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Back Stranger Save as PDF
Chapters (43)
  1. Cover
  2. About the Author
  3. Prologue
  4. SPRING
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. SUMMER
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. AUTUMN
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. Acknowledgements
  43. THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING

‘And it was weird because years ago Melissa did something that creeped me out. I was twelve or thirteen, I can’t remember exactly, and I was in her house and I’d spilt something over my clothes. She started fussing, wiping the dress and then she told me to take it off, that she would put it in the wash. I was embarrassed and I said no, but she insisted. She kept on insisting and I kept refusing, and eventually I just shoved her backwards – I was so furious! I called her a pervert or something, said if she ever came near me again, I’d tell my parents.’ Eva stopped, a sort of unease coming over her. She had almost completely forgotten.

‘Did you tell anyone about it?’

‘No. I didn’t. But I made sure I was never in a room alone with her. And after a while I just forgot.’ She shook her head, amazed at how it had almost become lost to her, this memory. Now, something new crossed her mind. She looked at Corinne: ‘Why? Do you think I should have told someone? My parents? Beth?’

Anxiety stirred to life inside her, but Corinne just smiled and stroked her hair, and said: ‘Let’s not think about the past any more.’

And Eva closed her eyes and allowed her hair to be stroked, feeling the day falling away. Neither of them heard the footsteps moving back across the hall. The sound of a door closing, a sob suppressed.

After a while, they slept.

34

The morning was dark when Mark arose, his breath clouding out on the air as he dragged the bins down to the kerb for collection.

One by one they drifted down for breakfast. Abi, hunched over a coffee at the table, heavy-lidded with exhaustion, watched Eva, who was waiting by the toaster. Mark, still ignorant of their eldest’s condition, finished his cereal, then put his bowl in the sink. He didn’t speak to any of them, apart from offering to refill Abi’s cup. When Beth came into the kitchen, they looked at each other for a moment, and he felt there was something shuttered about her gaze, but then it passed. She turned from him to pull open the fridge. Corinne stayed upstairs, packing.