People underestimate
the intelligence of a twelve year old, or two twelve year olds for
that matter. Mum really thought that we hadn't felt the change since
Dad left. She thought that we didn't hear her shouting on the phone
to him about the mortgage and child support. She thought that we
believed her when she said that he was working night shifts every
weekend. She thought that we wouldn't notice how the weekly shop was
getting smaller and smaller, and how the name brands were being
replaced by Smart Price products. So she really thought that we would
be surprised that night, when we sat down to dinner, and she told us
that we had to move, that it was costing too much to live in this
house.
Skye and I just
looked at one another, and we were probably more identical in that
moment than usual. We'd spent many nights texting from our bedrooms,
pondering where we might end up. We wondered if we'd just be moving
somewhere smaller, possibly nearby, or to a whole new area. Then
there was the possibility of moving in with someone. We knew that
Aunt Elsa and Uncle Joseph were a no go. They live in a two bedroom
house with our four cousins. Uncle Tom would possibly take us in, he
did have a spare room, but it would be a tight squeeze for all three
of us.
Neither of us
expected Mum to tell us that we were going to live with Aunt Rose.
Now, we love Aunt Rose. She would always come to stay with us when
Mum and Dad went away for the weekend. We always had the best time.
She'd take us to out for dinner and days out. And she'd show us these
really old musicals that always ended up being really good. But Mum
has always been clear that we could not visit Aunt Rose in her house,
because she lives in Silent Falls.
We've never been
allowed to step foot into Silent Falls, but Aunt Rose did tell these
really weird stories about it. Skye was always scared but I love a
scary story. She talked about all of the strange occurrences,
children going missing, all of the odd people who would appear, and
suddenly disappear. Mum always said they were nothing but urban
legends, but she never did let us go to Rose's house. Until now.
I was about to push
Mum for an explanation, but as soon as I opened my mouth, she snapped
that she was too tired to argue with me.
And she was. I
could see the bags under her eyes, the grey roots appearing in her
hair. That night, as Skye and I text, we wondered if the rest of the
family had refused to take us in. Skye told me she was scared, but
I'm not scared. Rose has been fine in Silent Falls all this time, I'm
sure we will be too. And let's face it, it probably is all urban
legends. We're never going to be that lucky.
So here we are, en
route to Silent Falls. All of our belongings in the boot of the car
and sprawled across the back seat beside me. I've done my research
over the last few weeks and I found “Leona Charles' Adventures.”
I didn't dare tell Skye, or Mum because I knew that they would get
all stressed. But this sounds so scary! I saw people talking about it
and saying she had a break down and it was all in her head, and maybe
she did. But part of me is excited for our new start in Silent Falls.
Things have been rubbish for the last few months, so maybe this is a
good thing.
I'm Mirren by the
way, and Skye is my twin sister. I plan to keep any potential
followers updated on any excitement that may or may not happen here.
Watch this space!
No comments:
Post a Comment