BooksBarbecue
Back Day of the Accident
Chapters (71)
  1. Cover
  2. About the Author
  3. Dedication
  4. What readers are saying about
  5. Epigraph
  6. Prologue
  7. Part One
  8. 1
  9. 2
  10. 3
  11. 4
  12. 5
  13. 6
  14. 7
  15. 8
  16. 9
  17. 10
  18. 11
  19. 12
  20. 13
  21. 14
  22. 15
  23. 16
  24. 17
  25. 18
  26. 19
  27. 20
  28. 21
  29. 22
  30. 23
  31. 24
  32. 25
  33. 26
  34. 27
  35. 28
  36. 29
  37. 30
  38. 31
  39. 32
  40. Part Two
  41. 33
  42. 34
  43. 35
  44. 36
  45. 37
  46. 38
  47. 39
  48. 40
  49. 41
  50. 42
  51. 43
  52. 44
  53. 45
  54. 46
  55. 47
  56. 48
  57. 49
  58. 50
  59. 51
  60. Part Three
  61. 52
  62. 53
  63. 54
  64. 55
  65. 56
  66. 57
  67. 58
  68. Epilogue
  69. Acknowledgements
  70. THE NEXT THRILLER BY NUALA ELLWOOD
  71. THE BEGINNING

Dear Mummy,

Why have I been sent to this place? I’m trying my best to understand but all I can think is that I did something terrible, something I need to be punished for.

I don’t like it here. The people are so mean. They tell me to toughen up and stop crying but I can’t. I cry all the time, particularly when we have to sit round the table and have dinner. Last night we had lamb chops. They were a weird purple colour and had lumps of fat all round them. I almost threw up just looking at them but the woman said if I didn’t eat them I’d be sent outside. So I tried and they actually tasted better than they smelled but I’ve got this sadness lump in my throat and the food won’t get past it; nothing will. I started to cough then and all the other kids were looking at me and laughing. The woman rolled her eyes then gave me a glass of water. She’s so horrible. Her face is all pointy and sharp, like a weasel, and she never smiles. I make myself better by imagining she’s a real weasel, like the ones in the Wind in the Willows.

I’m sharing a bedroom with a girl called Zoe. She’s much older than me, about fourteen. She’s got black hair that’s cut really short and her eyes have purple circles under them, like she hasn’t slept in months. She spends most of the time just sitting on her bed listening to music on her headphones. We’ve got bunk beds. I’m on the bottom bunk, she’s on the top. The bed is really uncomfortable and the sheets make me itch. Last night Zoe told me to ‘shut the fuck up’ because I was crying in my sleep. (Sorry for that word, but that is what she said.) The next morning she said I’d kept her awake and if I carried on crying she’d give me a slap. So now, I’m training myself to stop crying and if I do I make sure I do it silently.

I don’t belong here Mummy. There’s been some terrible mistake, I know there has. You and Daddy wouldn’t just leave me here.

Please come and find me Mummy.

I miss you.

I love you.

Your lovely daughter xxx

9

Monday 31 July