Darkness Dominates - Chapter 1

Alven wasn’t always a city. Centuries before, it was one of the few remaining Saxon’s settlements in Britain. Comprising of over twenty houses, the town was surrounded by a circular wall. It was built from eight foot-high logs. Its purpose was defensive. The ‘Harrying of the North’ wasn’t a distant memory for the inhabitants. It had been less than three years since this part of Britain had been laid to waste. The people living here were still afraid that the new king’s troops would burn this place to the ground. Steps were immediately taken to allay that fear.

The town was named after the man who’d built it, along with every house. The physically demanding task had, however, led to a serious decline in his health. He’d died under a month ago. His passing had left his two children – nineteen year-old Vorlyn and seventeen year-old Leola – parentless. There was no mother. She was one of those killed when William the Conqueror’s men last rode this way.

Leola was, at this moment, in danger of following her parents to the grave. An unknown illness was ravaging her body. Sweat running down from her forehead made her face glisten in the candlelight. Leola’s brown hair was matted and slimy – her blue eyes were bloodshot. Wiping away the perspiration was Nora – the oldest living woman in this community. Every few minutes or so, she dunked a cloth in a wooden bowl full of water. She then wrung out the excess fluid until it was just cold and damp. Suddenly, Leola rolled to the left and was sick on the ground.

Nora examined the orange-coloured vomit. She shook her head sadly. Hearing his sister puking, Vorlyn entered.

“You shouldn’t be in my house” said Nora sternly.

“Will she recover?”

“You must prepare for her passing, Vorlyn – it will be a miracle if she sees another morning”

“So, death is what awaits her”

Nora nodded.

“You would do well to prepare the pyre for your sister”

“That will not be necessary” said a voice coming from the doorway. Vorlyn turned. Not recognising the face of the man stood there, he drew the sword he’d inherited from his father.

“Who are you?” enquired Alven’s son.

“Garalde of Canroth”

Hearing a Saxon name used, Leola’s brother slid his weapon back into its sheath.

“Canroth is many a mile from here – why stray so far there?”

Nora’s question was loaded with suspicion. She only trusted those from her own community.

“News reached me of this poor maiden’s condition – I am here to save her from it!”

“How can you achieve this?” asked Vorlyn. “The remedies Nora has given Leola have not delivered her from death.

“If nothing more can be done by this old woman’s hand, then what harm can there be in putting her fate in mine.”

Vorlyn turned to Nora and said “I shall give him leave to try”

“He is not known to us” Nora replied defiantly.

“I am the chief of this town – it is for me to decide what needs to be done!”

Nora gave Vorlyn a sour look as she agreed to capitulate.

“I must be alone with her” insisted Garalde.

“We will give you the solitude you need” Vorlyn assured him.

He deliberately fixed an authoritative gaze upon Nora as he agreed to this one condition. Vorlyn took hold of her left arm to ensure she wouldn’t challenge his decision as the two of them left. When they’d gone, Garalde put a bag made from cow’s skin on a wooden table. From it, he took various herbs and potions. Behind him, he heard Leola vomit again. Using the water in the wooden bowl, he wiped it away from the corners of her mouth. When her forehead was a little cooler, Leola looked into Garalde’s eyes for the first time.

“Father” she said feebly.

Her disease had taken Leola to the point where even uttering words was tiring. That one had sapped her of some of her energy. She looked exhausted. Leola’s exclamation was due to her fixing on a memory of Alven.

“I can see why your brother wants you to live”

Garalde leaned in closer to her face and added, “I will see to it that you will live as you have never done so before!”

A few minutes later, he walked from Norma’s house. Vorlyn, who’d been pacing, turned and strode towards him.

“Well – has my hope been realised?”

“Death will not claim her!”

Leola’s brother turned to face Alven’s townsfolk. They had all come out of their homes when news of this stranger’s promise spread.

“She will live!”

There was cheering from the men and tears of joy from the women. The jubilant atmosphere only lasted for a day.

When dusk next fell, Alven’s inhabitants were running in various directions. Those men old enough to wield swords and spears were out in force. 3 expectant mothers screamed and wailed aloud as 2 elderly men carried out the bodies of Nora and Vorlyn. They were promptly laid on the ground next to one another.

“There she is” yelled Nora’s nephew, pointing at Leola. Her chin was smeared with blood. It had been his aunt’s and her brother’s that she had taken. A fiery surge of vengeance gave him the courage to draw his sword. His moment of bravery did him no good. Before he could even lunge his weapon at her, Leola’s altered teeth, resembling those of a predatory animal, bore down on the left side of his neck. She only got as far as consuming three pints of blood. Six of Alven’s warriors charged towards her. In her bid to get away, she uprooted three of the logs that formed part of the circular wall. It was as easy an effort as pulling up blades of grass. As she ran, Leola saw the scenery on either side of her fly by at an ever-increasing pace. It only became stationary again when she stopped running. She surveyed the view all around her.

Leola was glancing at this view again, but from the window of a train carriage. The year was now 2015. The inspector on board it started calling out “tickets” to the passengers. As she fumbled in her left jacket pocket for her wallet, a small object fell to the floor. The ticket collector picked it up and handed it back to her. It was a wooden talisman. Shaped like the diamond on a playing card, it had a Saxon symbol etched into its centre.

“I think I saw this in a school history book when I was a lad” he commented.

“I got it from a museum gift shop” she said quickly. Leola then took out her wallet and handed him the train ticket with the letters RTN on it.

“How long before we reach Alven?”

“Just after 7:30pm, I reckon”

It was starting to get dark outside. Waiting until he’d moved on from her double-seat, Leola got up, reached into her handbag and took out what appeared to be a pencil case. She left the blue leather bag on the seat next to hers as she headed to the toilet nearest to where she was seated. After locking the door, Leola then unzipped the pencil case. Within it, she removed a tiny glass bottle. It was filled near to the brim with human blood. She unfastened the top and gulped its contents down in one go. Outside the door, the individual passengers and railway staff members acted as they normally would during these journeys. None of them were aware that there was a genuine vampire on this train with them.

Platform 5a of Alven’s train station was crammed with commuters coming home late from work. Leola was nestled in amongst of them as they headed to where the return tickets were collected. Like lightning, she dodged out of this crowd. She took out a student travel card from her wallet. It had a photo of her, taken three years ago, and the name Skye Linton underneath. The face in it hadn’t aged as much as a day since the 11^th century. Every two hundred years of her immortal existence, she wished to reclaim the ability to grow old. For her, it was still one of the defining factors of being human. Leola tossed the student travel card into the nearest bin she could find. There was no way she could maintain the illusion she was a college student. She’d held onto that persona for over fifteen years. Each individual she’d become had a maximum shelf life of twenty to thirty years. It was time for her to adopt a new identity.

In the sizeable concourse, she saw a dispenser for disposable cameras. Putting two pound coins in the slot, she placed her right hand under where they usually fell through. She put it in her left coat pocket and continued walking to the entrance. Passing through the automatic doors, she came out opposite Lyndale Road.

Straight across from where she was standing were three cafes, a second-hand record shop and a miniature branch of Sterling’s – Alvenshire’s home-grown supermarket chain. The reason this view had extra significance for her was down to it being in the same spot Nora’s house had been, nine hundred years ago. She fantasised about this old lady being immortal like her. Leola then tried to envisage what Nora would make of the way Alven had expanded to the size it was now. That speculation almost led to a car careering into her. That was the type of accident that would’ve exposed what she is. Luckily, it braked several inches from her. The vehicle’s driver used the F-word and called her a dozy cow in the space of a minute. She gave no response and stepped onto the pavement. At least nine cars had driven by when she briefly glanced behind her. The chance to change her mind over heading this way had gone.

Just one of the trio of cafes was still open – Tanaho’s. It regularly closed its doors at midnight, so Leola opted to spend at few hours there.

It had the interior of an American diner from the Fifties. Leola, when she used the name Mary Ann Williams, had eaten, and danced, in one of those for real. She didn’t think it recreated that period accurately enough.

Leola delved into this memory. It instantly became an immersive experience. Around her, male and female American youths gradually appeared. Through her eyes, a young man wearing a black leather jacket and slicked-back hair was seen to be walking over to her. He had a tiny scar on the upper part of his right cheek. It wasn’t bleeding. He combed his hair a couple more times before talking to her.

“You look like a cool chick! Why don’t we ditch these cats and go out to the alley?”

She was about to give him an answer when two high school jocks got between her and the greaser. They both had sweatshirts on with the first letter of their high school’s name sewn into it. The guy trying to get fresh with her was joined by his pal. He too was a greaser. Both sets of young men were exchanging mean and aggressive glances. Fearing a brawl might occur, the owner of this diner came from behind the counter. He was determined to stop it before it started. Getting the message, they backed away from one another. He then told the greasers to leave. They did, along with two girls who’d been sticking close to them. One of the jocks clicked his fingers at a coloured employee.

“Where’s my soda, boy?” he said in a masculine tone.

The diner’s owner turned to face Leola. Her memory suddenly got weird, when his mouth opened and a female voice came out.

“Can I get you something to drink?”

What was even stranger was that the woman talking was British. Leola blinked twice and found a waitress with black hair staring at her. She repeated the question.

“Just a small Americano, please”

As Skye Linton, she gave that reply whenever she wasn’t exactly sure what she wanted to order. That became the standard phrase for that situation. Whilst the waitress headed to the rear of the counter, she spied someone entering that she knew very well.

“Good evening, Councillor Trennell”

“Good evening, Lisa – a Cappuccino, please”

“Coming right up”

Their accents were a mixture of Welsh and Yorkshire, with a bit of Norwegian English mixed in. All three dialects had helped create the Alvenshire lingo.

Once she was on the staff side of the counter, Lisa bent over to straighten a couple of the trays.

“Pissing hell, Kevin – don’t you ever stack them properly” she muttered loudly.

Leola soon realised that Councillor Trennell was staring at her as she was taking off her coat and placing it over the back of one the chairs. She made a sporadic mental note of her complexion and her hair colour, which was between brown and black.

“Shouldn’t you be at home – it’s a school night”

“Is it?”

“It’s no good feigning ignorance – seventeen year-olds are well aware when it’s a school night”

“I could be eighteen, nineteen, or over twenty-three”

“You’re seventeen”

“Why so sure?”

“Because you sit like a seventeen year-old – my daughter Rosie sits the very same way, and she’s about your age”

“I don’t have any parents – haven’t had for a long time”

“Are you a care home kid then?”

Not wanting to be seen to hiding anything, Leola said “Yeah, for as long as I can remember”

“So you were never fostered or adopted?”

“I never was, no”

“That must mean you’re a halfway house girl!”

“I guess so”

“Which one are you from?”

“Sudfield Hall in Canroth”

“You ran away, didn’t you?”

“Guilty as charged”

“Less of the smart arse comments – why did you do a runner”

“I didn’t got on with the manageress”

“Didn’t you try to?”

“Every day”

“Canroth’s a good thirty-odd miles from here – that’s a long way for a teenager to travel just to get away from the woman in charge. Were there any other reasons?”

“Just the one I gave you”

“Were you being interfered with?”

“No, the staff and other residents let me be”

It was plain to Councillor Trennell that her question had been misinterpreted. She chose directness when asking it a second time.

“Did any member of staff or resident sexually abuse you?”

“No, nothing like that happened there.”

“What about the care homes you lived at?”

“What’s the point of asking questions like that?”

“All kids homes and halfway houses in Alvenshire are council property. That’s what entitles me to ask those sorts of questions.”

“No, I wasn’t molested or raped at any of them”

“So, it’s just you not getting along with Sudfield Hall’s manager that made you run away.”

“It’s just that, yeah”

“Right, here’s what’s going to happen – I’m going to contact the manageress of that halfway house tomorrow and get her side of the story”

“I don’t think she’ll be in tomorrow.”

“I’m sure someone will be. You can stay at my house tonight.”

“There might not be any room”

“There is. My eldest daughter, Charlotte is at Herdenham University, so you can have her room, but only until this business is sorted. As soon as I’ve got the full tale and sorted the matter out, you’ll be going back to Sudfield Hall.”

On the journey to Councillor Trennell’s house, Leola asked her what her first name is.

“Pippa...what’s your name?”

Rather than come up with a new one, she answered “Skye Linton”.

Three left turns and two right turns later, Pippa’s car was outside her house. It was situated on Falkirk Drive, a residential area where property prices were on the expensive side. Pippa could afford a place like this because of her and her husband’s professions. The man she was married to – Doug – was the manager of Sterling’s principal branch. He’d opened the front door as his wife emerged from the car.

“Wait in the house” she said to Leola.

As she walked towards the front door, Pippa took out her I-Phone and used the camera function to take a photo of her, in full view of Doug.

“What are you doing? Who is that girl?”

Councillor Trennell replied to those questions in reverse order.

“A temporary house guest; I’m taking a photo to show her.”

“I’m not following you, Pips – who do you mean by her?”

“I’ll explain everything once you’ve made me a cuppa. Where’s Rosie?”

“She’s in her bedroom with her BFF Katy”

“Just Katy – where’s Alicia?”

“Jennifer said she’s got too much homework to do tonight”

“Good, I’ll tell you about her first – then I’ll fill her in on the situation afterwards”

True to her word, Pippa was discussing the matter over the cups of tea Doug had made, a few minutes later.

“And you found her in Tanaho’s”

“Yes”

“I know who runs Sudfield Hall – Diane Farnham. She’s great with all the teenagers living there – I can’t imagine her any of them not getting on with her.”

“How can you be so sure of that?”

“We’ve been friends since junior school – if anyone knows how good a person she is, it’s me. Where’s Skye now?”

“She says she wanted to use the bathroom”

The woman Doug had spoken so highly of was the person Leola was on the phone to.

“Diane – it’s Skye. Either tomorrow, or in the next two days, someone called Pippa Trennell is going to get in touch with you. Whatever she says I’ve told her, you’re to back me up. You know what’s at stake! No matter what, keep her away from the top floor of Sudfield! Should she dig any deeper about why I left there, repeat to her what I’m about to say to you!”

Darkness Dominates - Chapter 2

Rosie’s first proper conversation with Leola was during breakfast. She said hello to her last night, after getting some sparse details about her from her mum. That was about it, though. Despite feeling bad for kids that never got adopted into a new family, Rosie was puzzled by her mother’s intervention in this girl’s life.

“What’s it like at Sudfield?”

“Don’t be nosy” her mum called out from the corridor. “You need to get yourself sorted for school!”

“What about Skye – is she coming with me?”

“No, she’s going with Doug. He’s got the day off work so he can take her on a tour of the city. Now, get dressed and make sure you brush your hair – I’ve got a lot on at work, plus this business with our ‘guest’!”

“See you in a few” she said to Leola, and headed out to the corridor. She saw her mum’s feet go up the stairs as she entered. Rosie spotted her purple and orange tie hung over the banister. She put it on and adjusted it, so it wasn’t too tight around her neck.

“Where’s the rest of my uniform?” she called up to her mum.

“Try looking in your bedroom” Pippa replied from upstairs.

Rosie hurried up there, almost hitting her right big toe against one of the steps’ edges. She put them on in quick succession, but she had to do it again. When she looked at herself in her bedroom mirror, she spotted that her jumper was on back to front. When it was on the right way round, she effortlessly put on the Alven High School coat. It was mostly grey, but there was a small green shield with a white dagger emblem in the middle. The purple and orange tie also brightened up the drab uniform, but Rosie wasn’t sure the two colours meshed well with one another.

“It looks like a chocolate bar wrapper” she’d originally said, after the new colour combo for her school tie was introduced.

She started brushing her flame red hair, whilst humming one of Adele’s recent chart successes. Once she put the brush back down on her bedside table, she left her room. When downstairs again, she took her black shoes and knee-length white socks from the corridor and headed back to the dining table. Whilst seated in the chair she’d briefly vacated, she put them on.

“Haven’t you had your brekkie yet?” enquired Rosie, seeing that the table mat in front of Leola was empty.

“Your dad’s taking me to a cafe before the tour.”

A double helping of the rabbit ears gesture accompanied her use of that word.

“I’ll bet he shows you the McAllister monument”

“What’s the McAllister monument?”

“Can’t really describe it – you have to see it to believe it! Shit, I forgot my satchel! I’ll just get it from my bedroom!”

“Watch your language” said Pippa sharply as she and her daughter passed by one another in the back room doorway.

“Whatever, mum” replied Rosie as she ventured back upstairs.

The door to her sister’s room was slightly ajar. Rosie suddenly felt curious enough to see the state Leola had left the bedroom in. She pushed the door all the way open. Turning to look at Charlotte’s bed, she was astonished to see it in an immaculate state. There was hardly a single crease visible.

“Mum” called Rosie, “did you make Skye’s bed?”

“Hurry up and get your satchel” demanded Pippa as she reached the top of the stairs.

“I was just about to – listen, did you make the bed for...”

Rosie didn’t get to repeat her question fully. Pippa interrupted her by saying “Charlotte’s dropping by tonight, so whatever plans you might have had with Katy, I want you to forget about them until tomorrow afternoon. Now, let’s go!”

Doug was putting out the empty milk bottles when Pippa and Rosie fastened their seatbelts. He waved to them as his wife’s car pulled away from the kerb. Leola was standing in the downstairs corridor as Doug re-entered. He quickly glanced at what she was wearing.

“I see you’ve still got the clothes on you were dressed in last night”

“I don’t have any other clothes to wear”

“You could’ve borrowed something from Charlotte’s wardrobe.”

“Can I ask you a question?”

“As long as it’s not to do with modern telly programmes”

“It’s not that – I’m not a great one for watching TV shows. Books and graphic novels are more my sort of thing, Mr. Trennell.”

“I don’t blame you, Skye – there are over forty channels and very little I like to watch. Sorry, what did you want to ask me?”

“Why did your wife ask me if I’d been sexually abused?”

“I’m sorry if that question made you feel uncomfortable”

“It didn’t – I’m just wondering why she thought I had been”

“Before she was a county councillor, Pippa was a trainee social worker. There was a case that led to a situation which ended with her switching careers. It was the right choice. She got a masters’ degree in politics whilst at Herdenham University – the same place Charlotte’s studying at.”

Leola fought off any further curiosity into what Doug had said. She noticed he wasn’t comfortable going into further details about it with someone he hardly knew.

“So, what do you think about my youngest?”

“I might be imagining it, but I think she finds me unusual.”

“I’m sure she’ll soon see that you’re just like the rest of us.”

With considerable ease, she identified his ability to be accommodating, even with complete strangers. Leola felt convinced that this had to be one of the reasons Pippa had married him. It almost made her feel guilty about reinforcing this family’s belief she went from one care home to another. Right now, she’d had no choice but to play along. Leola recognised she’d accidentally helped create this situation. When faced with these circumstances in the past, she used hypnotism to get out of them. However, she’d been in a public place, where anyone could’ve walked in. She couldn’t use that ability in front of witnesses.

“You’ll like Matt’s Cafe – he was top of the class in our cookery lessons at school. He did get some stick for it from a few of the other lads, though!”

“You mean he was bullied!”

“Teased more than bullied” stated Doug. He was keen to highlight the difference between bullying then and bullying now. Whatever had been done to Doug’s friend, happened years before social media had been invented.

“In a way, he’s had the last laugh over those who made life hard for him – getting his business up-and-running and making it a success. He’s very good at doing a Full English”

What Doug had said provided a good way for her to change the subject. Leola was quick to seize this opportunity.

“Does he serve black pudding with it?”

“I’m not sure – he might if I ask him to. I must say, I’m surprised to hear someone ask for that. People don’t really eat that kind of food much anymore, not with obesity scares making the headlines.”

“I had it in Canroth a year or two ago.”

“Did they cook it right?”

“It tasted okay”

“Well, if he does include black pudding in his full English, I’m sure it’ll taste twice as good.

Expecting to walk into a greasy spoon cafe, Leola was surprised by what she saw. Its exterior was more like one that belonged to an upmarket restaurant. The interior astonished Leola just as much. It reminded her of when she was in one that mainly served sushi. Leola couldn’t share that memory. Her experience of sampling raw fish occurred back in 1999. It would’ve contradicted how old the Trennell family thought she was.

“The window seats are the best place to sit – more daylight” Doug said to her.

She took his advice and sat down at the one besides the largest window. Matt, who’d seen his old school friend enter, came over to take his order personally.

“Is this one of your daughter’s new friends?” he asked, catching sight of Leola.

Like he’d done with Diane, Doug had kept in touch with Matt, on-and-off, over the years.  Matt knew Pippa had given birth to two girls. Doug kept his mate from school updated about their lives. He included details about their friends and the young men they might fancy. His question stemmed from what Doug had told him regarding these details.

“Not exactly, Matt” said Mr. Trennell.

“I ran away from Sudfield Hall” said Leola, before Doug could.

“What’s her name?”

“Skye Linton” Doug replied.

“Why would she run away from there?”

“A bust-up with the halfway house’s current manager, Diane”

“You mean Diane...”

“Yep, Matt – that Diane”

“I didn’t realise she ran that place – if I’d known, I would’ve paid her a visit”

“Listen, Matt, I wanted to ask you something about your menu”

“Ask away”

“Do you serve black pudding with your full English?”

“Black pudding”

“Yeah, Skye likes to have it with cooked breakfasts”

“I’m sorry, but I’ve never served a Full English with black pudding – demand for it fell during the early Nineties. We don’t even serve sausages with them anymore, unless they’re Cumberland or veggie.”

“Its’ alright, Matt” Leola said, having overheard this conversation. It was advantageous that they were standing close to her. Leola’s super-hearing only kicked in when darkness fell.

“I’ll have the cooked breakfast as it is” she continued.

“I’ll leave in the bacon, Skye” the cafe’s proprietor playfully replied.

Waiting for Rosie in the schoolyard, after her mum had dropped her off, was Katy Lonsdale. She immediately pointed to another pupil – Alicia Stoneham. Alicia was rowing with her boyfriend of three years, Colin Peterson. Both Rosie and Katy gawped as they witnessed the argument. Miss Stoneham was Rosie’s BFF number two. She and Katy were mystified as to why Alicia hadn’t mentioned her romantic hassles.

“Oh, your phone didn’t have any charge!” yelled Miss Stoneham. “That is so a lie, Craig!”

“I swear, babes – that’s the way it was!”

“Less of the babes – I’m well not that right now!”

“You got PPI or something?”

Alicia whacked his right hand cheek as hard as she could. Her open palm tingled slightly, right after, and she had to rub it to get the circulation going again.

“No, I fucking well haven’t – and it’s PMT, not PPI, you moron!”

Since there were no teachers around to hear her swear, Alicia had escaped the likelihood of getting detention.

“You’re well mental, Ali!” shouted Craig.

“And you’re totally dumped!” Alicia screamed back at him.

“Whatever, nutter!” he said, and swaggered off towards one of his mates.

“I told you he’s a tosser” said Rosie as she and Katy joined Alicia.

“You did – I’m so listening to your advice about boyfriends from now on! And if he thinks he’s getting another chance, he’s well mistaken!”

“Hope you’re gonna stick to that rule, Ali.”

“I so am, Katy, trust me!”

“Rosie’s mum and dad have got a lodger”

“Katy! I wanted to tell Ali that myself!”

“Shut up!” said Alicia. “Is he like well buff, Rosie?”

“The lodger’s a girl” said Rosie, bursting Alicia’s balloon.

“What’s her name?”

“Skye Linton, Ali. Mum says she did a runner from Sudfield Hall”

“So never heard of the place, Rosie” said Alicia.

“I hadn’t, until last night. It’s a halfway house in Canroth.”

Alicia was about to ask Rosie why this girl had legged it from there. The approach of Roger Linfield, the head of the history department, got in the way of that.

“Miss Lonsdale, have you finished the homework I set you?”

“I’ll have it done tonight, sir.”

“Make sure it is! If it’s not handed in by Thursday, it’ll seriously affect your school grades – which are starting to slip down from last year.”

Having delivered his mild ticking off to Katy, Mr. Linfield hurried into the building.

“Have you nearly finished it, Katy?”

“Only got as far as the first paragraph, Rosie – I’m so in need of your help! Can I come over tonight?”

“Come after 7pm”

“Why”

“My big sister’s dropping by and...Crap!”

“What’s up?” asked Katy and Alicia simultaneously.

“Charlotte doesn’t know about Skye having her room!”

“Chill, Rosie” said Alicia. “Your mum’s probably like texted her already”

“My mum won’t have time for that! It’s so down to me to tell her, I reckon!”

Rosie pressed a button to bring up her I-Phone display. Her eyes widened suddenly as she saw the time.

“We so need to get inside – assembly’s starting in like two minutes” she said to her two friends.

Linking arms, the three of them headed into the school’s foyer. As the BFFs walked through it, Katy stopped and rushed over to the notice board.

“Check this out, you two!” she said.

Rosie and Alicia walked over to where she was stood.

“What is it?”

“Mrs Davidson’s so caved in....the end of year school disco’s being held at The Glass House!”

“Well wicked!” said Alicia excitably.

“What changed her mind?”

“Who cares, Rosie?” replied Katy.

“I do – this has to be down to Myra going to ‘Trinity’ again! Mrs. Davidson must’ve only agreed it to this because The Glass House is liked by the teachers. Finally, Myra being a cow has paid off for us!”

“That girl needs a planet-sized chill pill” said Alicia. “She’s been 100% off the rails since her dad ran off with that flight attendant!”

“I thought he ran off with a receptionist” said Katy.

From behind them, they heard Paula Davidson say “Not that it’s any of your concern, but I was ditched for a solicitor.” As she walked to the school’s lift, she added “Gossiping is what people do when they have too much time on their hands and don’t use it to think.”

Rosie and her pals were silent for about a minute. They then burst out laughing.

“Whatever” said Alicia “Tell me more about this girl, Skye”

“I think she likes sleeping on the floor”

“That’s proper weird” said Alicia.

“Why do you think that?” asked Katy.

“Her bed was super neat – thought my mum had made it. I tried to ask her about if she had, but she told me to get a move on – I so didn’t get a chance to ask her a second time. Mum spent the car journey reminding me how important my final round of exams will be – like I’m not already aware!”

The reason Pippa had been hurrying her daughter along was because she wanted to arrive earlier than she usually did. Ironically, she ended up arriving at the county council HQ a couple of minutes late. The traffic lights kept changing to red every time her car approached them.

She didn’t make time to say good morning to the staff on the ground floor. Getting to her office promptly was her momentary priority. She almost dropped the keys to the office door twice. When she got it open, Pippa raced over to her desk and sat down in the chair behind it. Councillor Trennell mouthed a countdown from six to zero. Straight after she had, there was a knock on her door.

“Come in”

Entering was Councillor Tim Leonard. In his right hand was a brown folder.

“What is it, Tim?”

“Trouble with the Hicks family – yet again”

“Let me guess – paint on their neighbours’ car or dog shit through the letter box”

“Neither”

“What’ve they done, then?”

“Trashed the back garden belonging to the Stapleton family – it’s as bad as what was done to the Blue Peter one back in 1982!”

“Charming”

“Exactly – the pond looks like it’s been poisoned by fallout from an atomic blast!”

“Criminal damage makes it a police matter – I’ll have to talk to Jennifer about it as soon as I get back from Canroth”

“Why are you going there?”

“Something out of the ordinary happened last night, Tim”

“How out of the ordinary, Pippa”

“I came across a girl named Skye Linton – she’d done a runner from Sudfield Hall”

“What reason did she give you for doing that?”

“That she’d had a barney with the manageress, Diane.”

“She’s the first one to do a runner”

“What do you mean she’s the first?”

“Since it opened in 1987, no-one’s ever gone AWOL from there.”

“That does it – I’m definitely going there now!”

“Don’t you think it’d be better to phone her up instead of visiting?”

“No, I don’t think it’ll be best doing that, Tim!” said Pippa argumentatively. “It’s too easy to leave out details when on the phone – Jennifer taught me that!”

Darkness Dominates - Chapter 3

The prediction Rosie had made to Leola about the McAllister monument was spot on. After finishing her fried breakfast, Doug drove her near to its location. During the 11-minute journey, he gave Leola a brief explanation as to what it was.

“Imagine an explosion of bits of household appliances frozen in time. It’s the oddest landmark this city has.”

Doug and Leola had to walk up a grass verge and then make their way across a play park, before reaching it. His description of it was largely accurate. Various fragments of machines found in the home had been welded together. Leola studied each of the constituent parts for about a minute.

“You’re right about it being strange” she observed. “Who made it?”

“The members of Alven’s culture committee. Everything you see was welded together to commemorate Andrew McAllister.”

“Hence the monument using his surname: who is he, though?”

“He’s the most famous sportsman to be born here”

“What sport does he play?”

“I thought as an Alvenshire girl you’d know that already”

“Different generation”

“He played for Ralham FC, before becoming the club’s manager.”

“How many years did he clock in?”

“Nearly as many as Alex Ferguson did”

“He must’ve been popular with the supporters and players”

“Hugely, Skye”

“How did he die?”

“Drunk driver, of all things – his wife, Olivia was also killed. Fortunately, his kids weren’t in the vehicle when it happened. I was gutted – the whole city was.”

“Pardon me for asking this, Mr. Trennell, but why are you showing me it?”

“Because he was a care home kid too – Andrew turned 18 without finding a to adopt him – so he did something worthwhile with his life and made a family of his own”

Instantly, Leola got a better understanding of why he had brought her here.

“You’re trying to convince me to go back to the halfway house, aren’t you?”

“Diane’s a good person – whatever you two argued about, I’m sure the two of you can patch it up”

“It’s more complicated than that”

“I’m sure it seems that way, but it doesn’t have to be”

“My situation means that it can’t help being other than complex”

“Situations like yours can change.”

“You think Diane will forgive me, don’t you?”

“I don’t think she will...I know she will”

Leola pondered Doug’s certainty for a moment. It was refreshing to hear, if a little naive. She’d grown to know that wisdom can be measured by the length of someone’s lifetime. Since in her case it was multiple, she couldn’t really act as if she knew more than him. Appearances dictated that Leola was the teenager and Doug was the adult.

“Tell you what, why don’t we go back to Matt’s Cafe?”

“For lunch”

“That and a Latte”

“I’d prefer an Americano”

Half an hour later, Matt stood in for one of his employees and brought Leola one personally.

“Thanks” she said to Doug’s friend.

“No problem”

Turning towards Mr. Trennell, she asked “What’ll happen if there’s no chance of me returning to Sudfield?”

“It all depends on whether Pips can convince Diane to agree to have you back”

“Hence you showing me around Alven”

Doug looked like a suspect that had been confronted with undeniable evidence of their crime.

“Don’t look so panicked, Mr. Trennell, I know”

“When did the penny drop?”

“Just before we left your house”

“I did wonder whether you’d figure it out. Listen, I know you seem unwilling to reveal why you and Diane fell out, but it couldn’t hurt to.”

“It’s a private matter” said Leola.

“I wouldn’t bank on it staying that way. Pips will want to get this matter sorted, so she’ll be eager to get to the truth behind it.”

“Well then, she’ll be the one who gives you the explanation”

“Why can’t you be the one to do that, Skye?”

“I just can’t, Mr. Trennell! I have my reasons!”

“You’re being very secretive”

Leola found a topic she could use to change the subject.

“How long has Charlotte been at university?”

“Just over a couple of years now – what do you fancy for lunch?”

Less than 15 minutes later, Matt was bringing a half-pounder with cheese and chips to Leola’s side of the table. Doug had settled for a ham and tomato sandwich.

“I doubt I could eat that much, not with my medical history! I had a mild heart attack a few years ago”

“That explains why you’re having a sandwich.”

She stopped talking for a moment and took a large bite from her burger.

“What if we were to adopt you?”

Leola almost spat out what she had in her mouth on hearing this.

“I’m sure your wife will have something to say about that – Rosie and Charlotte too!”

“You’re still seventeen”

“Not for much longer – adoption processes take time, and by then, I’ll be an adult in the eyes of the law”

This was a lie she felt justified in telling. She saw it as a way of making Doug accept she was 17, going on 18. Leola had flavoured her remark with common teenage petulance so that he’d believe it.

“You’re the only care home kid I’ve met who doesn’t want to be adopted”

“That’s just it – you don’t know me at all”

“Only because you’re secretive”

“That’s my right! And please stop talking about adopting me – I’m not daughter material! Besides, your missus would never go for it.”

Doug’s phone made two successive pings.

“Hold on, Skye, I’ve got a text!”

He stood up and walked towards a life-size cardboard cut out of a waitress. Doug touched the display screen three times and read the message sent to him aloud.

“Just about to head to Sudfield”

Below the text was a lower-case x, symbolising a kiss. Leola was three-quarters-of-the-way through her burger when Doug returned to the table.

“Who was the text from?”

“Pips, Skye. She sent it just under a minute ago. By this evening, she’ll have cleared the way for you to Sudfield”

Leola picked up on the cosy confidence in Doug’s voice, fully aware that she’d orchestrated a different outcome.

Pippa’s journey to Sudfield took her beyond the outskirts of Canroth. A tiny village named Kelphych lay between there and the halfway house. This area consisted of eleven houses, a small church and a pub called ‘The Henford Dagger’. Seated at one of the forecourt’s tables were two council workers. One of them proved he knew Councillor Trennell by waving at her. She didn’t recognise his face, however, and drove by the pub without waving back at him. He shrugged his shoulders and carried on drinking his pint of bitter.

The route to Sudfield took Councillor Trennell’s car over a narrow bridge, above part of the River Lothyl. Pippa noticed that a small section of the railings was starting to come loose.

“Kids might decide to play on this bridge” she said to herself. “I’m not having shoddy work be responsible for a youngster fucking well drowning in the Lothyl!”

At the other end of the bridge, the road widened out again. Two feet further on was a road sign indicating how far it was to Sudfield Hall. A flock of birds flew off from a roadside tree as Pippa’s car passed it. Two of them came within inches of colliding with her windscreen. This didn’t panic her. Pippa had become a steely, unflappable driver, ever since she passed her driving test with flying colours. That was when she was nineteen. The seventeen year gap between then and now had improved her skills behind the wheel.  She knew how to safely navigate hazardous traffic situations and had avoided succumbing to road rage. This was one of the things in her life she was most proud of. Her car went past a couple more roadside trees. There was only one bird in each – a chaffinch and a crow. Both stayed where they were instead of taking flight. The crow appeared to be eyeing her. She was slightly un-nerved by this, but not frightened.

A few minutes later, she saw the road leading into Sudfield. On either side of that route were arrow signs for the benefit of motorists who hadn’t come this way before. Councillor Trennell was one of those in that category. When the road veered partially to the right, Pippa saw of a fraction of the building.

More of it came into view when the car entered the driveway. The entire front part of the halfway house was painted light blue – even the doors and window frames.

The part of the building which first caught Pippa’s eye was the circular window frame on the left-hand side of the top floor; it was a dead ringer for the one she’d seen on ‘Play School’ during the Seventies. She wasn’t the only one staring at it. A young woman with jet black hair was looking at it too.

“What’s up there?” Pippa asked her.

“Diane calls it ‘The Fridge’”

“The Fridge”

“It’s like the Cooler – you know, like in ‘Waterloo Road’ on the telly”

“You mean it’s where you and the other teens go when you’ve misbehaved”

“I’ve been in there, but only once. That was over a year and a half ago now.”

“How old are you?”

“Nineteen”

“You look a year younger”

“I’ll take that as a compliment”

“Sorry...rude of me – what’s your name?”

“Holly Pearce”

“Councillor Pippa Trennell. Are you an employee of...?”

“Volunteer and ex-resident”

“I thought someone of your age would be at Canroth Community College”

“I am...well, part-time – three days a week”

“What are you studying there?”

“Law and Sociology”

“Is ‘The Fridge’ bare?”

Knowing what Pippa meant, Holly replied “It has murals to calm stroppy and aggressive teens down – a move that’s had mixed results. It’s out of bounds for the moment to everyone except Diane.”

“How come”

“Structural maintenance being done on the third floor. They’ve installed a door at the top of the stairs to stop staff and residents entering. There’s a keypad, but only Diane knows the code to get in.”

“I didn’t see any council work vans as I drove in here”

“The two council workmen went on their break.”

“I think I saw them in the pub called ‘The Henford Dagger’ drinking beer.”

“Stupid shits – they’ll be breathalysed if the police pull them over! Diane’s so going to throw the book at them if that happens!”

“Could you tell me where can I find Diane Farnham?”

“You’ve found her” said Diane.

Pippa turned and saw her husband’s female school friend standing just outside the front entrance. Right away, she noticed that how she looked in reality didn’t match the image of her she’d formed in mind. Doug’s assessment of her had led Pippa to expect her to be down with the kids. Yet, Diane seemed to have a morose, defeated air about her. It was coupled by a haunted look in her eyes.

“Holly, Emerald Hyford didn’t tidy up hers and Fiona Howe’s room again! Could you do it?”

“I’m on it!”

Holly strode into the building, through the main doors.

“I thought the county council inspection isn’t until next week”

“It still is next week”

“Why are you here then?”

“Skye Linton”

“I think we should go inside.”

The walls and ceilings of the ground floor corridor were painted lime green.

“Interesting colour”

“You’re just being polite...sorry, what do I call you?”

“Councillor Pippa Trennell”

“Ah, Doug’s wife”

“I am, yeah”

“As I was saying, you’re probably being polite – it’s hideous! The P&D’s are twats – they didn’t pay any attention to how I wanted it done”

“Where’s your office?”

“It’s first on the left on the next floor”

As the two of them went upstairs, they were watched by a male employee who’d just come out of the recreation room. He had on a blue T-shirt with the name of this place printed on it and a pair of black denims. The employee also had an anxious look on his face. Once on that floor, Pippa watched Diane half-open her office door. She looked inside it – left and right.

“What are you doing?”

“Rob Massey likes nicking stuff from here, so I’m checking to see what’s been taken”

“Is anything missing?”

“Nope – everything’s still here”

She pushed the door all the way open. Diane and Pippa then entered. On the wall behind Diane’s desk was a framed colour photo of a teenage girl.

“Who’s that?”

“The first resident to set foot in here – Lynda Arnold – Lynda with a ‘Y’”

“What happened to her?”

“Became a doctor, got hitched and then started a family of her own”

“A success story then”

“I like to think so”

“Have you got a family?”

“A daughter called Darcy. She came into this world in 1992.”

“What about her dad?”

“One night stand! I was very drunk – wasn’t able to recall his name. I still can’t, to be honest! Don’t matter, though – I’ve managed pretty well as a single parent.”

Pippa asked Ms Farnham about the education of the teen residents.

“They get taught here.”

“Why?”

“Most of them were kicked out of the school they attended. We have a teacher – Mr Hall – to make sure they don’t miss out on an education.”

Diane walked to the coffee machine she’d had installed in her office. Councillor Trennell had seen one just like it in a cafe, roughly a week ago.

“Do you want one?”

“No, I’m good, Diane. I want to get down to business. You brought me in here to talk about your runaway resident, I believe!”

“Where is she now?”

“At my house – temporarily”

Councillor Trennell suddenly spied a letter from Canroth General on the left right half of Diane’s desk. Looking closer, she saw it had the date from exactly a week ago.

“What was the appointment for?”

Diane put the letter into one of the desk drawers before answering.

“Darcy dislocated her right ankle during a P.E lesson. She had to have surgery a month back. It’s just a check-up by Dr. Morton to see how it’s healing”

Appreciating that this was a private family matter she was straying into, Pippa changed the subject back to Skye.

“I understand you and Miss Linton had a row”

“Skye did most of the arguing”

“What was it about?”

“Letting her go into the big wide world a month before she turns 18”

“Why’s that necessary?”

“We’re about to run out of room – got another 16 year-old coming in the next few days, and we admitted two sisters the night before Skye bolted”

“Didn’t you ring round the other halfway houses in the county?”

“You’d make a great DCI, you know that!”

“That’s Jennifer’s talent. Did you ring the other halfway houses?”

“I did, but they’re all full”

“Then I’ll have to consider a council flat as an option. Can I see her file?”

“Sure”

Diane took one from the middle of the bottom right-hand drawer and handed it to Pippa. She flicked through the seven pages worth of details about Skye in just over a minute.

“It says she stayed at Herdenham’s halfway house briefly, before she came here”

“Yeah, Sudfield was undergoing minor renovation, so she had to make a pit stop there until the work was done”

Pippa handed the file back to Diane.

“Right, I’ve got to go – lots to do back at Alven. I’ll contact you when I’ve found a vacant council flat for Skye. That’ll probably take me until the end of the week, so you’ll probably be hearing from me next Monday. Skye will have to stay at my house until then. Anyway, thank you for your time, Ms Farnham.”

“Do you want me to see you out?”

“Cheers, but I can manage”

“Give me regards to Doug and the girls”

“I will” Pippa said hurriedly, as she left Diane’s office.

Once back in the driveway, Coucillor Trennell felt the need to rub her arms. The outside air was chillier than it had been when she’d gotten here. She had hold of the driver’s door handle for a mere moment, when the crow she’d seen earlier flew into the grounds. It began eyeing her up again. The bird was forced to fly away when Holly threw a handful of gravel from the driveway at it.

“The RSPB won’t like that – you could’ve injured one of its wings!”

“Well, that’s its own fault for trying to attack Sally North!”

“Why did it do that?”

“So don’t have a clue! It was like a scene from ‘The Birds’”

“Sally wasn’t hurt was she?”

“Nope, I saw it off it before it got the chance!”

“Sounds like she had a lucky escape”

“She did that! Anyway, I’ve got to have a word with Ben”

“Ben”

“Yeah, you probably saw him hanging around.”

“Yeah, I remember him. There was someone staring at me as I headed to Diane’s office – boyfriend?”

“Just a colleague” said Holly. “I’d best be off – work to do!”

She’d gone inside before Pippa could say “It was nice to meet you”. Councillor Trennell was about to get back into her car again when she heard the crow Holly had supposedly scared off making noises. The sounds were coming from the far left-hand side of Sudfield’s roof. She immediately felt the hairs on the back of her neck tingle. It was as if they’d been bombarded by static electricity. Pippa turned round and saw the crow eyeing her up a third time. Right below was the same window she first noticed when she arrived. For a split-second, she thought she’d seen a lock of blonde hair in the right-hand corner of the round window. The crow bobbed itself round, showing its tail feathers, and flew away from the roof. Feeling her neck hairs go back to normal, Pippa looked at the window again. There was no-one there.