you’re not going to get away with it.’ Anne’s voice rang out loud and clear like a bell.
Lydia turned her head. Anne stood in front of her mother, each of them a mirror of the other.
‘I feel sorry for you, Anne Turner. Have you really got nothing better to do than pick on my daughter?’ Lydia’s mum fumed.
‘Come on, Anne. We need to get to the hospital.’ Anne’s mum took her daughter firmly by the hand and led her quickly away. The crowd around them began to disperse.
Lydia, her mum and Danny all stood stock still, watching everyone else walk away from them.
‘Lydia, what happened?’ Lydia’s mum was still watching the crowd meander back to their cars and the supermarket.
‘Nothing,’ Lydia mumbled.
‘But that’s not true, is it?’ said Lydia’s mum, looking at her for the first time. ‘If it was, Frankie wouldn’t be on her way to the hospital now.’
‘I didn’t do that,’ Lydia said, aghast.
‘I never said you did. I never even thought that. But I’d like to know what happened.’
‘I . . . Frankie wanted . . . she wanted to talk to me, but . . . I didn’t want to talk to her. She . . . she slipped on some ice and fell in front of the car,’ Lydia said.
‘Ice?’
‘There’s ice here, Mum.’ Danny tentatively slid his trainer along a patch of ice on the ground.
‘So why is Anne accusing you of pushing her?’ asked Lydia’s mum, looking from Danny’s foot to Lydia.
‘Because she’s a real skunk,’ Lydia replied bitterly.
‘That’s enough, Lydia,’ her mum said sternly. ‘Tell me why Anne is saying that you deliberately hurt Frankie.’
‘I didn’t push Frankie. I was reaching out my hand to try and stop her from falling,’ Lydia said miserably. ‘Frankie knows I didn’t push her.’
‘Frankie’s unconscious,’ Lydia’s mum pointed out.
And Lydia had no answer to that.
‘Mum, can we go home now?’ Danny asked.
Mum sighed. ‘Yes, I think we’d better.’
‘Can’t we go to the hospital?’ asked Lydia.
‘I don’t think that would be a good idea,’ said Lydia’s mum. ‘I’ll phone the hospital later from home to find out how Frankie’s doing.’
‘But . . .’
‘No buts, Lydia. I think we’ve all had more than enough for one day. It’s going to be a nightmare on wheels as it is, trying to get out of this car-park with one of the exits blocked.’ Mum looked down at Lydia. ‘Frankie will be all right. I’m sure she will,’ she added softly.
Lydia didn’t answer. She couldn’t.
Without another word, Lydia’s mum led the way back to the car. Lydia didn’t see the car-park, nor the people looking and pointing at her. All she could see was Frankie falling backwards and being hit by the car and spinning around and around and around. She closed her eyes, but it didn’t help. The image was even clearer then.
‘I hate Tarwich. I wish we’d never come here. I wish we’d never even heard of it,’ Danny said quietly once they were in the car.
Mum turned to look at him. ‘I’m beginning to feel the same way,’ she said.
Lydia leaned her head against the window. That was it then . . . She’d felt that somehow, if everything else continued as normal, then maybe some of it would rub off on her. Her life would get back to normal, too. But now for the first time she realized that it wasn’t just her life that was being messed up. She was ruining the lives of her whole family. And in that moment the despair Lydia felt tightened into a knot around the last smidgen of hope left inside her. A knot so tight that any hope left within her was strangled. It didn’t matter what happened now. Things would never get back to normal. Ever.
Chapter Nine
The Getaway
‘Mrs Henson?’
‘Yes?’
Lydia and Danny poked their heads around the living-room door. They’d arrived home about three hours ago and barely ten sentences had passed between them since. Lydia couldn’t get Frankie out of her mind. Each time she
Lydia turned her head. Anne stood in front of her mother, each of them a mirror of the other.
‘I feel sorry for you, Anne Turner. Have you really got nothing better to do than pick on my daughter?’ Lydia’s mum fumed.
‘Come on, Anne. We need to get to the hospital.’ Anne’s mum took her daughter firmly by the hand and led her quickly away. The crowd around them began to disperse.
Lydia, her mum and Danny all stood stock still, watching everyone else walk away from them.
‘Lydia, what happened?’ Lydia’s mum was still watching the crowd meander back to their cars and the supermarket.
‘Nothing,’ Lydia mumbled.
‘But that’s not true, is it?’ said Lydia’s mum, looking at her for the first time. ‘If it was, Frankie wouldn’t be on her way to the hospital now.’
‘I didn’t do that,’ Lydia said, aghast.
‘I never said you did. I never even thought that. But I’d like to know what happened.’
‘I . . . Frankie wanted . . . she wanted to talk to me, but . . . I didn’t want to talk to her. She . . . she slipped on some ice and fell in front of the car,’ Lydia said.
‘Ice?’
‘There’s ice here, Mum.’ Danny tentatively slid his trainer along a patch of ice on the ground.
‘So why is Anne accusing you of pushing her?’ asked Lydia’s mum, looking from Danny’s foot to Lydia.
‘Because she’s a real skunk,’ Lydia replied bitterly.
‘That’s enough, Lydia,’ her mum said sternly. ‘Tell me why Anne is saying that you deliberately hurt Frankie.’
‘I didn’t push Frankie. I was reaching out my hand to try and stop her from falling,’ Lydia said miserably. ‘Frankie knows I didn’t push her.’
‘Frankie’s unconscious,’ Lydia’s mum pointed out.
And Lydia had no answer to that.
‘Mum, can we go home now?’ Danny asked.
Mum sighed. ‘Yes, I think we’d better.’
‘Can’t we go to the hospital?’ asked Lydia.
‘I don’t think that would be a good idea,’ said Lydia’s mum. ‘I’ll phone the hospital later from home to find out how Frankie’s doing.’
‘But . . .’
‘No buts, Lydia. I think we’ve all had more than enough for one day. It’s going to be a nightmare on wheels as it is, trying to get out of this car-park with one of the exits blocked.’ Mum looked down at Lydia. ‘Frankie will be all right. I’m sure she will,’ she added softly.
Lydia didn’t answer. She couldn’t.
Without another word, Lydia’s mum led the way back to the car. Lydia didn’t see the car-park, nor the people looking and pointing at her. All she could see was Frankie falling backwards and being hit by the car and spinning around and around and around. She closed her eyes, but it didn’t help. The image was even clearer then.
‘I hate Tarwich. I wish we’d never come here. I wish we’d never even heard of it,’ Danny said quietly once they were in the car.
Mum turned to look at him. ‘I’m beginning to feel the same way,’ she said.
Lydia leaned her head against the window. That was it then . . . She’d felt that somehow, if everything else continued as normal, then maybe some of it would rub off on her. Her life would get back to normal, too. But now for the first time she realized that it wasn’t just her life that was being messed up. She was ruining the lives of her whole family. And in that moment the despair Lydia felt tightened into a knot around the last smidgen of hope left inside her. A knot so tight that any hope left within her was strangled. It didn’t matter what happened now. Things would never get back to normal. Ever.
Chapter Nine
The Getaway
‘Mrs Henson?’
‘Yes?’
Lydia and Danny poked their heads around the living-room door. They’d arrived home about three hours ago and barely ten sentences had passed between them since. Lydia couldn’t get Frankie out of her mind. Each time she
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