10. Kingsman

Kingsman

9 Ophelia Drive

Silent Falls

Tia hadn’t wanted to return to Silent Falls. She hated her dad. She hated Alisha, and she hated that brat Sara-Lily. But Mum was gone. And Tia was still fifteen. It was either Dad’s or foster care. She’d have preferred the foster care.

            She had seen Dad once a week over the last seven years, and that was only because he had fought Mum for custody. Tia wished that he hadn’t, and she told that to every social worker and lawyer who had asked her who she wanted to stay with. Dad tried to blame it on Mum, saying that she’d turned her against him, but he did that himself, on the night of Mum’s birthday, when Tia walked in on him and Alisha.

            Over the two weeks, Sara had stayed with her friend Louise and her family, and she’d got a phone call from Dad every day, saying how they couldn’t wait to have her stay with them. Tia knew that was lies.

            Dad picked her up, as planned on a Saturday. She hugged Louise, her sister and her parents, thanking them for having her. Louise’s mum told her she was welcome back any time.

            Dad gave her a hug, as he placed her case in the boot of the car. “You got enough packed there?”

            Tia shook her head, not even pretending to find it funny. It was an hour’s drive to Silent Falls. She hadn’t been in years. She hated being anywhere near his new family. After many stressful weekends, Dad concluded that it would be better if he came and took Tia out for dinner somewhere far away. She wasn’t even sure what age her bratty sister was, although she had doubts about whether or not she was even her sister.

            “So,” Dad said, as they drove along the motorway. “We’re putting you in the guest room for the time being. But we’ll get it decorated, however you want.”

            Tia nodded, completely unconcerned.

            “We’ll get you enrolled at school on Monday,” he went on. “Couple of our friends in the next street, they’ve got a couple of kids your age. I was thinking you might want to go over and meet them before you start, give you someone to walk down with?”

            “Whatever.”

            He sighed, getting annoyed. Tia loved it when she saw him getting this way, but he didn’t dare to shout at her.

            The rest of the drive was silent. They pulled up in front of his little cottage. A pretty little white building, with a silver fence around it. A little pink bike with streamers coming from the handles leaned against the house.

            Tia followed her dad up the path to the front door. He stepped inside first, holding the door for Tia. The hallway had been painted since the last time she was here. It was now a cream colour as opposed to green.

            “Anyone home?” Dad called out.

            Footsteps moved above them. Sara-Lily came running downstairs. Tia guessed her to be around four or five. She wore a floral pink top and jeans. Her long blonde hair was in two neat plaits.

            “Daddy!” She leapt into Dad’s arms, as he gave her a huge hug. Tia remembered how she used to do the same.

            “Look who I’ve got,” he said, placing her in front of Tia. “It’s your big sister.”

            She wrapped her arms around Tia. “Hi,” she smiled up at her.

            Tia didn’t know what to do, other than hug her back.

            Alisha appeared at the top of the stairs, wearing tight black trousers and a tight red top. Tia was glad to see that she was looking a lot older.

            “Hi Tia,” she said, smiling. “How was the drive?”

            Tia shrugged her shoulders. Her dad answered for her. “Not too bad, traffic was quiet.”

            “Sara-Lily, do you want to show Tia her room?”

            She nodded eagerly, taking Tia by the hand. Tia went to lift her suitcase.

            “Oh, I’ll get that,” Dad said.

            Tia didn’t argue, letting Sara-Lily guide her upstairs, passed Alisha. She could smell the wine on her breath already.

            The guest room was small, like Tia remembered, and it held just a bed and a chest of drawers. A new TV was now placed on top of the drawers though.

            “Daddy got you a new TV,” Sara-Lily told her.

            “It’s nice,” Tia said smiling.

            Dad came in with the suitcase, placing it in the middle of the room. “Okay, so TV is all set up, got all your channels.” Tia nodded. “Drawers are all empty, so plenty of room for your things. We’re probably going to phone some Indian later. Korma?”

            Tia nodded again.

            “I like Korma too,” Sara-Lily said, sitting up on the bed.

            “So we’ll leave you to it,” Dad said.

Dinner was uncomfortable. There were points when they talked about taking Tia to meet her new friends, Aidan and Kayla. And Sara-Lily wanted to come too. Tia didn’t respond much to this. She already had friends. Eventually, the conversation started to drift away from her. Alisha filled Dad in on all of the neighbourhood gossip it seemed he’d missed when he’d gone to collect Tia. Sara-Lily talked about her upcoming birthday party and what she’d like to wear.

           

            When Tia went to sleep that night, she felt she might actually like her little sister. She text Louise to tell her that things could in fact be okay. It was about two in the morning when she heard Sara-Lily’s voice travelling through the house.

            “Yes,” she was saying, coming towards Tia’s room. “She got here today. Isn’t she pretty?” No one answered the question, and Sara-Lily continued. “Well, she doesn’t really know anyone here yet. We took her to meet Kayla today.” Her voice became hushed as she got to Tia’s room. She stopped at the doorway. “See? She’s asleep.”

            “What are you doing?” Tia asked, her eyes still closed.

            “I’m introducing you to my friend. This is Ivy.”

            Tia opened her eyes to see Sara-Lily stood at the door in her pale blue pyjamas. She was alone, of course.

            “Okay, maybe you should go back to sleep.”

            “Okay, goodnight.” She turned to walk back to her own room, then turned back. “Come on, Ivy! She’s sleeping!”

Alisha’s coffee cup banged on the kitchen table the next morning when Tia informed her and Dad about Sara-Lily’s visit. She was upstairs, having eaten earlier.

            “Leesh,” Dad said quietly. “Don’t make a big deal.”

            “I’m not bothered or anything, just didn’t know she had this imaginary friend, that’s all.” Tia mashed up her Weetabix. She should have used more milk.

            “This imaginary friend is nothing but trouble!” Alisha snapped. “I honestly thought she’d grown out of it.”

            “She didn’t do any harm,” Dad said.

            “Not yet.” Alisha raised her eyebrows at Dad. “Remember the chaos it caused in school. Parents were complaining that she was terrorising their kids and getting so aggressive. Almost had to move her school.” She stood up from the table, placing her cup in the sink. “Sara-Lily! Will you come here please?”

            Dad sighed, looking at Tia.

            “Well how was I supposed to know it was a big thing? You never told me.”

            Alisha looked at them as Sara-Lily’s footsteps moved downstairs. “We are nipping this in the bud.”

            She was still in pyjamas as she entered the kitchen, her plaits coming loose. Alisha motioned for her to sit down. She sat beside Tia as Alisha bent down to face her. “Why were you in Tia’s bedroom last night?”

            “I just wanted to see her,” she responded, quickly and well rehearsed. “I didn’t mean to wake her.”

            “And did you have Ivy with you?”

            Sara-Lily looked down at her lap, slowly nodding.

            Alisha waited a second before she spoke again. “Now, what did we say about Ivy?”

            “That I’m not allowed to play with her,” she mumbled.

            “And why’s that?”

            This response took longer, as Sara-Lily shifted uncomfortably. Alisha started to look frustrated.

            “Why is that?” she repeated. “We talked about this. Do not make me angry.”

            “Because she isn’t real,” she finally said.

            “That’s it,” Alisha said. “I want you to promise me that won’t happen again.”

            She nodded. “Can I go play in my room now?”

            “Yes, you can.”

            Dad looked back at Alisha as she left the room. “I didn’t shout at her, did I? But we are not starting all of this again.”

            Tia was in a deeper sleep that night when she heard Sara-Lily’s voice again. She was whispering this time. “No, Mummy was really mad at me this morning. I’ll get in big trouble.” She was possibly in her own bedroom. “I do, but I keep getting in trouble.”

            She was falling back asleep, and had already decided not to mention it to Dad and Alisha, when she sensed someone standing over her bed. She opened her eyes.

            The woman looking down at her was old, possibly the oldest woman Tia had ever seen, her face completely wrinkled, two black eyes and dark lips among the wrinkles. Her long black hair dangled just above Tia’s face. She grinned down at her, baring sharp yellow teeth.

            Tia tried to rub her eyes, then realised that she couldn’t move. Her whole body felt like stone. The woman above her laughed silently, as she reached a clawed hand to Tia’s throat.

            The hand was ice cold on her skin, as were the claws that began to pierce the skin. No sound came when Tia tried to scream. And then she heard a distant scream, belonging to Sara-Lily.

            “No!” Tia could see the small figure, standing beside the tall woman. “Stop it! Please!”

            She couldn’t breathe anymore. The image in front of her became blurry, as Tia thought that she was dying. When suddenly, the grip let go. The room was bright. She gulped some air.

            “What’s going on here?” Dad shouted, as he entered the room.

            Sara-Lily cowered in the corner, her hands over her head as she cried. Alisha came in behind Dad, pulling her up to her feet. Her face was red with tears. Alisha looked at Tia, then back to Sara-Lily.

            “What happened?”

            “Ivy,” she sobbed. “She was hurting Tia.”

            “What did we say about that?” Alisha shouted, gripping Alisha’s wrists.

            “I know Mummy,” she wailed. “I’m sorry! I didn’t want to!”

            “You are in big trouble tomorrow morning! You’re sleeping with me tonight!” She looked back at Tia. “Are you okay?”

            Tia nodded, able to move freely, rubbing her sore neck.

            “Are you going to apologise?” she asked Sara-Lily.

            “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

            “Right. Bed!” She dragged Sara-Lily from the room, storming passed Dad.

            “You sure you’re okay?” he asked her.

            “Yeah. I had a dream though, that someone was strangling me.”

            He sighed. “Her stories do that to you. Try get some more sleep.”

            It took a while for the house to become quiet again. Eventually the sound of Sara-Lily’s cries became snores, and by then, that was the only sound.

            Tia started to drift into a sleep again, when she felt the cold hand around her neck again. The claws sunk into her skin, as she lost the ability to breathe. No one came to help this time.