Sunday, July 25th (Present)
I pushed myself up and wiped my tears away with the back of my hand. I wasn’t home; I was still in that bedroom. Why couldn’t I just wake up properly? All I wanted to do was to be at home with the family that drove me crazy most of the time. I wouldn’t even complain about Henry running to the bathroom before me or my dad’s crappy attempts at giving me a curfew.
“Good morning, Lily,” Rose said from the bed opposite mine. Good morning my arse. This was a morning from a nightmare—one that I couldn’t wake up from.
I attempted to smile but I was sure my mouth didn’t even move. What happened now? What was I supposed to do today? I wanted to say something to Rose, maybe ask her, but I wasn’t sure I even wanted to know. I kind of felt like this wasn’t happening to me, like I was in a dream or a movie.
Rose smiled in sympathy and opened the single-width wardrobe beside me. “Here, you can borrow some clothes until Clover gets you some new things.”
The blood drained from my face. Rose laid a pair of jeans and an oversized lilac sweater on the bed. I shook my head. How could she expect me to wear the clothes of a girl that had been murdered down here—the Lily before me “No,” I whispered. “I can’t.” I wasn’t going to walk around in a dead girl’s clothes.
“These are all we have.”
“You get used to it,” Violet said, holding her own similar outfit in her hand. We all color matched. The tops were slightly different but the same color. We were like a lame group of friends at school that thought it was cool to have matching days. I felt like we should start braiding each other’s hair and talk about dreamy boys.
“Okay, I’m going to have a shower. Poppy and Violet, can you explain to Lily, please?” Rose said and picked up her clothes and a towel. Explain what? I doubt I wanted to know.
They waited until Rose left and then sat on my bed. “The morning routine,” Poppy said, brushing her dark red, almost brown hair. “We need to take a shower and be ready by eight, every morning. That’s when Clover comes down for breakfast.”
I shook my head in disbelief. “What? We have to dress up for him?” This was too crazy to be real. “The bloody psycho.”
Poppy frowned. “It’s not dressing up exactly. He likes us to be clean, dressed respectfully, and have our hair and makeup done for when he comes. He likes us to look nice for him and for ourselves.”
My stomach turned. I didn’t want his idea of looking nice. I liked my jeans and T-shirts. I didn’t do girly dressing up, especially not for a sick murderer. “I don’t want to look nice for him. Bloody hell, can you hear yourself?”
“Honestly, Lily, neither do I. Trust me, though, it’s better than the alternative,” Violet said.
I gulped and closed my eyes. The answer to my next question was obvious but, like an idiot, I still asked. “What’s the alternative?”
“You don’t want to know,” Violet said and gulped. My heart started to race. Why didn’t I want to know?
“I just want to go home.” Tears trickled down my cheeks, and I squeezed my eyes closed. “I want to see Lewis and my family.”
“Is he your boyfriend?” Poppy asked. I nodded and sniffed, really unattractively. “Do you love him?”
“Yes.” I had been in love with him for ages before we got together. He was easygoing and fun to be around. He could also stress over silly little things and was fiercely protective of the people he loved. We had so many arguments about me wandering around alone. If I’d listened to him instead of brushing off his fears and telling him nothing was ever going to happen in boring old Long Thorpe, then maybe I’d be at home right now.
She looked down, her red hair falling in her face. “That’s nice.”
“He’ll find me,” I stated confidently. Lewis wouldn’t just sit back; he would do everything he possibly could to find me. So would my family. My mum was expert in finding things. Nothing could stay hidden from her—unfortunately for Henry and his porn stash.
Violet smiled halfheartedly. “Let’s hope so.”
Violet wasn’t as messed up as Rose; she sounded different, like she wanted to get out. But did that mean she would help me do something to him so we could escape? I wanted to fire questions at her right away, but I knew I had to find out more. I had to be sure she definitely wanted to get out before I said anything.