‘Where is Cory?’ I ask.
He smiles down at me, his teeth whiter than ivory. ‘A place where nobody can harm him. Come… I’ll take you.’ He reaches out his hand, his fingers long and slender. As he touches my cheek, we both begin to levitate up towards a blinding bright light which I realise has been waiting for me all along. I don’t try to fight it. Instead, I wrap my arms around him, grip tightly hold of him, knowing that, with Aiden, I will always be safe. ‘I’m ready,’ I whisper into his ear. ‘I am ready to live in paradise with you and our baby.’
White light skims across my eyelids jolting me awake. The bedroom is peppered grey, shadows dancing off the walls and ceiling. My chest is saturated with sweat, blood thumping in my ears. I look over to the drawn curtains which soak up the light like tissue paper. Somebody is outside.
Pulling myself up, I make my way over to the window, my head foggy as if stuffed with cotton wool. Drawing back the curtains, I peer down into the front garden.
A taxi blocks the front gate, its headlights set to full beam. Downstairs, I hear the distinct sound of the front door opening, the porch light automatically switching on as it detects movement. Tamzin and Doug run down the gravelled driveway arm in arm, the wind blowing Tamzin’s white hair almost off her head. James and Magda follow them out, stand as one under the direct glare of the light. ‘You’re not taking my baby.’ My voice bounces off the double glazing where it disperses without being heard. I watch, my jaw rigid and my eyes unblinking. Annette must have already left. Which isn’t surprising after what James told her. That must have been who I heard leaving earlier. What time is it now? I check my watch, realise I have been sleeping for almost an hour. Guilt sinks my stomach. How could I have fallen asleep when she has my baby.
As the taxi pulls away, James turns to Magda and whispers something into her ear. I stiffen, my top and bottom teeth clamping themselves together. It’s already beginning. She has already managed to get her claws into my husband. Even if the charm bracelet was meant for me, and James is innocent in all of this, soon he won’t be. Soon he’ll be complicit in locking me away and allowing her to play mother to my baby!
They are both turned away from the bedroom window, their eyes fixed on each other. Carefully, I reach up and push open the window, just a fraction. The wind carries their voices up through the crack, the cold air drying the sweat on my skin.
‘I’ll nip home, grab a few things and tell Helen what’s happening. I’ll be quick. Don’t leave her before I get back, will you? Can’t risk her taking off again.’ Magda leans further in to James.
‘Your being here isn’t a good idea, Mags.’
‘Well, I have to be. There isn’t another option.’
‘I’m not sure I can section her.’ James turns and looks up at the bedroom window. I jump back, heart rate soaring. ‘She doesn’t deserve it,’ I hear him say. ‘She’s a good mother, loves the bones of Cory.’
‘You know it’s for the best.’ Magda’s voice slices through the night air. ‘I’ll take care of everything. Don’t you worry.’
‘All right,’ says James, leaning in to peck her on the cheek. ‘I trust you.’
Once Magda leaves, I make my way downstairs and wander through to the lounge. A thick fog blurs the edges of the room, the television somewhat off kilter. A charity advert is playing, dark and threatening, a small, helpless toddler imprisoned in a cot, his huge brown eyes drenched with layer upon layer of pain. I stare at him, my own eyes misting, his plea for ‘Mama’ coming two seconds too late. ‘I’ll protect you,’ I whisper to him. ‘Always.’
A gurgling noise comes from the other side of the room. I roll my eyes over to where Cory is propped up on the sofa, several differently sized cushions surrounding him like a padded cell. I scan the living room for James, certain he must be hiding behind the armchair or curtains. ‘Where are you? Come out at once. I’ll never allow Magda to take my baby, never!’
James titters somewhere in the distance, but doesn’t appear.
The bay window suddenly vibrates, the double-glazed glass almost cracking on impact. Beyond the pane, heavy rain whips itself up into a frenzy, black clouds rolling through the sky like barrels. A bolt of lightning cracks the image in two, a golden streak which flashes my own reflection back into my pupils. I stand stock-still, a white, faceless figure, nothing other than a living ghost.
‘Toto, I don’t think we’re in Kansas any more.’ I turn away from the window and kneel down beside Cory, taking his hand in mine, his skin warm and soft to the touch. He looks straight past me, his eyes widening as he tries to focus on the fairy lights which are draped around the window, their tiny bulbs flickering on and off, staining his milky-white skin all the colours of the rainbow.
Horses, Dorothy, Wizard of Oz, Mummy…
‘Stop talking, stop it!’ A choir of voices continues to chatter to one another, each one a slightly different pitch and yet all of them refusing to be silenced. ‘One at a time, I can’t make out what you’re saying.’
‘Who are you talking to?’ James’s voice silences all the others. I swivel round, see him standing in the open doorway, his skin flashing an emerald green. ‘Louisa?’
‘Leave me alone!’ I stick my fingers into my ears, squeeze my eyes shut. The voices start up again, louder this time, an orchestra of singing which steamrolls to a crescendo. ‘Stop it… stop it!’
James’s hand burns my shoulder. I look up at him, his mouth twisted into a scowl. ‘What is wrong with you?’ he says, his words all broken up. ‘You’re scaring me!’
I shake my head, look over at the TV set to where Dorothy now skips down the yellow-brick road with Scarecrow. The Wicked Witch of the West is hiding on a rooftop ready to light a match. ‘Turn it off!’ I scream. ‘Turn it off now!’
‘Turn what off?’
‘He’s burning, I don’t want to see.’
‘Who’s burning?’ James starts to cry without any sound, his skin now tinged a sunburned red. ‘What are you talking about?’
‘The Scarecrow!’ I look back at the TV set, now showing the opening credits to Coronation Street. I blink, once, twice, three times. ‘It wasn’t, it was Dorothy.’
James slumps down on the sofa, his head in his hands. ‘I’ll call work. I’m not leaving you like this.’ He reaches inside his trouser pocket. ‘I think I ought to call the out of hours, Lou. I can’t deal with this on my own.’
‘No!’ I throw myself at him, knowing only that he cannot leave me. ‘No, Aiden, don’t leave me, please. I’m not crazy.’
‘Who the fuck is Aiden?’
‘What?’ I look up at him, his hair a burnt orange, his eyes a centimetre too wide apart. ‘It’s all going to be all right now, isn’t it?’’ I say. ‘Me, you and our baby will live Happily Ever After, won’t we? I’m your special girl, Aiden, you said so yourself.’
‘Louisa, you’re really freaking me out. What baby? What are you talking about?’
I stare at him, my eyes unable to blink. How can he not remember? ‘Our baby,’ I tell him. ‘The one you killed!’
‘What?’ James jumps up, his nostrils flaring, his face the colour of fire. ‘You had a baby? Who killed your baby?’
I shake my head, unsure of what’s just happened. How does James know about the baby? ‘No, yes… Oh God!’
‘When?’ He looms over me, his eyes as hard as flint, his nostrils flaring. ‘In fact, don’t answer that. I can’t believe anything you’re saying right now. I’m calling the mental health team!’
He storms out of the room before I can say another word… leaving me in a heap on the floor.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Louisa
Now
I attempt to open my eyes but my eyelashes are stuck together. I prise them apart with my fingers, my head pounding, the bridge of my nose aching with unshed tears. How long have I been asleep for?
Tea, toast, Wizard of Oz, Mummy…
‘Shut up!’
The voices quieten on my command, as if they too are grateful for a rest.