple of months ago. I . . . I need to do something to support him, he’ll be going out of his mind.’

Neil places his hands on her shoulders and she breathes in the woody scent of his Jo Malone aftershave; she buys him a bottle every Christmas, it’s the one thing she always knows to get him. ‘I think you should leave things be for now, if he wants to talk to you he will, but you don’t want to go barging in at a moment like this.’ There’s a knock on the door which makes Sally jump, Harvey murmurs in his crib but soon settles. ‘I’ll see who it is.’

Neil drifts towards the front door mumuring something to himself, leaving Sally in the kitchen. The front door opens and she hears Neil talking with someone. She doesn’t recognise the voice. Sally frowns and edges towards the hallway. The front door closes with a click. Neil comes back into the kitchen followed by a man wearing stocky Ted Baker coat. The man runs his hand through his thick wavy brown hair. His eyes are red.

‘Hi Sally,’ the man says. ‘I’m Gavin, Oliver’s half-brother.’

Sally clutches the edge of the seat under the kitchen table, remembering what Oliver said to her about his family. ‘He spoke to you about me?’ she asks.

‘He did, yes. I’m sorry for troubling you like this, but, I’m worried about him, he . . . he’s just sitting in the same seat not moving, he won’t eat, he won’t drink. I . . . he told me about your friendship and I was just wondering if perhaps . . . he might listen to you.’

Sally flickers her gaze to Neil. ‘Do you mind?’

Neil shakes his head. ‘No of course not, I’ll stay here with Harvey.’

Sally grabs her bag off the kitchen worktop. ‘OK, let’s go.’

She follows him out of the apartment pulling her purple coat off the hook. It’s a ten minute drive to Oliver’s house. She hasn’t been here yet. Whenever they’ve met, they’ve always met in town or on the promenade. She gazes up at the tall, white, semi-detached house. There’s a little pathway and a small garden. She takes a steady breath and gets out of the car, the biting wind stinging her cheeks as she does. They hurry up the front steps and Gavin slides the key into the lock. As Sally steps inside, soft music reaches her ears.

‘He’s in here,’ Gavin says, gesturing to the living room.

Sally takes in a deep breath and steps through. She’s in a small room with a couple of luxury looking sofas. She’d never get off them if she had a pair like that. There’s a coffee table in the middle of the room with a couple of magazines sitting on the top. Her eyes drift to the photos on the mantelpiece, Oliver and Sandra on their wedding day, beaming into the cameras. She swallows. He’s sitting in the armchair by the window, staring blankly ahead, he hasn’t even acknowledged her.

‘Oliver,’ she says, taking a step forward.

He looks up and his eyes fill with tears. ‘She’s gone, Sally, I . . . I don’t know what to do.’

Sally crosses the room and bends down. ‘Oliver, you need to . . . look it’s going to be really hard, of course it will be, but Sandra wouldn’t want you to be like this.’

He wipes his eyes and she squeezes his hand. ‘God, she would’ve been the stronger one out of the two of us. She would’ve known how to cope.’ He heaves a sob. ‘I told you about what happened to me in the past, I thought . . . I thought I’d found my happy ever after, you know.’

Gavin slips out of the room. In a few seconds the sound of a kettle roaring fills the house.

‘Oliver, I know it’s hard to believe at the moment, but things will get better. It’ll take time, but you will be able to live again,’ she says.

He nods. ‘Promise me you won’t leave me.’

Sally nods. ‘I’ll be here for you, Oliver, every step of the way. I promise.’

February 1991

Sally picks up her glass of wine and leans back in her seat. Oliver’s sitting opposite her; Neil opposite Gavin. Oliver places a final mouthful of spaghetti into his mouth and places his fork and knife down on the plate.

‘That was delicious, Sally, thank you.’

She beams at him. ‘You’re welcome; you know you and Gavin are more than welcome here anytime.’

She listens into Gavin and Neil talking about the recent Spurs game, they’ve actually hit it off. She's surprised. 

Oliver wipes his eyes. ‘Listen, um, Sally, I wanted to let you know that I’m . . . um, I’m thinking of selling.’

She raises an eyebrow. ‘Selling?’

He nods. ‘There are too many memories there, everything in that house, Sandra chose, I’m not saying I want to move a million miles away, but I think I’d still like to be close.’

‘I understand, have you, have you seen anywhere you like?’

Gavin and Neil have both stopped talking and are listening to them.

Oliver nods. ‘There’s this little farmhouse I really like; my therapist actually said to me that what I need is lots of fresh air, outdoor space, I know we’ve got that here in Southend, but I’d like to . . . well, I’ve always been obsessed with farm houses, believe it or not. Sandra and I were eventually going to . . .’ he breaks off.

‘I think it’s a wonderful idea, Oliver,’ Sally says, smiling. ‘But take things slowly, yes; don’t rush into anything that you might regret.’

Gavin half-chuckles. ‘That’s what I’ve been telling him.’

Oliver picks up his wine. ‘Hey, perhaps, I know you’ve said you guys fancy moving, perhaps we could move in together.’

Sally glances across at Neil. ‘Oh, um, maybe.’ Sally looks at her plate. ‘Why don’t we talk about that closer to the time?’ Harvey whimpers from his crib in his bedroom. Sally wipes her mouth with her napkin. ‘Sorry, I better check to make sure he’s OK, please help yourself to more wine.’

She gets up from her seat and drifts into their bedroom, wondering what living with Oliver would be like.

           

Author Notes

For people who have been following this story, I have decided to make a change and tell the diary extracts in this way to make it more immersive. Danielle's parents names, before they changed them to John and Laura Cole, were Sally and Neil. Characters: Danielle (protagonist) - renamed Grace by Oliver Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 84
His Silence - Chapter 83

By Jacob1395

Warning: The author has noted that this contains the highest level of language.

I close Mum’s diary, my body shaking. Oliver was the one who suggested they should live together. The farmhouse he spoke about, did he mean this place? The diary entries are getting fewer and fewer. This was still seven years before I was born. It’s hard to imagine Mum and Dad living this life before I was around. There’s a knock at the door which makes me jump. I clutch the diary.

‘Grace, are you in there?’ It’s Oliver. Damn.

I shove Mum’s diary in the drawer, my phone into my pocket and wrench the door open, heart thudding. Oliver’s staring at me, his face ashen 

‘What’s wrong?’ I say. Something’s happened. I can see it in his eyes.

‘I’m sorry, it’s . . . it’s Callum,’ he says, fear etched into his voice.

My stomach drops, I take a step back. No, I’ve misheard him. ‘What do you mean?’

Oliver wipes his mouth. ‘There’s been an incident up at the house, he’s been injured.’

Callum’s injured. Blood pumps harder around my body. ‘But . . . but, he was with Mary, wasn’t he, they were having another session?’ My feet won’t move, they remain frozen solid to the floor. This can’t be happening.

Oliver shakes his head. ‘I know, but, I’m afraid he, look I need to take you to him, now,’ he says, his voice coming out fast.

I dart out of the door after him, into the hallway, and out into the garden, my breath coming out fast and hard. Callum’s got to be alright, he can’t be hurt. An image of Noah’s body lying on the ground outside the house flickers through my mind. No don’t think like that. He’s going to be fine. I eye the area outside the house where Noah’s body was lying only last week and towards the vegetable patch where I always saw Abraham. I look away.

Cold air snakes into my lungs as we pelt back to the house, my feet slam into the gravel pathway kicking up dust. There’s still a slither of light outside. Most people will be in their rooms by now, their doors already locked for tonight. What time did Callum finish with Mary? Oliver pulls open the kitchen door.

‘Where is he?’ I ask, my voice coming out in a strangled cry.

‘This way,’ he says, heading towards the utility room. Why are we going down here?

Ahead of the corridor there’s a door. I stop. What the fuck? I didn’t see it the last time I was in here with Eve; it must’ve been covered up.

‘Oliver, what . . .’

‘This way,’ he says, not looking back over his shoulder.

I continue to follow, diving into the room beyond the door, my heart bouncing in my chest. I’m in a wide room, with concrete floor and concrete walls. It’s some sort of basement. There’s a body lying on the floor ahead of me.

‘Callum, Callum,’ I yell, flinging myself to the ground. He’s still breathing thank God. ‘What’s wrong with him? Shit, we need to call an ambulance,’ I shout.

Oliver’s staring at us.

‘He’ll be fine,’ Oliver says, like this is no big deal. ‘As you will be.’

Oliver marches back to the open door leading out into the utility room.

‘Oliver, no,’ I say, lurching forward.

I’m too late. Oliver pulls the door shut and a key turns in the lock. I bang my fists on the door so hard my knuckles turn red. ‘Oliver please why are you doing this?’ There’s no reply. I listen to the sound of his shoes slapping on the stone tiles outside as he makes his way into the kitchen. Will everyone upstairs in their rooms be able to hear my shouting? ‘Oliver, please come back, please.’ He doesn’t return. I dart back over to Callum. He’s got to wake up. He’s got to wake up. They must’ve given some sort of sedative. I can’t see that he’s been injured anywhere. ‘Callum, Callum, please, wake up.’ I say, tears streaming down my face. This can’t be happening. I slump to the floor and place my head in my hands.

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) - renamed Grace by Oliver Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 85
His Silence - Chapter 84

By Jacob1395

Warning: The author has noted that this contains the highest level of language.

I don’t have any signal in here, no matter how high I hold my phone. I can’t get hold of Max, let alone the police. Shit, I’ve got no way of calling for help. Max must’ve replied to my last message by now, but I wouldn’t know, not until I get signal. I thump my phone against my thigh and grit my teeth. It’s just gone one o’clock in the morning. I’m sitting against the wall, staring at the door ahead of me. There’s nothing I can do. There’s a steady, drip, drip, drip of water reaching my ears. But I can’t see where it’s coming from. Oliver’s going to leave me in here all night. This is my fault. I’ve put us both in danger.

There’s a groan to my left. It’s Callum. His eyes flicker open.

‘Jesus, what the –’

‘Callum, oh Callum you’re OK,’ I say flinging my arms around him, breathing in his scent.         

‘What the hell’s happened, where are we?’ he asks, his eyes flickering around the room.

I pull away from him. ‘What d’you remember?’ I ask.

‘I . . .’ he seems to still be taking the situation in. He rubs his forehead.  ‘I . . . I was with Mary, she asked to see me didn’t she, when we were washing up and . . . that’s all I can remember. I thought she wanted to have another session with me, like we’d had in the morning.’

Shit. Mary must’ve given him something to knock him out and then brought him here. I take in a deep breath. Someone else must’ve seen. They must’ve realised what was going on.

‘I don’t know why they’re doing this, Oliver told me in the annexe you were injured, but then when he brought me here, he locked me in. I thought you were dead when I saw you.’ Tears brim in my eyes. It’s alright, he’s OK.

He sits up straight, using his elbow to push himself up. ‘But why would they do this?’ he asks.

‘I don’t know,’ I say, shaking my head. There’s no way Oliver could know I’ve been in contact with Max, he hasn’t looked at my phone; I’ve had it with me the whole time. Could he have found Mum’s diary? But if he had he would’ve taken it, surely. ‘They must’ve given you some sort of sedative to knock you out.’

There’s a rattle on the other side of the door which makes me jump. I don’t move. Oh God, he’s coming back. The door swings open. I flinch, but it isn’t Oliver standing there, smiling at us. It’s Mary.

‘Ah, Callum you’re awake,’ she says, stepping further into the room. ‘I’m so pleased to see that.’     

I shrink back. She’s carrying a kitchen knife; it glints in the light of the flimsy bulb hanging above us. ‘Where’s Oliver?’ I say, spittle flying out of my mouth.

‘Oh, I told him to rest up, he’s fine,’ she says, smiling.

I didn’t want to know if he was fine. ‘Why are you doing this?’ I ask, gritting my teeth.

‘I would’ve thought that would be obvious, wouldn’t you, Danielle?’

I raise an eyebrow. She’s using my name. She’s not calling me Grace. What’s going on?

I shake my head. ‘I don’t know what you mean?’ I eye the door behind her, Callum and I could overpower her; we could make a break for it, run out of the house. But then what? I swallow. One swift movement from Mary and that could be the end; she could slide the knife straight into us.

Mary sits on the stone floor and runs her finger across the blade; it squeaks, making me wince. ‘Why don’t we have a nice little chat, Danielle, about Max, yes?’

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) - renamed Grace by Oliver Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 86
His Silence - Chapter 85

By Jacob1395

My heart races hard against my ribs. I stare at her, open-mouthed. She’s bluffing. Perhaps she’s overheard me talking about him. I should’ve been more careful. She could’ve been standing outside while I was talking to Callum about him in Eve’s room.

‘Who?’ I say, running my tongue over dry lips.

‘Oh, please don’t play games with me,’ Mary snaps making a tutting noise. ‘Callum’s told me everything.’

My blood freezes. I turn to Callum. He’s staring straight at Mary his eyes wide. He told Mary, he told her I was in contact with Max. My heart sinks. I thought, I thought he’d come back to me, I thought we were on the same page again.

Callum shakes his head. ‘I . . . I don’t know what she’s talking about,’ he splutters. He turns to me. ‘Danielle, please, I –’

‘Oh, of course, he wasn’t aware what he was telling me,’ Mary says, smiling. ‘I’m quite skilled in the art of hypnosis, you know,’ she says, beaming, like she’s taking great pride in telling me.

Hypnosis. I think back to how Callum gradually began to change. Was she . . . was she hypnotising him, all this time?

‘How . . . how . . .’

Mary swats her hand and I close my mouth. ‘What I want to know, Danielle is what you’ve been talking to Max about, and please, I wouldn’t try to lie, don’t forget, we know where your parents live, and we know where Max lives, so it wouldn’t be too hard to pay him and your parents a visit.’

My heart screams in my chest. It’s all over.

‘Um . . . he . . . I.’ What the hell do I say? ‘I contacted him because he . . . he did a podcast on my family’s murder, a couple of years ago.’

Mary sighs. ‘Oh yes, I know all about his podcast, we had to get him to take that down, he was getting too close, you see, unlike some of the other nutters who’ve been interested. But it seems he didn’t seem to heed our warnings.’

I shake my head, tears spiking. ‘This is my fault, I dragged him into this, I asked for his help . . .’

‘I know that, Danielle,’ Mary says. ‘Now what do you know?’

Perhaps I should just come straight out with it. She’s going to kill me like they killed Noah; I’ve got nothing to lose.

‘Is my brother innocent?’ I ask, keeping my voice steady.

Mary seems to stare at me for a long time. ‘Is that what he told you when you went to see him in prison?’

I swallow. ‘He asked for my help,’ I reply. ‘He told me he started getting memories back and . . .’

Mary sighs and shakes her head. ‘Stupid boy,’ she murmurs to herself, rolling her shoulders back. ‘I believe, though, Danielle, that you’ve failed to answer my question.’

‘I know about Oliver’s half-brother, Gavin, he’s the other man who Harvey supposedly killed.’

Mary places the tips of her two middle fingers together, dropping the knife into her lap. ‘Well, you have been busy. He was meddlesome just like you, I said years and years ago to Oliver we should never have allowed your parents to stay here, but he was insistent, just think though what might never have happened had that been the case.’ There’s a glint in her eyes as she speaks.

I shrink back. ‘What do you mean?’

‘Did you know Oliver’s your biological father?’

My stomach drops. Beside me Callum stiffens.

‘What, you’re . . . what the hell do you mean?’

‘I mean, he’s your real dad, Danielle. He was so in love with your mother, much to my dismay, one night, nine months before your arrival, he and your mother spent the night together, I don’t think your mother and Harvey’s father were getting on at the time and there’d always been a spark between your mother and Oliver. He confessed this to me.’

I’m shaking. I want to be sick; somehow I manage to hold it down. ‘Why would he tell this to you?’

She picks up the knife again, smiling. ‘Well, did you know I was Oliver’s therapist years ago? That’s how I first got to know him and, I’m afraid, how all of this began.’

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) - renamed Grace by Oliver Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 87
His Silence - Chapter 86

By Jacob1395

Warning: The author has noted that this contains the highest level of language.

I shake my head. ‘This doesn’t make sense, you’re spouting nonsense.’ I can’t help but laugh, everything, all of this, Oliver being my dad, Mary being his therapist, it’s ridiculous. I think back to Mum’s diary extracts. She talked about Oliver having therapy sessions when she first got to know him and didn’t Oliver tell me himself the first time I came here?

Mary rubs her hands together and her eyes glide around the room before they fix on me again. ‘Oliver had been having sessions with me on a weekly basis for some time, when he met your mother. He was deeply traumatised after his years growing up in the care system, and it was a complete shock to him to discover he had a half-brother, who his mother, who abandoned him, lovingly raised. You see, he had a bit of a mental breakdown. I had a practise in Southend and when he came he was so vulnerable, so sweet; he reminded me of my son I lost, they were a similar age. My son, Sean he . . . he was attacked one night in the street, stabbed to death, and they never caught the people who killed him. I couldn’t save him . . . I . . .’ She wipes her eyes. She pulls the medal I spotted the other day, out of her pocket. ‘This medal belonged to my father, who served in the Second World War, Sean was so proud of him, he carried it everywhere; now I do, I feel like, when I have this medal, I’m carrying a piece of Sean with me.’ She puts the medal back in her pocket. ‘I wanted to help Oliver so bad, I thought, at least, if I couldn’t help my son, I could help him, and then Oliver suffered the traumatic incident with his wife, it was too much for him.’

‘Oliver was a suspect in her death,’ I say, thinking back to what Sarah told me.

Mary shakes her head. ‘He was a person of interest, Danielle, not a suspect, and that was because some stupid person told the police they thought he’d been abusing his wife, which was not true; they never found any evidence to support that claim. I feared he would be beyond help after, that’s why I suggested to him he needed a place, a sanctuary filled with like-minded people he could call home. I told him he would find himself again and be able to live his life.’

I stare at her. ‘You suggested getting this place?’ I say.

‘I could see how strong Oliver could be if he had something to focus on. I knew we needed to find people in similar situations to us, people who’d suffered and needed fixing, my speciality. We couldn’t just accept anyone. That’s why I didn’t like having your parents here, they hadn’t suffered, and they didn’t need healing. You, Danielle, however, are different to them; you’ve suffered from a terrible incident in your past.’

I glance at Callum. He’s wrapped his arms around his knees; he’s staring at the door not staring at Mary.

‘Did Oliver’s brother live here?’ I ask.

Mary nods. ‘He did, yes, of course he and your parents got on like a house on fire,’ she replies with a hint of bitterness to her voice.

I wipe my eyes. ‘Did my father . . . did he ever suspect Oliver was my real dad?’

Mary purses her lips. ‘I’m not sure, Danielle, it hurt Oliver every day. Your mother forbad him from saying anything to you; he confided in me and broke down sobbing on more than one occasion. I hated her for not allowing him to be part of your life in that way.’

I run my tongue across the roof of my mouth. Mary hated my mother.

‘But why did they leave here?’ I ask. ‘I don’t understand why they would?’

Mary sighs. ‘Because I felt the only way to make Oliver happy would be to have your father out of the picture, and I think they cottoned onto that I’m afraid. Gavin suspected it first I think, he overheard me and Oliver talking one afternoon, I think. I should’ve been more careful. Oliver was so miserable, Danielle, and you have to remember that everything I put into this place, all of my energy was for him. I haven’t taken any credit here; I’ve let Oliver take it all.’

She wanted to kill dad. I swallow hard. The memory of Mum telling me to be quiet as we escaped this place flickers through into my mind again.

‘You killed Mum and Dad, didn’t you, you tracked them down?’

Mary shrugs. ‘Well, I had your brother to thank for that.’ I shake my head, curling my fists. I want to kill her. I want to fucking kill her for what she’s done. ‘He was so attached to this place, bless him; he was willing to go to prison to save it. He contacted me, I gave him my number; you’re not the only one who’s allowed to keep a phone here.’

‘You bitch,’ I spit.

Mary sighs. ‘I don’t appreciate that kind of language, Danielle.’

I shake my head, tears escaping my eyes. ‘Why did you kill Mum when Oliver loved her?’

‘I never set out to kill your mother in the first place, Danielle. As much as I disliked her, I knew how much she meant to Oliver, and how much joy she brought him. Your father was only ever meant to have an accident. I killed your mother because . . . because I could see she was never sincere about being there for Oliver, she was never serious about their relationship. I killed her to save him from the pain I knew she would cause him later. She took you from him; you have no idea what that did to him. He was broken all over again. My hard work squandered in the blink of an eye.’ Her eyes shine with tears as she speaks; she wipes her eyes and takes in a breath.

I let out a strangled cry. ‘You could’ve let us go; we would’ve lived our lives, no one would ever have found out about this place.’

‘Well, I would’ve liked to have thought that at the time, but, unfortunately, that’s not how things turned out, is it, Danielle?’ she says.

I eye the door again behind her, but then my eyes flicker to the knife.

‘What do you want from me?’ I ask.

Mary sighs. ‘I’m going to give you a choice, Danielle, and I hope you’ll accept it, otherwise the consequences for you and Callum won’t be pretty, I’m afraid. I would very much like you both to stay here. You need to forget about the past, it’s quite clear to see it’s not doing you any good, and I would like, Danielle, for you to accept Oliver as your father. I believe it will be instrumental to his healing. He would love to have that father-daughter relationship with you, isn’t that something you’ve wanted all these years, yearned for?’

My heart thumps hard. ‘So that’s it, you just want us to continue as if none of this has happened?’ I flick my gaze to Callum. Why’s he not saying anything?

‘You’re going to say to Max you’ve had enough and decided to stop investigating what happened to your family. Let’s hope he takes the hint this time. I really don’t want to be responsible for any more blood loss. But I think I need to leave you for some time to stew this over,’ she says, getting up, her grip tightening on the knife. ‘I’ll come back in the morning, before everyone else gets up, I think a night down here in the dark will make you come to your senses and realise what’s at stake here.’

‘Wait what about my family? When we don’t go back to them, they’ll realise something’s up. They’ll come looking for us.’

‘Well, your family think you’re travelling in Europe, I can arrange for them to think that you’ve somehow met a tragic end, and that sadly your bodies couldn’t be recovered. You should really have thought about this before you came here, Danielle.’

My stomach sinks. Mary turns strides to the door and flicks a switch on the wall, plunging us into darkness.

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) - renamed Grace by Oliver Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 88
His Silence - Chapter 87

By Jacob1395

Warning: The author has noted that this contains the highest level of language.

‘I’m so sorry,’ I say to Callum, tears wetting my cheeks as I lean my head on his shoulder. It’s the first time I’ve spoken since Mary left. I’ve been unsure what to say, all I’ve been able to think of is what Mary told me about Oliver. He might be my dad. Why did he not say anything to me? Would I have believed him if he did? I slam my fist on the concrete floor. This is so fucked up.

Callum rubs my shoulder. ‘You know when I first started having sessions with Mary I thought . . . she made me feel like she was my mother. I . . . I’ve never had that Danielle before, I felt as though.’

I shift where I’m sitting, clasping my phone. For at least, the first half an hour after Mary left us on our own; I used the torch on my phone to light the room. I’d shut it down five minutes ago; I didn’t want to drain the battery.

‘Can you imagine how dependent on her Oliver must be? She’s been working on him for more than thirty years, on everyone here.’ I don’t know why I’m suddenly defending Oliver. Perhaps he was trying to get me to see who he was when we were doing those exercises. I think back to our dinner and how strange things were. Why didn’t he just tell me?

‘This whole place is a mess,’ Callum says. ‘D’you think she really will keep to her word if we agree to what she says?’

‘I don’t know. I don’t know what to do anymore.’

Something moves beyond the door and I sit up straight, my chest squeezing tight. It can’t be Mary coming back already; she said she wasn’t coming back for us until the morning. It was only two thirty when I last checked the time on my phone. I clutch Callum’s arm. There’s a rattle, then the door flings open. I hold my hand above my eye as torchlight floods the room. My mouth drops open. It’s Eve.

‘Come quickly,’ she hisses, glancing over her shoulder and then back to us.

We get up. I dive towards the door and we head straight down the utility room, brushing past the washing machine, and into the kitchen, my heart beating hard in my chest. I glance towards the window; there’s no light on in the annexe. Oliver must be asleep. 

‘Why are you doing this?’ I ask.

‘I knew something was wrong when I didn’t see Callum return to his room, and then I heard you and Oliver running to the back of the house a short while ago. I would’ve come sooner, but I had to be sure Mary was back in her room before I crept out.’

‘But wasn’t your door locked?’ I ask. Something’s not right. Eve’s been here far longer than I have, I can’t trust her.

‘Noah taught me how to unlock it,’ she says, half-smiling at me. ‘I never did follow his instructions until now.’

I say a silent prayer of thanks to Noah, remembering when he showed me how to pick the lock when he slipped into his room last week to give me Mum’s diary.

‘What do we do now?’ I ask, my eyes flickering around the dark kitchen. I think of everyone upstairs, oblivious to what’s happening, fast asleep. Or do they all know, are they all in on this?

‘You’re going to get out of here,’ she says.

I frown. ‘And you’re coming with us,’ I say.

She shakes her head. ‘No, I . . .’

‘Eve if you don’t come, Mary will know you’ve . . .’

‘What have I got out there?’ she says, gesturing towards the front door, the lines in her forehead deepening.

I take her hand, her skin hot against mine. ‘You’ve got us, we’ll look after you.’

She releases me from her grip. ‘We need Callum’s car keys, I think . . .’ she swallows. ‘I think Mary might have them.’

‘Wait, Eve,’ I say, biting my lip. ‘Before you do anything I think . . .'

Callum’s staring at me, wide eyed. ‘Danielle, what are you thinking?’

I shake my head. ‘Give me five minutes. Stay here.’

Before Callum or Eve reply, I dart towards the kitchen door and fling it open. Cold air tickles my cheeks as I race out, focusing on my breath. I head down the path, gritting my teeth as a stitch attacks my chest, and push the annexe door open and step into the hallway. I curl my fists. My whole life imploded this evening, how the hell can I speak to him? I take a deep breath, ignoring the pain in my chest. I need to do this. I push open Oliver’s door.

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) - renamed Grace by Oliver Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 89
His Silence - Chapter 88

By Jacob1395

Warning: The author has noted that this contains the highest level of violence.

Oliver’s sitting in the armchair in the dark, staring straight at me. It’s almost like he’s in a trance. I think of him and Mum together, Oliver, slowly undressing her, running his hands across her back, whispering into her ear. I swallow. He doesn’t say anything. My heart thumps hard. I run my tongue over my lips and step towards him.

‘Oliver, d’you know what Mary told me?’ I say, stepping closer.

He fixes his eyes on me. ‘I don’t know, what did she tell you?’ his voice almost sounds defeated.

I crouch down and take his hand in mine. His skin’s cold. ‘She told me you’re my Dad, my . . . biological Dad. I know you wanted to be a part of my life, you wanted to be there for me, and Mum didn’t allow that, but now I need you, I need you more than ever.’

He heaves a deep sigh. ‘You can’t leave, Danielle,’ he says, tears sliding down his cheeks. ‘I won’t let you out of my life again.’

I squeeze his hand tighter. ‘Oliver, I’ll think more of you than ever if you help us now. If you don’t, you won’t mean anything to me, I’ll . . . I’ll never forgive you.’ I fight back the urge to cry. He can’t let me down. He’s got to help.

He rubs his forehead then stands up. ‘Leave it with me.’

I follow him out of his room, my heart racing. Oliver carries on walking ahead of me. He looks up to the rooms on the first floor of the house, there’s no light on upstairs. At least it doesn’t look like Mary’s up, her light would be on in her room if she was.

‘Oliver we need Callum’s car key,’ I say. ‘D’you know where it is?’

‘Mary keeps the keys for the minibus in her room; I suspect it’ll be with her, that’s if she hasn’t got rid of it. Wait out by the car.’

He’s got to get the key, I have to trust him. He slips into the hallway, Callum and Eve both head for the door.

‘What are you doing?’ Callum hisses at me, grasping onto the door handle.

I ignore him and follow Oliver up the stairs. I haven’t seen Mary’s room; I don’t even know which ones hers. We reach the landing and Oliver turns, edging further down the corridor, close to my old room. Shit, Mary’s rooms opposite mine. I hold my hand to my mouth. Oliver twists the handle and pulls the door open. I take a step back. So Mary doesn’t lock her room of a night. Of course, there would be no need for her to. Mary’s asleep, her body’s turned away from us, facing the left hand side of the wall, rising and falling under the covers. I’m surprised she’s actually fallen asleep so quickly. Like there was in Noah’s room, there’s a desk under the window. Oliver creeps forward. I remain standing in the hallway, my eyes fixed on Mary. He eases open a drawer in her desk. Eve and Callum must still be standing by the door. A few seconds pass. Oliver looks over his shoulder, holding something in his hands. I nod. He eases the drawer shut and edges towards me. Mary doesn’t stir.

‘Come on,’ he says, pulling Mary’s door shut.

We hurry back towards the stairs. I think of everyone asleep in their beds behind their doors. I push myself forwards, my fingers brushing against the smooth wall as we make our way down the stairs. Callum and Eve aren’t by the front door, they must’ve gone outside.

‘What about the gate?’ I ask, as we reach the front door.

‘You get in the car, I’ll sort that,’ Oliver says.

I nod and race out of the house. Callum and Eve are standing by Callum’s car; Callum's face is pinched tight with nerves. I throw the keys towards Callum and he catches them. The car flashes as he unlocks it and we climb in. My heart’s screaming. I don’t even know where the controls are to work the gate. Come on Oliver, come on. I pull my phone out of my pocket. I have one bar of signal out here. I stare at the gate, nothing’s happening, the gates remain closed. A shadow falls in the doorway of the house. My stomach drops. No. Mary’s pushing Oliver out, he has his hands raised; she’s in her dressing gown. There's a knife in her hand. Oliver’s doing his best to keep a straight face. He can’t have even got to the controls for the gate. Was Mary even asleep when we were in her room, or was she just waiting to see what we were going to do?

‘Did you think I didn’t hear you just now, Danielle?’ she calls out to me.

I reach for the door handle, but Callum grabs my hand. ‘Danielle, no.’

‘Call the police, now,’ I say.

I shake him off and climb out, dropping my phone into the seat, so Mary doesn’t see it. I resist the urge to look back at Callum. I got us into this mess, now I’m going to get us out.

Oliver and Mary ease out of the door of the house towards me, the steel blade of the knife glints in the moonlight. I shudder. What the hell do I say?

‘Let Oliver go, Mary,’ I say, swallowing. The sea breeze stings my cheeks, making my eyes water.

‘What did you say to him, Danielle?’ she says, spitting the words at me.

Oliver squeezes his eyes tight.

‘I asked him to do the right thing, please, Mary, this can all end now.’

Mary raises an eyebrow. ‘And he listened to you?’

‘He’s my dad,’ I say, stepping closer. Oliver’s just standing there. What’s going through his mind right now? He can’t fall back into Mary’s hands. He can’t. ‘Please, Mary, drop the knife, you don’t have to do this. I understand what you went through all those years ago, but this isn’t the way to avenge what happened to your son.’ I try to keep my voice soft and steady; I can’t let fear slip in.

Her lips curl into a snarl. ‘You know nothing of what I’ve been through. Ha, here I was I thinking Oliver was just as strong as my son was, but he’s not, is he? After all I’ve done for him these past three decades, you’ve failed me, Oliver, you were weak back then and you’re still weak now.’ Oliver cries out and falls to the ground. Blood drips from the knife onto the ground.

‘No,’ I cry, my knees crashing to the ground.

‘I didn’t want to do that, Danielle,’ she says, wiping her eyes, the knife in her hand trembles. ‘Now I’m afraid, I can’t have you running around as a witness.’

My chest burns. ‘What about the other’s, they’ll know somethings . . .’

She swats her hand. ‘I’ll pick up from where Oliver left off. They’ll listen to me. They’ll always listen to me, unlike you, you nasty little –’

A siren splits the silence, making my jump. Turning my attention towards the gate I see blue flashing lights dancing in the darkened sky. Mary growls and charges towards me. My feet won’t move. There’s a flash of movement.

‘Callum, no!’  I yell.

Callum wrestles Mary to the ground. The knife spins out of her hand and lands in the grass. I run towards it. Police officers swarm. One of them, a woman takes hold at me and I scream. I need to get the knife. I need to get the knife away from Callum. Mary’s going to kill him.

‘It’s me, Grace, it’s me . . . it’s Sarah.’

I stare up into her eyes and heave a sob. I glance to my left. Callum’s standing, Mary’s in a crumpled heap on the floor, rocking backwards and forwards. I wipe my lips. He’s alright. He’s fine.  

‘Oliver, please help Oliver,’ I say, before I collapse into Sarah’s arms.

The last thing I see before I black out is a ghostly image of Callum pelting towards me.

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) - renamed Grace by Oliver Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 90
His Silence - Chapter 89

By Jacob1395

Warning: The author has noted that this contains the highest level of language.

The steady beep of hospital machinery filters into my ears and I get a strong sense of disinfectant. I sit up in bed, crumpling the crisp white sheets in my hands. My eyes dart about the brightly lit room. Where am I? What the hell?

‘Hey, hey, it’s OK.’

Callum’s sitting beside me, a book in his lap. He smiles and reaches his hand out. I take hold of it, my heart beating hard against my ribs. There’s a bruise on his left cheek. It must’ve been from when he wrestled Mary to the ground back at the house. My beating heart begins to calm. He’s OK. We’re OK.

‘Where am I?’ I say, drinking in every detail of the white washed room: the television playing the rolling news channel in the top right hand corner, the window to my right. ‘Where’s Mary . . . where’s . . .’

‘Everything’s fine,’ Callum says. ‘You’re in hospital. The doctors said they wanted to keep you in for a couple of nights just to make sure you were well enough.’

I hold my hand to my sweaty forehead and take in a deep breath. I’m in hospital. ‘What happened? I remember . . .’

‘I managed to get the knife off of Mary, at that moment the police and an ambulance arrived. She was arrested, everyone else in the house was, well they were informed what had happened and taken to a safe place.’

‘A safe place,’ I say, biting my lip. I think of Abigail, Isaac, Eve. ‘Shit, what about Oliver, he was . . .’

‘It’s OK. The doctors managed to get to him in time, it was lucky the wound hadn’t pierced too deep. Despite her bravado, I don’t think Mary meant to kill him. He’s been in surgery, it was a bit touch and go, but they think he’ll be OK.’

I wipe my face as relief sweeps through me, my chest rising and falling. ‘What about . . . what about our parents have they been . . .’

‘They’re here, Emma and Michael will be in to see you in a moment, but I think Sarah wants to have a word with you first. Are you OK to speak to her now?’

Sarah. I nod. He gets up from his seat, placing a bookmark in his book. It’s a historical novel; he always did have a thing for history, mainly books about ancient battles. I kept telling him at college he should’ve pursued history. I watch Callum cross the room towards the door and peek out into the corridor. Sarah must be outside. I grip the duvet tight. Callum steps out and Sarah steps in, closing the door behind her. I swallow. She’s going to be mad at me. I kept this information from her. If I’d told her when she first came to the house . . .

‘Hi Danielle,’ she says, smiling. I get a whiff of her jasmine scented perfume. 

She’s using my real name. How can she be smiling? I lied to her. ‘Um, hi,’ I say, sitting up straighter.

‘How are you feeling?’ she asks, sitting in the seat Callum was just in, leaning forward. A strand of her hair falls across her face. 

‘OK, I guess, bit shaken up, but I’ll be fine.’

‘Well, the doctors are happy with your progress, so they think you’ll be OK to go home today.’

‘That’s great,’ I say. God, Emma and Michael are going to be waiting to see me. Callum must’ve already spoken to them. He would’ve explained everything, surely. ‘So, you know who I really am now?’

Sarah nods. ‘I thought something was off when I spoke to you at the house last week,’ she says. ‘You didn’t seem to quite fit in.’

‘I gathered that,’ I say. ‘That’s why you came back, isn’t it?’  

‘I understand why you didn’t tell me the real reason you were there,’ she says. ‘Callum’s already told me why. We will need to take a formal statement from you as soon as possible.’    

‘Of course, but, what’s happened since . . . since I was last at the house?’

‘We arrested a seventy-five-year-old woman at the scene. She’s been taken into custody, but so far she isn’t talking. She’s already lawyered up and it looks like her lawyer’s going to be looking at pursuing the grounds of insanity route.’

‘What?’

Sarah sighs. ‘This is an obstacle we’re going to have to overcome. I know it’s not what you’ll have been hoping for, but as long as we get the evidence together, it will mean that Mary won’t be free to live her life like she has done, and given her age, it’s unlikely she’ll last long.’

‘But she killed my parents,’ I say, gripping the bed covers, tears forming in my eyes. ‘She told me and she got Harvey to take the blame.’

‘I know, Danielle, I know, Callum told me everything. We will be seeking to test Mary’s DNA against the sample found at the crime scene, and if it’s a match it’ll help exonerate Harvey. But I have to warn you, Danielle, these things will take time, it may not be plain sailing. Once Oliver’s recovered, we will be taking a statement from him.’

I shake my head. She might not go to prison, the thoughts mad. She must’ve killed Noah as well as my parents. She stabbed Oliver. She knew what she was doing. The bitch. She would’ve planned this.

‘Have you spoken to anyone else?’ I ask, a lump jumping into my throat.

‘We’ve spoken to a few of the residents, many of them are still in shock and are refusing to cooperate right now, but, one of the first people we spoke to was, Eve, the girl who was in the car with Callum.’

‘What did she tell you?’ I ask, my heart rate increasing again.

Sarah glances towards the window. There’s a high rise building directly opposite. I look away, imagining people over there looking in at me, wondering what we’re talking about. How many people know about what’s happened? I close my eyes. The media are going to have a field day.

Sarah turns back to me. ‘Did you know her parents have been searching for her for two years?’

I stare at her. ‘What?’

‘Unfortunately, as it is with many cases, when people go missing, Eve’s case didn’t get a lot of publicity, partially due to the fact that she’d been a drug addict and had gone missing before. Her real name is Rebecca Willis.’

My mouth drops open. ‘She told me her parents threw her out, and that they forced her to live on the streets.’

‘I believe Oliver and Mary influenced her to believe that,’ Sarah says. ‘Her parents have desperately been searching for her. It’s going to be tough for her; she’s been brainwashed, it’ll be hard for her to overcome that, but, with time, I think, well I’d like to think she’ll be fine. She seems like a strong person.’ Jesus. I sink into my pillows. Perhaps if her disappearance had received some publicity, I might’ve recognised her. I think back to how cut and dry she was about her family, that day we were doing the laundry. I think of her parents appealing for information in whatever way they could. Her mother and father heart-broken. Sarah leans forward. ‘Danielle, Callum did also mention something that Mary told you, about Oliver being your real dad.’

My heart bangs in my chest. ‘She . . . she told me he and Mum had an affair and that, I was the result of that affair.’

‘If . . . if you want to, we can find out the truth.’

I replay what Sarah’s said over in my mind. Two weeks ago, I was desperate to find out who I was, desperate for the truth. I shake my head. ‘No, I . . . I don’t think I want to know, to be honest.’ What I want now is to go back to the life I had with Emma and Michael. 

She smiles. ‘Of course, that’s your decision. I’ll . . . I’ll let you rest; I suspect you’ll want to speak to your parents. I’ll come back with another officer to take a statement before you leave and of course we’ll be keeping you updated with the progress of the investigation.’ She gets up from her seat and crosses the room to the door. Before she reaches out for the handle, she turns back to me. ‘Things are going to be a bit crazy for a while, Danielle, particularly with the media, but things will get better, I promise.’

She opens the door and the sound of voices outside trickle in. Once she’s left, Emma and Michael step into the room. My heart rams in my chest.

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) - renamed Grace by Oliver Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 91
His Silence - Chapter 90

By Jacob1395

‘I knew he’d said something to you that day I took you to the prison,’ Michael says wiping his eyes. He coughs. ‘I didn’t believe for a second you and Callum were going to Leigh on Sea for a day trip. You know Callum's Dad’s been sick with worry these past two weeks, he’s been ringing us every day to see if we’ve heard from you.’ There’s tension in his voice as he speaks. I know he’s not angry at me, he’s angry at himself for not being there to protect me. Guilt gnaws at my chest. Did he speak to Emma about his concerns when we left the house the other week? If he had, Emma would’ve been beside herself. She would’ve been ringing me up, telling me to come back.

Emma rubs his shoulder. ‘You should’ve spoken to us, Danielle, before running off to this place on what could’ve been a wild goose chase,’ she says, her voice cracking.

‘I know I should’ve but, I . . . I didn’t want to worry you, I didn’t . . . I didn’t think things would turn out the way they did.’ I take in a steady breath; I knew this conversation was going to be tough. Thank God Callum’s already explained to them what happened. At least I don’t have to go through that with them, having to explain what Harvey told me; everything I found out from Mary. I think of her languishing in a cell somewhere. She must be thinking about me, how I ruined everything for her. She’s probably plotting how she’s going to take her revenge, even if she'll only ever be able to think about it in her head.

Emma scrunches her empty water bottle in her hand. ‘All last week I thought you were travelling,’ she says, shaking her head. ‘Those text messages you kept sending me, they were all lies.’ There’s disbelief etched in her voice.

‘I had to go there,’ I say, trying to keep my voice calm. ‘If there was a slim possibility Harvey might be innocent, I had to help him, and I’ve been desperate to find the truth for years, you know that. If I’d spoken to the police, or spoken to you, things might’ve . . . I might never have got to the truth. And now it turns out Harvey might not be my full brother but my half-brother.’

I pick up the glass of water on my bedside table and take a sip, closing my eyes as the cool liquid rushes down my throat.

‘Well, the media have certainly taken an interest,’ Emma says, her voice a little stiff. ‘It’s going to be hard to avoid them outside the hospital, then they’re going to probably end up camping outside our house, once they know where we live.’ She sighs and chucks her water bottle in the bin beside my bedside cabinet. ‘I know why you had to do what you did, Danielle, but if you’d spoken to us, we could’ve helped, we wouldn’t have let you put yourself in danger.’

‘I’m sorry.’ It’s all I can say. If I’d spoken about it to Michael and Emma, they’d have insisted on calling the police, the police wouldn’t have listened and I would’ve been back to square one. I keep the thought to myself.

‘Well, we should be able to go home this afternoon, if you’re OK with that?’ Michael asks. ‘Once the police have taken a statement from you, of course, but only if you’re up to talking to them.’

I nod. ‘Yep, that’s fine, I think . . . I think it’s time I started calling you both Mum and Dad don’t you think?’           

Emma’s eyes widen. She glances across at Michael and then back to me. ‘Oh, of course, darling, but, you honestly don’t have to, we’ve never . . .’

I shake my head. ‘No, I want to. You’re the ones who’ve always been there for me. You’re my family.’

Silence stretches out between us, before a wide smile breaks out across Emma’s lips. ‘Well, of course, sweetheart, um, think I’m just gonna grab a coffee, I won’t be one moment.’

She hurries out of the room, keeping her head down. Michael reaches out and squeezes my hand. His eyes turn watery again.

‘She’ll be alright,’ he says. ‘We’re just glad you’re safe and that you didn’t come to any harm. Whatever comes next, we can deal that.'

‘I know.’

I relax into my pillows. For the first time in my life, I feel like things are going to be alright. All these years I’ve been searching for the truth; I’ve felt disconnected from Emma and Michael, when really they’ve been my true family all this time. I’ve just failed to see that.

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) - renamed Grace by Oliver Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 92
His Silence - Chapter 91

By Jacob1395

Three weeks later

Well, Emma was right about the press following us home. Our faces are splashed across the daily newspapers; it’s mainly the pictures taken of us outside the hospital. I thought this would’ve driven Emma mad, but even she’s stopped worrying about what people think of her, I don’t think she’s checked her horoscope app for days. I peek out the curtains. A couple of photographers are sitting outside the drive eating from bags of crisps. Surely there must be something more worthwhile for them to go and pursue?

‘This stinks,’ I say, flicking the curtain shut.

‘It’s only temporary,’ Callum replies. ‘There are so many people across the country, and the world, who are interested in what happened to you, it was bound to blow up.’

Callum’s been round here near enough every day since we got back. It’s weird to think of him as my boyfriend now. Every time I think of it, a warm fuzziness spreads through my belly. I’d asked him a couple of weeks ago, not worried if he might say no. I’m sure if he had we’d still be friends, and that would’ve been fine. I would’ve been cool with it. Who knows what the future holds for us now. Because of the media interest, we haven’t had the chance to go out on an actual date yet, we haven’t even been able to sit together in the garden, for fear of the media taking photographs of us. I shake my head and sit beside him on my bed. ‘Guess I didn’t think that far ahead.’

Callum rubs my back. ‘Perhaps, when they finally leave us alone, we could get out one day and go to the cinema.’

‘Wouldn’t that be something,’ I say, laughing, lying back against my bedroom wall. ‘Perhaps if I give them a statement, something . . .’

Callum shakes his head. ‘Honestly, Danielle, don’t do that, they won’t leave you alone at all after.’

I bite my lip. I’m about to respond when my mobile starts buzzing in my pocket. I fish it out. Max is calling me.

‘Hey, Max,’ I say, answering.

‘Hey, how’s thing?’ he asks.

‘Um, yep, not too bad, that’s if you don’t mind having the press camped outside on your driveway all day and night.’

‘Ah, something else will crop up soon that’ll grab their attention, people have very short attention spans, you know.’

‘Well, people have certainly been thinking about my family’s case for a long time, I can’t see it disappearing from their minds too.’ I kick myself that sounded like a slight dig at him. If he hadn’t been there for me, I may never have got to the truth. ‘Anyway, how’s things with you?’

‘Pretty mental if I’m honest. I’ve had loads of news stations call me, um; I’ve even been approached by a publisher to . . . to write a book about the case. They said they want to try and get it out before any trial takes place, which’ll probably be in a years’ time or so.’ 

I raise an eyebrow. ‘Really?’

‘But . . . I didn’t want to do anything without your permission first, Danielle.’

I think for a moment. People will be queuing up in bookshops to buy it, I’m sure. Max will become a bigger celebrity than he is now.

‘Go for it, Max,’ I say, sighing. ‘Someone else will try and write something, I’m sure, so I would rather it came from someone who has all the facts.’

Max breathes a sigh of relief. ‘I don’t suppose you’d want a signed copy, will you, when it comes out?’

I let out a slight laugh. ‘Um, I think I’ll pass on that, but, I just also wanted to say, thank you. It can’t have been easy for you to help me, especially with what happened to you the first time,’ I say.

‘It was a pleasure, Danielle,’ he says. ‘And don’t be a stranger, my doors always open if ever you want to talk.’

‘I’ll bear that in mind.’ Perhaps people should know about what happened. The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth and then people can take it or leave it. 

‘Anyway, catch you later, Danielle,’ he says.

‘See you, Max.’

The phone goes dead.

‘A book deal, huh?’ Callum says. He must’ve been able to hear Max.

‘Yep, all sorts of deals will be coming out of the woodwork now.’ I say, thinking back to what Sarah said to me about how things will get easier.

There’s a knock on my bedroom door. Emma eases it open.

‘Danielle, the family liaison officer would like to speak to you.’

‘Is she here?’ I ask my heart pounding. I squeeze my duvet cover tight.

Emma nods. ‘She’s downstairs.’

I get up from the bed, my head spinning. ‘Let’s go,’ I say to Callum.

Emma follows us as we both hurry down the stairs. The woman, Hannah Jones, I think she said her name was, is sitting on the sofa underneath the front window. She smiles at me as we both step foot in the living room. The television's been paused, I think its Bargain Hunt, one of Emma's guilty pleasures. 

‘Danielle,’ Hannah says.

‘You . . . you have an update for me?’ I ask my head spinning. Keep calm. You’re past the worst of it all now. You’re safe.

‘Yes,’ she says, as Emma slips into the room behind us, I feel her hot breath on the back of my neck. ‘I’m sure you’ll be pleased to know that Mary has confessed.’

My eyes widen. Emma let's out a gasp. ‘She’s confessed,' I say.

‘To your parent’s murder and Noah’s.’

I hold my hand to my forehead and collapse into the sofa. ‘I thought . . . I thought her solicitor was advising her to –’ I can’t get the words out; it’s like my brains not functioning right.

‘I think she’s in mourning, because of what she’s lost with the house and everything else, she may well have seen that there was no point in holding on. I don’t think her solicitor was best pleased though, when she did break her silence. We have conducted lengthy interviews with Oliver and he’s also confessed to his part in what happened, although he’s not likely to face the same sort of sentence as Mary, perhaps the most we can expect, is he could be sentenced for perverting the cause of justice.’

‘What about the DNA?’ I ask.

‘We’re still waiting for the results, which we should receive soon, but it is likely the DNA is going to be a match for Mary, but at the same time, it may not, so don’t get your hopes up. But we have Mary’s confession, and that’s a big thing.’

I swallow; she could still retract that at any time. She could say the police bullied her into confessing, it’s happened before. These people, it gives them some sort of kick. I squeeze my fists.

‘And what about Harvey?’

‘We have sufficient enough evidence now to recommend his immediate release,’ she says.

I gasp. He’s going to be released. My brother’s going to be released.

‘Danielle, are you OK?’ Emma asks.

I nod, but inside my head’s like a tornado. ‘Yep, I’m fine, Mum.’

‘Where will he go?’ I ask.

‘I think that’ll be up to Harvey and you what happens next,’ Hannah says with a faint smile. Up to me. I sink into the sofa. Harvey could live here with us for the time being. ‘There’s just one more thing before I go, Danielle. Oliver asked if we could forward this letter to you, given the circumstances, it was agreed that this could be done. But you don’t have to accept it, you –’

‘No it’s fine, you can give it to me,’ I say. Oliver’s written to me. I think back to our last moments together at the house, he was on the floor, blood pooling around him.

Hannah hands me a white envelope and for a moment I feel I’m back where this all started, with the letter from Harvey. I take it. 

It’s only when Callum leaves half an hour later that I take the letter to my room and open it. Oliver’s handwriting is scrawled. What must’ve been going through his mind as he was writing it? My heart pounds as I sit on my bed to read it.

            Danielle, I know I will have to pay for the part I played in everything that’s happened over the past thirty years, but I couldn’t start this next phase of my life without speaking to you in some way. Believe me, your mother and I did love each other, in our own way. If there was a chance we could’ve been together, I would’ve been the best father to you. It’s your choice if you want anything to do with me from now on; I’m not going to force you, especially with what you’ve been through. But I wanted to let you know, I’ve left you Raven House. It’s up to you what you want to do with it, you can live in it, or, and I assume you might prefer the latter, you can sell it. It’s the least I can do for you. But please know this, Danielle, I will always think of you, until the end of my days.

            Oliver

He’s leaving me the house. I sink back into my pillows, tears sliding down my cheeks as I think of his words over and over. This could be the start of a brand new life for me. There’s no way I want to keep the house, hell no. Not after everything that happened there. But I could sell it. I read his words again, letting it sink in. I actually own a house.  

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) - renamed Grace by Oliver Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 93
His Silence - Chapter 92

By Jacob1395

There’s a cool breeze that whips at my skin. I stare at the prison, breathing steadily, thinking about how my own journey began here a few short weeks ago. Back then I never would’ve thought in a million years I would be in the position I am now. Back then I thought I would at least set the record straight on why Harvey killed our parents. My brother is coming home. My brother is innocent. Michael’s sitting in the car, book in hand. God only knows what’s going through his mind right now. They didn’t have to, but Emma and Michael both said Harvey would be welcome to stay for as long as he needs. I think Emma feels guilty because she tried to dissuade me from seeing him in the first place.

I keep my eyes fixed on the prison doors. Any minute now. It’s a wonder there aren’t any journalists camped outside. The doors swish open and I take a breath. Harvey emerges, holding his hands above his eyes as sunlight blinds him. His eyes scan the car park, taking everything in and then they finally clap on me. He hasn’t got anything with him, just the baggy clothes he’s wearing, a plain red top and jeans. In my head I think of all the scenes in films, when criminals who are sentenced, have to hand over all their belongings. I’m not sure if there’s anything Harvey would’ve owned when he was arrested twenty years ago. I think of how much the world has changed in the past twenty years. What was happening back in 2004? Back then Tony Blair was Prime Minister, the Harry Potter series was still being written.

He doesn’t break into a run like I kept thinking he would do. He walks slowly, steadily, like we’re just meeting for a general chit chat. Then he’s here, standing in front of me, I get a whiff of his sweat. I shuffle on my feet, unsure of what to say. I should’ve bloody prepared something, now I’m just staring at him, dumbstruck.

‘Danielle,’ he says, tears filling his dark eyes. Dad’s eyes. He reaches out and pulls me in for a hug. I breathe in his scent, and close my eyes. In an instant it’s like the last twenty years haven’t happened. He’s holding me again, like he used to do when I was six, back when he was the doting big brother. He pulls away from me, smiling. ‘You did it, you actually did it.’ He wipes his eyes.

I shrug. ‘Well, not entirely on my own, I had help,’ I say.

‘Ah, yes, the podcaster wasn’t it? I heard about it in the news, seems he’s made quite a bit of a name for himself, hasn’t he?’

‘Yep, Max,’ I say, running my tongue around my dry mouth. He was right about Netflix wanting to do a documentary, I’ve already been contacted asking if I would be willing to speak, but I declined. There’s no way I want to give any interviews. I’m willing to talk to Max, and he can pass on what I say, but that’s it. As far as I’m concerned, I’m done with this part of my life. I’m ready to move on. ‘I don’t think I’d be standing here with you, without him. Harvey, did you know it was Mary who . . . who killed Mum and Dad?’ Despite everything I’ve since learned I still like to think of Neil as my Dad. I still can’t get used to thought of Oliver and Mum . . .

Harvey sighs. ‘I had no proof, parts of that night are still blocked out from my memory, but I . . . I always suspected.’ He lets out a steady breath. ‘You know they wanted you back because Oliver was . . . well he was he was struggling. I think he lost it recently and said he wanted to tell the police everything that happened, and this frightened Mary. She thought, if you came back, you would help him recover, that you would make him want to keep the sanctuary going and the truth buried.’

My heart thumps against my chest. ‘So . . . so you knew he was my dad?’

Harvey nods, he looks away from me. ‘I always thought it yes.’

‘I . . . I always wondered why there was such a big age gap between me and you. Did Neil, did . . . Dad know?’

‘I think so, it’s hard to tell. Things were never the same between him and Mum after you were born. When I . . . when I told you someone from the house had been to see me, before I wrote to you, it was . . . it was Noah who came.’

I gasp. ‘Noah.’

‘He volunteered to come and speak to me, but he said . . . he said; it might be the time for the truth to finally be known and for Mary’s crimes to be revealed, and that getting you back was the best opportunity we had.’

‘Why didn’t you tell me?’ I ask, shaking my head. I could’ve walked away from this, despite Harvey telling me he was innocent. I nearly did.  

‘Because if I had, you would’ve gone straight to speak to him, and Mary would’ve suspected something was up.’

I wipe my eyes. ‘Well, Noah ended up dying anyway,’ I reply.

Harvey bites his lower lip. ‘I’m sorry I couldn’t help him.’ There are tears in his eyes as he speaks. ‘So, what now? You . . . you own Raven House, don’t you? Oliver’s left it to you.’

My body trembles. I think back to when I visited him a couple of weeks ago. So much has changed since then. I swallow. ‘Now, we have the rest of our lives together,’ I say, taking hold of his sweaty hand.

I pull him towards the car and open the door. He slides inside.

‘Thank you, Michael, I really appreciate this,’ he says as he straps himself in. He wipes the tears from his eyes.

‘Not a problem,’ Michael says, switching on the car ignition. ‘Everything OK?’

Once I'm sitting beside him, I squeeze Harvey’s hand and feel his warmth, spread into my fingertips. ‘Yep, we’re fine; everything’s going to be fine.’

The car trundles into life and Michael manoeuvres it out of the car park and onto the main road.

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) - renamed Grace by Oliver Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

Chapter 94
His Silence - Chapter 93

By Jacob1395

Eighteen months later

There’s a clang as the metal door at the end of the room opens. I sit up straight in my seat, heart pounding. I glance around the room, thinking of the last time I came to the prison, to see Harvey. In my head I can still picture the woman I saw that day, the woman with the baby, the one with the gold hoop earrings. It’s hard to believe that nearly two years have passed since then. There’s no one who fits her description here today. There are people sitting alone, hunched forward, nervous. Perhaps it’s their first time visiting a family member or a friend with no idea what to expect. I breathe in the stale air. 

At the end of the queue of people shuffling forward to their tables, I spot Mary. Her skin is waxy, her eyes are blood shot, and her once brown hair is now grey. I thought, when I applied to see her, she would refuse to see me. She edges closer towards me, the slight hint of a smile on her lips.

I sit back in my seat as she sits opposite me. Although she was seventy-five when I first met her, it did seem like she was a good ten years younger. I put it down to the fresh air she must’ve always been getting living by the sea. Now she looks twice her age.

‘Ah, Grace,’ she says, crossing her knees. ‘You know, I was very surprised when you wanted to see me.’ Her voice is croaky, like she's developing a cold. 

I resist the urge to bite my lip. ‘Would you mind calling me, Danielle, I’m not that person anymore. I’m not a part of your little game.’

Mary chuckles. ‘Oh, you may try and forget Raven House, Grace, but it’ll always be a part of you, whether you like it or not. You can’t alter that fact. So, why have you come to see me?’

Her eyes glide around the room. It’s like she’s thinking she can’t wait to be out of here. Surely part of her must’ve been curious as to how I’m doing, otherwise she wouldn’t have agreed to see me. The last time I saw her, was the day of her sentencing six months ago. As the judge had sent her down, she’d found me sitting in the public gallery, and kept her eyes fixed on mine as she’d been led away by guards, charged with the murders of my parents, and Noah. In my head I still hear the gasps of people sitting around me, as the sentence was given. It was at the last minute, a year earlier, when she’d changed her plea to not guilty.

‘I thought I’d just like to let you know, I’ve sold Raven House.’ I clasp my hands together and lean forward. ‘I’m not sure if you’re entirely aware, but Oliver left the house to me, shortly after our escape.’

Mary runs her tongue over her cracked lips. ‘Yes, I was aware he’d left the house to you. I thought that by encouraging you to come back, your presence would’ve made things better for him. He was so lost, so angry until you arrived.’ Even now she’s still trying to influence my thinking. Perhaps she's still thinking, deep down, she can persuade me to be a part of Oliver's life.

I frown at her. ‘You never encouraged me to come back to Raven House.’

She sighs. ‘No, but I asked Noah to pay your brother a visit in prison. I knew if one of us simply accosted you in the street, there’s no way you would’ve believed us, but if it came from your brother. Well, I was sure there was no way you could resist, coming back. But then your brother started spouting his innocence to you, now that I didn’t suspect to happen, after all the years I spent working on him. All those wasted years.’ She lets out a deep sigh. 

‘He’s stronger than you think,’ I say through gritted teeth. 'D'you know he's met someone now? Someone who he works with, they're thinking about moving in together.'

She smiles. ‘You may like to think you’re strong, Danielle, and that you’re ready to move on, but has it ever crossed your mind, that without my actions, all those years ago, you would never have been born? You’re as much my daughter, as you are your mother’s and Oliver’s. I made you.’

I stand up, banging my knees on the table. ‘When you go back to your cell I want you to think of me living a full life, you tried to break my friendship with Callum, but now that’s stronger than ever. I’ll never see Oliver again, I have a family, Emma and Michael are my parents and they always have been. I’m nowhere near broken. I want you to remember that. See that’s why I wanted to come and see you today.’

She nods and picks at her right eye. ‘Just so long as you remember that your existence is down to me. For as long as you live you’ll never be able to forget that.’

We’re done here. I don’t say anything. I leave her sitting there and sweep towards the exit. Even as I focus on the security as I leave the building, Mary’s last words echo inside my mind. Your existence is down to me. That might be right, but my life is what I make it. She doesn’t get to control that.

I step out into bright sunshine, squinting. I hurry down the front steps and across the car park, Callum’s waiting for me. He’s standing outside the car, scrolling through his phone.

‘Fancy the cinema?’ he asks, shoving his phone back into his pocket.

I raise an eyebrow. ‘The cinema, on a school night?’

He shrugs. ‘No time like the present.’

I lean in towards him and kiss him on the lips; he wraps his arm around me and I breathe in his Aventus cologne. For a moment I forget we’re standing outside the prison. Right now, it’s just me and him. That’s all that matters. The future is ours. 'I love you, you know that?'  

He grins at me. 'I always knew it,' he says, parting a strand of my hair away from my eye. 

I laugh. ‘C’mon then, so long as whatever we’re seeing has plenty of action and gore,’ I say, grinning.

‘Ah, I thought you’d like a soppy romance?’ he says.

‘C’mon, Callum, I’ve not changed that much,’ I say, laughing, slipping into the front seat.

The engine chugs into life and Jessie J’s Domino fills up the car as the radio bursts from the speakers.

Callum steers the car out of the car park and we drive onto the main road into the burnt orange sun set.

The End

Author Notes

Characters: Danielle (protagonist) - renamed Grace by Oliver Callum (Danielle's best friend) Harvey (Danielle's brother) Michael (Danielle's adoptive father) Emma (Danielle's adoptive mother) John Cole (Danielle's biological father) Laura Cole (Danielle's biological mother) Ian Jones (third person who Harvey killed) Max Hardy (podcaster) Jeremiah (works with Oliver) Oliver Adams (Marsh View House owner) Mary (works with Oliver) Abraham (Marsh View resident) Abigail (Marsh View resident) Isaac (Marsh View resident) Noah (Marsh View resident) Eve (Marsh View resident)

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