‹ Prequel: ***.
Status: On hold.
Kids.
Shattered.
“I hear the children live around here now, with their aunt, and guess who that is, Maggie.”
“No! Really? Is she the sister of the mother or the father?”
“The mother, rest her soul, they hadn’t talked for years though, so it’s not as hard on Maggie. If I were her I wouldn’t want a junkie in the family, it might be a blessing what happened, maybe not as grizzly though,” The old woman’s face crumpled up at the word junkie, as if the word came with a foul taste. Who were they to talk about his mother like that, she wasn’t the best at it but she was still his mother no matter how much he despised her.
Sam pushed back his chair at the café, he hesitated before getting up, they had nice food here. This was one of the only places in this town to get good food, it was a tiny town and everyone knew everyone else, he should expect regular gossip. There was nothing else to do here, it was a small rural area with one shopping centre and a few small café’s run by widows and old men, it was an hour away from home.
His aunt was now the most talked about person in the town, the woman who took in her sisters children after what happened to her. People looked at her pretty weird after finding out that she was looking after the kids they’ve read so much about in the papers. If anyone said a thing to him he wouldn’t talk back, he would turn and walk the other way, he didn’t want their sympathy, he wanted to be left alone.
Not his sister though, he rarely ever left her, she seen too much that day and had slipped into some sort of depression or something. He didn’t ask her questions or talk to her about their parents, he was just there for her, being the older brother. Only by about a minute though. Today she just wanted to sleep, so he asked his aunt for some money to get some lunch and she actually gave him some, a freedom he had never had.
After about half an hour of sitting and eating, listening to the chatter of people around him he overheard the old women, he wouldn’t sit there and listen to shit like that and he made his way back to his aunts. Now called home. Nothing was far from everything else, within a five minute walk, really small town. Sam was home in three, he was a fast walker. He went to find his aunt to tell her he was back. He found her out the back completing a puzzle of what might have been a dog.
“Hey Maggie, I’m back now, I’m just going to go in my room for a while,” He spoke a bit louder than usual on account of her bad hearing.
“Oh Sam, you startled me.” No he didn’t, she didn’t even jump. “Ok, but remember dinner is at six,” She gave him a warm smile, her short greying curls bouncing as she talked. He started to walk off to his room, but was stopped by a question he wasn’t expecting, aunt Maggie wasn’t one to talk much. “Sam? How are you doing?” Concern filled her eyes.
“I’m fine,” He walked fast, not looking at her, back inside.
His room was separate from Georgia’s, for once in their lives. He was quite enjoying it, but he wasn’t sure his sister was. They’d only been here a week and every night Georgia woke with a stifled scream, she slept with her face in her pillow. He walked into her room instead of his.
“Georgie are you awake?” He whispered, walking over to her bed. Both of their rooms only contained a small bed and a chest of draws.
“Mhmm,” she mumbled, rolling over to look at him, a small smile found her lips.
“What are you doing?”
“Just lying here, the bed is so nice,” She breathed in deep, swallowed and breathed out. “I’m fine Sam, I’ve just been tired.”
“You have been in here since we came, that’s not good,” He didn’t need to ask some things, a twin thing. “Come out with me.”
“I don’t fucking want to Sam, how many times do I need to tell you,” She rolled back over and buried her face into her pillow once again.
“Fine,” He muttered, standing up to leave, he took one more look at his sister, he could just make out her body trembling beneath the blankets, and he shut the door.
At six he went out to the kitchen, a steaming plate of meat and vegetables was waiting for him, Georgia would be out soon, she only came out at meal times, only saying thanks. Maggie wasn’t a people person and she didn’t press for conversation, if they did talk it was about the weather or what kind of day was had. Shitty conversation if you ask.
As soon as she finished eating Georgia washed her plate and went back to her room. Sam finished soon after. He said a thank you and told Maggie he was tired and would go to bed now. She didn’t argue, she was tired too, she was getting old. On his way he knocked at Georgia’s room, no answer, fucking whatever.
He jumped into his bed, a squeak from the springs resounding around the room, dead silence followed it. He didn’t want to sleep, he just wanted to know how Georgia felt lying here for so long. Was what happened so bad that if anyone saw it they would be damaged? Was she going to be damaged for ever and be in the loony bin? If he had been home maybe she wouldn’t have seen anything, but he wanted to get some vodka. He liked it now, he’d gone straight from school to the shop, he snuck in and out in thirty seconds, no one had seen him. He was like a ninja. Sam had the bottle under his bed right now, a bit under half full. A little bit every night had kept him numb and swirling.
Sam reached under his bed, fingers hitting cold glass, and pulled the bottle out. His heart beat faster as he unscrewed the lid and tipped it up to his mouth, it still burned his throat and made him cough. Afterwards he would sleep on a slightly wet pillow until morning when it would be dry, still smelling strong. Another gulp later the disorientation he craved enveloped him, he returned the bottle and stared at the ceiling. His body felt like lead, his brain reaching out until his eyelids covered his pupils and he fell asleep.
“No! Really? Is she the sister of the mother or the father?”
“The mother, rest her soul, they hadn’t talked for years though, so it’s not as hard on Maggie. If I were her I wouldn’t want a junkie in the family, it might be a blessing what happened, maybe not as grizzly though,” The old woman’s face crumpled up at the word junkie, as if the word came with a foul taste. Who were they to talk about his mother like that, she wasn’t the best at it but she was still his mother no matter how much he despised her.
Sam pushed back his chair at the café, he hesitated before getting up, they had nice food here. This was one of the only places in this town to get good food, it was a tiny town and everyone knew everyone else, he should expect regular gossip. There was nothing else to do here, it was a small rural area with one shopping centre and a few small café’s run by widows and old men, it was an hour away from home.
His aunt was now the most talked about person in the town, the woman who took in her sisters children after what happened to her. People looked at her pretty weird after finding out that she was looking after the kids they’ve read so much about in the papers. If anyone said a thing to him he wouldn’t talk back, he would turn and walk the other way, he didn’t want their sympathy, he wanted to be left alone.
Not his sister though, he rarely ever left her, she seen too much that day and had slipped into some sort of depression or something. He didn’t ask her questions or talk to her about their parents, he was just there for her, being the older brother. Only by about a minute though. Today she just wanted to sleep, so he asked his aunt for some money to get some lunch and she actually gave him some, a freedom he had never had.
After about half an hour of sitting and eating, listening to the chatter of people around him he overheard the old women, he wouldn’t sit there and listen to shit like that and he made his way back to his aunts. Now called home. Nothing was far from everything else, within a five minute walk, really small town. Sam was home in three, he was a fast walker. He went to find his aunt to tell her he was back. He found her out the back completing a puzzle of what might have been a dog.
“Hey Maggie, I’m back now, I’m just going to go in my room for a while,” He spoke a bit louder than usual on account of her bad hearing.
“Oh Sam, you startled me.” No he didn’t, she didn’t even jump. “Ok, but remember dinner is at six,” She gave him a warm smile, her short greying curls bouncing as she talked. He started to walk off to his room, but was stopped by a question he wasn’t expecting, aunt Maggie wasn’t one to talk much. “Sam? How are you doing?” Concern filled her eyes.
“I’m fine,” He walked fast, not looking at her, back inside.
His room was separate from Georgia’s, for once in their lives. He was quite enjoying it, but he wasn’t sure his sister was. They’d only been here a week and every night Georgia woke with a stifled scream, she slept with her face in her pillow. He walked into her room instead of his.
“Georgie are you awake?” He whispered, walking over to her bed. Both of their rooms only contained a small bed and a chest of draws.
“Mhmm,” she mumbled, rolling over to look at him, a small smile found her lips.
“What are you doing?”
“Just lying here, the bed is so nice,” She breathed in deep, swallowed and breathed out. “I’m fine Sam, I’ve just been tired.”
“You have been in here since we came, that’s not good,” He didn’t need to ask some things, a twin thing. “Come out with me.”
“I don’t fucking want to Sam, how many times do I need to tell you,” She rolled back over and buried her face into her pillow once again.
“Fine,” He muttered, standing up to leave, he took one more look at his sister, he could just make out her body trembling beneath the blankets, and he shut the door.
At six he went out to the kitchen, a steaming plate of meat and vegetables was waiting for him, Georgia would be out soon, she only came out at meal times, only saying thanks. Maggie wasn’t a people person and she didn’t press for conversation, if they did talk it was about the weather or what kind of day was had. Shitty conversation if you ask.
As soon as she finished eating Georgia washed her plate and went back to her room. Sam finished soon after. He said a thank you and told Maggie he was tired and would go to bed now. She didn’t argue, she was tired too, she was getting old. On his way he knocked at Georgia’s room, no answer, fucking whatever.
He jumped into his bed, a squeak from the springs resounding around the room, dead silence followed it. He didn’t want to sleep, he just wanted to know how Georgia felt lying here for so long. Was what happened so bad that if anyone saw it they would be damaged? Was she going to be damaged for ever and be in the loony bin? If he had been home maybe she wouldn’t have seen anything, but he wanted to get some vodka. He liked it now, he’d gone straight from school to the shop, he snuck in and out in thirty seconds, no one had seen him. He was like a ninja. Sam had the bottle under his bed right now, a bit under half full. A little bit every night had kept him numb and swirling.
Sam reached under his bed, fingers hitting cold glass, and pulled the bottle out. His heart beat faster as he unscrewed the lid and tipped it up to his mouth, it still burned his throat and made him cough. Afterwards he would sleep on a slightly wet pillow until morning when it would be dry, still smelling strong. Another gulp later the disorientation he craved enveloped him, he returned the bottle and stared at the ceiling. His body felt like lead, his brain reaching out until his eyelids covered his pupils and he fell asleep.