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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,

It’s the middle of the night and I can’t sleep. Every time I close my eyes I see horrible shapes, like big sea creatures with tentacles coming at me. Last night I dreamed I was drowning. I was sinking in brown muddy water and I couldn’t breathe. When I woke up, Zoe was standing by the side of the bed. She said I’d disturbed her with my screaming. I thought she’d be angry but she was quite nice. She went and got me a cup of hot chocolate then came and sat on the edge of my bed while I drank it. She said that she had nightmares when she first arrived too but then once she got used to it they stopped.

Zoe is snoring now but it’s not an annoying sound. It’s actually quite nice because I know she’s there. Weasel Face doesn’t talk to me much. She just tells me what I should be doing, what time I should be up in the morning, what she wants me to help her with. On my second day here she handed me a piece of paper which she said was the rota and told me to stick it on my wall so I wouldn’t forget what jobs I need to do.

Today I had to empty the bins in all the bedrooms, wash the bathroom sink and then scrape the vegetables before dinner. It was hard work but that didn’t bother me so much because being busy takes my mind off things.

The worst part of the day is now when everything’s quiet and all I can hear are my thoughts. That’s when I think of you. I wonder where you are. Maybe you’re looking for me and any minute now you’ll hammer on the door and say, ‘It’s okay, we’ve found her.’

I wish that would happen. I wish it more than anything in the world.

Anyway, I’m going to stop now because my eyes are closing.

Goodnight Mummy.

I love you.

I miss you.

Your lovely daughter xxx

13

I get out of bed and search the room for a pen. There’s a pencil by the kettle that Amanda must have left behind. I pick it up and look around for something to write on. Then I see a red plastic ring binder on the little table by the window. The words IVY HOUSE INFORMATION PACK have been neatly written on the front in black permanent marker. I open it, flicking past the laminated pages outlining the fire drill, the visiting hours and the correct way to work the shower. I pull out a page that says ‘Useful numbers’ and see that it is only printed on one side.