Roses

In the first week that the girls stayed at the Johnsons’ house they picked up a lot of English, far quicker than was usual, but nothing new could be found out about them, except that they were sisters.

When questioned about who their parents were, where they came from and how they got to Topps Field, they couldn’t provide any sort of answer, and this didn’t seem to bother them in the slightest. Caroline couldn’t do anything but to take them in, at least not until she could find out who they were.

The first night had gone over smoothly, although it turned out that all three girls had no idea how to go about dressing themselves; not even Luciana, and toothbrushes were a completely foreign concept.

In the morning, Caroline woke them up at seven, and taught them how to make scrambled eggs and bacon. The girls chattered in a mixture of English and their mother tongue, which sounded like liquid gold.

William came down at eight, and sat at the kitchen table with the girls, who instantly quieted, save Aurora, who carried on chatting blithely and irrespective of the fact that now the only people who would respond couldn’t understand most of what she was saying.

The two older sisters didn’t speak properly again until he left for school fifteen minutes later.

“Kyere i ene,” Aurora said, staring straight at Caroline, who stared back, dumbfounded. Aurora sighed, as if she didn’t understand how Caroline could fail to understand her. “The boy. I ene. William? Kyerei?”

Comprehension begun to dawn. “William? Where has William gone?” she replied, gesticulating to aid the conversation. Aurora nodded. “He’s gone to school.”

And that, of course, led to a roundabout explanation of school that involved diagrams and gestures and a lot of misunderstanding on both sides.

“Mum? Is that you?” Robbie asked, coming into the room at quarter past nine, when Caroline was still puzzling over how to get them to understand how a school worked.

“Yes Robbie. Come, help me. Do you think you can explain to the girls what a school is?”

“Yeah okay, I’ll try. Shouldn’t you be at the café?” he asked, taking his place at the table next to his mum. The two eldest, who had been talking over Caroline’s quite confusing drawing, fell silent.

Neither mother nor son noticed.

“Oh, crap! I forgot!” Caroline said, knocking her chair over in her haste to get up, and not bothering to pick it up.

She ran out of the room and up the stairs, taking them two at a time.

“So… school,” he said hesitantly. “School is… uh, where you go to learn.”

“William i ene School,” Aurora stated, so proud.

“Umm… yes. Umm,” he looked towards Luciana and Juillietta for help, but found none. Luciana was staring at the table, and Juillietta was staring at him.

“Uh, Juillietta-” he stumbled over the pronunciation of her name- “do you understand?”

“Kaio. Ay’, oikaio. I understand,” she said, pointing at herself.

Caroline rushed back in the kitchen, now dressed in a long purple skirt and a white shirt, and kissed Robbie’s forehead before waving at the girls.

“Bye bye. I’m leaving now,” she said, running out of the door.

Aurora, bored of learning about school, pulled the piece of paper and pencil towards her, away from Robbie, and begun to draw.

Robbie tried to engage the other two in a conversation, but it proved impossible, and so he went to watch TV in the living room.

The only time any of the girls spoke to him was to ask him, by dint of much gesticulation, where the toilet was.



The second night, Luciana woke screaming, but she couldn’t tell them what she had been dreaming about. Even her sisters were confused.

She woke up screaming again every night for a week following that, and even though her command of English had improved greatly, she couldn’t, or wouldn’t tell them what the dreams were about. She always ended sitting up with Robbie in the sitting room, watching late night talk shows that she didn’t understand well enough to be shocked or horrified by. She didn’t speak to Robert ever, unless he spoke to her first, and even then she only gave short, self-conscious, courteous answers, with only the bare minimum of information required.

Her sisters were more comfortable with William and his self, with Juillietta loosening up after a couple of questions, and initiating conversations after day three.

After the first week, Luciana stopped sleeping, although her sisters never knew. She would pretend to go to bed with them, and then get back up and sit with Robert in the living room for the entire night. She had gotten Robbie’s bed, so it was easy for her to dupe her sisters.

Caroline was harder to fool, and when she couldn’t get the information out of Luciana herself, she got it out of Robbie instead.

“Luciana’s looking even more tired this week than she did last, but she’s not had a nightmare all week,” she said, cornering him in the kitchen on Saturday. “Do you know why this might be?”

Robert shook his head at first, sensing somehow that Luciana wanted to keep this a secret, but relented when his mum reminded him that her health was at stake.

“She’s not been sleeping,” he confessed. “She comes down every night and sits in the blue armchair and watches TV. She’s always awake whenever I wake up.”

“Those nightmares must have been pretty terrifying,” Caroline sighed, lips pursed.

“Have you found anything out about them yet? Are there any new missing persons adds?”

Caroline shook her head. “No. There aren’t. I think they might have to go to an orphanage.”

“An orphanage?” Robbie spluttered. “No. Luciana’s too old to go to an orphanage- she must be at least nineteen. We can’t split them up, that’d be cruel!”

“I don’t want to have to do it either, Robbie, but we can’t just keep them here! I don’t think that’s actually legal.”

“I guess you’re right. I don’t like it though mum. I just don’t think it’s fair. What would happen to Luciana? And Juillietta is probably about sixteen as well. She would have to leave pretty soon too, and then Aurora’s on her own.”

“Well I can’t think of anything else to do Robbie! They need to go to school, and I haven’t the authority to enter them. If you have any other idea’s then please, do share!”

William came in then with Aurora on his shoulders, and the budding argument had to be postponed as Aurora showed off her new vocabulary in the way that she knew best: by talking at anyone who would show the least bit of interest.

All three of the girls were brilliant, but it was becoming quickly apparent that Aurora greatly surpassed even them.

When she was parading round, stuffed full of righteous, nine-year-old pride and speaking English better than most sixteen year olds, it was clear to Robbie that his mum was right: she had to go to school: she was being wasted, stuck in the Johnson’s house.



At the end of the second week, Caroline brought the sisters to the café with her.

It was her own café, started eight years ago when William was eight and Robert was twelve. She’d always wanted to do something like this, but first college got in the way, then love, then children.

She had vision, and she had talent. She’d created her own ideal retreat; a beautiful mixture of a London boutique, a coffee shop, a bakery and a library.

All three girls were immediately enchanted when they entered.

The fuchsia of the walls was barely discernable thanks to the antique mirrors and pictures of the town that Caroline had hung about the place. One wall was home to an old fireplace that was leftover from the days when the building had been a farmhouse. Caroline had seats in there now, and a small fire in a closed grate. Standing bookshelves lined the walls and a whole row of bespoke benches, both crammed full with books that Caroline had bought from charity shops, or second hand bookshops, or which extra generous patrons had donated.

They could be read in store or borrowed, or bought.

Luciana headed immediately to a bookshelf, her sisters and Caroline forgotten. Aurora went to examine the fireplace, chattering to herself in her mother tongue, leaving Juillietta with Caroline.

Caroline led Juillietta behind the counter, and was showing her the cash register when Luciana called Caroline over.

“These books. I want to be able to understand what the words mean. Will you teach me?”

“To read? Okay, although I won’t be able to do it quickly. You’d be best to get Robbie to do it for you. He’s not starting university for another few months. He has more time than me.”

“Oh,” Luciana said, flicking through the pages. “Okay.”

The town clock struck half nine then, and Caroline had to rush to start the days’ first cakes.

The two assistants arrived fifteen minutes later, and the shop opened at ten, and the first customer, coming in at quarter to eleven found Luciana and Juillietta lying on two sofas, Luciana looking over the words in the book although she didn’t understand most of them, Juillietta napping. Aurora was behind the counter with Caroline, learning how to use the till.

“Who’re these then Carol?” the customer asked, a blonde lady.

“These are the girls Will found over at Topps, Beryl, don’t pretend you didn’t know!” Caroline replied, making a coffee without even having to ask whether or not it was what the lady wanted. Beryl was a regular. So regular Caroline often thought she could set her clock to her.

“So, introduce me to the dears then Carol, where’re your manners?” ‘Beryl’ joked, leaning against the counter.

“Well, this one here is Aurora,” Carol begun.

“Hello, Aurora,” Beryl said, smiling widely.

“Hello,” Aurora replied, playing about with the till.

“And those two over there are Luciana and Juillietta. Juillietta’s the one sleeping.”

“Aren’t they beautiful,” Beryl whispered conspiratorially.

“They are,” Caroline replied.

“I am,” Aurora said, popping the till open.

“Aura, don’t say things like that!” Luciana scolded.

“I thought they couldn’t speak a word of English,” Beryl said, as though she still thought they couldn’t.

“They’re very quick,” Caroline replied, handing over the steaming mug of coffee and leaning over the counter. “Take Aurora. This is the first time she’s ever seen a till in her life, but she can ring that up for you in just a few seconds. Go on Aurora, that cup’s two pounds. Show Beryl what you know.”

Aurora rung up the price quickly, and took the change, delighting in popping the till open.

“Thank you darling,” Beryl said, making sure to speak slowly and carefully.

Luciana was carefully reading and rereading the first sentence of the book she’d picked up. Caroline had read the sentence twice for her when she’d had a free moment, pointing at each of the words as she said them so that Luciana knew them by sight. Luciana had already gone through the book, murmuring the words to herself whenever she found them again, speaking the words as if they were a song.

Another customer – Frank- came in ten minutes later, and his conversation with Caroline, and that of every customer coming in after him was practically a carbon copy of that first conversation between Beryl and Caroline.

At four William came in with a boy the girls recognized as the one who had been with William when he had found them by Topps Field two weeks ago.

They sat between Luciana and Aurora on one sofa, as Juillietta- who had woken up only once, briefly, when the noise of the lunchtime rush startled her- was still stretched out and dozing on the other sofa, and she didn’t look like she was going to be waking up any time soon.

William’s friend’s name was Charles, although as soon as Will shared this fact he begged to only ever be called Chuck because Charles sounded like a ‘forty year old billionaire pimp, which I’m not just yet.’

Luciana nodded solemnly.

Aurora asked what a pimp was.

William chucked her under the chin and laughed while Charles blushed next to a silent Luciana.

William had taken an extraordinary shine to Aurora. She was friendly and forthright, unlike Luciana who was cold- reserved, Robbie called her- and Juillietta who never really said what she meant, and who overthought every thing she said.

Aurora was refreshing, and she had a mischievous streak inside her a mile wide.

She’d found out about rude words by day three, and had Will teach her every single one he knew. She would have loved all the late night TV that her oldest sister just couldn’t appreciate.

“How was your day then?” he asked.

Aurora shrugged. “It was alright. Caroline taught me how to use the cash register, Luciana taught me how to read ‘in my younger more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since.’ What does vulnerable mean?”

William chuckled as Charles stared on at Aurora in wonderment as she reeled of the first sentence of The Great Gatsby from memory.

“Well?” Aurora asked, cocking her head to the side expectantly.

“It’s like when someone’s a bit weak, or open to attack,” William explained, rather badly.

“Cianae, Will said what vulnerable means,” Aurora said, and started to recite his definition.

“Ay’. I heard,” Luciana said, shortly.

“So. It’s like aralan, isn’t it?”

“Aye.”

Aurora turned back to Will, ignoring her sister’s shortness and said: “It’s like aralan.”

“What’s Aralan?” Charles asked, confused.

“Vulnerable. I did just say,” Aurora sighed, rolling her eyes. William laughed some more.

“She’s got you there, Chuck.”

The next person to join the table was Robbie, who came in at half five.

“I got bored waiting for you all to come back,” he explained as they tried to make room for him on the overcrowded sofa.

“How long has she been sleeping for anyway?” Will asked, pointing to Juillietta.

“Forever,” Aurora replied, sourly. “It would explain a lot about her.”

“Aura, don’t say things like that!” Luciana admonished, then snapped her mouth shut when Robbie squeezed himself in beside her.

“Well can we wake her up? I’m not going to lie, she makes a perfect sleeping beauty but I think we may just break mum’s chair,” Will said, only half joking.

Luciana nodded, and got up hurriedly, moving over to Juillietta and shaking her rather more vigourously than William would have thought.

“Juillietta, wake up. Reillae, Juillietta, you have slept for hours,” she hissed lowly to her sister.

“Enedae, Luciana!” Juillietta said, perfectly audible, to Luciana’s embarrassment and Aurora’s amusement.

“Enedae,” she said to William, and anyone else who cared to listen, “is like ‘fuck off’. But ruder.” She grinned widely at the group.

Luciana whipped round, opened her mouth to say something and then reeled back as though she’d been hit.

Her hand flew up to her mouth, and she turned round and flew out of the café, attracting the attention of the other customers.

Robert started out after her when no one else did.

Will and Chuck looked towards Juillietta and Aurora for an explanation of their sisters behavior, but they both shrugged, before Juillietta stretched out on her chair and fell asleep once more.



Robbie didn’t have to look for Luciana; he found her sitting on the street a little way up from the café, her legs drawn close to her body and her face buried in her knees.

“Luciana, are you okay?” Robbie asked, careful to keep his distance.

She nodded, although the movement was crushed by her knees.

“Are you sure?”

She nodded again.

“Umm… do you want to say what happened back there?”

She remained silent and perfectly still this time, and Robbie didn’t pursue it. There was no point. Luciana was unmovable when she wanted to be, and when she sunk into silences like this Robbie generally ended up making an arse of himself.

“Do you want me to stay with you?” he said, instead. She shrugged and he took that as a yes.

Robbie couldn’t see, but Luciana’s mind was spinning, and she was sure she saw it spinning away from her.

As she turned round to shout at Aurora everything had changed for a second. The people and the setting were gone, and Aurora was sitting on a silk cushion, being told a naughty story by a woman in a maid dress. There was something particularly wrong about that story, something that struck fear into Luciana’s heart, a fear deeper than the fear of the present slipping through her fingers. But it was just for a second and, before she knew it, she was thrust back into England, into Caroline’s café. It was the first time this had happened, and it felt like her nightmares had followed her into her real life.

She began to cry, quietly, so that Robbie wouldn’t know.

She didn’t want them to worry about her, not after they’d taken her in.

When she had calmed down enough to not fear opening her eyes, she stood up.

“Umm, thank you,” she said to Robbie, quietly.

“It’s no problem,” he assured her, getting up as well. “Do you want to go back to the café or do you just want to me to take you back to our house?”

“Umm, back to your house, please,” she murmured, looking at her feet.

“Okay. I’ll just go and tell everyone. Are you going to come with me or-” or wait outside, he was going to say, but he didn’t need to, because Luciana shook her head violently. She didn’t want to see them, he realised.

She didn’t want to see what might happen next time she looked at her sisters.

They walked back to the house in silence, and Luciana excused herself, saying she was going to lie down, and maybe get some sleep.

She didn’t come out at all that night, although she didn’t sleep. Robbie knew; he heard her still treading the floorboards when he went to sleep at two am.



“Cianae was odd today,” Juillietta said to Aurora in their mother tongue when they were getting ready for bed that night.

“Yeah. Do you think she was always that neurotic?” Aurora grumbled.

“Probably. Probably she drove us mad. That’s why we can’t remember anything because Cianae figured out a way to make her craziness contagious, and pass it on to us,” Juillietta said, wriggling into the nightshirt that Caroline had leant her.

Aurora scoffed. “That’s stupid Etae. Neurosis doesn’t make you forget shit.”

Juillietta laughed. “You are something else, Aura. But don’t use that kind of language in front of Cianae again, you saw how it upset her.”

“You used it first,” Aurora replied easily, sticking her tongue out and then dodging away from Juillietta’s playful slap.

“It was really strange, all the same,” Juillietta mused, returning to the subject once again when they were both in bed.

“Probably it was just normal, and she’s been acting strange by being halfway normal, halfway human, these past two weeks,” Aurora suggested in return. “Now shut up. I want to sleep.”