Chapter One: Monday 8:58pm
There was a loud bang as the door upstairs slammed shut. Everyone had finally left. Leaving me alone, in a deserted house. Standing stock, still in the same place as I had been five minutes before. Before everything had unfolded and refolded itself in a completely different order. Things were changing inside my head but I blocked them out for later. Concentrating instead on my here and now.
The room was slowly getting darker and darker as the day closed to an end. There were no lights in this room but I could still make out silhouette of the round wooden table just to the left of where I stood in the square room. There were chairs scattered around the room where they had been abandoned minutes before. The room itself was quite big with a high ceiling. A round pillar stood in the centre of the shadowed room casting even more shadows across the old walls.
I continued to glance around the room. A lot had changed here in the last couple of minutes but nothing in this room looked the sliest bit different from the last time I had been here.
I had been only five or six years old when my Mum had gotten a better job and my Aunt had died leaving a great deal of money to use. We used it to move to a grander house in a better area than the one I was now standing in.
The only difference was the mess and dust catered around the place. Mum would have never allowed this.
I could hear the distant sound of a clock ticking away, disturbing the otherwise complete silence.
My mind was ringing with the voices of my friends and family still with hope. I shook my head and brushed away the stray tear that had escaped my closed eyes with my free hand. I realised then that I was still holding on to the wooden rail of the stair case leading down to the basement.
The clock made a loader ticking noise striking ten times before going back it’s the regular sound. Ten o’clock already? Oh.
I looked down at my hand, the one not still gripping on to the rail. My nails were long and painted blood red, my hand was shaking from my lack of balance on this narrow stairway.
The floorboards above the room I was in started to creak, as if someone had been standing there just as long as I had, but only now moving. I grabbed hold of the rail and made my way back up towards the empty living room. One step at a time. One more step. When I reached the top of the flight of stairs, the sound of the clocks ticking got loader. How long had I been standing down there in the basement only now leaving to enter the room above where I had listening to the people?
I stumbled my way over towards the soft cushioned chair where my cousin had been sitting before.
When I reached it I slumped down with a great ‘oaf’ sound. I heard the creaking floorboards again but this time they sounded so much loader. Was there someone up there? I shook my head again, no I had been here before that sound was just ordinary to me. No it wasn’t that. It was just me being jumpy as always but not just that it was from what I had just heard. No there was no one up there and there was definitely no……. what was I going to say. No it was not that. God I am getting paranoid. There is no one else in this house and there is certainly no ghost! Get a grip!
There it was again. I horridly stood up and started to walk towards the direction of the door. The night was falling fast now. I could only just make out the objects in front of me, but that made no deferens because I had walked through this house a million times. The saying ‘know it better than the back of my hand’ was the only way I could think of to describe how I felt about this house.
When I reached the hall which lead towards the front door. The noise sounded again.
Now I was nearly running towards the door. When I finally flung the oak door open, the cold air came rushing in after it. I shrived was it really that cold out there? What time had I arrived? These questions were only some of many buzzing around my head.
All I could do at that point was run just to get away from that house. I never wanted to come back here again.
Too many memories. Good ones and not so good ones. At this moment they were all buzzing around my head like bees and a honey pot.
I was still running when I collided with a tall figure that was walking in the opposite direction.
“Sorry” I muttered taken aback. Had I really been that scared of what my own mind had come up with in the house that I missed this large boy?
“That’s okay. I wasn’t looking where I was going.” The boy replied with a thick American accent. He removed his long slender fingers from my arm where he must have tried to stop me from knocking him over.
I nodded slowly glancing behind me nervously. Was I really looking behind me to check if I was being followed? By what my old next door neighbours cat? God get a grip on yourself! I scolded myself silently.
“Not to be rube or anything but you look kind of freaked out. Are you okay? I mean not to pry......” he asked but started to train off when he saw the look on my face. Was I really going to consider telling a totally stranger that I was running from some crazy thought that my mind had just decided to terrify me with? The worse thing is I was considering it. I even opened my mouth to answer when I court myself. I was just shock up that’s all as soon as I got away from that house I would be able to think clearly again.
“I’m fine thanks. I just need to be somewhere.” I Mumbled the first stupid words that came into my head “Sorry again for running into you” I said as I began to walk at a slightly faster pass than I would have normally, in the same direction as I thought the bus stop was.
“Okay no problem bye.” The boy called after me as I darted off out of his sight. I could not be sure but I swear I saw something that looked like amusement cross across him face just before I turned around to make sure I didn’t run into anyone else tonight. Though as I said I couldn’t be sure.
It was getting darker by the second and by the time I reached the bus stop I was really starting to wish I had bought a coat. Why was I so stupid all the time? The only good thing about the cold was that it took my mind off of what I had just heard and the episode with the boy all I could think of was the cold and how the bus better come soon or I might decide to walk.
It was then that I heard footsteps a little way off from where I was leaning against the bus stop shelter. My head snapped around in the direction the noise had come from but the darkness was too deep. I would have been lucky to be able to see my hand if I held it right up to my face right now. I took a step backwards and found myself backed up against the other side of the shelter. Was it not my imagination playing tricks on me after all?
The footsteps were getting loader but I was paralysed to the stop just waiting there for whatever it is that was walking my way. The darkness that surrounded me made it feel like I was being swollen by the night itself. Just as suddenly as the footsteps had started they stopped. The night was once again silent but I didn’t dare breath. The sound of someone breathing in slowly and then out again was the only noise I could hear until suddenly I heard the... the.... person I suppose it had to be. Yes it had to be what am I thinking? Move away with heavy foot falls in the over direction. As soon as I was sure I could no longer hear whatever it had been, I breathed out loudly.
Okay everything is okay. It could have just been someone coming to the bus stop to get a bus but forgot something and had to run back. You don’t even know the new you were here. Excuses like this kept running round my head but none of them made any sense to me. I must just be still in shock and was making a big deal out of everything. That’s it I'm just being what Mum calls a ‘Drama Queen’. I can deal with that it’s a good way to think. Now if only I could believe it.
Slowly I began to realise how stupid I was being and unfolded myself from the ball I had curled up in on the floor. I got to my feet slowly as to keep my balance. As always I am a very clumsy girl but I felt even more unstable on my feet than usual. I grabbed hold of the old plastic seat to steady myself and looked around me. Surly I was just being really silly in thinking I had been in any danger here I should just really get home as fast as I could and get some sleep. I would probable laugh at myself for being so stupid and be glad that is was dark so no one would have seen my reaction to hearing mere footsteps how silly. Back to the here and now though I was still completely terrified and couldn’t seem to get my heart under control. Even if the stranger had come back I would not have been able to hear its footsteps thanks to my dramatic heart beats.
Just as I was thinking about walking all the way home I saw the head lights of the bus coming my way. I was in luck I had not really been looking forward to walking in this kind of darkness with my mind making up all sorts of threats along the way.
I put my hand in my pocket to find some money to pay for the ticket when I realised that my purse was not the only thing in my pocket. I pulled out a hand full of papers along with my purse. When had I put them in there? I stuffed the papers back into my pocket and stuck my hand out for the bus to stop.
When I had boarded the warm bus and sat down at the back nearest to the exit. I pulled out the papers again after all the journey home was a rather long one when on a bus. I slowly looked around me in spite of what I had told myself at the bus stop. I just had to make sure but no one was even remotely interested in what I was doing. There were six people on the bus and all of them were either falling asleep, all ready asleep or absorbed in the news papers or a book. I was so paranoid it was crazy.
Slowly I looked back down at the pieces of paper I had found in my pocket and unfolded the crumpled papers.
The first piece of paper was just an old bus ticket from last week. Had I gone on a bus last week? I tried to think back to Tuesday last week but all I remembered doing was coursework and sleeping.
“Sorry to interrupt you but are you sure your okay?” I looked up sharply into the face of the boy I had run into earlier.
“Oh yes I'm fine.... still.” I said surprised. Did I really look that scared? Wait why was the boy on the same bus as me I had seen him walking off in the other direction to me and I hadn’t seen him on the bus when I had looked round. Okay crazy person talking again. I quickly pushed away my crazy thoughts and concentrated on not showing my annoying emotions on my face. Most people called me an open book because I was so easy to read. There I went again thinking about completely random things when I should be concentrating on the boy in front of me who was now looking even more concerned than he had when asking if I was okay. I was really on edge tonight.
“Sorry just I'm not really a fan of the dark. I'm kinda on edge...” I trailed off still saying the first thing that came to mind even though they were half true. I don’t like the dark and I am on edge.
“That’s okay but if you’re afraid then why come out in the dark? Sorry I'm prying again. You can tell me to shut up anytime.” Again I found myself about to tell him the truth about why I had come out but stopped myself in time. What was it about this boy that made me want to tell him the truth?
“No its okay. There’s not really anything to pry about I was just visiting a friend and didn’t realise the time.” I shrugged trying to pull of the lie easily. Although I had a feeling that it was a wasted effort since the boy just shrugged and half turned in his seat.
Once again I looked down at my hands where the second piece of crumpled paper still was. I allowed my attention to go from the boy in front of me to the paper again. I slowly unfolded the crinkled edges only to find out that it was a completely blank piece of paper. What a waste of effort.
“You know I’ve never met a girl who can look so confused and I think scared by a blank piece of paper.” The boy’s voice made me jump. Had he even been speaking that loudly? He was right though what kind of person stares at a blank piece of paper as if it’s about to eat them. I am going crazy!
“Yeah like I said pretty much everything freaks me out when it’s dark....” again I trained off. What a great first impression I was making here. Wait why should I care what he thinks I just met him today after almost running him over! O god.
“Okay now I have pushed my luck. I apologies.” He said while looking down like he really was sorry. Great now I really am confused! “I mean you do look confused though are you sure there is nothing I can do to help. I'm not completely useless like I must seem right now.” he was still looking down when he whispered looking slightly embarrassed. Huh so I wasn’t the only one to not understand what they were talking about.
I just kept silent what did this strange boy want? I mean yes I probably did look very confused but still why should it bother him? Why should he look so amused when he looked up? Was I just imaging that to? And how many more questions am I going to ask myself before I say something out load?
“That’s really okay and really I'm nearly home now it’s only a couple more stops then I’ll feel fine again. Sorry to trouble you.” Was the really amusement I saw in his eyes when I said this? Crazy. What did this boy have to be amused at? Apart from a girl sitting in front of him whom was still staring at a blank piece of paper like it was going to turn into a hideous monster any second. Get a grip on yourself Rose!
Okay now I was sure that the look he was giving me from the corner of his eye was amusement. God this boy had some cheek! Slowly I stop feeling so scared and confused and felt slightly pissed off since this boy was still looking at me the same way. As if I was somehow amusing him by just sitting there. Without think I realized I had asked the question out load. Crap!
“Are you amusing me? Well yes you are. You are confusing me to death! I am sorry if I am making you feel uneasy. It just......” he replied moving his eyes down and laughing a bit. Great I really was leaving a great impression here. Oh who cares? Was I ever going to see this boy again?
Suddenly I looked up and realized that I had missed my stop by a long way.
“Crap.” I muttered under my breath. Making the boy look up with a clear question on all of his features. I quickly pressed the stop button and stood up nearly losing my balance as the bus did a sharp turn to the right. For the second time in one night I realised the boy had court me by putting his hand on my arm to steady me so I didn’t go crashing into one of the many seats around me.
“Thanks..... Again.” I whispered not able to look at him since I could feel my cheeks turn a very bright shade of red. What next?
“Are you okay? Do you think you’re going to fall again?” He asked getting up himself. He still hadn’t let go of my arm and his fingers were giving me little tingling feeling all the way up my arm. What on earth?
I quickly yanked my arm away from the boy who seemed totally oblivious to the weird sensation going on in my arm. Okay still losing it!
“Still fine. Just missed my stop.” I squeaked walking towards the opening bus doors. What was I thinking? Am I really going to go walking back about two streets to my house in the dark and with my crazed mind? Even now I could start to see some of the dangers my mind was getting ready to think up and I hadn’t even stepped off the bus yet.
As soon as I had stepped off the bus and was confronted with the freezing cold air I could tell that I would not be able to make it past the first street without scaring myself to death. Drama Queen!
“Here. Wait up! You really do look freaked out and I won’t sleep tonight if I don’t at least make sure you get home safe” it was the boy again from the bus. Relief flooded my straight away. I would not have to walk all the way home by myself! I can stop being a sacredly cat now and just get home like any other sane person.
“Thanks but it is almost two streets away. I should be fine.” Was I really saying that? Even I could tell from my voice how much I didn’t want to walk all that way by myself.
“It’s no trouble I don’t live that far myself. That’s if you don’t mind being with a strange and all.” He asked starting to smile. Just then I really look at him he was really tall like I had first notice while running into him. He was also well built for a well what looked like 17 year old boy his hair was a dark golden colour which came down to his ears in a sort of side parting style. His eyes were a light brown when I looked into them I realized that they kind of sparkled even though it was pitch black and thanks to the darkness that was pretty much all I could tell apart from that he was smiling with big full lips. So basically he looked like the stereotypical American. I also noticed that he was wearing light blue jeans and a long green t-shirt with writing going from one side to the other in a strange white print that looked a lot like graffiti to me but I could have been wrong. In the dark I could not really make out what it was saying so I gave up.
“Well thank you then.” I muttered before turning around and walking in the direction of my house. I could hear his footsteps follow seconds later and the soft sound of his laughter.
We walked for a couple of minutes in total silence until I found myself yet again almost falling over but this time I had walked straight into one of the lamp post that never worked.
“Are you alright?” I heard the boy say from somewhere in the darkness.
“Yes just didn’t see it coming.....” I stuttered thanking the darkness for hiding my bright red cheeks.
After the boy had helped me up from the ground he asked in a quizzical tone “Are you always this clumsy or is it just because it’s dark?”
I blushed again and didn’t reply. As I started off walking again quickening my past to get home faster and hopefully not embarrass myself again to much. Though I was walking fast I was however being alot more careful as to where I was walking hoping that I could just get this over and done with as fast and less painful as was possible for me.
“You know I have pretty much saved you from falling over three times now but I still don’t know your name.” He said it like a statement but obviously wanted an answer. I considered lying and saying my names was something like Kate or Gemma but changed my mind and said, “Rose” again telling him the truth for what felt like a long time. Had he really only just thought to ask my name when he had had at least several opportunities before now?
“Nice, I’m Parker” he replied in a way to smug voice. What was that about?
I looked down and continued my silent walk but apparently Parker had other ideas since after about five seconds he asked “So what was up with the piece of paper you had on the bus? I mean it must have been something strange from the expression you were giving it.”
So he wasn’t going to forget the strange look I gave after I looked at the paper. The worse thing was I didn’t know what was up with it that was the whole point! I could feel the confused look I got when I really didn’t know what to say spread across my face and realised that I had taken the piece of crumpled up paper back out of my pocket where I had put it after Parker had asked what made it so scary.
After another couple of seconds I still didn’t know how to answer him so I just handed him the paper and mutter something like “I found it in my pocket. Didn’t put it there .....” Again I found myself looking at the ground as Parker took the paper and unfolded it.
“Umm I still don’t get it. It’s totally blank does it mean something else?” Parker looked away from the page to where I was walking beside him then realized I didn’t know after my silence and started to apologies again for prying but I wasn’t really listen to what he was saying. I had court sight of something in my line of vision that didn’t match the other things around it. I thought I had seen a large pair of orange circles by the old rickety fence across the road. This time I was sure I hadn’t been seeing things but it could just be a cat or some other wild animal.
I gasped when I realized I had not been looking down to make sure I knew where I was going but had been distracted by what I thought I had seen over by the fence seconds ago and had now slipped on a puddle and was now practically clinging onto Parker to keep from falling on my face. Oh my god!
I quickly let go of Parker who was looking even smugger than he had when telling me his name. Oh god so much for the not embarrassing myself any more.
I really just felt like melting into the ground and not reappearing for a very long time. My cheeks were an even brighter red than before. What else could possible go wrong?
No don’t think that something worse will happen just act like you don’t care you can do that.
“Umm are you really okay this time? I mean that’s got to be the fours time I’ve court you and we have only just got past the first street by the way which way are we going?”Parker still had his hands on my shoulders making sure I guess that I didn’t fall over again. I quickly nodded and pointed to the right and we started walking again.
Only one more street do you think you can manage one more street without falling again! I silently shook my head in disbelief why did it always have to be me who fell and got freaked at night why was I even out here? If I just hadn’t gone to that house everything would still be the same. If I could somehow manage to forget all that had happened in the last three day I everything would be fine.
Parker had let go of my shoulders when I had started walking again and was now walking silently beside me again. The only difference was that now he had a very smug smile on his face that I really wasn’t in the mode to understand what it meant.
I pushed my dark brown hair out of my face where they had fallen lose from my pony tail and pushed them behind my ears trying to act normal when all I could think about was how idiotic I was and how amusing this must be for Parker.
I still hadn’t forgotten the orange circles that I could swear looked like eyes but I shoved them to the back of my mind so I could complete concentrate on where I was going. Before I knew it we were on my street and neither me of Parker had said anything since I had falling into him again. When we were only a few houses away from where my detached old family house was I put my hand in my pocket to find my keys since I knew my Mum would be out or asleep and I’d rather not have her questing to my sanity this early in the morning. Morning? I looked again at my watch on my right hand and saw that it had just gone 1:35am. Oh great well there goes the idea of sleep I would be up for the rest of the night freaking out about every little noise in the house.
When I finally found my key in my pocket I pulled it out and held it in my hand waiting for my house to finally come into sight.
After about twenty seven second. I knew this because I was counting thanks to boredom. Parker looked up and final spoke,
“So which ones yours?” he gave a little shiver proving that he was cold. So I’m not the only stupid person to come out side with no coat after all. Although I do admit I had past freezing a long time ago and kinda did feel sorry for Parker since he was in fact walking me home since I looked scared. Not many strangers would do that especially since we had met by me running into him after totally freaking out over practically nothing.
I looked up from the ground to see if my house had come into view yet and saw the same orange eyes as before just hovering by my door step only feet away.
I gasped loudly and stopped dead in my tracks.
“What? What is it?” Parker asked stopping as well and taking a few steps back to where I stood frozen to the spot. When I didn’t answer he turned round and followed where I was looking.
“What the hell?” He gasped his eyes went wide and then small again as if trying to think. We both stood there in silence waiting for some explanation from the other with the eyes disappeared out of sight.
Slowly I pulled my eyes away from my doorway where moments before the mysterious eyes had been to where Parker was still standing staring at the house as if it held some weird secret okay this boy did have issues.
“Okay what is it about you that just attracts trouble?” Parker turned to tell me. Me trouble? It’s a cat for crying out loud!
“Thanks but its’ only a cat not something dangerous I just over reacted like always.” I snapped at him trying to sound sure of myself. It was no wonder though that this didn’t work and Parker just looked at me as if I was mad. Which I agree with him I totally am. Still why was he looking at me that way all I had said was the obvious. What else could it be? Only a crazy person would think the same way I had in my old house. It was not a ghost. Why can’t I get a grip? What was wrong with me?
“You know I don’t think it’s a cat I think I saw something like it when you were running like a wild child away from something and into me. I thought I saw something behind you but I dunno. Okay I sound crazy but okay could you please just tell me what is going on?” He looked expectantly at me. Like I knew what was going on I was trying as hard as I could to block it out. He was not helping!
“Right so you’re saying some orange eye things are following me? Okay......” I was trying to sound as sarcastic as I could but still sound kind of nice. Not sure how that went though. He didn’t even seem fussed so I guess I didn’t sound anywhere near convincing.
“Please tell me that’s not really you being angry?” What was that meant to mean? Why did he look so amused again? Argh what did I keep doing to amuse him so much? Here we go with the hundreds of questions again!
“No” I snapped. Why did that piss me off? Again I could feel the confused look spread across my face. I really couldn’t seem to get a hold on what my brain was going on about today.
My head was starting to ache with the confusion I annoying had. The night without sleep was quickly catching up with me and every word Parker was saying was really starting to annoy me.
Again I realized I had said this out loud because Parker turned and looked at me a little offended. Well it was his fault!
“Sorry. Thanks for walking me home. Good bye.”I said turning sharply away and into my drive way. Walked into my Mum’s car, which took me by surprise and then I stomped off in an angry huff.
I looked back when I got to my door and saw Parker still standing at the edge of my drive with an expression like a person very amused by something but trying to hide it back. Well that’s just great I still managing to embarrass myself even when all I do is walk away from someone.
In a huff,
Walking into the car,
Oh and there go my keys.
Great.......

Chapter Two: Tuesday 11:22am
Later that day when I woke I could hear the soft beeping of the answer phone down stairs. I rubbed my eyes trying to wake myself up step by step. Slowly I sat up and stumbled out of bed nearly slid into the bed side lamp thanks to my lack of sleep.
I grabbed my cream dressing gown and walked down stairs trying to keep my eyes open. What time was it anyway?
As I neared the phone in the hall I could see that my Mum had left me a note:

Rose when you get up Make sure you remember to clean the garden. Do you really want the neighbors seeing in it the mess it is on the garden party this Friday? See you when I get home.
Love Mum
x

Well there was a garden party this Friday? Well thanks for telling me Mum.
Slowly I turned around, still trying to get my balance back. When I reached the stairs I remembered the really reason I had come down in the first place. The phones annoying beeping. God I get distracted easily!
I walked back over to the phone more quickly this time. When I reached the hand set I picked up the phone and pressed the button to hear the message. I lifted the phone to my ear in time to hear,
“Hey it’s Parker I’m just ringing you to tell you that you left your phone on the side walk when you fell into your car.” He stopped to laugh a little then leaving me blushing even though he was nowhere to be seen.
“Well when I knocked on the door the other night to tell you. Well you must have not heard it but I'm outside now. I think it’s the right house because well it was dark and I wasn’t paying much attention. So come out side when you get this message. Umm thanks..... Bye.”
Four slow beeps started to signal the end of his message.
Well crap. Why did I have to be so clumsy?
I reached the door and had my hand on the door handle when I court a glance of myself in the hall mirror. Eak was I really about to open the door while I was still in my pajamas! I turned around quickly fully recovered from my lack of sleep and ran up stairs to get dressed before opening the door this time.
Five minutes later I was coming back down the stairs in a blue polka dot shirt with dark blue skinny jeans and my hair pulled back into a lose pony tail. I couldn’t be bothered to do any make up since all I was doing was getting my phone then I would be tiding the garden. Oh what fun I'm going to have today........
I opened the door to find a shivering Parker standing in the shelter of my door cover. He turned as soon as I opened the door and held out his hand with my phone on top of a couple of other pieces of paper. Okay then....
“Here!” he shoved the phone and crumpled pagers at my surprised face.
“Umm thank you.” I slowly extended my arm to take them. For some reason I started to feel really sorry for him I mean after all he had walked me home yesterday I mean this morning, and now wait outside my door for god knows how long waiting for me to listen to the message and come outside. And here I was just standing here looking at him as if he was mad.
“Yeah no problem I always stand outside girl’s house waiting for them to come out when they don’t answer their phones. Just a normal day for me!” deep sarcasm was dripping from his voice. Again I started to feel really sorry for the poor boy I had left him waiting an unnecessary amount of time out in the freaking rain. I should have listened to what the time said before running back upstairs to get dressed. Before I knew what I was saying I realized I had already asked Parker to come in for something to drink to say sorry for leaving him outside in the rain so long.
Parker accepted quickly. Eager to get out of the pouring down droplets of cold wet moisture hammering down from the clouds above.
I lead the way towards the kitchen turning up the heater as I went. I really did feel sorry for him he really did seem really nice.
As we entered the kitchen I walked over to the kettle and put it on. I was unsure whether he wanted tea or coffee so I turned round to ask only to find him centimeters away. I was shocked still and just stood there like a complete idiot waiting for him to step away. My heart was doing weird back flips in my chest. A huge smug smile spread across Parker’s features. He always seemed to be amused about something it was starting to drive me crazy! Well it would have if my heart wasn’t playing mean tricks on me right now.
After what felt like forever Parker stepped back with an apologia saying something like I dunno what had came over him. Oh god!
“Right...... Umm did you say you wanted Tea or Coffee?” I stammered trying to get my voice on an even level with little success.
“Coffee please” Parker said in a voice that sounded way too much like he was holding back his laughter. I also had a feeling he knew just how much my heart was beating like crazy. I mean I could hear it perfectly clear I bet he could as well. That’s what I get for stopping mid-step. Mental note to always check if someone was to near before stopping in future.
I tapped the button on the kettle to make it start boiling and moved swiftly over to the shelf were we kept our mugs. I grabbed two mugs from the neatly arranged mugs and moved back over to where Parker was still standing in front of my kitchen table. He was standing like he was completely over come by some amazing and terrifying fact. Okay......
“Your kitchen is so.... so beyond clean! How...... how do you do that?” he seemed totally awestruck by my mother handy work. Which I must admit amazed me at times to.
“Yeah I know. Blame my Mum for that, total control freak. “I confessed. Had I really said that? Oh well I shrugged and put the mugs on the counter beside the kettle.
“She even has me tiding the all ready tidy garden for one of her Garden party’s this Friday its ridicules.” I continued rolling my eyes at the ceiling. It wasn’t my Mum fault exactly but she lived to please the neighbors my world was a total façade.
I looked down and kept my eyes away from Parker for a while till I heard the sound of the kettle finish boiling ad jumped about half a foot in the air. Well it seemed I still hadn’t got a grip on myself yet after all.
I pulled the lid off of the coffee pot and the lid went flying and hit Parker right in the face.
“Ouch” he cried when it collided with his forehead.
“O god I'm so sorry are you okay?” I hurriedly asked rushing over to where he was standing. I realized too late that there was a pool of soapy water on the floor where my Mum must have been cleaning before she left for work, on the clean floor and went flying into him and crashing on to the already coffee covered floor.
Well at least this time I had succeeded in pushing Parker over unlike the first time. Why did I have to be so clumsy? I mentally yelled at myself.
I was still lying on the floor next to where Parker was and was blushing like a right idiot. Oh my god!
“Oh my god I am soooo sorry!” I squeaked stumbling to my feet again only to fall back down after putting my foot right back into the soapy water and went tumbling right back into Parker who was still lying on the floor.
“Umm here” Parker said tying to lift me off the floor and onto my knees. He didn’t even sound the slightest bit annoyed only amused. Was it possible for this boy to feel anything else for god’s sake! When I was on my knees and looking behind me to make sure I wouldn’t slip again I stood up and grabbed hold of the table to steady myself before looking back down at Parker who was just now himself getting to his Knees. Just as I looked down at him he looked up at me and everything became a whole lot more awkward than it had just seconds ago. If that was possible!
He got to his feet in front of me and looked down at his feet where the still spilled coffee was pilling up. Oh god.
“Well I guess Coffees off the menu then......” he laughed. Again I could feel my cheeks go an even darker shade of red. I couldn’t even remember the last time I had blushed so much in less than a day!
I quickly shuffled over to where the kettle was and picked up one of the many clothes that my Mum had piled up. Each color had its own use:
Green – Water
Brown – Juice
Purple – Food
Yellow – Milk
Blue - Powder
Orange – Other
The only way to remember this was to put it up on the fridge door and hope that it stayed there after all my Mum hated anything that looked out of place or untidy. Strangely it had remained from the day I had put it up this to this very day. The only explanation for this was that Mum had gotten so tired of me using the wrong colors and let me keep it up and probably the fact that it was typed and not in my scruffy hand.
I picked a blue and green clothe and knelt down to start cleaning up the mess I made. Great.........
Parker leaned down to help but I shook my head to say no since I kinda had hit him in the head with a plastic lid. Oh here we go hadn’t I promise myself I was not going to embarrasses myself again in from of Parker. Well I also had said what were the chances of me seeing him again and well here he was. Just my luck.
“Do you want an ice pack for your head?” I asked Parker looking up from the polished floor.
“Umm I think I’ll be okay.” He shook his head. I nodded and turned back to the floor and continued cleaning. After about two minutes I heard someone say something and looked up to see Parker staring angrily at fin air. Okay then and I thought I was weird I mean I was staring at a piece of blank paper as if it was going to kill me any second but I guess I wasn’t on my own.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” I asked looking a little worried in his direction.
“Umm yeah sure. Just I think I will have the ice pack if it’s still possible” he mutters looking at me out of the corner of his eye and trying to smile sweetly. Okay......
I got up and went over to the fridge to get some ice from the freezer. I pulled open the freezing cold door still thinking about Parker’s weird behavior and if I should be worried. I pulled out the bottom draw and picked up and handful of ice with a plastic scoop which was placed just above the freezer door on the little platform. I moved over to the cupboard with all the plastic bags inside. Again thanks to my Mum there was a place for pretty much anything. I grabbed a plastic bag and pored the ice into it. As I was turning round I heard Parker say something like go away which sounded like he was saying it through his teeth. Maybe I should be worried I thought to myself. When I had fully turned round I saw that Parker had his arm extended in front of him like to push something away from me and his other hand bulled into a fist like he was just done throwing a punch. Okay I should defiantly be worried!
I raised my eye brows in a very questioning way. What was this guy doing?
Weird. I though. Oh wait please say I didn’t just say that out load. Oops!
He smiled knowingly at my expression and quickly glanced to the side in the direction he had been hitting. Strange freak!
A couple of minutes later Parker made his excuses and left to go home. I expect. Strange, strange boy.

The rest of the week went by in a blur until it was Friday and the Garden party was upon us.
I was on strict orders to act happy and get dressed as fast as I could in a new white shirt with black cardi and light blue denim skirt that came done to just above my knees. My Mum had wanted me to look smart and had wanted me to wear a polo skirt instead but I had put my foot done since for one thing I would look like I was going to a job interview and two it was just too hot outside to wear skirts that thick. I had nothing against polo skirts however in liked them it was just they only looked good on certain people. I was not one of these people.
So here I was walking around and around our garden talking to these who talked to me. I was practically dyeing from boredom and I could swear I would scream if another person either offered me part of the food they had bought or told me how nice the food me and Mum had rushed into making this morning. I shook my head at my Mum who was talking to Mrs. West who typically looked way to much like she herself was going to meet the queen in a baby blue flowing dress that came done to just past her knees. I don’t know how she could stand it I had past boiling about half an hour ago and was now just over heated and tired of all the idol gossip every single ‘friend’ of my Mum’s was talking about. From what I could tell they were all talking about a new family that had just moved in down the street. Apparently their eldest son had died in a car accident. The cab driver had skidded of the road and crashed into a tree I stopped listening for a bit because memories of my dads accident were coming flooding back to me I changed onto another gossiper who was talking about the youngest a girl named something like Maria or Marina who had started going to the same collage as me. There was something about a middle son but I lost interest and well I only listened because the was really nothing else to do and well I would surely find all this out soon enough from my Mum when we were cleaning all this ‘mess’ up later today.
“Hey there.” I swung around sharply to see Parker standing in front of me in shorts and a t-shirt with the same writing on it as he had the day he had walked me home. I could now make out what it said but was still none the wiser it looked like it was in another language maybe French since I had never been very good at it and had quit as soon as year nine. Well not very good was really an understatement I was dreadful my French teacher was glad to see the back of me.
“Huh what are you doing here?” I asked stupidly. Did my voice really go that high?
“Well you said your Mum was having a Garden party and well she invited my family so we could get to know the neighbors a bit better. She had no idea we had been living here for five years now.” He laughed. I didn’t really get what was funny but hey who cares. Wait had he just said my Mum had invited him. Wow thanks Mum even though you had no idea you had to warn me. Okay enough with the talking to myself I'm freaking myself out!
That was just like my Mum to invite new people to her famous Garden party’s so that everyone would know that she had known the ‘new people’ first. God!
“Right.” I looked down since I had no idea what to say. Okay I thought to myself maybe if I just don’t speak that much I wouldn’t embarrass myself. Okay I'm remembering the last time I saw Parker and he had been punching the air and whispering to himself. I think I’ll be okay after all.
“So I see the Garden looks nice. I'm gunna guess that thanks to your handy work?” Parker was obviously trying to make small talk but it was really not working. I smiled awkwardly.
So I'm still acting really weird but I don’t know this boy much and his talking like we have known each other for years. Freaky.
Okay I'm over reacting. I just realized that I still hadn’t answered Parker’s question. Oops.
“Yeah. Well not really it always looks like this. My Mum wouldn’t have it any other way.” I replied trying to sound normal about having to pause for so long. Something told me in his face that it was a wasted effort. He still looked like he was laughing at me. This coming from a guy who it seemed to me had an ‘imaginary friend’ worrying. I was still freaking myself out by having little convocations in my head. Maybe I really was going crazy and then again maybe not. I thought as I turned back to Parker after checking that my Mum was busy with her ‘friends’ still. I saw that he was yet again staring at fin air as if it had really offended him in some way.
When he noticed I had seen him doing this he smiled awkwardly but kept glancing back to the same spot every so often. Just when I think the boy might really be normal he stars acting like a crazy person again. Right.......
After about five more minutes of small talk Arlene South walked over to where I and Parker were standing and demanded my attention. Thank god!
“So who’s your friend?” she asked once Parker had made his excuses after hearing about two minutes of Arlene’s frantic chatter. If only it was that easy for me!
“His names Parker. Well that’s pretty much all I know to tell you the truth.” I was not the type to really gossip but this for a change wasn’t a lie that was really all I knew about Parker. Apart from the fact that he lived nearby. Well everyone would know that now thanks to my Mums inviting them. I groaned inwardly as more of Arlene’s friends came to join the convocation.
After about one minute of listening to their gossiping I blanked out and stated to think about whatever it was that was going through my head. Which if you asked I would never be able to tell you since it was pretty much just plain crap.
I gave up on that pretty fast and instead started to look around at all the people who had turned up to ‘admire’ our beautiful garden. All of them were basically dressed the same as Mrs. West. You would have thought this was the event of the year when really this kind of thing happened almost every week at some place or another what I wouldn’t give to get out of here and over to my friend Sophie’s where everyone else would be but of course I would have to be here till the end.
I closed my eyes for a second and before I knew it Arlene’s pale hand was on my shoulder with her ‘stylish’ green dress sleeve waking me in the face. I rolled my eyes before opening them again only to find one of Arlene’s friends that I could not be asked to remember saying something like,
“He’s so hot. Where did you find him Rose?” Huh find who? I followed their gaze over to where Parker was standing. I couldn’t help but laugh out loud please tell me that one of the ‘perfect five’ was really hitting on Parker. Well that was a new one since when did they ever have eyes for someone who didn’t wear suits all day long?
I was still laughing when someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned thinking I was going to see either my Mum about to scold me for being so ‘rude’ to our guest or more of Arlene’s friends that I didn’t have the time to learn. Like I cared. Instead I found nothing just something that looked like mist. Okay...... now I was imaging things to. I stopped laughing and kept looking behind me in case I had missed something. Things just kept getting stranger.
Suddenly my thoughts came back to Tuesday when I had gone back to my old house. Where we had lived before my dads...... Accident. I was still thinking of it that and I would continue till I had no other choice in the matter. What I had heard could have been wrong. No I was sure it was wrong. Anyway this was not the place to be mulling over these things. I was meant to be acting happy.....
I made my excuses still not answering what’s her names question and made my way back up towards the house. My thoughts were everywhere I couldn’t make out anything of what I was doing so when I walked back into the house and walked up the many stairs it took to get to the 3rd floor landing and start walking towards the study where the main computer was. I was pretty surprised at where my thoughts were taking me.
I got into the room and went straight to the chair in front of the computer. I pulled it out and went to sit down but when I was meant to have reached the chair seat I kept going and landing straight on the floor. How the hell?
I got up of the floor think I that I was lucky no one else had seen me. Damn I hated chairs on wheels! How had I become so clumsy?
Oh well I laughed at my stupidity and went to sit done again this time making sure that the chair didn’t move. My back hurt a little where I had slammed into the chair on my way down to the floor and it was becoming more noticeable the more I sat here.
Ignoring the shooting pains I turned on the PC and waited impatiently for it to load. When the log in screen popped up I quickly typed in my password and waited again for it to log on. To think I used to think this computer was quick now it felt like it was taunting me with its slowness.
Suddenly the screen went black and all the lights go off on the screen border and looked under the table to see that the lights that told me the computer was on had switched off too. You. Have. Got. To. Be. Kidding!
I was really uptight when I heard someone coming up the stairs and swizzeld round in my chair to see Parker walking in with a slightly angry about something and looked around the room like he was looking for something in particular. He must have found it because he stopped suddenly and glared at the corner of the room. Okay here goes with strange behavior again.
“Umm Parker what are you doing up here?” I muttered looking at him as if he was mad. Which is true I was coming to the belief that he was.
“Are you okay?” He asked looking at me in a way that was way to caring for my liking.
“Yes. Is there a reason why I shouldn’t be?” what was he on about? And why was he even up here deciding to glare at the wall? Was that anywhere near normal!?!
“No sorry was just asking since..... Well you do look kind pissed.” He said the last part as if he was trying not to laugh. Here we go again. When I continued to frown at him he looked down and apologized as he should.
I looked again at my computer and decided what I was going to do was one way to rash and two not the time. I got up and walked over to the door were Parker was still standing awkwardly. Good, good. When I left the room I could hear Parker’s heavy footfalls behind me. Somehow this again reminded me of the night I had gone to my old house. Okay here we go again. I will not think about that now! Later.
“Sorry. Did I interrupt you? I mean you just looked kind of upset when you came up so I thought maybe...... umm I could help I guess.” Even without turning round in could tell that Parker had that stupid annoying self obsessed look on his face. I was walking at a really quick pace thanks to the fact that I wanted to get as far away from, one the computer and to Parker since he somehow seemed to know everything and was pretty much amused by it all. That I slipped on to edge on the stairs and had to try and catch hold of the banister before I fell head first down my full flight of stairs.
I could almost count all the stairs there were to the bottom when to strong hand grabbed hold of my arm and stopped me from toppling down. I looked up to see Parker no longer looking amused but looking really pissed off. I wasn’t sure if this was because of my balance of lack of it might be a better word but I thought I saw the same mist hanging behind Parker and got distracted from my line of thought. Not hard to do.
I saw from the corner of my eye that Parker had turned round to look in the same direction as I was and made a sound that if I wasn’t mistaken. Which I probable was. A growl. I snapped out of the weird little trance I had gone into after seeing the mist and put my feet on the step nearest to me so that I wasn’t fully relying on Parker to keep me from falling again.
As I stepped down I thought I felt something cold on my other arm but when I looked there was nothing there and the tingling feeling had despaired.
“Are you okay?” I heard Parker ask as I looked back up at him. He was no longer glaring at the misty shape that I swear moments ago had been standing just behind him but was now looking down at me with that same look of not so much worry much annoyance. What was that about? I laughed at my stupidity I had just fallen down the stairs again. This was normal me why should I be freaking out now? I nodded still feeling really silly about my over reaction and glad that I had not voiced any of it out loud. Parker on the other hand was looking completely serious. For a change. I realized then that he had still not let go of my arm and I was starting to get that same tingling feeling I had before when Parker had court me just before I had fallen before when he had been walking me home.
I still felt weird about that day since none of it really made sense. I was still a normal
year old after all and what I had heard was not going to change any of that.
Parker slowly let go on my arm still making sure that I was standing on my feet like a normal person.
“I'm fine. Thank you again” I said realizing again that I had been way too absorbed in my thoughts that I hadn’t remembered to answer him. I really did need some freaking help!
I put my hand on the banister making sure my feet were in the right place this time and continued done the stairs to the second floor where I turned and looked back down the first flight of stair where Arlene and What’s her name where standing. I could tell that from the stop that they had they had been able to see everything that had happen. Well there goes my excuse of ’His names Parker and to tell you the truth that pretty much all I know about him’. Also from the looks on their faces I could tell that they had the complete wrong Idea. Just then Parker walked down the rest of the stairs and came to a stop beside me. Crap.......
“Well some much for not knowing him. He just saved you from going flying down a full flight of stairs. I mean how clumsy can you be Rose?” Arlene scolded god for a second she actual sounded way to much like my Mum that I had to laugh. Big mistake!
Arlene scowled at me while what’s her name squealed,
“That was very heroic of you Parker. I mean you could have fallen down with her and ruined that pretty face.” She gasped as if this would be the worst thing in the world. This time I had to disguese my giggles as a coughing fit.
“Oh come on Grace” so that what her name was “Let’s not waste our time. We’ve going back to the party sees you.” Arlene finished with a flourish of her hand and a flick of her light blonde hair. Could a girl really get more annoyingly flirtiest?
It was so tempting to call after Grace, I think that was her name, good luck but I held myself back and continued down the stairs in the same manner as before. I had already won my reputation back of being the clumsiest when, was it going to learn that it was not welcome? Not now not ever!
“So that was a friend of yours?” Parker asked looking down at me from the step behind. I pushed my dark brown hair away from my eyes so I could look at him properly and see if he was joking. Please say that he was joking! He still looked pretty serious to me though
“You cannot be serious! This is one time when you’re meant to look amused and your standing there like that question was totally normal.” I replied incredulous.
“I take that as a no then” Now there was that look of amusement.
I reached the bottom of the stairs minutes before Parker. For once I was not totally pissed off with him of confused which were I had found were the emotion I felt most while being with him. I was now laughing with him. Was that a good sign?


Chapter Three: Friday 7:46pm
“I think the Garden party was a really success don’t you think Rose Hun?” me and Mum were standing in the garden looking over our handy work. Only half an hour before the garden had looked like what my Mum had called a ‘complete tip!’ I would have called it a few drink glasses and two tables in the middle of the garden. We had managed to clean up all this ‘Mess’ and now Mum wanted to talk about the success it had made. Well at least this would be an easy convocation to have. That being because it would be pretty much one sided with only the occasional nod or shake of the head in reply to something she had said.
At this point I nodded as I bent down to pick u a stray sandwich from just under the Rosemary bush and chuck it into the garbage bag. Of course it had been a ‘success’ weren’t Mum’s party’s always?
I sighed looking up at the sky. The sun was now going down on the east making way for the moon a great ending for a beautifully sunny day I thought. My head was still raised to the sky when my Mum asked,
“So what’s going on with you and that Temp kid?” Huh?
“Temp kid?” who was that?
“Oh I mean Parker that’s right I think.” Her tone sent warning messages to me. She obviously did not approve of him. As if the convocation could not get any more awkward she added,
“I mean if you like him he better be able to prove himself. You don’t need someone messing you around.” Oh my god. Please no! She was not trying to have this talk with me. I didn’t even know Parker that well. Oh come on!
“Mum there’s nothing going on so stop fussing.” Well there goes my attempt to play it call and not let on that this convocation had taken a turn for the freaking worse! My voice had gone up about several octaves probable only the animals would have heard me. That was if Mum would have ever had any ‘filthy creatures’ near her home.
“Whatever you say honey. I'm just saying you could do a lot better that’s all.” I stayed silent for the rest of the time we were out in the garden going over and over and over again to check that every single little piece of food and cutlery was in its right place. The garbage.
Had I really looked that way to everyone?
Was everyone else thinking the same as my Mum?
How had Mum got that impression anyway?
These were just some of many questions that were going around my head like elephants trampling on plants. Okay I don’t know where that came from. Guess I have really been spending too much time Lucy. She always had some weird comment to make us all laugh when ever she felt the convocation heading towards a topic she found boring. I smiled to myself in only two short hours I would be able to escape all this manners crap and be with my friends again. I would be able to laugh freely without the watchful eye of my Mum or Mother as she wanted me to call her anywhere apart from in my head. With my friends I could finally be me.
It was getting darker and darker as the moon took its rightful place in the sky and the time came nearer and nearer to when I could be me again. I ran upstairs not bothering to watch where I was going or be anywhere near carful and for once I didn’t fall or hurt myself in anyway. Miracles do happen!
I bounded into my room and went straight over to my wardrobe and yanked open the doors. I was way too eager to get out of here to be bothered to be careful.
I pulled out a pair of jeggings. Now I had to find my black and white top. It came down to just above my knees with a white under layer and a black fin cardigan going over the top along the part that did up there was white frills going all the way up the sleeves had the same pattern doing down the ends of each. It sounded really girly but hey I am you have to live once in a while!
When I final found it in the last draw I quickly changed into it and went to find a simple chain necklace that I knew I had put done yesterday on my bedside table.
I walked over to the table and moved around the huge pile of junk until I found what I was looking for. Wait I swear I hadn’t put a little silver heart on the end of it. Had I? Oh well.
I turned round and looked in my reflection. My long dark hair was hanging down my back. I had refused when my Mum had tried to get me to cut it last year and now it was nearly all the way down my back in soft spirals. It was useless trying to control my hair a high pony tail way about its limit. My eyes were positioned so that they were the first thing anyone would see when they looked at my face. My dad used to say that they were the most beautiful green he had ever seen. I mean dads have to say those things. I had okay eye lashes that swept right across my eyes in a neat arch I guess you could also call them thick and long. Not always a good thing.
When I looked at my reflection all I could see was parts of my Mum. She and dad had shown me pictures of them both when they had been my age. Mum had had the same hair just shorter the same fin lips as me as well. We even shared the same high cheek bones. Even now when we go out together people comment on how alike we look.
When I looked in the mirror now I couldn’t see even the slightest bit of my Dad there. My memories were becoming the only thing I had left.
I looked harder and just to comfort myself I thought that my skin tone was very much like my Dads as much well that was as I was going to get. He too had had skin that tanned easily and hardly ever burned. I used this as my cue to go before I stood here all night trying to find something else that was the same.
I grabbed another of my tops this time a shirt with polka dot pattern half of the top was sea blue while the bottom half was white they were separated of by a simple blue bow and a low v-neck with a collar of blue and white. Stuffing it into my over sized plain brown bag along with my hair brush, underwear and my pajamas. I walked over to the over side of the room and opened the door to my very own bathroom. I stumbled in and quickly picked up my toothbrush toothpaste and face wipes. Throwing them into my bag as well.
I left the bathroom closing the door behind me I could hear the squeaking of floor boards as my Mum walked around down stairs. Did she have any idea what had really happened the day dad had died? Everyone else seemed to. I shook my head what did it matter? I wasn’t going to think that way for all I knew Dad had died from a tragic accident. The talk of there being a ghost haunting people involved was completely unthinkable I must have heard them wrong. Either that or they were crazy. They had to be crazy to hope. Was that how bad it had got for some. The only way to have my Dad back was by ghost so that’s what they wanted? No I would never think that way.
I stepped out of my room and knocked straight into someone standing right at my door. I screamed and fell backwards landing with my back hitting the wall and my legs pulled up to my stomach.
I looked around the hall but I couldn’t see anything. I swear I had felt the solidness of someone standing there and the cold texture of skin. I heard heavy footfalls going in the direction of the far window just before my Mum came bonding up into view.
“W-w-what happened?” she breathed she was still wearing her kitchen apron with green flowers on it. I remembered my scream and immediately felt sorry for her she must have freaked out badly if she had left the room before taking her apron off. She was like that....
“Sorry I... I fell..... Took me by surprise” when it came down to me lying on the shot I was useless but somehow Mum never questioned me or asked me to explain.
“Are you okay honey?” She asked coming over to me with a look of concern. Did my face really look that bad? I can’t look that freaked out? Can I? I mean so what I had thought I had walked into something. I could have just fallen on my own feet like always.
“Yes I'm fine really.” I wouldn’t meet her eyes but I did have the excuse since I was looking down at the floor as I raised myself up off of the ground and onto my feet again.
“Your sure maybe you should lie down instead of go round Sophie’s. You really do look pale sweetheart.” She suggested but I shook my head.
I would go to Sophie’s and I would forget this even happened it would be deep, deep in my mind. Yet another thing to think about later. They were starting to pile up.

Later that night when I was leaving for Sophie’s I could have sworn I could see someone or thing in the bushes beside my front porch. I must have still been freaking out about what had happened back in the house since when I glanced back about half the way down the road I could have sworn I could see something moving behind me. Just a cat I told myself. Why did I even come out in the dark? I knew I got jumpy. From the way I was acting now you could say that a five year old was braver than me. Now that was not a complement.
As I turned the corner I looked back behind me but there was nothing there. See you’re just being stupid and paranoid. Again.
Five minutes later I came to a stop outside Sophie’s house. Her family’s front garden was neat and what my Mum would have called ‘to perfection just like it should be’ I could basically hear her voice saying this as I made my way up to the door and knocked. Her house would appear from the outsiders view a perfectly normal home. With a perfectly normal. How wrong they would be.
Sophie had been my friend ever since year five back at primary school. Thinking back on it now it seemed like a distant memory that we used to run around in the lower playground and dare each other to do the most ridicules thing that w could think up in a short space of time and trust me I never wanted to remember half of them let along relive them now.
I would have always come back to hers after school nearly every day. We would carry on our bizarre games. As children do. Eat ice cream and generally muck about like crazy but even now we were still the best of friends still mucking around just with less ice cream since Sophie was totally obsessed with her weigh. She was really weird sometimes.
When I thought back to the day that I had come round after school as normal with Sophie joking at my side and chucking her keys onto the table beside the door. Even from the door we could hear the shouting. The shouting that would only be the start of a hard tearful teenage life. Her parents were still together but just barely. Every time I came round after that there would be someone of another crying. Weather it was Sophie, her Mum or even her little sister there would be someone. I could also have sworn I had heard her dad sobbing once but never mentioned this to Sophie as she had been just getting over an hour long tearful confession about her dad getting drunk and her parents yelling their heads off at each other for the whole night, and didn’t want to upset her again.
The door opened then and Sophie stood at the door in a blue shirt and jeggings. Megan and Kat were standing behind her with huge grins on their faces. I laughed when I saw that they had already pulled out the popcorn and were stuffing their faces with it.
Only moments later we were all sitting in Sophie’s living room with the movie on and popcorn on our laps. Finally just being able to sit and make fun of some stupid movie on ’s flat screen. FREEDOM!
I was laughing at some comment Megan had made when I heard the door open and close without any footsteps following the slam. We looked up at the same time all still with laughter on our faces. To see the door swing wide open as if being kicked from the other side. The only problem was that there was no one on the other side and the door swung back nearly as fast as it had inwards leaving us all staring wide eyed the crashing sound the door made when it collided with its frame was deafening.
We were all still staring at the vibrating door when I heard light footfalls somewhere to my left. I looked over in that direction with wide eyes.
Everyone else was still staring at the door and no one else seemed too had noticed that someone or something had actually come into the room with all the commotion of an elephant. Oh god.....
Moments later I could feel hot breath on my face as if from someone standing to close. What the? I sat frozen to the spot as the breathing continued. Random thoughts were flying around my head with such seed I couldn’t be asked to even make out a word of it.
Two minutes had past or had it been an hour, when finally Sophie spoke,
“Well...... oh my god.” I was not on my own with the unable to put a sentence together. The breathing was still going and I was beginning to think about moving again when just as suddenly as it had all started the breathing stopped and the room was once again only filled with the sound of sheet running around like mad fools on the TV.
I breathed out heavily as I felt the atmosphere in the room return back to normal. Was..... Was that really....... No Rose DO NOT BE STUPID! You are just acting crazy still. Or was I? I knew for sure now that something strange was going on. I mean look at my friends faces Sophie was still staring wide eyed at the door, Megan looking like she was going to faint or scream and then there was Kat who just looked bored.
I didn’t even want to know what my face looked like right now. Looking up at the ceiling where the light was only now stopping its flickering. When had that started?
We were silent for what felt like another half an hour but could have well been only five minutes. Slowly the look on my friend’s faces, excluding Kat who never looked anything more than bored, returned back to normal and my heart beat slowed. I should really stop watching scary movies I swear they were going to give me a heart attack soon. The movie we had been watching only moments ago had began its ending tune and the credits slowly appeared from the bottom of the screen. What had the movie even been about? Oh never mind I can’t be bothered.
My thoughts were still on over drive but they were comforting. Anything but think about what had just happened and what it proved was a good thing!
“Well..... That’s it for the scary movies huh? Soph did you leave a window open or something?” I heard myself say. Oh well and there was that. I was already coming up with other excuses for what had happened and soon enough I would convince myself that this was true.
The only thing was I kept thinking of one name and one name that for some reason I thought I should ask about this. But that was observed! Why would Parker now anything about this. Okay he might act like a nutter most of the time and this was pretty much weirder than he had acted yet. After knowing him for just over a week and a half I still believed that he was a nice guy but slightly crazy. I mean who punches that air and then glares at it?
The next thing I knew glass was flying all around the room as if a bomb had just gone off. I heard Megan scream quickly followed by Sophie’s high pitched scream as glass narrowly missed her.
I jumped from the settee and slipped behind its arm to shield myself from the sharp edges of glass.
When all of the glass had fallen and the screaming had stopped I moved from my hiding spot and over to where the others were still not standing up and treading carefully incase I cut myself on any of the glass. But knowing my luck I would cut myself sooner or later with the stupid sharp objects.
When I reached the other I saw that Sophie had a large cut going down her arm in an awkward zigzag.
“Oh my god! Soph are you okay?” I asked quickly still trying to make out what had happened. It was a t that point u looked up at the window and saw Parker standing right in the middle of the broken glass. You have got to be kidding!


Chapter Four: Friday 11:32pm
We had just finished tiding the large day room and I was still looking at Parker like he was the most idiotic selfish person in the freaking world! I mean if it had been him that had made all theses weird things happen I swear I would kill him!
I looked up then with the most annoyed look I could muster to see Parker staring straight back at me with a look of a boy who knew very well that he had been court doing something he shouldn’t be by someone who was about to punish him.
He was right of course. I was this close to walking over to him now and slapping him senseless! Only seconds after thinking this Sophie walked right up to him and did just that!
I realized that my face had gone into a look of total surprise. Had my little defenseless friend really just gone and slapped a boy she really didn’t know in the slightest.
“Wow good on ya Soph” I called from the other side of the room from where Parker still stood stock still from being slapped by a 5ft 2in girl.
Parker recovered himself quickly and looked down away from my gaze and continued to sweep up the all ready gone glass. Well at least he was trying to help by cleaning up. Although this did nothing to soften my feelings for him.

Minutes later we were done having the broken window and the chilly breeze that was now blowing freely in to remind us of what had happened. I shivered with the newly renewed cold. I hadn’t felt it so much since I had been moving around cleaning up the mess with the others but now it seemed impossible to ignore.
“Here take this you look freezing” I looked up to see Parker offering me his jacket. I shook my head not wanting to accept anything from him.
“Please?” He asked with pleading puppy dog eyes. Oh god now I understand why no girl could resist the puppy dog eyes they were adorable!
I took the jacket saying thanks quickly and trying as hard as I could to not look into his eyes again in case I was court up enough to forget what he had just done and forgive him too quickly.
Stupidly I looked at my friends still huddled round the window pane only to see Kat looking at me with knowing eyes
What was that meant to mean? I shook my head in her direction mean that whatever it was that she was thinking was not going to happen but court sight of the other faces in part of the unbroken window. They were giving me the same expression of knowing.
Oh why did I bother! I looked away from then trying to appear undisturbed by their gaze and looked straight back at Parker who was still giving me the puppy dog eye. Oh god no!
I looked into his eyes and felt myself forgiving him. Typical can’t I even be mad at this boy for more than five freaking minutes?!?!
I heard Megan cough loudly and looked away from Parker quickly. Even looking down at the ground I could feel Parker’s eyes boring into me. The strange thing was they didn’t make me feel awkward at all. Help me!
Sophie motioned for us to leave the room and I followed quickly behind the others until we came to the door and Sophie looked at me in a way that said ‘no way, you are staying here’ I gave her my pleading eyes hoping that she wouldn’t really make me stay here and sort out Parker.
“Please” I mouthed at her but she shook her head and motioned for the others to leave. Oh she was so going to pay for this!
I turned around and came face to face with Parker who was standing close behind me. I looked up at him and he quickly moved his head down to mine. Planting his lips right on mine. All thought of mine rushed out of my head in an instant and my arms went round his neck in an attempt to keep his lips on mine. His lips started off softly but then became urgent and his hand were on the back of my head holding me to him where as his other hand was on my back that I now realized was pressed against the wall next to the door my friends had just abandoned me throw. This was only thought that were going on in the back of my mind since the only main this I could think was how good I felt to be kissing Parker.
I had kissed others before of course but it had never felt like this. I didn’t even want to question it.
Slowly I felt Parker pull back softly without letting go of me. I still had my eyes closed when I felt his lips come back down on mine with a lot more force than before. I struggled to stay on my feet as Parker’s lips came down even more forcefully than before and pressed my back even harder against the wall with his hand moving onto my waist to keep from crushing his hand, whereas his other hand was still knotted tightly into my hair keeping my face to his.
Mean while his tongue was making little circles in my mouth explore every inch of my own mouth. I could hear my heart doing little flips as he tightened his embrace.
Suddenly the moment was broken with a loud cough. I quickly pulled my lips away from Parker but Parker was not having any of that and pulled me back to him with a harsh fuck off in the direction of Kat who I presume was still standing at the now wide open door.
Parker’s lips came back down on mine again with the same force as before. Only this time I had to pull away. It took all my sanity I had left to lift my hand to his chest and push him away with my pathetic amount of strength because I must admit this was the last thing I wanted to do and Parker knew it. Slowly he took his lips back away from mine and grudgingly untangled himself from me taking a step back. He was wearing a way to smug expression on his feature that normal would have made me mad but it was all I could do to stop myself from smiling at him. What had gotten into me? I didn’t usually act like this.
“Well......Ummm..... You see.........Umm...... I guess I gotta go................See you later.” I muttered grabbing my bag and hurrying out of the freezing cold room into the hall and over to the door. I heard heavy footsteps behind me but didn’t turn round to see who had followed me. I escaped though the door without a backwards glance and into the even colder night. Was it really possible to be this cold? I realized then that I had forgotten my coat back at Sophie’s house. Oh freaking hell! I was now almost half a street away from her house and really to tell the truth I couldn’t go back there yet until I knew I could explain what the hell I had been doing!
I heard the footsteps again I had nearly forgotten that someone had followed me out of the house and I blushed a bright shade of red at the thought of having to explain what had gone on in the house. I didn’t even want to think about having to explain me kissing or was that even the appropriate word for it? Some person I had known for pretty much a week. I blushed a deeper red when I felt the ruff material of my old American cheerleader’s jacket slipping over my arms as Parker came up behind me keeping his arm over my shoulders. He pulled me into his side with his arm and looked down at me in that same way.
“Stop looking at me like that.” I scolded looking down at the floor as he laughed and tilted his head to the side trying to look me in the face. I moved my face away from him so he wouldn’t see my flaming red cheeks.
“Oh come on Rose. Look at me.” He said softly although I could tell he was deeply amused by my silence. What wasn’t he amused about?
“Quit it!” I laughed as he started to try tickling my side with his free hand. I tried to pull away from him but he kept his arm firmly trapped around my shoulders.
“There’s that smile.” He chuckled still trying to look me in the face. He was still not succeeding.
We were half a street from my house when I really started to feel the cold and shivered pulling my coat tighter round me. Parker noticed my violent shivers and pulled me even closer to his side. This time I went without any complaint. He pulled his open jacket around me as well. We continued the walk back to my house in silence only the occasional laugh from Parker whenever he had to stop me from falling over tree trucks that had to typically stick out right in front of where I chose to walk. You would have thought with the amount of money the people who lived in these houses had they could at least spend a little on taming there trees.
Of course Parker would find this amusing and of course he would find yet more ways to embarrass me. He of course came through with both of these things in a short amount of time as I could have presumed possible. Parker still had his arm firmly around my shoulders as we entered my road and came to a stop just in front of my house. I started to feel a sense of déjà vu apart from last time when he had walked me home I had gotten mad at his and stalked off in a hissy fit. As you was normal for a seventeen year old girl. I blushed at this memory and of how Parker had found this particular moment funny.
I shivered again as the cold air rushed past the protection of both mine and Parker’s coats leaving boss bumps all over my arms.
“Well this is good bye again.” Parker said all ready leaning down to put his lips once again on mine. Again I felt the sweet sensation of being in the right place and at only this place would I ever feel like I was home.
This time the kiss was sweet but short and oh too soon Parker was pulling his face away with a triumphant smile on his face. He bent down again but only to kiss my forehead and whisper in my ear,
“Watch out for yourself...... I know how clumsy you are already.” I was not looking at him but I court the change in his expression out of the corner of my eye. He was once again glaring at fin air but I no longer questioned whatever was going on, I had seen enough for one evening and was really not looking forward to reliving what had happened. Slowly I untangled myself from Parker’s protective arm and turned towards my door. I remembered that I should probable give Parker my phone number and save me a lot of time trying to explain to myself what the hell I had been on while at Sophie’s. When I turned back around Parker was standing with his hand on his arm and a look of pain in his eyes.
“Parker? What? What happened?” I asked stepping forwards to look at his arm forgetting that I felt very awkward with him since only moments ago I had been kiss him after only knowing him for so little time.
Parker looked down at his now blood covered hand and tried to smile impishly at me with those same puppy dog eyes he had used on me earlier.
“I just got court by the glass when I shattered. It’s nothing just a scratch I’ll put something on it when I get back home.” He replied looking convincingly at me. I started to protest but was cut short by Parker planting his lips once again down on mine silencing me for another few second before shuffling back and pulling a piece of folded paper out of the pocket in the back of his jeans and handing it to me. I opened it and found an eleven digit number with Parker’s full name at the top.

Parker Temp
07958782135

“Thanks.” Was all I could say as I put the piece of paper into my bag and swinging it back over my shoulder.
“Are you sure your arms okay?” I asked sounding more than a little awkward.
“Oh come on Rose. I might be weird as you very obviously think” I blushed as he said this “But I'm not that much of a wimp now go in from the cold all ready. I’ll see you soon.” He put his warm friendly arms back around me so he could give a small slightly more than just friendly hug good bye.
I jogged over to my front door turned and waved then pulled my key out of my pocket and into the door. Strangely enough I drop my keys and again have to pick them up. This was really starting to feel like déjà vu.
When the door was open and I was once again back in the warmth of my own home and the comfort of having my Mum only walls away to keep me sane and ‘safe’.

The music was blaring out from down stairs where my Mum couldn’t find how to turn it off from the last time I had used the radio.
“Mum, turn the right turner all the way.” I yelled down to her how to turn off the radio. Seconds later I was still hearing the same song ‘hurtful’ by Erik Hassel playing at a way to high volume for me as I had just been woken up by it and really I was not the most gracious person when having had next to no sleep.
I had come in last night still as confused as ever only this time add two things. One what had happened with the door at Sophie’s and two what was Parker playing at? I had gone to bed thinking both these things over and over again but mostly I thought about Parker. Well could you really blame me? I was confused as to why he had kissed me so suddenly and also to why I hadn’t pushed him away. Why I hadn’t wanted to push him away.
I jumped out of bed straight onto my bag and slipped onto my back with a quiet yelp that from the sound of the music which had now turned to some dancing number from Daft Punk which is what I listen to whenever I want to write fast. This comes in handy with homework.
I picked myself up and grabbed my dressing gown pulling it on as I rushed down stairs. when I final reached the kitchen where the music was incredible louder I pushed the door open and went straight over to my Mum who was standing next to the freaking annoying radio.
I knocked my Mum’s had away from the turners and went straight to the far right one and turned it to the right as I had yelled down to my Mum only moments ago. Quickly the music went down to a more respectable volume.
“Thank you love. That thing drives me crazy it never does what I say!” I turned to look at my Mum as she said this. I raised my eyebrow at her how many times had I told her the right way to use the simplest radio?
I turned away while rolling my eyes and walked back on of the room and up the stairs to my room. Hopefully I will be able to get some more sleep in before I was needed again.
I pushed my bedroom door open and for the second time in two day I walked straight into something standing in front of me. I jumped backwards but steadied myself before falling this time. I looked at the thing I had just walked into and noticed that there was a sort of mist like shape there. I could tell that my eyes had gone as wide as an owl but I couldn’t stop them. Slowly I could see that shape moving towards me getting closer and closer. I could feel the same sensation of breathing on my face and then it was gone I heard the heavy footsteps as it ran down the corridor over to the far window on the over side.
I was still stuck standing next to the wall not knowing what I should be doing when I saw a shadow falling from the same direction as whatever it was had just been. I quickly moved my feet so that I was standing ready to run but as soon as I did this I saw that the shape coming round the corner was a tall figure with light blonde hair.
Parker.
He turned and saw me. His face was not amused at all and he must have seen the look on his face because his softened and he walked over to me in four long strides. In seconds he was by my side with his hands around me in a comforting way.
“Are you okay?” He asked bending down so he could see my face better. I nodded and tried to turn my face the other way I must look scared. Scared of what I had no idea but my heart was still beating like crazy in my chest and I had no idea what I had just seen.
Parker bout his arms more firmly around me and put my head to his chest in an attempt at comforting me. I didn’t even think to ask how the hell he had got in or why but I really didn’t blame myself I couldn’t be bothered!
Remembering that my Mum was only down stairs and could probable come up at anytime I pulled away from him and tried to untangle my arms from his. I felt so small next to him I was only 5ft 8in god what was he?
Okay yeah it’s true I am trying to distracted myself was it working? No.
“How did you get in?” I asked looking in the direction of where he had just come from.
“And why are you here?” I looked back at him I could tell that confusion was plain on my face as I started to think about what I had just said and how it really did seem weird that as soon as something weird happened Parker appeared only seconds later, if not at the same time.
“Oh well.... as to how I got well the window was open and well I’m pretty good at climbing and well as to why that would be a very long..... Awkward convocation that I will explain later.” Parker looked down at me as he said this. Still with the looking down it was not normal how tall he was.
I realized again too late that I had actually asked him how tall he was. Why do I do such stupid things all the time?
“Well not really sure exactly but the last time I measured I was 6ft 4in.” he was still smiling down at me in a way that proved that he like being a lot taller than me and found it amusing that I had asked. Even though I had not meant to which I had another feel he knew as well.
I nodded and looked down at the floor still wondering why he had come in just after whatever the mist thing had been had disappeared. Parker must have guessed that I was still thinking about it and pulled m into another bear hug that left me squished to his chest with little room to breathe. I buried my face into the cloth of his dark shirt and hid there till I remembered what I was wearing and felt myself physically shrinking in on myself.
“What’s wrong?” I heard Parker murmured into my hair still not letting go of me. Oh just kill me now before he points it out. Why did I have to have run down stairs in my pajamas and a dressing gown and why did I have to be stupid enough to wear shorts and a large t-shirt why can’t I think of these things and save myself a hell of a lot of embarrassment.
“Really what? If you’re worried your Mum will come up and find me I’ll go and ring the door bell. Or just go if that what you want.” again he was still Mumbling into my hair and I saw a great opportunity for both my worries. I pulled back a little and nodded saying,
“Would you mind ringing the door bell?” I asked still not able to look him fully in the face. I was sure that he saw my bright red cheeks but he didn’t comment for a change. Instead he took his arm away from me, kissing my forehead and walking back towards the window. I was still looking down when I heard him say,
“Like the pajamas and dressing gown by the way.” Before slipping down the side on the window to walk round the house towards the door. Great.....
I rushed in to my room and hurriedly dressed in blue and white polka dot dress. It was way too hot outside to wear trousers. I had a quick look in the mirror and pulled my hair back into a messy ponytail before walking down the stairs where the door bell had just gone. Hopefully now I would get an explanation for why I had run into mist at my door twice now and as to why Parker had turned up at the same time.
When I reached the door I realized my Mum was still in the kitchen cooking lunch. Wow Thanks for getting the door then!
I opened the door to Parker’s kind face and was quickly suspicious about what he was up to. I moved to the side so he could come in a hopefully explain pretty quickly but instead he walked straight past me with only a sly wink and into the kitchen he went. What the hell?
“Mrs. Smith.” I heard Parker start, what was he playing at? I moved quickly into the kitchen where Parker was saying,
“I was wondering if it would be okay if I took Rose here” he gestured to me standing behind him with more than a little bit of a confused expression. “To the park for lunch out? If that was okay with you that is.” Parker finished still looking at my Mum waiting for her reply. He really must be mad if he thought he was going to get past my Mum that easily. I couldn’t help but laugh. When Parker and my Mum both turned to look at me I tried to turn it into a cough.
I was surprised when seconds later Mum answered with a friendly yes as long as I didn’t mind. Who had he.....?
“Thank you Mrs. Smith.” Parker said while turning and doing something that looked to me much like a bow of the head. As Parker turned fully around he winked at me and signaled for me to go out of the kitchen door first. When I had picked up a small cardigan from the cupboard under the stairs and was heading towards the door I looked up at Parker who was wearing a smug expression and raised my eyebrow at him. He struggled and picked up my keys from the table next to the door handing them to me he opened the door with his other hand. When we were outside with my key in my pocket and my cardigan on Parker held his hand out for me to take it. When I did he started pulling me in the direction of the park where he had said he would be getting me lunch. He defiantly had some explaining to do that was for sure.
I looked up at sky when we reached the edge of the wide open spread park and saw that there was really not even a cloud in the sky to block out the blazing sun. I closed my eyes as we crossed over from the hard pavement onto the soft grass and felt Parker’s hand tighten on mine making me open my eyes again and look at him. He was looking at the ground as if it held the secrets that he knew I was going to ask. What was so bad about what it was that I wanted to know? What was the worst it could be?
“Rose?” he asked looking up at me straight in the eyes.
“ROSE” I heard someone else call from somewhere to my right. I turned to look and saw Brendon a boy from my collage that I had gone out with for a while last year we were still friends even after we broke up since we both ‘agreed’ that we were better off being just friends. To tell you the truth I just really couldn’t be that harsh and had felt really bad for him after one of the other girl at my school had dumped him for someone else and let him take me to the summer dance. Big mistake.
“Hey Brendon” I called after softly swearing under my voice. This had made Parker laugh and look a lot happier that he had been interrupted.
As Brendon got closer to where I and Parker were standing I saw out of the corner of my eye a large football coming straight at me with tremendous force. It was too late for me to just duck and by the time I had turned round and made sure that it was really coming at me it was seconds before it hit me.
Quickly I saw Parker’s hand whip round and hit the foot ball away. I closed my eyes then looked back up at Parker who was looking around the park with a watchful eye,
“Thanks” I said looking back down at the dry ground. For once my cheeks were not bright red and were completely their same complexion that my Dad had given me.
“Wow Rose still a danger magnet then huh?!?” Brendon laughed as he finally met us where we were standing next to a tree with its large leaves hanging low enough that I gave us a little shade. I shrugged in response it was true I really was a danger magnet
My hand was still in Parker’s and Brendon’s gaze fell on them nearly straight away a look flashed across his face for a split second and although I couldn’t be sure it looked like hurt. That made no sense though we had slit up nearly half a year ago we had agreed to be friends then to he must be over me all ready. Right? Now I was blushing and took a little step back and realized that I had backed right up into Parker’s chest where he typically let go of my hand and put his arms around me to keep me there. Great thanks for making this just that bit more awkward than it all ready was.
I closed my eyes as the same look crossed across Brendon’s face. Well this just gets better. Here I was trying to find out what was going on with all this craziness that had been going on since I had visited my old houses but instead I was here with Parker’s arms around me while standing in front of my ex.
“So what have you been up too this summer? It’s been so hot!” I said to try and break the awkwardness that had been starting to build up.
“Oh not a much I just got back from Spain two days ago on Thursday. If you think it’s hot here you haven’t seen anything.” And his normal cheery expression was back and he went on for another minute or so telling us/me about his trip and how cool it had been that he had swam with dolphins.
“So who’s your... friend?” he asked eventually when his story was over.
“Oh right this is Parker, Parker this is Brendon.” I said moving as much as I could with the restrictions of Parker’s arms. Brendon looked up at Parker then, I’m not on my own there then Brendon was a lot taller than me but he still had to crane his neck to look at Parker in the face. Oh please tell me they weren’t really having a stare off! Oh but they were. I looked up at Parker who was still glaring at Brendon with a new amusement in his eyes. Well that made a change having him laughing at someone else instead of me. Miracles do happen!
I continued to look up at Parker till it became obvious that he was going to keep this up until he won and instead decided to lean back against Parker’s chest out of boredom but of course Parker tightened his arms around me still not looking away from his stare off. God! Do boys really have to be soo immature it’s impossible!
“Okay if you don’t mind I'm just going to go get a drink at the cafe see you in a min.” I said once the annoyance of having two boys that I swear were trying their hardest to annoy me struck in.
“Huh oh wait I’ll come with you.” Parker said as I tried to untangle myself from his arms.
I gave Parker a look that I knew was pretty pathetic but didn’t care. He laughed at me like I thought he would and slung his arm around my shoulders pulling me towards the cafe on the other side of a few trees. I looked back at Brendon and waved bye as we walked away. Okay was this amused look infectious or something? Now it was Brendon wearing it instead of Parker. Oh no wait he was to.
I stared at the bumpy ground as if it had been that that had offended me instead of the embarrassment Parker and Brendon had decided to put me though as we made our way towards the cafe. God if people could hear my thoughts they would so think I was a spoilt teenager I sounded so much like one. I gave up on being mad at Parker and snuggled up to his side.
“And here I was thinking that you were mad at me. I mean put me straight and all but I swear you did just give me a ‘death’ glare.” he laughed looking down at me under his arm. In response I just shrugged and let him put my head on his shoulder. Well I say shoulder I really mean as close to his shoulder as my height could reach. I laughed as Parker tried to tickle my side again.
“God what is up with you and the tickling I was already smiling this time?” I laughed as he carried on.
Finally he stopped and once again put his arm loosely around my shoulders.
“So what is it you want to drink?” he moved me over to where all the drinks stood with all their multi-colored labels n plain view. When I had been younger and my Dad had taken me and my cousins out for lunch on the weekends he used to take us here and get us to each choose a drink and cake. With us promising not to tell Mum since she would never allow cake when it was not a special occasion. I would stare at the different colors in wonder taking forever to choose which one I wanted. My Dad would have laughed and pulled one down for me from the top shelf and said what about this one. It was always the same red apply and grape juice.
When my Dad first died I used to come out here every day and buy the same drink. It was just not the same somehow though. Sitting there along drinking the same drink my Dad had always picked for me.
I sighed now and reached for the same drink and putting other hand in my pocket to pull out some money but Parker was already taking the drink from my head and walking over to the pay register with his drink in the other hand.
When Parker was back carrying both drinks we left the cafe and made our way round to the group of tables that were laid out on the over side of cafes back wall. Here Parker guided us to a table hear the back and put the drinks down.
“Is it okay if we get something to eat in a little while I would rather get this talking over first?” he whispered while I sat down and he took the seat opposite mine.
“Sure. So you are going to start telling me what it is that’s been going on? At last?” Really was it that hard to tell me what could be that bad? I raised my eyebrow at him and he sank back into his seat like he was trying to put of saying what he was about to tell me.
“Well I’ll start from the beginning but just please do me one favor?” he asked before continuing. I nodded and he went on.
“Please don’t get mad at me I.... I know this is not a topic you like.” He looked down at his drink as I nodded again pulling my brows together now.
“Okay I promise. Now will you tell me.” I said picking up my drink which I had offered to pay for but had been turned down straight by a sharp laugh of ‘you’re kidding right’. I started to pull off the lid but it was stiff and ended up letting Parker take it from my heads and opening it easily with one hand then handing it back. I murmured my thanks and told him to continue.
“Well.... You know when your father died?” I nodded looking down. So this is what it was going to be about. “He died in a car crash two years ago. Am I right?” I nodded again still looking down.
“He was a cab driver and well he wasn’t the only person in the car at the time.” I looked up then and raised my eye brows. Was he telling me that my Dad had killed someone else while killing himself? No wonder he thought I was going to get mad. Of course I was. Was he crazy?
“What are you saying? If this was even remotely true I would have heard about it before now. How could you....” I began to stand but Parker beat me to it and came round the table to block my path.
“Please? You promised you would hear me out. I did tell you this was a convocation you didn’t want to hear.” When I looked up I saw that Parker was giving me his adorable puppy dog eyes which hell could you really blame me for sitting back down and waiting for him to start again?
“Like I was saying.......”

Chapter Five: Sunday 10:20pm
It had been thirty-two hours since Parker had explained to me what was going on and I still couldn’t get my head around it!
I couldn’t understand how this all could be true. If what I had heard at my old house was true then my Dad. The man that had raised me from birth had taken his own life and the life of someone else. How could I possible start to believe that?
I was sitting on the edge of my bed with my legs pulled up and my arms around them. I buried my face into my knees and squeezed my eyes shut. If I just stayed like this with my eyes closed then maybe I wouldn’t have to think about any of it. I would give anything right now to just be able to get away from my mind right now.
I groaned and stood up. I needed something to do or I swear I was going to go crazy!
I moved over to my door but court a glance of the clock. Oh great what can I do at 10:22pm well that narrows it down. My Mum would be asleep by now and there was no way I could get down stairs without waking her.
I sighed looking down at the carpet covered ground moving away from the door I headed in the general direction of my computer. I hadn’t realized till now how dark it had got while I had been sitting I my room all day. The summer was nearly over and I would be back to college in two weeks time. Things like college had been a good distraction at the time of my Dads death. Now I had to find other ways to distract myself.
I say down at my swizzle chair and fumbled around for the on switch. Did I even have and coursework that need doing?
I pulled my dressing gown more tightly around me while waiting for the computers scream to appear with its ‘Windows seven’ opening page. I picked up my bag that I had been using for classes and pulled out my notes. Sure enough I found the page were I wrote all my work that needed doing. I looked down the long list for something, anything that might need doing or adding to but as I had guessed seconds ago there was nothing. I had already gone over every twice, free times maybe more from the amount of ticks I had on the page.
So instead of shut down my computer again I decided to check my emails. Brendon had said something about him sending me some pictures of his trip yesterday. I could do that looking at someone else’s life instead f mine would be a welcome relief.
The day before yesterday I had been freaking out about kissing Parker at Sophie’s that seemed totally trivial now but I really wanted that to be my only worry once again. What my friends thought of me. Did they think I was a slut? Or were they wondering if I really had just kissed some totally stranger since I hadn’t told them about me meeting Parker, once on the way home back from my old house and once again at my Mums Garden Party or were they not thinking about it at all? Was I just being way to self conscious? Well what did it matter now? I wished that was all that mattered but no I now had to think about whether or not what Parker had told me was true or not and if it was then what that meant to me now. Brain over load much!
The bright light of my computer screen flashing to life made me jump and nearly fall of my seat since I had once again nearly curled myself into a ball on the chair that was now swinging violently to the side threatening to topple over. I put my feet quickly on the floor and looked around my room. It was too dark to see it the dark missy shape was anywhere near. I groaned and turned back to the computer feeling beyond paranoid. I mean I was always clumpy was I now going to be blaming every single little thing I do wrong on a non-existent ghost? God serious help!
I leaned my head back as I typed my name and pass word into my email and logged in. I breathed out closing my eyes as I heard the floor boards creak. I froze not daring to move. I’m imagining it everything’s fine. My eyes were still closed when I felt hot breath on the top of my head. My breathing court and I moved my head up and slowly looked around. I still could not see anything and given my surroundings I could understand.
I stood up still not looking away from where I had felt the hot breathing. Was I kidding myself? If Parker had told me the truth then I was in serious trouble. Please tell me that he had been lying. I would take it gratefully right now!
I heard footsteps coming closer and then they stopped. I could once again feel the hot breath of the thing standing in front of me. I closed my eyes and leaned back against the wall I had backed myself up against.
“You see not so easy now.” Oh god. I heard …….. Cody say. It sounded far away like it had been whispered down a long tunnel and repeated a thousand times before reaching my ears. My eyes were still closed but this made no difference I would not have been able to see anything.
The breathing stopped and I could hear him retreating. What did he plan to just give me a freaking heart attack instead of kill me with his bear freaking hands?!?! I breathed out and opened my eyes. I could have sworn I could see the misty shape over by my window and then I blinked and it was gone.
I breathed in and out for another couple of minutes then sank to the ground and put my head once again to my knees.
My eyes were once again closed and then sat up straight I looked around my room which was now if possible even darker than before. I breathed in and out again taking deep breaths and got up from the floor. I moved back over to my bed and collapsed down on it.
I pushed my face down onto my pillow and groaned. Why the hell was I always such a danger magnet?!?!
I rolled over and stared at the ceiling till my vision became blurry and I realized large tear drops were falling down my cheeks. I could hear myself taking deep breaths that sounded too much like sobbing for my liking but I couldn’t stop. I sat up and covered my face trying to will myself into not crying. What use was that when once I had started I realized I couldn’t stop? I hadn’t cried so much since I had found out Dad had died. Now everything had changed once again. When I had been back visiting my old house thanks to the letter I had gotten in the post saying to come I had felt the same feeling. Like the world was shuffling round and rearranging itself it to a new pattern that I didn’t understand. I was feeling this again now I didn’t like it one bit.
I took several deep breaths and laid back down with my head facing the wall. If I just lay here then maybe I can start thinking about something else. I pictured a meadow with purple flowers slowly I began to relax.
Oh who was I kidding no sooner had I started to drift off I heard a floor bard creak and was wide awake again. Oh what was the point? I was going to be up all night anyway why not do something like turn of my computer which was now blowing a bright blue from my msn messages.
Twenty-seven. Well that should keep me occupied for some time. I got up and walked back over to my swizzle chair sitting down and wiping my eyes.
I brought one leg up and raped one arm around it before using the other to click on the first message.
One hour and a half later I had finished all emails, replying and looking at the picture Brendon had sent and once again was left dwelling on what was happening or rather what Parker had told me was happening. Okay here’s an idea for you Rose. Go to bed! Get some sleep!
Okay for once I thought my brain was actually talking sense! Wow. I followed its instructions quickly and turned off my computer and stumbled over to bed. I was too sleepy to pull my covers over me and I was surprised at how quickly I drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

When I awake the next morning I was refreshed and convinced that what Parker had told me was pretty much true. This made me feel sad and relived at the same time. Sad because what was happening meant that Mum Dad really had killed himself along with someone who had happened to be in the cab with him. Relived because I final knew what was going on and even though this was really not such a good thing I was glad that I knew and that I had stuck around to hear what Parker had to say. I was still finding the part about my Dad killing himself I thought he was happy. Also because my Mum had never taken it upon herself to tell her only daughter what had happened to her Dad wow thanks! I thought about this a bit more while I lay in bed. Maybe Mum didn’t know? I sighed and decided to get up after all.
Getting up I quickly got dressed in a plain white top, jeans and black cardigan. I walked to my door and down the corridor to the stair where I had left my phone on Saturday. Picking it up I saw two pieces of paper underneath, one was Parker’s phone number the second was the same piece of paper I had found in my pocket when on the bus coming back from the old house. I picket the number up and the ticket and walked down stairs to the living room. I saw the note my Mum had left me saying she had gone to work and hoped I would give her the pleasure of meeting her at Sainsbury since she didn’t know what to get for dinner too night. I rolled my eyes at the note and flopped onto the settee next to the window.
I pushed my phone up and tapped the screen to type in Parker’s number into my contacts. No sooner had I saved it I found myself texting him saying

Hey its Rose texting 2 say thnx 4 tellin mi bout everything. X

I considered taking the ‘x’ out since it seemed to just confuse me more but decided to just leave it in. I pressed the send button and closed my phone looking once again at the ticket I had never bought and found myself wondering how I had come to find it in my pocket along with another piece of blank paper. I blushed as I remembered what Parker’s comment had been to my staring at a piece of blank paper. Well I had seemed pretty crazy then.
I jumped at the sound of my phone ringing quickly turning to read Parker’s name flashing up on the screen several times before I picked it up and slide the bar to answer,
“Hello” Did I really sound that posh?
“Hey Rose?” I heard his reply,
“Yeah it’s me. Umm did you want to say something?” stupid, stupid! I blushed even though he couldn’t see me.
“Yeah, you are okay right? I mean nothing happened last night? Okay now that sounded weird. Sorry” I laughed and replied saying,
“Umm, I guess your brother did pay a visit but nothing happened I mean… okay I don’t know what I mean.” I sighed and gave up leaning back on the settee again trying to clear my head so I could answer with a answer that made some kind of sense.
“WHAT?!?! Are you okay?” okay that hadn’t gone down well…..
“Yes course.” I quickly answered before he started yelling down my ear again.
“Okay I’m coming round see you in a minute.” He said before hanging up and all I could hear was the dinging sound of the after beeps.
I walked back upstairs since my hair was still taking the impression of a birds nest. When I reached the bath room next to my room I picked up my brush and started making even strokes through my hair.
When my hair looked human again I leaned against the sink and brushed my teeth. Squeezing my eyes shut I walked back out of my room and down the corridor for the second time this morning oh no wait I take that back this afternoon. Oh 3:16pm already? Was that even possible for me to sleep that much?
What time had my Mum wanted me to go to Sainsbury’s with her? Four? Five? Please say five I really can’t be bothered to leave the house till then. I might have slept the morning away but I was still tired and grumpy. The episode last night with my freaking out and pretty much losing it and crying my eyes out was kind of draining and I really didn’t want to think about it.
No sooner had I reached the bottom of the stair did the door bell ring and had me walking over and opening it to Parker’s worried face.
“God don’t look so worried I told you I was fine.” I told him as he came in and shut the door behind him. He looked around the hall before coming and pulling me into his arms. I rested my head against his chest and closed my eyes he really was comforting.
I could feel his hand slowly stroking my hair away from my face.
“I know but I’ve pretty much learnt that you don’t really say when you’re not okay and end up dealing with it later.” He said into my hair. I pulled my face away from his chest to give him a typical look.
“I’m not that bad….”
I picked up his hand and pulled him into the living room. I sat down on the settee again and Parker followed suit. As soon as we were both sitting Parker looked around the room stopping only twice when I guess he thought he saw something that might be his brother,
“Finished your surveillance of my living room now?” I laughed when he looked back at me.
“Yeah actually, I’m just being careful.” He said smiling down at me. He slung his arm round my shoulders and leaned back into the settee.
“Well there was something else I wanted to ask you as well. If you don’t mind. This is not the only reason I came round. I guess I could have say it over the phone but I wanted to say it to your face.” He said pulling me closer to his side and letting my head rest against his ‘shoulder’.
“Oh?” what was it was about to ask?
“Well back at your friend’s house I could have sworn you kissed me back and well you are letting me hold you pretty much a lot. I mean this could be the totally wrong but I was wondering if this meant we were going out? Or well dating you could say.” Oh god why did he have to ask this. I swear my face had gone completely red by the time he finished. Thanks for the warning.
He was smiling even more since he could see my red face pretty well. Great….
“Well… Umm that depends on whether or not you’re asking me out?” I replied trying to keep my voice even.
He laughed before saying,
“Yes I am asking you out.” I blushed again and muttered against his shoulder,
“Then I guess it’s a yes….” Could I sound more awkward? He was so not helping! Smiling down at me knowing full well how embarrassed I was feeling.
I took a quick glance up at Parker’s face and sure enough there he was still smiling. Still amused. When was he not? I took a deep breath and leaned back against the soft cushions behind my back. Parker followed quickly and pulled me closer to his shoulder with his arm that he still had around my shoulders.
“And somehow I feel like I have embarrassed you.” She laughed looking down at me from a height that I still didn’t like. I rolled my eyes at him and allowed him to pull me closer.
The room was so quiet when neither of us was talking but it was not an awkward silence it was weirdly comfortable.
It was comfortable enough that when the phone rang I nearly jumped half way across the room, only staying where I was thanks to Parker’s steady arm.
“Hey it’s only the phone. When I told you about my brother I didn’t want to scare you. Is this what it’s about?” he said again looking down at me and pulling me closer as I walked to get the phone.
“No. I’m really always this jumpy. Really!” I replied craning my neck to look up at him before picking up the phone. He didn’t look one bit convinced though and looked down at the floor like he was coursing himself for having told me.
“You’re kidding me right quit it with that look. I’m happy you told me would u rather I had no idea what was going on? That really would not be any better!” I rolled my eyes as I picked up the phone and said in what I realized was a really posh voice since Parker was no longer looking annoyed with himself but once again his amused self. Great!
“Hello Smith residents can I ask whose calling?”
“Geez Rose could you sound a little more posh?” Oh that’s great. Sophie….. I still hadn’t decided what I was going to tell her about the Parker kissing incident. I cringed back into Parker and squeaked,
“Oh hey Soph….” My voice was so high she could tell way to well how awkward I was feeling. Great . I cringed back into Parker even more. I heard him laugh softly but somehow it was still audible from the other end of the phone since Sophie quickly gasped and gushed,
“Oh my god! Your with that guy from the night you came round to mine and all that weird stuff happened with the door and the window. You now I’m still convincing my parents that it just smashed on its own, they think that it was one of use and I swear they are so close to grounding me it’s unbelievable!” I heard her take a long breath before continuing with one simple word,
“Spill”
“Umm would it be okay if I tell you later…..” Please please please!!! I need more time to think. I had my eyes squeezed tight shut Sophie answered
“Oh of course sorry I forgot he was there! Talk later Hun!” then all I could hear was the beeping of my answer tone.
Thank god do not have to explain! Well now all I need to do is figure out what I am going to say and then I can die of embarrassment when Soph gets me to ‘spill’. I mean it’s not because she wants me to tell her what’s going on because I would gladly do so! It’s just the fact that I have to keep so much and am afraid I’ll tell her all and really to tell you the truth what was I going to say, ‘well me and Parker are going out now but the reason I met him was because his dead brother is trying to kill me to get back at my dad who killed him!’ oh yeah because that wouldn’t be awkward at all!
I realized quickly that I was still holding the phone in my hand and leaning up against Parker who had his arms right around my waist and smiling down at me in a way that told me he had heard the whole convocation.
“Don’t you even say a word!” I sighed rolling my eyes before he could say some snarky comment about why it was that I wasn’t tell my friends about well everything. Well was it really not the obvious?
I pulled away from Parker’s arms and put the phone back on the hock before re-entered the living room and plonking myself on the settee and leaning back so my head touched the wall behind. I could tell that my cheeks were once again bright red and there was nothing I could do about it until I managed to come up with a non weird way of saying the reason that I was now going out with Parker, we had just established that right? Without telling them I even knew the guy! Argh.
I felt the weight of Parker sitting down on the settee but I still didn’t look away from the ceiling from where I was staring as if I could stupidly find the answers to all my questions there.
Of course the question that was right at the front of my now very long quay was, ‘what was I going to do about the ‘ghost’ that was following me around making bad things happen’ like that was a easy question to answer……
I felt Parker pick up my hand and try to pull me over to him but I ignored it and just continued to star blatantly at the ceiling with its cream flowers and fancy light.
“Rose….” I finally turned to look at Parker who was staring at me worriedly well I was kind of acting a little bit weird with the ceiling staring but I couldn’t help it. I was confused and the questions that I don’t think anyone in the world had the answers to were now buzzing loudly around my head and I was starting to get a painful head ach.
“Come here.” He pulled me gently onto his lap where he pulled me close and held me. My head was now properly on his shoulder and I snuggled into his neck which gave me some sort of comfort.
I slipped my arm so that I was curled around him. Why did I feel so close to tears again? The back of my throat was starting to sting and my eyes were welling up. It was the same as last night when I had fallen asleep trying to stop my huge sobs. Please don’t do this in front of Parker he was already giving me a load of comfort by holding me it would just be a whole lot worse if I started to cry.
Of course as soon as I thought it large teardrops started to slip down my cheeks and no sooner had they started I realized I couldn’t stop! I tried to bury my face in Parker’s shoulder in a bad excuse of hiding my face but of course Parker noticed and pulls my face round so that he can see me properly with his hand while still keeping the other around me.
“Sweetheart don’t cry it’s okay. I swear I won’t let him touch you! You have nothing to worry about.” He smoothed my hair back from my face and shuffled me back so that I was leaning on his shoulder but so that he could still see my face. His comforting words did near to nothing to calm my already high nerves.
I leaned into his shoulder more as my tears started to turn into great big sobs. How did this keep happening I hardly ever cried! This was pathetic but at the same time I thought this I knew that I couldn’t stop. I needed to let it out and Parker was still trying to comfort me with sweet nicknames like sweetheart and honey ect…
I gave up on trying to keep my tears at bag and just let myself cry. Cry and cry.

It was a wonder at all that I could stop. Five or twenty minutes later I was still on Parker’s lap even though I had ‘tried’ to tell him a million times that I would be squishing him soon although he might not have been able to understand me since I had been still sobbing my heart out and he had instantly just shushed me.
I pulled my head up but turned it away from Parker so as to not let him see my blotchy red face. Talk about another thing to worry about much. If only it was that simple. Still keeping my face away from Parker I shifted myself so that I could get up easily without hurting myself with my clumsy state.
I slide myself off Parker without his complaint. Much. I sat down next to him all the while keeping my face turned the other way.
“Oh come on your not going to totally ignore me now? You have every right to be scared or upset. You just don’t need to be he’s never going to hurt you, or I mean if tis is about something else then you still have every right. You can’t just hold in everything it’s not normal. Anyway I would rather you cried when I or someone else was around I mean if that ever can up again. I mean I hate the thought of you crying your eyes out on your own…..and now I’m just talking myself into a corner and making no sense please feel welcome to tell me to shut up!” Had he even taken a breath throughout that speak?
I smiled slightly feeling my jore click from lack of use and finally peaked back up at him trying not to think about how horrible I must look. Hopefully with most of my heavy hair over my face he won’t be able to see…..
“Is that the best smile I’m going to get?” he laughed slinging his arm round me and pulling my face to his side. Saving me from having to keep hiding my face till it calmed down to its usual tan color.
“Thanks.” I muttered into Parker’s side. I could feel his hand softly smoothing my hair down the side of my face as I continued to hide.
OH MY GOD! What time was it? I thought as I jumped away from Parker and picked up my phone to check the time. 4:58pm oh crap…..
I squeezed my eyes closed and then went over to the living room mirror with its brown border and shell corners to look at my reflection. Scared of what I might see. When I looked into the shinny surface area I saw that my face was once again its normal complexion it was just my eyes which were bright red and I mean what was the most give away thing about crying. The eyes. I groaned before turning back to Parker not looking at him directly and said,
“Sorry I forgot I had to meet my Mum…… one second. You can turn on the TV and watch something if you like.” I yelped before disappearing from the room and running up to the bathroom in the hall which was nearer than my room.
I found my make up bag in the stand I always left it on when I couldn’t be bothered to bring it back upstairs. I unzipped the top half and pulled out my foundation and lipstick the only one I could find was my bright red one. Well at least it would distract people from my flaming eyes and no doubt soon to be cheeks.
I horridly rushed to put both things on and then dug back into the bag trying to find my mascara. When I finely found that and applied three coats. Hopefully this would somehow cover up my eyes which were slowly returning to their normal color.
I looked back up at the mirror to make sure I had gotten near enough all the evidence of my crying episode and then plonked my make up bag back down on the countered before running back down the stairs to where we kept the coats under the stairs and pulled out my blue American cheerleaders jacket from the front and pulled it on. I glanced up[ at the clock in the hall before re-entering the living room where Parker was standing looking at photos on my mantel piece. Well I would have to be embarrassed about that later I was in a rush since I really didn’t want to give my Mum reason to complain at me every time I was late for something the same way I did for her.
Parker turned round as I entered and raised his eye brow. Oh yeah he thought I was mad!
“In a rush?” he asked looking at my coat and walking over to me and leaning against the door frame next to where I was standing. I nodded and rolled my eyes at the note that I had left on the coffee table. Parker laughed before following me towards the door which I had started to. I mean I was already five minutes late and I really didn’t want to be any more or I would never get away with my lateness again plus if I wasn’t there when Mum picked out what we were going to have to eat for the rest of the week it would be murder trying to understand all the furan food she would have bought. She would always say that I would remind her of her and Dads honeymoon in whatever countries they had gone to they had somehow managed to visit seven different countries in the space of two months. I never questioned her about the food but would never be seen cooking it since I had no idea what I was supposed to do with it all. Through it all together?
I grabbed my keys as I disappeared out the door with Parker right behind me. I remembered the incident the time when Parker was in my kitchen and I had turned to quick god I really did manage to embarrass myself way to much when Parker was concerned. I also remembered the coffee problem and just knew that I was blushing a deep red.
As I closed the door behind me and Parker putting the key in my brown stitched hand bag and turning round to face Parker who was still standing just behind me.
“Sorry, I forgot my Mum had asked me to go food shopping with her. It’s impossible to get any descent food if I’m not there.” I apologized starting to walk again. Parker followed by my side looking amused AGAIN! I was starting to think that this was just his normal expression when he said,
“That’s no problem. I pretty much know what you mean it was all ways my brother and sister who bought the food and cooked it now were just skewed.” He smiled again looking down at me before putting his arm round my waist and walking a little faster.
Was this really the first time he had told me anything about his family apart from the fact that my Dad had killed his elder brother two years ago. Apart from this tiny fact I pretty much new nothing. And I was starting to feel bad about it. One I had never asked and two what he told me made me regretful. His brother had looked after his family and now he could not thanks to some stupid decision my Dad had made. Which now had coursed a lot of pain and grief between family and friends on both sides.
I looked down as we carried on walking faster as we neared Sainsbury’s gigantic sine. We had been in silence for most of the walk but it was not an awkward silence like I sometimes had back with Brendon or TJ before that, it was nice. Okay I really was starting to question my sanity but who cares this is fun and if this was mad I guess I could live with it. Apart from the psycho ghost trying to kill me with every move I take. That parts not so cool.
The day was not as warm as it had been but still I really didn’t need my coat the sun was still beating down on the people of Brighton leaving sunburn and tans everywhere you looked.
I could see some people wearing swimming customs with towel around their waist walking in the general direction of the pebbly beach. I felt like doing just that going down for a swim at the local pool or even the not so ruff sea would be right choice right now but instead I was walking down to Sainsbury’s with my…. Well my new boyfriend at my side. Strange way to think about it but still.
We neared the entrance to the wide electric doors and promptly glided through.
No where to find my Mum? I turned to Parker and thanked him for walking me but he really didn’t have to walk around food stores while my Mum tried to persuade me to buy something I can’t even pronounce the name of. He just laughed and kissed my forehead and glanced around the near isle checking for unknown persons.
2Just take your phone and call me if…” He handed me the phone how had he picked that up and how had I managed to forget it? He trained off when a family with two five year old children came round the corner and screamed,
“BUT I WANT CHOCOLATE!” At the top of their lungs.
“Well you know, just call okay?” I nodded when he finished and he gave me quick hug before saying,
“your Mum’s in isle 3 by the way” and then turning to go. I waved and the quickly turned to see sure enough my Mum walking down isle 3 with already five different things in her trolley.

Chapter Six: Monday 2:21am
I woke up to the soft tapping of fingers on glass. I didn’t think much of it until I opened one eye and noticed the time. Why on earth was I awake!?! I groaned and slammed my head back onto the pillow.
I heard once again the sound of tapping and opened my eyes and looked tiredly around the room. Nothing. There it was again. And again. What was that?
I sat up straighter now looking fully round the room. I court movement in the corner and looked there until I could swear I could see dots where I’m eyes were rebelling against being used so much and in such an early hour. I blinked a couple of times but the black dots were still there obscuring my vision so that all was left was a small part of my bed side light which was switched off. Fat lot of good that was doing. I reached to turn on the lamp and blearing light flooded the room but no sooner had the light come on it went straight back off again.
Oh! Oh no… please no!
I felt Cody’s warm breath before I felt his freezing cold hands around my neck. My breath court off before I could even think to breath leave me with no option but to lay there unable to breath. I brought my hands up to my neck trying to grasp my attackers hands before they truly managed in there attempted at strangulation. Black spats were starting to pear in front of my eyes and I could feel myself getting weaker. I tried and tried to get my hands up and pull away Cody’s hands but when I finally accomplished this I realized I could not grab hold of anything! I struggled again trying to get up but I was pinned down by my neck. Slowly everything was starting to go black. Blacker than before I could not even see my eyelids as they came down in front of my eyes and I slowly started to drift away…..
Darker….
Darker…
Gone…

I was in a field with red roses all around. Was this really one of those dreams where people just wander around aimlessly dancing and singing like in ‘Maria?’ it was strange that I knew I was in a dream had that ever happened before?
I looked around me at my surroundings stopping every so often thinking that I saw movement but when I looked again there really was nothing but flowers and flowers and more flowers. Not just flowers either but red roses. Red rose after red rose. Okay starting to get freaked out where the hell am I?
I looked around me again and again but there was still nothing, nothing at all! I span and span until I fell to the ground dizzy. Closing my eyes and then quickly opening them and blinking several times. I stared up at the clear blue sky with no clouds in sight and the sun bearing down on me. It was the most perfect sky I had ever seen before and probable ever would since sky’s like theses didn’t exist in the real world. There was something about this sky though that put me on edge. Like I had said nothing like this would be in the real world and it was starting to darn on me how eerie this whole scene really was.
I sprang up from the crushed roses and stood staring around the field looking for something anything that would help me with where I was. Nothing, nothing at all.
I looked back down at where I had been lying just seconds before and when I had sprung up there had been crushed roses in m y shape. Now I looked down and then around me looking for those crush flowers that had been there only moments ago. Had I moved in my search? I didn’t think so but something told me that nothing had happened. What was going on? This has got to be the weirdest dream I have ever had!
I sat down on the newly un-flattened ground and put my face in my hands. I sat like that for what felt like ages but when I looked up everything was still exactly the same. Right going crazy this is a really beautiful place yet I’m sitting here feeling like I’m in a toureter chamber. CRAZY!
I lay back down on the flowers and closed my eyes willing myself to just wake up! I had the weirdest feeling like I was being watched and theses flowers were not helping! Perfect did not even begin to cover it!
Suddenly I was sure I could feel a breeze picking up in the field and opened my eyes to see storm clouds covering the sky. Slow drops of freezing cold water came splashing down to my face. I started to get up but realized that I was stuck. I looked down and saw that while I had been laying there on the roses they had somehow raped there vines around my arms. I tried pulling at them and quickly realized that they were not going to give. I continued helplessly but looked down at my legs where more vines were just starting to clime the way up my legs and on to my waist. I was struggling like crazy when I felt cold slowly sinking into my large T-shirt and shorts were already drenched. I pulled and pulled but it did not good.
Pulling at the vines that were now rapping their way around my neck and waist I saw that the rain was actually hale and the pain in my left eyebrow was from a direct hit with one. Ouch! Ouch ouch! I was really starting to freak out when the vines reached my chin and cheeks and the spicks really started to dig into me.
The sharp vines were starting to hurt like crazy and I started to scream. When they finally reached my mouth I was still struggling to get out but the vines only tightened and the pain increased. I could feel the breath being taken away from me as I vines covered my mouth and moved up to my nose and ears. Soon I would be completely covered and there was nothing I could do! I gave up struggling and just closed my eyes willing once again for waking hours.
I was shaking with the pain and still trying to scream but could not make a sound. I could feel the pain as I slowly lost all the breath in my body and started to pull uselessly for air. To no success.
Suddenly every inch of my body went numb and I opened my eyes to the white walls of my bedroom. I gasped for air and put my hands up to my neck.
W-w-what?
I felt something touch my arm and I screamed jumping off bed and falling straight onto the floor. Landing with a thud and looking back up to the bed to see what it was that had touched my arm.
“Are you okay Hun? I didn’t mean to frighten you.” I heard my Mum say. Oh my god! Thank god!
“Sorry over reacted….. Bad dream” I muttered picking myself up from the carpeted floor.
“I know Hun I’ve been here for the last ten minutes. You’ve been tossing and turning. You were screaming just a minutes ago. Sweet are you okay? Really?” he asked as I sat back down on the bed and looked over to the space where my Mum was sitting with a flannel in her hand. I realized that she had been trying to comfort me by putting a wet flannel on my head I also realized just how hot I was it wasn’t even that hot in the room. Come to think about it, it was freezing!
“Oh I didn’t realize. I’m fine though just a dream.” I said looking around the room waiting for my head to stop its spinning. Well this is great I now have my Mum worried about me! Again! I don’t even know what that stupid dream was about.
Suddenly I saw a white hand near my wall and had to bite my tongue to stop from screaming.
The memory of what had happened before the dream came flooding back. It was all I could do to stop myself from jumping right back off the bed and back onto the floor to hide. Instead I saw out of the corner of my eye my Mum looking in the same direction and gasp. Oh crap.
“Why is your window open? No wonder you’re having bad dreams!” she scolded standing up quickly and walking over to my window and closing it. No sooner had she closed it, it ope4nd again and Mum had to reseal with it to close it again. Mean while I was still staring at the ghostly hand near my far wall.
I lifted my hand to my neck and sure enough it hurt like crazy at the slightest touch. My breathing increased at this and my eyes widened. My heard feels like it is hampering its way out of my chest. Why now? I closed my eyes willing it to just go away then realized I was being a complete wimp and re opened them and stood up. Was I really scared of something I couldn’t even see? Hell yes! Well that didn’t really matter because if he had wanted to kill me already tonight he would have when he had been strangling me! Why come back?
I saw a piece of paper fall to the floor then a slowly the hand started to disappear back into the darkness of my room. Finally I heard my Mum slam my window down and yelp when the noise vibrated up her arm.
I quickly turned to face her and walked other to my window looking down. There was nothing there. Why did I really think I was going to see something there? I just had this impulse to walk over there. Okay still freaked out. I’m not going mad. I hope.
I heard the phone go down stairs and nearly jumped right out the window. God jumpy much!
I shook my head and scrambled out of the room glancing at the clock 6:59am who the hell was calling this early and how long had I been dreaming? I shivered at the thought of my dream which still left me with a weird disturbed feeling like when you have just walked from a really warm room to a really cold one. Strange strange definition!
I entered the hall and pulled the phone off the hock saying something that sounded like hello but really it could have been anything!
“Rose? What did you just say? Was that English? God it’s not even that early. Oh wait yeah it is….. sorry” Megan. I really was going to have to get that girl a watch that was the right time. She even answered her own questions. This was only annoying me now since I was in a bad mood with the dream and my through was really starting to sting. I wondered over to the mirror with the phone still in my hand. I lifted my head so I could see my long neck better. Nothing. Nothing at all. No red finger marks no nail marks nothing. Had I really imagined all that? I mean my neck was hurting but there was nothing there!
I realized quickly that Megan was talking to me again apoligising for waking me I think but my mind had wondered and I was kind off freaking out again. My breath was coming fast and I had no control over it! I leaned my head against the wall and closed my eyes. Putting the phone down on the side table next to its holder. I heard it fall to the ground but I didn’t care the noise in my head was deafening. I heard air rushing around my head and then everything went black.

“Hello? Rose? Honey, are you awake?” Huh. I couldn’t see anything and started to panic again. Was I being strangled? Please don’t make me go back to the field! I realized then that I had my eyes closed and that was the reason I couldn’t see. Well it was an easy mistake to make. Sometimes….
I tried opening my eyes but they felt like I was trying to lift a pile of brinks with my little finger. Again with the weird definitions! I tried again and again till I finally managed to lift my left eyelid just enough to see Mum’s worried face hovering above me. I was lying down on the living room settee with my face looking up at the ceiling.
How had I gotten here?
I closed my eyes again slowly tried to lift my arms to that I cloud rub my eyes. Again it felt like I was lifting dead weights. Ouch. I’m not sure but I think I said that out laud. Oops…..
I opened my eyes again this time with more progress and managed to open both my eyes fully. Well that was normal….. How had I gotten on the settee? And why?
I was making no sense so gave up trying to understand what my ragged thoughts were trying to tell me and just concentrated on lifting my head and opening my mouth to ask the stupid questions I wanted answered. I seceded in lifting my head but regretted it almost straight away since I could have sworn I could see double of everything.
I lifted my arms again and succeeded in moving them to my neck which was hurting like hell! Mum past me a glass of water and helped me lift my head slowly as to not get dizzy again and I didn’t chock on the water.
I could feel the heavenly liquid going down my thought as it freed me from my pain. Drama queen……
When I had finished drinking the cold water I plopped my head back down on the soft pillow behind my head. Well fainting was just great huh. You get to fall on the ground and then wake up with what I could have sworn was more like a hangover than anything else. I squeezed my eyes shut and rolled onto my side which just happened to be off the settee leaving me lying on the carpet covered floor again. I groaned and raised my head to see my Mums worried face leaning down and helping me up. Ouch ouch and more ouch.
Sitting up with Mums help was easier than before this time my head didn’t spin so much. I breathed in slowly and put my feet under me to lift me up. I got up with quick quivering movements.
I gripped the settee for support before taking a few steps forwards. The move I walked the less my head span. Well all I gotta do is keep this up and hope I dreamed it all.
For sure I was just going to wake up any minute and laugh at how stupid I am for acting so much like the girls in my collage that over reacted at the slightest things. Well given that this would REALLY not come under the category ‘slightest things’. All though I really didn’t understand this much and I swear if I didn’t get Parker to explain in a more detailed way I was going to explode!
And there I go again. Just think about it and stop freaking walking in circales! I swear this is the reason I am so dizzy! I look at Mum and saw that she was freaking out. The look on her face was so obviously a question of my sanity. Hell did I believe I was going insane or soon to be with all of what was going on!
A thought accrued to me then. I had thought it before but had never realized how much it might mean if it was true. How much it would hurt.
Did my Mum really know what I had found out? If she had known from the start and decided to just not tell me? I was getting myself worked up and I hadn’t even found out if she knew or not.
I was still considering since there was that chance that she didn’t know and it would hurt her to hell and back if I just told her now. I really couldn’t be that selfish!
No later was better. I would keep this to myself until I was more curtain she knew. I closed my eyes tired suddenly and walked back other to the settee where I collapsed back down and waved for Mum to do the same.
When she did I shook my head to attempt one cleave thought before apologizing and asking what had happened. My mind was still too muddled up to take in the exact words but I got the gist.
She had come down stairs to find me lying on the floor passed out. She had then half dragged half carried me into the living room where she had somehow managed to get me on the settee. That part I still didn’t really understand but carried on half listening anyway. She was till totally shaken up about finding her daughter lying on the floor unconscious and kept wanting to call an ambulance. And here I was thinking I was the drama queen… no were near.
I told her I was fine again and again and insisted I was just okay to be heading up the stairs on my own and finally escaped out the door to the stairs leaving my Mum panicking again for my sanity. Well so was I!
When I reached my room I could see from my window that the time had passed it was now light outside and the sun was blazing in from on my once again open window. I shivered to think that Cody could be anywhere and sat down on my bed again. Putting my hands over my face and shifting around so that I was no longer facing my closed door.
I breathed out and then in again before pulling my clammy hands away from my face and looking once again around my room. I remembered the hand I had seen not so long ago just over there by my wall and the earlier dream. I also remembered the reason for my dream, but quickly blocked that out since my through was already hurting enough thank you!
I looked back to the wall I had seen the pale hand and glanced at the ground where I could have been sure I had seen a piece of paper fall just before the hand had disappeared.
Sure enough there it was. Crumpled and going slightly yellow in contrast to my gleaming white and black patch carpet. I got up off of my bed and bent down so I could pick up the paper realizing that it was the very same bus ticket I had found before. What the hell? What was it about this freaking ticket that was so important?!? Argh. I really could not be bothered with stupid tickets right now and simple through it across the room till it hit the far wall and slid down behind my computer desk. Well that was hopefully the last time I see that.
Why scare me nearly to death so that I could simple see a bus ticket from what was it now? Two, three weeks ago?
I got up and walked over to my wardrobe pulling out a navy shirt which was long enough that I could get away with just wearing it with leggings. Now to find the leggings….

When I was dressed I went back down stairs to find my Mum in the kitchen cooking sausages and bacon two of the many things we had bought yesterday. I smiled at her when I entered the room. Mum hardly cooked at all it was usually down to me and I was gratefully now for her attempt at helpfulness. My smile widen when I sat down and saw that she had also made two cups of coffee.
I felt bad for being so horrid to her and not paying enough attention she was really trying to help now and I was gratefully.
The phone rang then and I was quickly reminded about my earlier call with Megan. Oh! Great please tell me Mum hadn’t just left her hanging on the phone or worse yet told her I had fainted or something!?! I got up and walked over to the phone that was held in the kitchen.
“Hello?” well at least I wasn’t sounding so posh now. That was a bright side right?
“Rose? What the hell why aren’t you picking up your fucking mobile?” well ouch. I held the receiver away from my ear and hoped Mum hadn’t heard.
“Parker what are you on about? My phones in the other room. Stop freaking out.” Okay should I be freaking out here?
I heard Parker breath in and out loudly and say. “Sorry. I just wish you would answer your phone. I though. Well never mind now.” Well could he really be any more confusing? I sighed and nodded to my Mum who I realized had just asked if I was okay and walked into the other room rolling my eyes at Mum hopefully she took that as a sine I was still fine. Well it was worth a try….
“You are okay right?” he asked. Well I would be if you cared to explain what the hell was happening in my life. Instead I said,
“sure I’m fine just tired….” How many time had I said I was fine this morning? Five six…. Ten?
“Good. So you wanna come round the park today? It’s really sunny.” My heart did little flips at the idea and I swear I nearly blushed.
“Sure. What time?” well that was my try at normality and there it goes, down the drain and far far away. I closed my eyes and groaned when I heard Parker’s faint laughter on the other end of the phone. Just great…
“Cool I’ll pick you up on twenty?” twenty minutes? Was that enough time to one: eat food two: convince my Mum that I really was fine and free: convince her I was just fine to go out with Parker. Well it could be as long as it was a very long twenty minutes.
“Yeah that’s fine see you then.” I heard Parker say something that resembled ‘bye’ but really if you ask me it could have been anything. Then the beeping tone came on and I lowered the phone from my ear.
Well okay then. First thing to do: Eat.
I reentered the kitchen to find Mum just putting the food on the plate and looked up when I entered raising her eyebrows. She still hadn’t got how I managed to just raise one at a time.
Well maybe second thing first: talk her into let me go out.
“That was Parker. He asked if I could go round the park with his.” I paused to sit down and glance up to see what Mum’s expression looked like. Ouch that really didn’t look promising.
“Mum don’t look at me like that. I’m not crazy its totally safe for me to go out I just hadn’t had anything to drink today so I fainted happens all the time to people. Really” I tried to sound convincing but really was it safe to go out with Cody being nearly everywhere I went? Well who knew but I was not going to be stuck inside all the time until he killed me or I died from boredom either one.
“Well I don’t care if you didn’t drink anything today that does not qualify for you fainting. You didn’t even get much sleep last night. Remember you still haven’t told me what your dream was about. If something’s wrong Rose I want to know. I need to know! Since you haven’t had much sleep AND you fainted I am not letting you out this house. My last words.” Well how did I guess? She could have just said no and speared me the rant. Okay that was mean she was worried and it was my fault I really wasn’t telling her what was wrong. Did she really want to know? I don’t think so.
“Mum I just told you I'm fine really. The fresh air will do me good! And I kind of all ready told Parker I could come. He’ll be here in like ten minutes.” Was my response wow could I come up with something more crap?
“I told you no. No eat before it gets cold.” Thanks Mum. I closed my eyes and reopened them looking down at my full plate of bacon and sausages. Well back to task one then: Eat.
I picked up my fork and shoveled mouthful after mouthful of food into my open mouth.
I looked over at my Mum when I had finished trying to prove something but she just rolled her eyes. Okay then…..
I sighed and picked up my mug of still steaming hot coffee and started to drink.
Five minutes later I was helping Mum clean up the empty plates and mugs and dump them in the dishwasher. I still hadn’t found a way to convince her to let, me go out I mean how can she keep her seventeen year old daughter locked up like this. That wouldn’t work neither would. Please I swear I'm fine just let me go out pretty please. Well that would work in helping Mum believe that I was even younger than seventeen and defiantly make me stay in. argh. Was I ever going to find out in a detailed enough way for me to really start to understand what the hell was going on in my life? All I really knew was that a ghost (Parker’s brother) was trying to kill me since my dad had killed him. I still can’t believe my dad would do that. I can’t believe that he would take his own life let along someone else’s as well.
I blinked realizing I was once again close to tears. This happen nearly every time I thought of my Dad and now it was even worse since I had found out that he might have killed himself and someone else as well Waitago with the downing my mood.
I leaned on the shelf for support once again feeling like I might faint. Well that would really help to talk mum into letting me out.
I let go of the shelf when I heard the door bell ring loud and turned my head in the direction only to hear Mum answering the door and saying something like ‘I'm sorry Rose can’t come out today’ oh god please tell me she was not!
Oh and god please don’t let her tell him I fainted or about the dream…..
I reached the door quickly and managed to see Parker looking down at my Mum and asking what was wrong. He already looked worried when he court a glance of me and looked up before looking back down at waiting for an answer.
“I found her this morning-“ I interrupted her then,
“Nothing. Really” that sounded convincing right?
“No please do carry on Mrs. Smith.” I closed my eyes and sighed great.
“Like I was saying I found her this morning she was having a really bad nightmare which she still hasn’t told me about.” She paused to look at me which made me believe I had no choice but to tell her later. “Then when she goes down stairs to get the phone I find her lying on the floor passed out. I am sorry but I'm not letting her out the house until I know for sure that she’s going to be okay.” Wow thanks mum could you make me sound like a five year old anymore. Why don’t you just top it off while you’re at it? And of course Parker took this all the wrong way and looked at me in a way that made me feel bad for not telling him. I couldn’t keep his gaze so I looked down.
Well at least he didn’t know about the strangling episode which lucky my Mum had not been witness to.
I was still looking down when I heard Parker say,
“Of course you would want to keep her in doors. I understand totally. I just wish she had told me this on the phone. ” well there was a big enough hint.
I looked up then and met his gaze after all I really was being horrid and self centered but the more I saw my mum and Parker worry the more I felt guilty. If only I wasn’t keeping so much stuff away from my mum she would understand. I hated hurting her.
As for Parker who I was still just managing to look at in the eyes well he was different. I hadn’t known his for long. Well like free weeks. But I still hated the look he was giving me now. Well I was in for it later. Well when I was allowed out of the house that is.
“I hope you don’t mind Mrs. Smith but I would really like to talk to your daughter about something urgent. If you don’t mine my coming in that is?” when I saw mum nod and turn in my direction and leave the corridor back to the kitchen I thought. Or maybe I was done fro now…..
I turned and walked up the stairs and into the open study where I had gone in the garden party on a sudden impulse to look something up. Well that was unneeded now right?
I slid into the swizzle chair by the desk next to the taller more comfortable one. I closed my eyes and waited to hear Parker’s tell, tell foot falls meaning that he had entered the room and sure enough there they were.
I heard him sit down on the chair next to mine before reopening my eyes.
When I looked at Parker he was staring right back at me obviously waiting for me to start. Well umm I have no clue what to say……
“Sorry…” He coughed and started to say something before changing his mind and saying,
“Do you even know what you’re apologizing for? God you look like you think I'm about to start yelling at you!” okay now he was laughing. I sighed and looked up at him and a relived way.
“That still doesn’t mean I'm not.” He said still smiling and rolling his eyes before standing up and pulling me into his arms. I nestled my head against his chest and closed my eyes shut wish everything else would just go away.
“Now please tell me the truth this time. Are you okay?”
“I would tell you if I knew myself.” I muttered still not moving my head and Parker pulled me down on his lap.
He still had his arm raped around my waist with his other hand stroking my hair. I really was confused as to why being hugged by someone I had known for I think free weeks now. I kept my eyes closed as Parker asked,
“So what was the nightmare about? If you don’t mind me asking?” well could I really explain that. I didn’t understand myself.
“Really I don’t understand it. It was just this meadow field thing.” Well that was a pretty good explanation.
I took a breath hoping that he wouldn’t ask what had happened before because I know I would tell him if he asked. Please don’t ask!
I felt my throat closing at the memory and kept my eyes firmly closed. I felt Parker stop smoothing my hair and realized I had acted to weird and he was going to ask. Damn damn damn!
“What is it? What are you not tell me? I need to know Rose!” calming breaths. Just breath. Don’t answer. I sat there still trying to think of something that would get me out of this free. Well there goes ever excuse I had thought of. Was I really able to just tell him something and stick to it? I swear I was the worst liar ever!
“I-I don’t really know. Again.”
“Nice try. What is it?” Damn.
“Okay really it’s nothing as you can see. I'm fine. Just when I woke up before the dream….. Cody was there” I took a breath and quickly said the rest in a rushed tone that I hoped he didn’t understand a word of. “I could have sworn he tried to strangle me but there are no marks I mean I'm really fine… just a sore throat really fine though I bet I dreamed that to……” I felt Parker’s arms tighten around me and I really started to wish I hadn’t said anything. He had understood after all.
“It better fucking have been a dream.” Well at least he wasn’t shouting… I mean he still sounded like he could kill but still….
I was really starting to regret having told him when I heard the phone ring down stairs. I jumped when I realized someone had left it on the table near my arm.
“Crap.” I muttered before moving my head and leaning away from Parker so that I could reach the now violently vibrating phone.
“Hello?” Well I was back to sounding posh again……
“Rose? It’s Megan what happened? The phone went dead before.” Ouch Megan well hell was I telling her I had fainted!
“Oh right sorry bout that. The signal in my house is really crap at the moment….” Signal? Crap? It’s a freaking home phone for crying out loud.
“Oh. Don’t worry anyway have you heard from Soph yet I swear she is going to kill you for not telling her about your new boyfriend.” Of course Parker would choose this moment to cough. “Oh sorry Rose I didn’t know he was there. Do you want me to call back later when you can tell all? I mean it I'm totally on Soph’s side here. By the way Kat says so is she but well in her own way….” Well that’s great I now had free of my friends asking me about Parker and I still hadn’t forgotten Arlene’s friend What’s Her Name had said back at the Garden party. She had shown pretty much straight away how much she had liked him. Which I am so going to admit was awkward since I still hadn’t known why Parker had been well pretty much everywhere. Well my friends did deserve to know at least something. So I told Megan to come round mine tonight and to tell Sophie and Kat the same. Well here goes nothing. And I was home grounded for the day anyway. Might as well get this over with sooner. When I hang up the phone I looked over to Parker who’s lap I was still sitting on. Well he must have lost the feeling in both his legs.
I slowly moved my legs to that I could stand up but Parker tightened his arms making sure I was going nowhere. I looked back round at him to see him staring once again at my wall with its green wall paper and art work my Mum had insisted I put up. The one thing I couldn’t work out was weather he was looking at the wall because his brother was there or because he was extremely strange and I really could not think of another option but his face did not show its usual tell tell signs like his angry expression. He looked freaking amused again!
Well what was that about? I raised my eyes brows as Parker turned his head back round. He laughed and smiled when he saw that I was off the phone and said,
“Well I wish you luck with your friends you looked like they were going to be the ones to kill you. You really do confuse me you know.” I blushed and elbowed him but he just laughed harder before moving his hand from my waist and pulling my face up to his.

Chapter Seven: Monday 7:17pm.
I was lying on the settee watching some cheese advert my film had just finished and I could not be bothered to find something else so I continued to stare at the glistening screen.
Parker had left about free four hours ago making me promise him that I would call if anything was wrong and he swore if I didn’t he wouldn’t explain in more detail well damn him. I was just hoping that nothing happened so I had nothing to tell him. Stupid ghost!
I heard giggling way before I heard footsteps walking up my drive. Well here goes nothing!
I stood up and blinked a few times. I had that feeling you get when you have been sitting still too long and you were not used to standing. Well about that….
I stumbled to the door when the bell finally sounded and opened it to find four faces smiling at me. Well I could have swore I had invited Sophie, Megan and Kat but there was one more face that I recognized after a few seconds. Stacy!
“Oh my god Stacy! How was your holiday?” I said as she pulled me into a huge bear hug.
“Great. Spain is the best. But so unbelievable hot! You will never believe what happened! I’ll tell you all about as soon as you spill about you and this boy you have been holding out on these free. Come on get started!” Well that they had already filled her in typical.
I rolled my eyes before letting them in the front door and we all walked up to my room so that they could dump their stuff.
As we walked back down stairs I could have sworn I saw the same white must that meant Cody was near. Well crap! Although as soon as I looked back it was gone. Shaking my head to try and seem normal. Well normal for me. I entered the living room with the others who I could tell from their faces all ready had about five-hundred questions lined up for me.
“Okay can you lot wait two minutes while I go get drinks and snacks?” I tried to do my best puppy dog eyes but gave up pretty soon since all I could see was Parker back at Soph’s giving me his puppy dog eyes.
They looked at each other in a way that made me think they were not even going to let me out the room till they knew freaking everything. Eak!
The nodded suddenly but Sophie said,
“On one condition. You must first tell us if you are really going out with this guy. Wait do we even know his name. All I know is I slapped him in the face and you really didn’t mind!” Well that one was pretty easy…
“Yes. Now can I escape for one minute?” They smiled and nodded again. Well this might be okay after all….. Just maybe.

When I reentered the living room a couple of minutes later with five drinks on a tray and a bag of crisp and chocolate. Hell it was the holidays who cared! The four of them were sitting on the two settees leaving enough room for me on the far left hand side next to Kat and Sophie. I plopped the tray down on the side table before sitting down carefully as to not sit on either of the others. I grabbed my drink and leaned back.
As soon as I was comfortable and they all had a drink in their hands they stared. And god did they ask me everything!
“So what is this guy’s name?” Parker.
“Why have we not heard of him before my sleepover?” because we weren’t going out then.
“Was that the first time you had kissed him?” Yes.
“Is he really as hot as this lot are telling me?” Umm depends….
“Well what does that mean?” Yes.
“How old is he?” Oh Eighteen….
“You don’t know did you?” well. Okay I haven’t asked.
“Is he a good kisser?” Megan is that all your gunna ask me?
“Well is he?” Fine. Yes!
“How long?” how long what?
“Have you been going out? God.” Oh like Sunday….
“what last Sunday?” no yesterday….
“What? But you were kissing him at my sleepover? What the hell?” I dunno!
“You make no sense you know!?” Tell me about it.
These were only a few of the many questions they fired at me. I swear I was losing my voice by 9:30pm not to mention a brain over loud. I had laughed and talked for about two hours now and really I think my friends were only half way through their questioning but I swear if kept talking I would explode! I finished laughing at a question that I swear I would never repeat in the whole time I lived.
“Okay really I can’t think of another thing you could ask me so why not save your ridicules” again i had to stop speaking to laugh “questions for another time. Lets’ hear from Stacy now huh.” I turned my gaze on Stacy now and waited for her to start speaking but she just blushed and looked at the ground.
“Well well looks like I’ve not been the only one keeping something.” I laughed again with the others while Stacy still continued to stare at the ground.
“Come on spill Stac!”
“Give me a chance you lot!” she looked at me, “now I understand why you look so red we really are evil firing questions at you for what an hour?”
“Hey you are so not getting away with not telling us so easily! Tell!”
Her face fell and then she looked up and smiled. Sort off.
“Okay you will never guess but when I was in Spain we went to this really beautiful beach. You will not believe how beautiful I mean it! But anyway I was sunbathing with my Sister when we heard screams and realized the water had started to come in really rapidly! I mean we were both so scared.” She paused to take a deep breath before continuing with, “ the sea was getting closer and closer we could see everyone panicking and running for the end of the beach but there were some people who couldn’t swim and you know Alice cant. I stayed with her trying to get her to just move a little so we could get away from the rocks and out of danger but she wouldn’t get in the water and I wouldn’t leave her. Then we both heard this noise like a boat and looked over to see the god damned hottest boy I have ever seen coming right over to us! I mean it he was sooooooo hot! Anyway he helped us onto his boat and took us to one of the nearby beaches which just happened to be right next to the place we were staying.” She sighed with the memory and then carried on by saying,
“Well he asked me out to dinner the next day. Oh my god it was wonderful!” we all started giggling like little girls and soon we were heading towards the kitchen for more drinks.
“Well do you have a picture of him?” Kat asked.
“Well yeah actually. I mean it he’s a nineteen year old god!” she pulled out her phone and tapped a few buttons before holding it out for us to see.
“Wow!” we all mouthed.
“You have got to be kidding me! Rose has a hot boyfriend and now you too! This sucks I'm actually starting to wish collage would start up again soon!” I laughed at this and really I hoped for the exacted opposite I mean it had been a good distraction at first but thinking about Math’s and English and especially Art was already doing my head in. I have nine weeks off for a break and could not be asked to start learning again so quick!
I was training to become an art therapist which had been my dream for some years now and I was finally getting somewhere.
We reentered the living room with five glasses of ‘orange juice’ we were sitting back in the same places we had been minutes before still gushing over the guy Stacy had met on her holiday.
I rested my head on the back of the chair and closed my eyes I was so tired I could swear I could hear my bed calling for me! I reopened my eyes and looked at the other who still looked like they were bursting with energy apart from Kat who looked like she was already asleep.
I blinked a couple of times but that really did nothing to help in the end in just rested my head back on the head of the settee and closed my eyes and waited for sleep. Only it didn’t come well that was typical! I heard someone get up but could not muster the strength to open my eyes and see who.
“I'm sorry girls but I'm going to have to ask you all to go to bed now. Rose is already tired have had near to no sleep last night. Then there is the fainting incident this morning.. I would appreciate it if you all tried to get some sleep now.” Oh you are kidding!
I opened my eyes slowly to see the four of them all looking at me having just nodded at my mum. She was now leaving the room with a warning look at me which I only just court. I heard my phone then and get up quickly so I could get it before they all started questing me again.
It was a text message from Parker,

Bed! x

Great now I had yet another person telling me what to do! With one freaking word. Wow I was grumpy! Maybe I should follow both there advise and hope that this would spear me the questing of why I hadn’t told them about me fainting. Well about that…..
I quickly text back saying that I was and then turned to face my friends again. Please don’t say anything I really can’t be bothered to say that it was just embarrassing and to be able to keep up the lie for as long as they persisted. I walked back over to the settee I had been sitting on before and sat down leaning my head back on the chair it was a strain to just keep my eyes open let alone my head up.
“Okay Rose I swear you are falling asleep sitting there. You should have told us you know! We don’t mind. Come on you lot let’s get ready.” I felt some one pulling on my arm as I continued to sit there. My mind was blank and my thoughts were turning to slush. I really did need sleep! Slowly I heard people moving round coming closer until I felt like I was blacked in. I tried to open my eyes but they felt unnatural heavy and quickly closed them again once I had seen the once again worried faces of my friends. I sat up slowly and help the others pull me up.
Somehow they managed to get me up the stairs and into my room without me having to move that much well I hadn’t realized how strong they are. I collapsed on my bed and rolled over. Soooooooooo tired!

When I woke in the morning I could hear whispers it sounded like they were all around the room. Darting back and forth as I slowly came to the world of the living. Like I said I could be a drama queen sometimes………
It was a Tuesday morning and I was still recovering from my non-sleeping yesterday morning/night. 10:54am well that should have been enough sleep for anyone but somehow I was still tired. And what had happened last night why had I been so tired?
I lifted my head slowly and opened my eyes at the same time. I was in my bed with like a dozed covers over me. Well that would explain why I was feeling really over heated but why had I put so many covers on? I looked around the room carefully and came across four faces on the end of my bed. so that was where the whispers had been coming from. None of them were talking now and looked at me with questing eyes.
“Morning…. ” I sat up even more so that my back was resting against border of my bed. For a change I could sit up without my head spinning and being able to actually keep my eyes open. Well close enough.
“Hey Rose, is this your boyfriend?” Stacy asked handing me her phone that was now on facebook. The first thing I noticed was the words ‘Parker Temp’ going right across the top and then looked down to see a picture of Parker in a blue shirt leaning against a wall.
I nodded at Stacy and handed the phone back to her she was also holding the card Parker had given me with his number on it. Not even going to ask…..
“Well I swear I have seen him before….. I just dunno where…….” her forehead was creased where she was thinking.
“Oh that’s it I saw him on the way down here hitting wall or something! Wait why the hell was he hitting a wall is he like mentally ill?” I laughed at this but then groaned when I realized she had just told me she had seen Parker hitting a wall. Well that’s great. I just hope that it was a wall he was hitting and not his freaking brother! I realized that I was slightly freaking out so I got up and looked around my room for my phone that I could have swore I had brought up here last night. Just where had I put it……
My friends were once again looking at me as if I was crazy. Well whatever. I found my phone lying next to my pillow and quickly snatched it up and flipped it open.
I went on to text messages and hurriedly typed:

Why the hell were u seen hitting a wall? Explain! x

I flipped my phone shut again and looked at my friend’s mad looks. I shrugged and flopped back down on the bed with my head on the border.
My phone was by my head and sounded like a parsing train when Parker text back saying:

How the hell did u find out about that? x

Way to answer my question…..
“Well looks like someone’s boyfriend is in trouble……” I heard Sophie say before I throw a pillow at her and had free more coming in my direction in the space of two seconds.
“Ahhhh stop stop” I laughed putting my hands up to defend myself.
“Well its true you look like you could kill. In a really pathetic way.” Well thanks!
“Wow you’re so kind!” I said while picking up another pillow in hope of defending myself from the many pillows coming in my direction!
“Okay stop let her text his back any way I would like to know to why he was having a fight with a wall. You know he did act kind of weird at my house I mean what the hell was up with the window? Oh yeah I forgot to ask you that…..” she trained off as I looked down at the now unmoving pillows in front of me. Well Parker how the hell could you explain that?
To distract myself I text Parker back saying

That’s 4 me 2 know and u 2 not find out. Now why was u punching a wall? Tell! x

I put my phone back down next to my head again forgetting about the train noise I had heard last time. I lay my head back against the head bored and closed my eyes waiting for my friends to say something…..
Sophie started off by asking. So why don’t you know his age? Do you really know anything about him?” oh well that was awkward!
“Never asked I’ve been going out with him a day Soph its’ not my fault.” I reopened my eyes and looked at Sophie apologetically.
“Sorry I need more sleep. I'm grumpy as always….” My phone went again and I looked down at it and then slowly picked it back up flipped it open.
“He’s eighteen just so you know.” I looked back up at Sophie with my eyebrow raised. How the hell did she know that…? “it was on his facebook.” I closed my eyes and laughed.
I gave up trying to reply so looked back down at my phone and pressed on Parker’s text.

Well….. Can I not explain over a text? I was just mad ok? x

Oh! Please tell me it was not because of the thing I had told him about his brother. He had seemed fine when I had told him.

Sorry x

One word that really did not explain much but I was still hoping that the reason he had been seen punching a wall was not really because he was angry or because of his brother I really hoped it was neither of them!
I looked up at my friends who had started talking again and were asking me if it was okay for me to go out for lunch and if I could invite Parker since Stacy hadn’t met him yet and the other first impressions where not so great.
I nodded and slowly got out of bed again and walked over to my wardrobe.
“Oh please let me pick something out for you Rose. You know it would really help with mu course! Please” I rolled my eyes at Megan who was already rummaging through my packed wardrobe. Well it would help her since she was doing fashion for her course and I had always let her before since she had begged.
I sat back down on the bed and Kat handed me my phone telling me to call/ text Parker asking him to come down the park.
I took the phone and saw I had a message from him saying,

Why r u apologizing? Wat have u done? I'm the 1 b’in a ass n should b sayin sorry x

Crap. I text him back asking him if he could come and then put my phone in the bag I had just pulled out from under my bed. A gray string bag with black stitches.
I looked up at Megan who was now holding two outfits out to me and asking me to try them both on and she would tell me which one I had to wear. I slipped of the bed taking the outfits and smiling at Megan before entering the bathroom that led off of my room to change into the first top with a large picture of a tiger on it and jeggings that weren’t really jeggings since they were made out of the same material as jeans. I slipped them both on and quickly brushed my head and pulled half of it into a pony tail/ bun type thing and putting a white bow in the side of my hair.
I walked back out of the room just in time to hear my phone beep from inside my bag as Parker text back. I let Megan think about if this outfit went before stumbling in the heels she had just made me put on over to my bag and my phone.

Sure this should be fun x

Oh god…… I told the other that Parker said he could come and the smiled in a kind of freaky knowing way before letting Megan push me back into the bathroom to start changing again.
The next outfit was less simple, a white and blue polka dot dress that was tight at the waist and flows down straight-ish to around my knees. She had told me to wear the same heels which I could swear she had been there and had made me buy since they were at least free inches high and I was not that stupid as to wear them knowing how clumsy I am. There was also a blue jacket with white buttons and was fitted once again at the waist. Well if she made me wear this then I was going to have to change my bag to prevent her killing me!
I walked or rather staggered back out of the room and back into the bedroom to find Megan nodding enthusiastically at me and yelping,
“Yes that one that one!” I laughed she really did look like a five year old who had just been given an ice cream. My explanation made me laugh more and soon we were all laughing our heads off and stumbling down that stairs since the others had somehow managed to get dressed to the time it had taken me to just try on two outfits. They amazed me sometimes.
We landed at the bottom of the stairs still laughing about…. Well pretty much nothing. We entered the kitchen and picked up the mugs from the night before and stumbled our way over to the dishwasher to put them away.
“Drinks?” I asked them as I headed in the general direction of the fridge which of course was no were near and I fell straight into the kitchen table and bounced back into Kat how tried to steady me. When I had my balance back I raised my eye brows with a sheepish expression spreading across my long face.
“You sure you don’t want us to get them? I swear you are getting more clumsy the older you get!” and of course Stacy would pick up on my clumsiness straight away. The only problem was that I didn’t know if it was my clumsiness anymore or….. Something else.
“Well you know. Things just appear in front of me….. Or behind.” I laughed walked once again over to the real fridge this time looking forward.
“So what does everyone want it gunna be hot out there and if you ask me the drinks in the café are way to over prized.” In truth I just didn’t want to go to the café and I knew full well what drink I would be buying. It would not help me figure out my mind at all.
“Just water for me please.” Of course Sophie was still obsessed with her stupid diet thing she was as skinny as anything!
“Same here nothing else is quenching my thirst! This heat is driving me crazy. I mean it never used to be this hot when we were like five!” I laughed at Megan who just hated anything that didn’t have the word healthy or cold in it somewhere.
“What bout you two? Same as these losers and there water?” I turned to look at Kat and Stacy who were smiling at Sophie and Megan’s expressions well not our fault they were so freaking gullible.
After a couple of minutes we all had our drinks and were heading out the front door in the general direction of the park.
We walked in a straight-ish line going down the street till we arrived at a corner and the path became shorter and we had to take a more appropriate take and go in twos well twos and frees sorta.
When we arrived at the park and court sight of the large domed café with its large glass doors that when I had been a lot younger I could have sworn this place looked like a castle to me. Now it just looked like a dingy café that in my book could really do with a new roof and doors and well pretty much a whole lot of work done on the place.
As we came even nearer to the oddly shaped building I could just a bout make out the tall figure of a boy around our age. Parker. Oh god well this was going to be fun…..
Do you think it is possible to think that both the people you were about to meet were basically concentrating on, one: embarrassing me, two: embarrassing me. Well at least they were going to have fun. We crossed the road that was really the only entrance to the open park leaving no choice but to walk into the trap and get humiliated fun fun fun!
Approaching nearer still no way I could think of to get out of this confrontation. Closing my eyes and hoping that nothing happened that would make me have to explain. Explain the sordid experience that I was only just learning about.
The other day before Parker had left he had started to once again explain in more detail what was going on. Thinking back to theses moments I could literally feel my heart swelling and shrinking at the thought of what my father had done and in doing so had coursed me and my mother’s death wishes. Parker had told me that my dad, Henry as ever one outside the family had called him and to anyone inside well I'm not really going to repeat….. I thought that the car ad just goner of the road and the tree had just come out of nowhere. He had had no time to react. Well that had been what the police and my Mum both had told me while I had waited impatiently outside the theater waiting for some kind of news. Well Parker had soon proved that theory wrong by telling me what he believed was the truth. Well thinking this after hearing what was believed possible and what was really going on you could really not confuse them together.
If you had asked me say two years ago before my Dad had died I would have laughed at anyone who told me that they were being haunted by ghosts. Not only ghosts but ghosts of someone their Father had killed and not to mention the art where the only reason they knew all this was because the ghost’s brother was trying to save their life. Well who would not have laughed? It sounded crazy even thinking about it and I was the one living it!
Shaking my head to attempt to clear it I continued walking to where my friends had somehow seen Parker who was now waving in our direction. I could see from here that he already had an amused look. Wow that really was starting to annoy me. Did everything make him amused? I remembered him being court punching a wall last night and canceled that thought.
Getting closer I realized Parker was not on his own and was talking to another boy around our age. I could not be sure if I knew him since he was facing towards Parker but as we neared I was sure I had seen him before. That light brown hair with pointy spicks coming out from all directions. Oh!
Brendon…. You have got to be kidding me! My walked slowed to a pace that was more like a snails than anything else. Kat noticed this and glanced round from the point they had got to without me. I groaned and started walking again so I could catch back up with them. We were still a good two minutes away from Parker and his new buddy so I still had time to persuade my friends to just make this painless and get me out of here as soon as possible. Well here comes miss drama queen again so what if Parker knew my ex. Who he had met the other day. Glaring at him. Well I was screwed….
“Please do not make me stay here.” I pleaded to my friends attempting to give them the puppy dog eyes to no success.
“Why? Don’t you want to see you gorgeous boyfriend?” Megan laughed.
“Yeah funny. I thinking more about the person he is talking to!” as I said this Soph turned round and look in the direction of the café where Parker and Brendon were standing waiting for us. Brendon had now turned around to face us as we got near and nearer to them.
“Oh ouch. What is your Ex doing here?” nice question why didn’t I think of that…… I groaned again and willed myself to just sink into the dry grass and not have to go through with this…… well hell. I might be a drama queen but I swear this was really going to be crazy. Utterly crazy……
“Help……” I muttered under my breath so only Kat and Stacy could hear since we had now got in range of the two boys.
“Well this should be fun to watch….” Kat trailed of when she saw my expression. Well ya know thanks. I closed my eyes quickly and when I opened them again I forced myself into a expression that could be resembled as a smile. Well I hoped anyway. Let’s just get this over with as soon as possible and less painless.
Yeah right!
Finally we reached the two boys with my pathetic excuse for a smile still plastered over my face. Fun fun fun……….
I had two pockets in my dress wear I had stuffed my phone and purse since as I had guessed Megan did not agree with my bag. I could feel my phone vibrating just before the tune of one favorite song came on. Shooting star by air traffic. As I pulled out my phone nearly dropping in on the grass and glancing at the caller ID. I could swear that the number was from a pay phone but answered it anyway with a frown creeping its way across my smooth features.
“Hello?”
No answer.
“Hello?” I said again into the speaker.
No answer.
I lifted the phone away from my ear and looked down at the screen sure enough the call was still going. Well it was fine with me if this person wanted to waist their money on calling me and then not talking. I thought I would try once more and lifted the phone back up to my ear.
“Hello? Anyone there?”
Breathing. Deep breathing. Like someone running. Well okay…..
“Or not…..” I muttered as I once again took the phone away from my ear and hanging up. I placed it back in my pocket before looking up at the faces that had turned to me with questioning eyes.
“Hey.” Was it just me or had it just started to feel like the air was being twisted this way and that around us. Were we in a tornado or something? Oh wait I'm just crazy great……. And that is so reassuring….
I blinked and waited again for someone else to speak. God were they really trying to make this anymore awkward I had just said hello to them and they were all just still staring at me like I was crazy. Well that’s not the point.
I started to shift from foot to foot uncomfortable. Why were they still staring? Well this is just great.
I looked around me and realized that no one else was moving. No let me rephrase that no one else was around I could not see anyone else. Okay talk about weird. I could have sworn there had been a big group of twelve year olds just off to our right and what about the boys playing foot ball two seconds ago behind us.
When I looked back at my friends i noticed that they were not moving. No blinking, breathing, not anything!
What the hell?!?!?!
I reached out and tapped Kats shoulder since she was the closest to me. Nothing. I tapped again. Nothing. No movement. Nothing at all!
I moved over to Megan who was next to her. The same.
I moved around our circle again and again trying and trying to get a response. Nothing. I stumbled back to where I had been standing before. My hair had come out of its loose bun and was now spilling around my shoulders in wild spirals. It was like time has frozen apart from the wind. It was blowing wildly from what seemed like every direction. Every way I turned a new spert of air rushed heavily into my face.
I closed my eyes and just waited to wake up. This was a dream that’s what it was. Just like the other night. Reopening my eyes I realized that the wind had stopped blowing and the sun was once again shining down on us. Us? I looked round at were my friends hard figures had stood less that a second ago. Nothing. I whirled around and around again. Okay weird. i took two long breaths and then sat down and closed my eyes. Better to think.
Okay so only two seconds ago I had been standing with my friends about to walk into a very embarrassing scene with my boyfriend and my ex. Well what the hell had happened? I thought calmly. Calm yeah right!
So what had happened? The phone call? Was that it? One phone call with no on one the other end apart from some freak that wanted to waste money on freaking me out? Freaking me out? How do I even know that’s what they had intended to do? It could have just been the wrong number. I was just becoming a suspicious idiot. Wait no I take that back I have every right! What is going on?
“Well it looks like I have succeed in confusing you.” I nearly jumped right off the ground and back on my feet with the surprise the voice had on me. Oh for god’s sake what the hell? I opened my eyes to see nothing. Well this was really starting to get old. If something was going to happen in this stupid dream thing I wish it would be over and done with all ready!
I looked around me again. Nothing. The voice was still ringing in the silence echoing around all the buildings that surrounded the park where I was still sat. I put my hand down on the ground and pushed myself up to my feet steadily. For once I did not feel like I was going to fall. Well that was a bright side.
I still had no idea what was going on and I could feel my eyes becoming their innocent round bewildered look that I hadn’t got since my father had died. Nothing seemed to be the same anymore. Things were changing. Changing and changing again. Unfolding and refolding themselves until I could pretty much not even recognize my own life.
I closed my eyes again and breathed in before opening them and spotting a sort of mist like thing coming at me from the other side of the park. I squinted my eyes so I could see better with the light of the sun still bearing down on me. It was getting bigger and bigger by the second until a figure came out of the covered ground and the mist disappeared.
I stood there staring. Pretty much like my friends had before I realized they weren’t moving. The figure was coming closer and closer while the voice continued to ring and ring. Round and round I could hear it again and again. Like a parrot repeating your words over and over in different tones. Not just different tones but what sounded like different peoples voice all together. Well this just gets better.
To sum this up I was basically standing in the middle of the park next to the café were moments ago I had been with my friends. There was a strange figure walking towards me from the opposite side of the park and oh wait don’t forget that me and this other person are now the only other people in this place. Not even going to start about this voice. Because this situation is so normal.
I closed my eyes and just waited for the person who was walking or gliding .Whatever. towards me ever so slowly to get to me already.
What felt like five minutes passed and I finally opened my eyes to what I realized was no longer the sun shining pleasantly down on me but the moon with its many followers of stars.
I looked down from the sky and into the face of a boy. A boy who looked about the same age as me. Light brown hair bushy eye brows. He somehow reminded me of a bear since he was very muscular with tight fitting clothes that I swear were at least two sizes too small. Why was I even thinking about what he looked like I mean I have just seen this boy come out of the ground after the world basically froze and time had pasted way too quickly. I blinked a couple of times just hoping that the view would change and I would once again be standing with my friends and boyfriend.
A feeling of dread was starting to seep through my body as I continued to look at the boy standing in front of me. Who was he? Why was I here? Why was he here? Why did he look familiar to me?
Too many questions that I didn’t know the answers to.
Too many answers that I didn’t know the questions to.
The silence carried on until I could swear it felt like the air around me was closing in and making the moment more awkward. A smile was playing around the boys mouth. A amused smile. I thought of Parker and the way he always looked at me like I was somehow amusing him greatly.
It looked the same.
Same curve of the mouth. Same gap between the teeth as he opened him mouth making an even wider smile.
Cody. Oh crap…….
I could have sworn I had not said that out loud but Cody burst into laughter and almost yelled,
“Good guess! You’re not as stupid as you look. What a shame.” Encouraging.
The feeling of dread was now sending little electric shocks through my body making me move alert. How had he done this?
I was dreaming that’s all. Nothing else. Nothing to be worried about. Nothing. Nothing.
I closed my eyes in a attempt at calming myself but only left myself with an even worse image of how I was going to die. Well like that’s not at all a depressing subject to think about when you are trying to think calming thoughts.
Cody and a millions others voices were still echoing around my head from where he had spoken again. I cringed away from the voices still swirling around my head and the now cackling laughter emitting from Cody’s over sized mouth. I opened my eyes to face Cody again only to find that the wind had picked up and the dry dirt at my feet was whizzing around my head in a circular pattern.
I could just about make out the figure of Cody before everything went black. I heard the words before I passed out,
“Next time it is.” Promising…..

“Rose?” I looked up to see Megan’s face looking at me as I pulled the phone sharply away from my ear. “Who was it?” Huh?
“No one.” I muttered looking down at the ground and then back up again at the faces of my friends and boyfriend. What?
I blinked several times before taking a deep breath and looking at Parker who no longer had an amused look on his face but one of worry. Well I could have sworn I was doing a pretty good job of hiding the fact that I was confused and you know just that little bit scared of what the hell had just happened.
Next time.
The words were still crowding my brain as we walked over to a table the boys had already set up. They had taken it upon themselves to order our drinks Brendon making it well known that he knew exactly what I liked. I couldn’t even bring it on myself to feel awkward. The feeling of being watched was still with me and I could still not shake the words ‘next time’ from my damned brain.
I sat down next to Parker and Kat and ‘listened’ to the other talk. I felt Parker’s hand pick up mine and start playing with my fingers as I drank my drink. Drank and drank. Just for something to do. It never seemed to end no matter how much I drank there always seemed to be more.
I blinked and found it hard to reopen my eyes. It felt like some builder had just come and decided to glue my eyes together with some special glue. In other words I was tired.
It had all just been a dream nothing to be freaked about. It was over now. I shook myself still trying to rid myself of the unseeing eyes all around but still the image of Cody emerging from the ground on the other side of the park filled my mind.
I tried to concentrate on the feel of Parker’s hand on mine but that quickly slipped away when I remembered how alike their amused smiles were. I could still picture every little details of what had happed. I could recall them more than I could recall the people in front of me. More than any other memory I had. And this freaked me out more than the death frets I had been ordered. More than the ghost haunting. Even more than the idea of my father killing not just himself but the life of yet another innocent soul along with him.
I felt Parker give up trying to get a response out of my hand and take his away only to place it over my shoulders and pulled me into his side burying my face in his shoulder and bring me back to the present with only the disappearing memory of the mysterious Cody.
Right horror movie much. I laid my cheek on Parker’s shoulder and started to pay more attention to what my friends were saying. Yet another attempt at killing me I am really hoping that this won’t become a pattern….. You know just another normal day for me….

Chapter Eight: Wednesday 1:23am
The omnibus mist was rolling in from the coast. Ice was fluttering around my legs and feet sending deep chills up my body.
I could feel the mysterious prickling of the wind coming in from the heart of the storm. The moon had positioned itself in the center of the mist covered sky leaving little room for the nonchalant stars.
Out there somewhere laid my boat. The boat that held my everything. Everything that had ever and would ever mean a thing to me.
Watching out for a sign, any sign at all. The soft whistling of wave against painted wood. The hum of an old engine far past its day.
This was my constant worry. I would stare hopelessly at this dreary nights sky and hope. Hope for everything everything and everything.
Once again here I stood standing in the same place I had everyday so far. Pebbles had moved over time leaving a cramped circle where I stood. Stood and stood.
I would watch as the known boats with the repellant driver’s road by. Leaving my hope and soul behind.
North, south, east and west. I could tell you straight away which dismal direction was which.
Joyous thoughts of the past flash by. Leaving gaping holes in their wake. Demons of the night drift e by. Smiles of the young. To young, to innocent and naive. Soft babies smiles and laughter that carries every waiting boat.
The winds determined blast sailed past again and again leaving surprising goose bumps along my arms.
Boat after boat passing me by but none with that wistful green and white pattern.
It felt as though that very picture was etched inside my skull forever to haunt me. Green and white, green and white. Again and again yet no matter how forceful I willed the image to life it never came.
Soon the mist would cover the sea completely like a deathly blanket awaiting its victims. The lost souls at sea with only one way of rescue. The light house.
As if the thought alone made the light flash over towards my solemn figure.
My father would be up there now over seeing the safety of boats from all over the great world. Carrying from every place imaginable. Such exquisite fruits and materials. Such talk of the world away from her. The sailors who have seen it all!
My soul was out there now. With my boat, with my everything. Changing my world and changing it again and again.
Foling and refolding once and twice again. Just like I would once again be doing. The dismal life I was now leading. I would never complain anywhere but my head. For that was the only place I still had of my own. Mine and mine alone.
I scooped up a ruff gravelly stone with my smooth glove and sent it heavily out in to the distance. Soon to become a distant memory like everything else.
I bowed my head to the moon as I heard splash of water nearby expressing that there was soon going to be yet another hopples soul at the mercy of the cold hearted sea.
Shaking lose the feeling of dread that had tangled itself in my mind for months now. Months that have pasts and months that are soon to pass. Drifting by like the chilling waves at my feet. Step after step I took. Pain as the jagged rocks smashed under my bare feet.
The weaving path I took back to the light house was a short one but that too for what felt like a life time to the mind’s eye.
Once again leaving my hope and heart behind at that spot for the next time. Only to go back to every day life. Living the lie as best I could. Ech after ech enhanced by the nearness of rocked sounded. Suddenly a loud bang sounded and I jumped. Jumped right out of bed and onto the carpeted floor.
What!
Huh?
When?
Why?
I stood in a quick fluid motion and stumbled back down onto the bed. Blinking several times before fully opening my eyes and looking around my room. I was Rose not the girl; by the beach. I was me. Breathing softly letting the heart ache of the girls loss seep away from me as the dream distanced itself from me. The images of the sea and the feel of the rushing wind was seeping away. Replacing itself by the feel of ruff covers and a breeze from my open window.
Wait open window? Arr crap!
I stood up once again now fully awake and hurriedly dodged my way over to my window slamming it shut and slumping against the wall with my head on my knees.
Well great cant I have just one moment of peace? If it wasn’t weird enough I have now found out that Cody can control my sight. The little episode at the park two days ago was enough to freak me out but now I have a feeling that he has control over my dreams. Well tis just gets better and better…..
Yep I'm a wimp. Get over it! I stood up again and walked over to my computer desk. Time didn’t matter to me now I still had the feeling of lose. That I had had during I'm over real dream. I felt like my heart and soul was out there in the dream like sea. Just like the girl I had been in there. I had never in my seventeen years had a dream so vivid as that. And this freaked me out. Really this ghost thing was really messing up my sleep. Really I used to get like fifteen hours sleep if I wanted now not so much.
I reached my computer chair and say down leaning over the desk to reached the phone there. I was thinking about calling Sophie to talk. Just to get my head straight. But typically I glanced at the clock and thought twice. Unless I was in the mode to get yelled at for waking her at 1:30am I think I’ll just put the phone down.
Well there has to be some way for me to feel like normal again and not keep thinking about the chance that Cody was watching me now. Well isn’t that just a great thought. I grimaced and twisted the button ion the computer to turn it on. Maybe reading long emails about pretty much nothing would be the cure to this stupidity.
When I logged onto my MSN I pretty quickly figured out that this would defiantly not be the cure to my stupidity or freaking ghosts story’s anyway. Well you know I don’t thinks this is going to be that easy… hell if I was only that lucky!
I quickly gave up on trying to concentrate on the emails and shut down the whole thing and unplugged it just for something to do. I really was doing anything to avoid going back to bed and with that sleep. That really was not a good idea. Tomorrow I would be tired and grumpy as always but I would not be able to complain since it was my fault I had stayed up all night finding little pathetic things to do like unplug computers. Yeah what a life I lead…..
I pushed away from the desk and steadily walked over to my door where I had dumped my bag from yesterday when I had gone out to the shops to get milk. Wow that sounded exciting. No really that was not meant to be sarcastic. For a change…….
I pulled out my mobile and scrolled down the menu until I found the icon for pictures. I had 579 pictures stored on my phone more on my old phone something like 987 maybe. Well looking through them might take a while. Something to fill up my time.
As I scrolled down looking at picture after picture I came across one of me my Mum and Dad. I stopped at this one for several minutes wondering how one minute we could look so happy as a family. Like we would be that way for ever and then the next the whole thing turned on its head. With my Dad killing himself and my Mum becoming even more controlling and moody than before. I could not blame her for this I could not even bring myself to blame my Dad for this. I could not work it out. How could he kill himself there MUST be a reason! Something, anything! I could not think of a thing.
I moved from that picture and onto one of Sophie and Kat outside the collage with their coats over their heads hiding from the pouring rain.
I could not even remember taking this picture. My brain was all fuzzy from lack of sleep. I found myself on my bed laying down and closing my eyes before I could even think about making the command for my legs to move.
My phone was on the side table and my head was on the pillow with the warm covers over me. Soon but not soon enough sleep would take me and I would once again be at the mercies of Cody and whatever dream he felt like planting in my head this time.

Walking round and around. Waiting for something that would show us the right way to turn. Waiting. Shuffling from side to side. Picking up our pace. Take a turn left then right. More waiting. We stop for a rest then pick up speed. We must get there before dark!
Our one aim was to stay alive every feeling every physical need could wait. Spirits were low and many of us were insane with hunger. We had drifted far from our last resting place and many of us were falling to the ground unable to carry on. Light was slowly drifting down on the west side of the trees to our left. Night was approaching quickly. We have to make it!
Drops of cold water began to fall. Making the journey just that much more miserable. More of my friends started to slow. This march was taking its toll on us all.
I broke away from the group and over to a steep slope. Something was driving me in this direction. Something was different in the atmosphere. Danger was approaching. Changing rout again so that I was following the others but a couple of feet of to the right in the trees. Unseen. The point of this exercise was known but I went with it anyway. We all needed to get out of these trees and safe before sun fall.
The sound of heavy foot falls behind me made me freeze. Too late. The shifters were here. Soon enough we would be surrounded. Trapped and scared to where to turn. Helpless like the animals they were.
I shuffled backwards away from the group. If I could help it I would not allow the others to get hurt. If I moved away maybe they would follow me. I could not even bear to think of all theses helpless children and adults that were traveling with me torn limb from limb. The image that shot back at me was not one I would have liked to have seen at the very same moment I felt the heavy breathing on a shifter right by my neck. I froze unable to move. Even the tiniest bit.
I held my breath hoping the- the whatever it was would just run back to where ever it had come from. More footsteps. Crowding around. Coming in for the kill. My years were done.
The fear the at pulsed through my body was not the last thing I would have wished myself to have felt before the wild teeth started to rip me apart. My small little body discarded on the ground. Only a distant memory. Fading, fading away.
Was this death? It felt the same. Was I speared?
In opened my eyes just that little bit. Nothing the space around me was empty. Filled with trees. Trees and more trees. I had been speared!
I listened out for the sound of my group as they walked away. Had they been speared too?
I ran after them narrowly missing trees I hadn’t seen until the last second and stumbling on sticks and stones in my way. I have to reach them. Warn them. So close no!
Scream after scream reached my ears. Shivers of danger rang through my body as I stopped suddenly. Glancing round me wildly. This cannot be so!
NO!

I sat bolt upright in my bed as my alarm went off. The adrenaline of the forest was still with me. Sweat on my forehead was becoming apparent. Deep breaths. Just a dream I told myself. Just a dream! I lay back down and closed my eyes still breathing softly to calm myself. I groaned as the alarm reached its high pitched climax and then suddenly went off the same as every morning.
One week left of freedom and soon I would be back learning. Learning about stuff that would be completely unimportant if Cody won his little game of ‘so many different ways of killing Rose which one should I choose?’ oh what fun!
I blinked back sleep and slowly pulled myself up so I was sitting with my back against my bed. no I could not think that way yes there was a real chance that my education was just going to be a waste but there was also a big chance that it would not. I could really become the thing I wanted. To be able to run my own life for a change. Just get away from it all. All the memoirs I would have gladly forgotten. All the fake dreams that were now frusting themselves into my head while I slept.
Well Cody if your aim was to scare me to death then well its working. After all I could just hide out here until he killed me. After all what was the point of going out and making everything worse.
I lay back down at this thought and closed my eyes waiting for the next stupid dream to pop up. I still had the feeling of the forest under my feet so maybe I would be placed back in that one with the fear of the ‘shifters’ right……
Instead of sleep came memories the exact memories I had just seconds ago been wishing I could forget.
Well that takes that choice straight away. I quickly lifted my head off the pillow and sat up again. I pulled my legs which felt way to much like dead weights well more than usual.
I shuffled over to my wardrobe and pulled out underwear and a dress that went done to about my knees. The dress itself had been a gift from my Gran last year when she had come back from her trip to France. It was a sky blue with a high neck that had the picture of a purple flower going down its side. I wasn’t part of my usual style but I loved it all the same.
A couple of minutes later I was dressed and in the front of the mirror attempting to tame my hair. I had just had a shower the other night so my hair was really not in the mood to cooperate with me. I gave up pretty quick and headed back to the bed were I flopped down. Well here I was again just five minutes later in the same place I had been before. Only difference was now I was dressed with makeup and all just really could not be bothered to more.
“The dreams getting in your nerves yet?” I heard the muffled voice before flinging myself off the bed and straight onto the carpeted floor. Oh crap! I pulled myself to my knees just in time to hear the faint laughter coming from all around the room. Well that narrows it down.
I stood up and looked around my room. There was a strange mist seeping its way across my room from my now open window. Why does an open window always signify Cody? I mean he was a ghost and all why on earth did he have to open my window? Was there a point to this?
“Well you know you can answer me anytime now.” Yeah right like I was going to start talking to thin air. I was going crazy but not that crazy. Yet.
“Fine suit yourself.” I could feel myself getting tired. The room was slowly getting darker and darker as Cody made me fall asleep into yet another one of his way to real dreams.
I heard the doorbell down stairs just before I fell to the ground in blackness.

“Rose! Come on open the door. I heard the alarm go off! Parker’s here for you! Get out of bed!” I opened my eyes to find myself on the floor of my room with my hands on my head blocking pout my Mums bellowing. I groaned and looked around my room hoping that the window would be closed and the mist would have vanished. I was in luck.
I realized then what my Mum was saying and jumped up and over to my door yanking it open to find my Mum flustered and just about to hammer on my door again.
“Sorry, fell back asleep.” I said before I looked over her shoulder and down the stairs to where Parker was standing at the bottom of the second set of stairs. I felt something cold running down my arm. “One second!” I yelped before pushing the door closed and running into the bathroom where I flung the door closed in there to. You know sometime I wish people would not surprise me like that. The cut along my arm was only now starting to hurt. What! I almost screamed when I saw it in the mirror. So Cody was really going to started hurting me now. Not just mentally but physically now. Well crap.
I quickly wiped away the blood from my arm and fumbled around in my cupboard for a bandage that I could cover it with.
I finally found one and wound it round and round until I had a smooth rap. I had become an expert on how to rap a bandage over my seventeen years of clumsiness. The cut itself didn’t hurt that much or freak me out but the thought of how I got it really did. I speed walked out of the bathroom and back into my room were my clothes were thrown all over the floor in no real pattern. I picked up a cream cardi and opened my door again pulling it on. My Mum was no longer standing at my door but was walking back down the corridor muttering something g about how weird I was acting.
Parker was still standing at the same place he had been before I had freaked out. Well acting normal might help me with my plan of not having to explain. From the look on Parker’s face I was not I luck……
Parker stepped aside so that my Mum could get back down the stairs away from us. He turned round to make sure that my Mum had finished descending the stairs. I heard the door to the kitchen down stairs open and then slam closed before Parker turned back to face me. I smiled slightly while he just raised his eyebrow. Oh yeah I had explaining to do. I leaned back against the wall and waited for him to make his way up to me.
“Do we really have to have this convocation every time I see you?” Well he sounded exasperated.
“Not true I saw you on Monday. We didn’t have this convocation then. Anyway what convocation are we supposedly having?”
“Funny.” He said just before leaning into kiss me. I reached up so that my arms were around his neck and continued to lean against the wall behind me.
When Parker finally came up for air he fixed me with his dreaded puppy dog eyes. Oh my god they were still as adorable as ever! I groaned and closed my eyes trying to make myself not look at his and his gorgeous puppy eyes.
It was working out until he decided to kiss me again. This time when we both came up for air it felt like the world was spinning and I leaned heavily against the wall to keep from falling. Parker was still giving me the puppy dog eyes.
“I can do this all day you know.” He closed in again pulling me closer. “Or you could just agree to tell me what happened and MEAN it this time.” He gave me a quick kiss on the lips that really could not be called a kiss but I agreed to tell him and he pulled me into his arms and hugged me. I lay my head against his chest and closed my eyes. He started humming and I looked up raising my eye brow.
Parker simple shrugged and pulled my tighter.

Ten or fifteen minutes later we were both sat in the work room with me in Parker’s lap. Not my choice. With my head on his shoulder and him telling me that the dreams would stop. I looked up at him and rolled my eyes. He looked more worried and annoyed than me. I mean I was the one who had had next to no sleep the last week or so.
I laid my head back down on his shoulder but soon became conscious that I was sitting on his lap. I shuffled off his lap and pulled a seat over to me and sat down.
“Okay so what is it with you and not liking to sit on my lap?” I looked down but he put his hand under my chin and lifted my face back up to his. He was once again giving me his puppy dog eyes but it wasn’t working so good because he couldn’t help but let his amused face sneak through. I rolled my eyes at him again and leaned back against the chair.
I looked over to the window and noticed it was open just a crack. My heart speed up until I told myself how stupid I was being. Was I really going to be scared of open windows for the rest of my life now? Maybe.
Parker had noticed my change in expression and moved his chair closer to mine and put his arm around my shoulders pulling me close.
“You don’t need to be scared Rose. I mean it nothing’s going to happen.” I smiled up at him and leaned against his chest.
“Promise me something.” I opened my eyes from here I had been close to falling asleep and looked up at Parker’s face to find him looking sincerely back down at me. This has got to be the most serious I had seen him in the short week or so I had known him. Had it really only been a week? Wow!
I nodded and he continued,
“I know you have told me you would before but that hasn’t happened so just please please call me when my brother comes here again. No wait I take that back because you will find a way around that. Just tell me when EVER you see my brother no matter where or what time okay? Just tell me.” I looked at him for a good ten seconds before signing and saying,
“Sure. I’ll call. Just don’t get grumpy when I call at like one am. Just remember you asked for it.” He simple rolled his eyes at me and went back to being normal Parker and not the serious guy he had just been.
We went down stairs after that and into the kitchen which Mum had abandoned looking spotless as always. Parker sat at the table while I attempted to put the kettle on with one hand and keep the cups from falling over with the other. I swear it was something about this kitchen that made me even more clumsy than usual. I remembered the first time Parker had been ion here and it made me cringe. Even without the help of Cody and the flying coffee top I would have found a way to embarrass myself. I heard the TV turn on next door and turned my head just in time to see my Mum coming in the door and looking at me as if I was crazy? What was I doing?
“Rose can I have a word? Now?” I nodded and walked out the room with her. She handed me a leaflet with the words ‘so you thing you have Mnemophobia?’ Mnemophobia? What the hell was that meant to mean?
“Mnemophobia-what?” I asked my Mum.
“The fear of memories. The doctor posted this for me……. He thinks I have it. Though he does not believe I have it bad. Its only the start.” She muttered looking down at the floor to avoid my eyes. Was my Mum really looking embarrassed. Wow.
I stopped thinking and just put my arms around her. I muttered something like ‘it’s okay. It can’t be that bad. I mean it’s a phobia right there are always cures.’ I have no idea if this helped but soon Mum was hugging me back hard and the idea of my Mum having the fear of memories was starting to sink in and it made much more sense.
When she let go of me and muttered something about how it would not affect me in any way I opened the leaflet. It didn’t say much about it just places where she could get help and about people she could talk to if she needed to. There was also a letter from the doc saying she needed to come to the surgery so he could make this a fact not just an opinion. I breathed in before carefully placing the leaflet and letter on the liege near were we had been standing and walked back into the kitchen. Only to find Parker still sitting at the table unaware of any change. I smiled breathily at him before carrying on walking towards the kettle.
I thought about my Mum and how this would cost her if it got any worse. Amaxophobia the fear of riding in a car. That was what Gran had had. Hers was serious and even the mention of cars would freak her out. She would scream and scream until she forgot what she was screaming about. Only for it to start back up again when she remembered. I was only young when this had happened and she had had help after that and was pretty much better now. Apart from the fact that she walked everywhere and I mean everywhere.
I was starting to freak myself out thinking of my stable Mum like that. Screaming at the slightest memory. Could that really happen?
Before I knew it Parker was behind me with his arms going around my waist pulling me to him. I turned round and buried my face in his chest. I felt his started to smooth my hair -down with his hand and utter soothing words about non-sense. The weirdest thing was it worked and quickly I pulled my head up and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before pulling away and facing the kettle which had now been boiled for about five minutes. I grabbed some mugs from the rail above me and pulled out the coffee.
After I had made the three mugs of luck warm coffee. I laid two out o the table and then told Parker that I would be back in a minute. He nodded and then I scurried upstairs to my Mums room and knocked on the door.
“Come in.” I pushed the door and stepped in with the mug of coffee in my right hand.
“Thought you might want this” I muttered passing it over to her.
“Thank you Hun.” She smiled pulling a good mouthful of creamy coffee into her mouth.
“Mum you look really tired. Why don’t you get some sleep I think I can hole the house together for a few hours?” I asked noticing for the first time how ill she looked. A panic started to rise inside of me.
“Its fine love. Anyway we Have another Garden party to plan for.”
I laughed at her and said, “You know me and my friends can do that. Don’t look at me like that we don’t always plan wild Party’s we can do posh when we want.” I thought I detected a smile at the corners of her mouth just before I heard the phone start ringing and I had to say,
“Just think about it. You need sleep Mum. Before darting out the room and picking up the phone just in time to here a man on the other end saying
“oh for crying out loud SHUT UP!” Umm okay…..
“Hello?”
“Oh god sorry not you. Err is this the Smith residence?”
“Yes, can I ask who’s calling?”
“Oh right yeah……. Toddy Kane a detective at Sunnyside police station. I am sorry about before my teenager would not turn his music off……”
“That’s okay Mr. Kane. Hmm why would you be calling?”
“Oh-OH right yes that right I am calling on behalf of- oh for god sake Henry turn that OFF- sorry! I'm calling on behalf of Mr. Smith. It concerns his death. Oh! I am so sorry! I should have read this before hand and picked a better place. Oh I am so very sorry.” I pursed my lips and curtly muttered,
“This concern of my Father what would it be?” just what we needed.
“Yes it says here that new evidence to Mr. Smith’s death has come to light. I am under the impression that you must be Miss. Rose Smith am I right?” Oh….
“Yes that is right. Sorry but what do you mean by new evidence has come to light? My Father died in a car accident.”
“Yes. Yes I am sorry but I am under authority to not speak of this over the phone. If it was possible for you or Mrs. Smith to make your way down to the police station at some point today?” I groaned inwardly. I would not allow my Mum to go down to the station if I could help it. It would nowhere near help her with her new phobia. I shook my head and said,
“Yes of course Mr. Kane I shall make my way down as soon as I can. Thank you for calling. Good bye now.”
“Yes yes good bye and thank you.” I hang the phone back up on its hock before leaning my head on the wall and groaning loudly.
I stood up straight and turned in the direction of the stairs and down to the kitchen where Parker was probably still sitting bored out of his mind. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before reentering the kitchen. I pushed open the door to find Parker lifting his mug of coffee up to his lips. When he saw me he raised his eye brows and set his mug down on the table lightly.
Before I could say anything he was out of his seat and pulling me once again into his bear like arms. This time I didn’t bury my face against his chest but simple hugged him back for what felt like five minutes.
I took a deep breath before moving my arms away from him and taking a step back. My mind was all a load of random words running wild. Well it is always good to start off with a clear head right? Well I'm dead already.
“What is it?” Parker said softly leaning down so he could look me in the face. Why did he have to be so tall?
“Nothing yet. I just have to go done to the station. They’ve found something out about Dads death. I can’t let my Mum go she’s…… not feeling to great right now.” I signed looking down.
I felt Parker’s arms go around me again and pull me to him letting me lean there before saying,
“I’ll come with you if you like.” While stroking my hair down the side of my face.
“Thank you” I whispered. This day was already turning into a nightmare and I could have sworn I had woken up this morning.

Five minutes later I had told my Mum that I and Parker were going down to the park and to call if she needed anything. Now we were on our way down to the station to find out whatever it was that was so important.
Parker had my hand in his and was playfully swinging them back and forth. I laughed since I had never seen him acting so young it was pretty cute. After a while when we were about two more minutes away from the station I noticed that Parker was giving me very obvious glances out of the corner of his eye. I rolled my eyes at him and started laughing when he pulled my towards him and started tingling me.
“Get off” laugh “please that tingles” I was still laughing when he had stopped and settled for having his arm slung around my shoulders.
I was perfectly happy for a change so typically the station had to come into view then. I groaned and laid my head on Parker’s ‘shoulder’ frowning pathetically. Parker laughed and pulled me closer going and kissing me softly on the forehead.
“It’s going to be fine. Just you wait.” I looked up at him in a way that said ‘I’m holding you to that’ which of course made him laugh again.
When we finally reached the stations wide glass doors I had a pain in my chest that no maker what I thought of it just didn’t go away. Parker walked up with me to the front desk while I talked,
“Can I help you dear?” The station sectary asked.
“Yes. I reserved a phone call this morning from a Mr. Kane. He said this concerned my Father. Mr. Smith. Could you help me with this?” I was trying to sound professional l but it can out a little sacred and child like.
“Oh yes. You must be Miss. Smith. A I right?” I nodded and she carried on,
“ Mr. Kane is waiting for you in the room just down the corridor to the left number 13.” I nodded again saying “thank you” before turning to Parker and smiling faintly before moving in the direction of the way the sectary had told me.
Number 13 well that was meant to be bad luck what a great start. I signed when I reached the right door. Then knocked three times.
“Come in” came a muffled voice from inside.
I pushed the door open to find a middle aged man sitting behind a desk that was about half the size of the actual office.
“Ah Miss. Rose Smith?” when I nodded he pointed towards a chair on the other side of the stuffed desk. I took a seat. It felt like it was made out of stone. This was not a chair you were men t to feel comfortable in.
“I was on the phone this morning I am very sorry for the interruptions. I do hope you do that think that unprofessional of me?” Well if that was this man’s attempt at puppy dog eyes tit was beyond crap although I nodded anyway and he carried on talking about how awful my Dads death was and how he understood if I wanted to come back another time with my Mum. I assured him that this was not a problem and he carried on talking about stuff I could not even be bothered to take in.
“So about the evidence that has only now come to light.” I looked up and was now wide awake. I took a deep breath before he started.
“it seems to us that your Fathers accident was well…… not that. Evidence has come to light that well…… I am not sure I should be the one to say.”
“No please carry on Mr. Kane. Really.” I swallowed loudly and waited.
“Well if you are sure…….. It is believed your father stirred his cab into the tree. There is nothing wrong with the car. I am sorry.” I looked down. It was only now becoming really. It had only been a suggestion before when Parker had explain it but now the police themselves were telling me. There was no turning back. I closed my eyes and nodded.
“Thank you for letting my family know. I shall have my Mother call soon. Thank you again.” I muttered just before leaving the room.
The walk down here had been a short one and now walking back it seemed to take forever. It was for definite now. Although this still did not mean it made sense to me. I still did not understand WHY my Dad the happiest person I had known would do something like this to himself. Shaking my head I finally reached the waiting room were Parker sat patiently.

Chapter Nine: Wednesday 9:54pm.
“No Soph I have not been arrested. And no again Parker is not trying to kill me. Calm down will you!” I laughed. It was just typical that Sophie would have somehow seen me and Parker walking into the station earlier today. And of course her and the others would think the worst.
“Okay okay I was just checking. Anyway what other reason would you and Parker be walking down to the station together anyway. I mean you can expect us to start jumping to conclusions cant you?” I laughed again conforming my thought exactly.
“Hey any way who was it this time who saw us?” changing the subject so I didn’t have to explain. That would just make this moment worse and I was really trying to make this not. So much for that.
“Uh huh good try why would you be going down to the station with Parker. Spill!”
I sat down on the stairs and leaned against the banister. Mum had gone out minutes before the phone had started ringing at first I had not been in the mood to simple pick up the phone and make up some paretic excuse as to whatever it was that the caller wanted. Then Parker arrived back from the shop down the street when the phone was ringing and picked it up for me. I had banished him to the kitchen before I killed him for making me explain all this.
I had to explain since could I really keep this lying up? Sophie was my best friend. I had never had to lie so much to my friends and family before. It’s crazy!
“Oh god fine. But Soph?” I finally say after I convince myself that this really is the right thing to do. The later I leave it the worse it is going to turn out. Although I am not about to tell herb about the little fact. I am being haunted by a ghost. That would just be weird and not really something you discuss over the phone.
“Yeah. No matter what you say you are NOT getting away with not tell me. If your new boyfriend is an arsshole then you tell us. I mean it!” okay I just had to laugh she really did think that Parker was crazy or something.
“No he’s not an asshole. Well actually I’ll get back to you on that one.” I say as the man himself walks out to the hall with a cup of coffee in his hands. He grimaced when he heard me and mouthed. ‘How was I supposed to no’ which made we laugh a sort of hollow laugh but a laugh all the same.
I took a deep breath and carried on telling Sophie whatever it was she wanted to know.
“So tell me why. Like anytime now!” I sighed and leaned more heavily on the banister while Parker cam and sat down on the step before the one I was sitting on and handed me the cup of steaming hot coffee. I smiled thanks and decided that I would forgive him for picking up the phone since I would have done it myself soon. Or chuck it out the window either one.
I rolled my eyes at him and then answered Sophie,
“I went down to the station because they called saying they had news about my dad……” I took a deep breath. “They said that….. They say that there’s a chance that he killed himself.” I breath out quickly finishing my sentence quickly in the hope that it would be over and done with if I just said it out laud fast enough. Well no such luck. I closed my eyes and felt two strong hands on my arm and waist pulling me towards Parker who wrapped his arms firmly around me allowing me to rest my head on his chest. It did make me feel better but I could not shake the feeling of dread that was still making its presences known.
“Oh my god! Rose I am so sorry. Look come over to mine. I don’t care if you are with Parker he can come as well. You really sound like you need cheering up. I cannot believe your Dad would take his own life. I am so sorry!” I moved my face so I could speak into the phone and not sound muffed.
“ Thanks Soph but really it’s okay. I need to be here when my Mum gets back.” Oh yeah and there was that to. Well okay I am not going to tell my Mum this. Do I want to lose her to? This could really kill her. I hide my face against Parker’s chest again while he strokes my hair calming me down. This was a time when I really would have said nothing if I had started crying but I couldn’t. I just felt hollow. Not scared anymore. Not happy. Not sad. Nothing.
“okay Parker is with you I can hear him telling you to calm down.” I start to say something anything but she carries on “so I’ll come to you really I don’t care if you just want to snuggle up with your boyfriend for the next few hours you are stuck with me!” The beeping tone sounded making any kind of answer impossible. I sighed and leaned away from Parker so I could put the phone down on the stair nearest to me. I really didn’t think that Sophie coming over is a good thing but I was still glad.
Parker pulled my head back to his chest and continued his stroking. A couple of minutes later the phone rang again I looked at the caller ID making sure that it was not my Mother before putting it back down. Before I managed to place it back on the step Parker took it out of my hand flipping it over and taking the batteries out. Well why had I not thought of that……
Seconds and minutes past but neither of us spoke. The silence carried on until I noticed that Parker was fidgeting in a way that I already knew meant that he had somethi9ng to say but didn’t know if he should or how to phrase it.
“Just spit it out already.” I tell him as I turn my head up to look at him with my eye brow raised.
He looked at me in a confused way and the sighed saying,
“you don’t have to tell me but your mom. She’s ill right?” he swallowed “I was just wondering if it could have anything to do with my brother. If it is then you have no idea how sorry I am. I mean I’m already sorry. About everything but-“ I cut him off my putting my index finger over his lips and rolling my eyes half heartedly.
“It’s okay. I mean it’s not but it’s not your fault. Anyway I don’t really think this can be connected back to your brother. She has Mnemophobia. Yeah I had no idea what it was either.” I said as he gave me a very boyish confused look. “it means she has a fear of memories. I don’t really understand it and that pretty much all I know. Can you promise me something?” well this is weird…..
“Of course”
“If the occasion somehow pops up. Don’t tell my Mum that my Dad could have killed himself. I don’t want her to ever find out. Not even when she gets over this phobia.”
I looked up at him then. He put his free hand on the side of my face and whispered, “I promise.”
Then of course the door bell rings make us both jump about five feet in the air. Well okay… pure normal.
I tucked my dark hair behind my ears and stood up with Parker’s arms still around my middle. I opened the door to Sophie’s small figure. She emedatly came in and threw her arms around me in her attempt at a bear hug. I blinked and quickly hugged her back leaning down so that my head was on her shoulder. Before pulling back so she could make sure that my eyes were not red and the asking questions to Parker which I quickly ignored since she started with, “you had better be looking after Rose. How upset is she?” well okay not standing right in front of you at all…
We somehow drifted off into the living room where Parker sat next to me with his arm around my shoulder in a casual style but really he was just making sure that I was okay. Really I have no idea how boys think these things up but whatever.
Sophie had stopped off at the shops on the way down here and had bought a large bag full of all different kinds of chocolate. I looked at some of the names and became slightly worried. Since when had there been a chocolate named dance floor. Were people really starting to get that desperate for chocolate names? Was I really starting to use even the names of chocolate as a n excuse not to think about what I had no choice but to think about? Hell yeah!
Sophie had also been to Starbucks. My heaven and bought free frappuccinos with cream. She said that she had had no idea what sort Parker like so had just gotten him a vanilla because in her opinion everyone likes vanilla.
When the drinks were finished and Soph had finished telling me for the hundredth time that it would be okay, the home phone rang. Beep Beep Beep. When had any of us put the battery back in? I look up at Parker who is looking at the door to the hall with a confused expression turning into one of knowing. Please tell me that I was reading his face wrong. Please not now while Sophie is still here. I closed my eyes trying to will Cody away. A loud thud sounded from the hall as the phone holder fell to the ground. Well so much for the willing.
Parker was on his feet in seconds and standing in front of me. Sophie looked over at me since I was still sitting next to her. Crap please don’t do anything that makes Sophie suspect.
I could hear the fierce breathing from where I was sitting meaning that Sophie could for sure. I start coughing loudly trying to drown the noise out but it just somehow get louder and louder.
Then I feel it. The cold odor that I had come to know as Cody. Well crap. I looked up at Parker who was still standing in front of me looking around wildly. The glimmering mist that as the only tip off we had when Cody was around was nowhere to be seen. Well that narrows down the places he could be!
“Ahhhhhhhhh I could have sworn that scream lasted a life time. My head turned but in time to see Sophie turn back to me with the most scared look I had ever seen. I jumped up off the settee and landed steadily on my feet looking over at the body on the floor. The face was turned away from us but I could tell straight away that it was Cody. I backed up pulling Sophie with me. Parker quickly followed in front of us both.
I could feel my eyes making large round circles.
And then it moved. The sound of the hushed whispers from the forest in my dream. The sound of the people I had ‘known’ screaming from the shifters. Scream after harsh scream following each other like a song. One by one I heard them again. My back is against the wall but I can still see the body as it rises. First its head and then the necks. I heard the sound of bones shattering and then Cody was facing us. Sophie screamed again. The eyes. They were as black as night. There was no emotion in his face. Just nothingness. I found myself breathing fast and then Parker was in front of me with his big arms pulling me to his chest.
“Rose! Don’t you want to see what your dear Daddy has done? Don’t you want to know the truth?” I shiver as the voice of Cody reaches my ears.
“Oh my god!” I hear Sophie mutter under her breath as she must see the body rise from the ground and kneel. Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god! I repeated and repeated inside my head as the voice carried on. I blocked it out by listening to the fast beat of Parker’s heard singing its own unique rhythm.
I pulled my hand away from where I had been resting it against Parker’s side and held it out to Sophie since I could hear her breathing quicken. When she takes my hand I turn sideways so I can see her and pull both of them down to the floor were we lean against the wall with our eyes closed waiting for it to all just stop and go back to normal.
It’s not real.
Nothing is real.
It will all just go back to normal in a minute.
Footfall after footfall.
Step after step.
Breath after breath.
Scream after piercing scream.
I open my eyes.
As I look around the room I see nothing. No ghost no sign that Cody had been here. Nothing just ordinary looking living room furniture. I look to both my sides and see Parker doing the same thing as me. On my other side Sophie was curled up against my side with her eyes tightly shut. I patted her shoulder saying,
“It’s gone Soph.” I blink because I have to try and act normal and strong not weak like I really felt. I wanted to scream and cry like a little child but instead I pulled Sophie up and hugged her while Parker stood and looked around the room with a weary look.
He looked back down at me and answered the thought that had not yet been put into words.
“He’s gone. Maybe we should go out in the garden.” I raise my eyebrow waiting for him to explain why we would be going out to the garden but he just held out his hand to help me and Sophie up before leading the way towards the kitchen and threw there the Garden.
I stumbled over the door post entered the garden with Sophie pulling her feet forwards slowly behind.
“Well thanks you to now if you would both be kind enough to explain WHAT THE FUCK JUST HAPPENED?” I turned round to face Sophie. Ah crap I was so going to have to explain now…… crap……
I took a deep breath and quickly decided after looking quickly at Parker who nodded. Sadly giving me permission to tell her. Crap.
“Okay Sophie if I explain promise you wound freak because I am only telling you now. Please?” I took a deep breath again when she nodded and started to explain.
“Okay you now that my Dad died two years ago. Well I went to our old house around two weeks ago and over heard basically everyone that knew my dad apart from me and my Mum talking about how there was a possibility of my Dad coming back from the dead in the form of a ghost. Right I thought it was crazy to…… anyway I ran out of the house when everyone had left and ran straight into Parker who I still have not found out why he was there but anyway.” I took a deep breath and started talking again. “Weird stuff started happening like when Parker came over to mine the day after and a coffee lid hit his head. Well you know stuff like that.” I blushed as I remembered what had happened. “right so I get Parker to explain to me what the hell is going on and well turns out his brother hates me and because he believes….. he believes that…. Well apparently he was in the cab with my Dad when he crashed.” I stop and close my eyes this was getting really hard to carry on but Parker came over and put his arm around my waist pulling me to his side. I carry on, “ It turns out that his brother Cody is trying to kill me to some how get back at my Dad for killing him. I still really don’t know what exactly happened or well the details but anyway I now have a ghost chasing me around for payback.” I was trying to say it all light hearted but my voice kept braking and the confused look Sophie kept getting was really not helping. “that’s basically it…..” I trained off and looked at the ground while Parker pulled my tighter against his side.
“Wow.” I heard Sophie breath. I was still staring blindly at the floor still thinking about how crazy I sounded.
“Well you really do sound crazy. I would think it if I had not just been in your freaking house two seconds ago. Well shit…….” Well that’s great I’m not on my own with the crazy thinking.
“Rose.” I look up “I'm still not going to let anything happen to you. Okay?” I smile up at Parker as he whispers so that Soph doesn’t hear.
“Thanks” I mouth as Soph turns back from the house and comes closer. She really looks shaken up.
“I am sorry Soph! Really I am. I didn’t want you to see that. It wasn’t fair on you. If you can just forget you ever saw it.” My voice was sincere and she knew it as I finally look up to look her in the eyes. I was expecting to see fear or disused instead I saw anger. Oops.
“Okay for one thing you should have told me this as soon as you found out! Why am I only hearing this now? After how long? And for another thing” she said before I could comment. “is your brother Stupid or something? Cant he see that you care about Rose? Its pretty obvious over here. Is he willing to hurt his brother as well as ‘avenge his death’” she made little finger movement when she said avenge his death which I'm sure went down just great if Cody was still watching which I am sure he was.
Parker shrugs and looks down at me with eyes full of apologies. I rolled my eyes and turned around so I was facing him I pulled him close to me and hugged him with my face crushed against his chest and his hands stroking my hair.
“See could my point be made anymore?” she still sounded angry but she was obviously coming to turns with the fact a lot quicker than I had. Or still am.
Maybe it was because she was not the one that had the death threat on her nearly every second of the day. I sighed and was sudden felt really tired and leaned against Parker for support which he register and pulled my head up from its sideways position. It was a real work to keep my head up straight and my eyes up.
“Rose” Parker’s face was starting to swim making me blink and then close my eyes fully. “Rose” my name was uttered by a panicked voice and then everything went black.

Chapter Ten: Wednesday 10:06pm.
I awoke to the sound of frantic talking coming from my left. I groaned inwardly and hoped for sleep to take me wistfully away again. No such luck. I opened one eye to peck threw. Nothing. A new deeper voice joined in the voice was more soothing than the high pitched panicky one. It slowly sent me back off into the sweet darkness of sleep. That was until I heard the deeper voice mutter my name. Telling me to wake up but I didn’t want to wake up. The dark was no threat to me.
I groaned once again this time not inside my head and opened one of my eyes. Oh my god that light was bright. Why does voice one and two have that freaking light on so bright? I quickly closed my eyes again hoping that the blind spots you get when you look at the sun for too long would disappear soon.
I felt something warm touch my arm making me jump. The warm thing turned out to be a hand. A hand belonging to a majorly tall silhouette. What? Mt breathing quickened although had no idea why I just knew I should be scared. Mad feelings started vibrating around my body as I curled away from the silhouette next to me.
“What’s wrong with her?” the panicked voice again. I moved back even move against the wall behind me. I jumped when my back connected with the hard surface nearly spinning into the lamp next to me making me squeal.
The light was still blinding but I didn’t want to close my eyes I was to scared. The fear was swirly around my body like a face horse on the tracks. I pushed myself up against the wall even more until I saw something more out of the corner of my eye. Something big. My eyes were starting to adjust to the bright room and I could start to make out the features of the people around me.
“I- I don’t know” the boy said to the high pitched speaker which I now realized was a girl. A small girl with blond hair pulled back into a loose plate. She had brown eyes that at the moment were wide like she had just seen a ghost. These features were familiar but I just couldn’t place them……
“Parker for god’s sake. If your brother is doing this to her I swear I’ll kill him!” Huh Parker. I know that name…..
“Parker?” I said the name out loud trying to remember how I knew it. Saying it out loud only made the worry on both the people’s faces grow and gave me no clue as to why I knew the name of the faces. Why could I not remember anything? Where was I?
I looked around the large room with it cute settees with dark brown pillows. The high ceiling with arches holding it up. The carpet I was sitting on with its red black flowered surface and the wide TV on the counter to my right. Familiar yet not. I could tell that my eyes had gone into little slits as I thought. Worry makes must have appeared on my forehead by now as well.
“Rose? What is it? Please say something” ‘Parker’ the boy I could not place begged. Well I would gladly speak but what question would I ask first. Who are you? Where the hell am i? why is the girl over there threatening to kill your brother? Why is this room so bloody bright?
Before I knew it I had asked them all coursing the boy to smile sadly down at the ground.
“Did she just ask who we were? Oh my god! What the hell!” high pitched girl squealed. Well I would like to keep my ears.
“Oh no wait she is still herself. I'm better now.” Oops had I said that out loud. My normal self what was that supposed to mean? Well it made Parker laugh and me confused so I guess it made sense to someone.
I closed my eyes again and heard footsteps. Outside and the a key going into the lock as someone entered the house I sat in.
“Crap!” I reopened my eyes again to see the two people standing up and looking panicked. Well that’s great I had only just started to calm down from thinking that these two were some sort of threat to me. Quickly the boy Parker leaned down and whispered,
“Please can you just act like you know us for just two seconds?” Okay…………... I scowled at him but suddenly he had the most adorable puppy dog eyes I had ever seen and memories started flooding back.
Oh
My
God!
My eyes went wide and I quickly nodded and stood up next to them both. I looked at the girl next to me more memories flooding back to my already over packed brain making me feel dizzy.
“When she comes in just say that you are going to show me pictures from something okay?” I looked up at the impossibly tall Parker in front of me and nodded once more. Wait when who came in? Huh!
“Hey Honey where are you?” Parker nudged me mouthing ‘that’s you’ right….
“In here” my voice comes out like I have been having way to much sleep and haven’t woken up properly yet. Which in my case it is soooooo true.
The door opened and yet another familiar face puts her head around the door to see the room. Mum.
“Hey were just going to go upstairs so me and Soph can show Parker some pics see you in a minute.” I said as I started walking towards the half open door and squeezing past my smiling mother.
“Sure Love. I’ll be in the kitchen if you three need anything.” I turned around and smiled at her before escaping up the stairs with Sophie and Parker on my tail.
When we finally climbed the many stairs that were in my house and reached my room I turned around to find two very confused faces behind me.
“Well if you are thinking of asking me what the hell just happened. Dream on!” I said before closing the door behind the others.
“Well at least we know for definite she’s back to normal. That I such a Rose this to say!” I turned round to see Parker nodding making me raise one of my thin eyebrows as if I had no idea what they were on about.
“Right so what the fuck was up with you?” Parker’s voice became louder as he came closer to me. Gathering me up in his arms I whispered.
“Am I really meant to answer that?” against his ‘look at the finger’ shirt. Well on any other occasion I would have worried about what my Mum would have thought of the shirt with a large middle finger pointing out at anyone who dared to look. Now I could not give a crap.
“Just don’t do that again okay?” his voice was soft and gentle making me feel safe and sleepy. As soon as I felt the unconsciousness coming through my body I started to panic this was the last thing I had felt before I had drifted off before. I pulled away from Parker and walked towards the bathroom where the sink is. When I enter again with the others just behind me I went straight over to the sink and started to splash water onto my face. Well what else am I meant to do to keep myself awake? I could hear the hustle of every foot step my Mum took down stairs. Her footsteps echoed around the tiled kitchen.
I took a deep breath and dried my face off with the towel next to me. The soft fabric brushed against my skin with the feel of comfort and familiarity.
“Rose.” I turned to look at Sophie who was leaning against the door frame with a worried taking over her features.
“Yeah?” I say transferring my weight from foot to foot as I looked over at her and Parker’s faces of concern.
“Your okay? I mean I can tell from the sarcasm that you remember us now but I mean……. You really could not remember us…… how is that even possible? Is your brother doing this?” I closed my eyes and just shook my head because to tell you the truth. I have no idea what was going on any more. Repeating and earlier thought my life is not my own anymore.
“Come on you better sit down.” Two strong hands were holding onto my arm and guiding me out of the room and over towards some place to sit down I guess.
When we were all sat back down in my over crowded room. Me flopped on the bed with a pillow over my head. Sophie sitting on the floor leaning against the bed eyes closed hand on her forehead. Parker leaning against a wall with his head tilted back staring at my ceiling like the answers were written up there somewhere.
The room was way too silent. An eerie silence that sent chills down my spine. It carried on for what felt like hours but really after looking at the clock from the side of the pillow I still held over my head it had only really been five six minutes. Well that sucks. This silence was really starting to get on my nerves!
“Okay so why the garden?” I ask taking the pillow away from my face and sitting up. The way the other two responded you would have thought I had shouted it right in their ears. So they were feeling the silence to.
Parker looked at me weirdly and I just rolled my eyes saying,
“After. You know the thing in the living room you said we should go out to the garden. Is there something significant about my garden?” I flopped back down on the bed pulling another pillow over my head then giving up and taking it back off and sitting up again with my legs pulled up to my chest like I do when I'm nervous. Sophie picked up on this straight away and sat on the bed to putting her arm around my shoulders to try and comfort me.
The lights in the room were starting to spin again and I ended up closing my eyes and leaning against Sophie’s shoulder in an attempted at staying awake.
“Well not really….. I guess it was the first thing that popped into my head.” I still did not raise my head or open my eyes to even bother to look at his expression. To take a guess it was probable one of confusion maybe a face of ‘can I really be bothered?’ but I really don’t know.
“Right.” I let go of my legs and started to stand up. Waves of dizziness started to pass though me like the wind on a really cold day. In fact I could feel a draft then and moved my head quickly over to my window. Sure enough it was half open or half closed ever way.
Crap! It downed on me then what that meant and I started to panic. Moving towards the door with my hands behind me. Not with Sophie and Parker here. Please.
“Crap” I whispered. Backed against the wall.
I felt two hands on my arm and squealed.
“Calm down Rose. It’s me okay. Nothing’s going to happen. Promise.” I looked up to where Parker’s face was hovering above mine and my breathing calm down. I took several deep breath before letting Parker pull me into his arms safe.
“See everything’s fine. It’s just a window.” I looked up at him and gave him my best ‘you are so evil’ look. Which of course made him laugh and then hide my face again against his shirt.
“Umm sorry you two but. You know there’s this sort of…. Well mist coming in from the window. Maybe you should take a look.” We both wiped our heads round to see the gray mist slowly making itself through the now wide open window.
“Just a window huh?” I jump as the cold start to settle in. Well crap.
“Yeah well that’s not a window. That is mist. Now can we please move out of this room before the mist gets any closer?!” parker started tugging on my arm to get out of the room but as soon as he opened the door we noticed that the mist was outside the room to.
“ROSE WHERE THE HELL IS THIS MIST COMING FROM?” crap! I heard my Mum yell from down stairs. Damndamndamndamn!
“I HAVE NO IDEA MUM!” was all I could think of to yell back.
“What the hell are we meant to do here?” I ask parker who looks like he is thinking way to hard. Well that’s really comforting!
“Parker quit it with the trying to act genius and let’s get out of this freaking house!” well that got his attention making him look up from the now covered ground and pulling me once again out of the room and down the hall. I managed to grab hold of Sophie’s arm before I was fully threw the room and pulled her with us.
“Wowkay Parker when I said get the hell out of this house I really did not mean at like one hundred miles per hour. Some of us don’t really have half a mile long legs!” I yelped as we made a bad turn down the stairs and Parker had to turn around and catch me before I fell completely.
“Not to mention Rose’s lake of balance. How bout we slow it down a notch huh?” Sophie put in since she herself was only just keeping up with her short legs.
“Right. Of course I was forgetting the little fact of short people when my brother is making mist through your house Rose.” Was that really his attempt at sarcasm? I looked up at him weirdly.
“What not all of us can do sarcasm.”I laughed and started stumbling down that stairs again. Ahhcrap. When we reached the ground I separated myself from the other two totally getting lost in the mist which was now all the way up to the ceiling.
“Mum? Which room are you in?” I yelled into the bottomless mist.
“Umm honey? I think I'm in the kitchen. Could be wrong though Hun!” I heard her faint replay at the same time I heard the other two saying,
“Rose where the hell are you? Get back her now!” have a feeling that was Parker. Wish he would stop freaking out I would be back in a second.
“One second really just wait there.” I said to well all free of them I think.
“Yes I am in the kitchen there’s the oven. Okay I'm by the table. I think this is the table…..” I guided my way though the mist covered hall and into the kitchen which was even more dense. I moved over to the table and grabbed onto what I hoped was my Mum hand.
“Mum that’s you right?” I asked the darkness.
“Yes Hun. Gosh why arte your hands to cold? Why are you not wearing gloves?” I laughed because really I hadn’t even noticed that my hands were cold until she said it and it was just typical Mum thing to ask why I wasn’t wearing gloves when the whole house was coved in a deep mist type thing.
We managed our way through the mist and out into the hall where I quickly found Parker standing by the door where the mist was thinner. I pulled my mum towards were parker was standing and we all escaped the house where Sophie already was.
Taking a deep breath I leaned against the fence that separating my house to the one next door. What the hell was up with this mist? It was driving me crazy I could barely see and I was outside for crying out loud.
I felt hands on my arms and whirled round thinking that I would just be Parker again instead I can face to face with Nothing. I looked around me but there really was nothing. I could still feel the hands on my arm though and this freaked me out. I pulled my arm away but the feeling just followed me. I started to panic when the hold tightened sending me straight into the fence harder resulting in me crumbling to the ground with a yelp.
I heard footsteps coming towards me and I backed up even more against the fence hoping that Cody just might not somehow see me. Stupidstupidstupid!
“Rose? Come on get up.” Sophie. I pushed her arm away from me. She should not be near me. Cody gets me he gets her too. I push away again and move away from the fence and towards where I think the road is. Big mistake.
I come in contact with something behind me and whip around to find yet again nothing. Well this mist was really starting to get on my last nerve! I could not even tell if there was someone there. For all I know it could have been my next door neighbors cat. Do they even have a cat? Oh hell do I know!
“Rose. Rose. Rose” I heard that bloody annoying voice repeating my name over and over again becoming move frantic by the second.
“Rose where are you? Get your freaking ass over here!” well thanks Parker Waitago with the ‘do not boss you girlfriend around’ well okay he had good reason especially since I really didn’t not want to be in the situation I am in now. Backed against what I think is a ghost that wants to kill me. Well okay let’s do what Parker says for once.
Well crap how do I ‘get your ass over here now’? where the hell is here?
“Parker you know it might help if you told me where here was. Quick would be appreciated as well.” I yell back starting to panic again. The feeling of dread was seeping in again and it wasn’t bugging easily. Was I ever going to get a brake here?!
“Rose?” I felt hands on my back and spun around into Parkers arms where he pulled me out of the mist and onto the other side of the pavement. I could hear the courses being uttered at my departure. I clung to Parker tighter and he pulled me to his chest kissing my forehead.
“I told you I wouldn’t let anything happen to you. Sorry it got close it won’t again.” He whispered into my hair. I didn’t reply instead just hide my face. I did not want any of them to see how scared I really was. It really had been close.

Five minutes later the mist started to clear as rapidly as it had come. We were soon all back in the house. All of us packed into our living room with its many settees and tables placed randomly around the room.
I lay down on one of the many settees and pulled one of the pillows over my face. My Mum was acting like nothing out of the ordinary had happened and was asking Parker and Sophie if they wanted drinks. Typical Mother.
“No thank you Mrs. Smith.” I heard Parker say before hearing My Mum bustle out of the room and Parker come and pick up my feet before sitting down with them on his lap.
“Rose you can come out of hiding now.” I peeked through the pillow at Parker and pocked out my tongue.
“Oh yeah she’s still as mature as ever.” I heard Sophie say before she sat down with her head resting against the bottom of the same settee I am sitting on. I turned my head and rolled my eyes at her. Before taking a deep breath and sitting up pulling my feet to the ground and leaning back against the soft cushioned settee. Parker pulled his arm out from behind him and pulled me to him by putting his arm around my shoulders.
“Seriously could you get any taller?” I ask looking up at his. Yes looking up. He simple just laughed leaning down so that he was the same height as me.
“Oh yeah that makes me feel better look how far you have to bend.” I laugh because really I could not stay scared or freaked out when Parker was around. He somehow always managed to make me laugh even when I have the worst news ever. Memories of what my Mum had told me this morning about her phobia. My smile faded and I looked away from the others and to the kitchen where Mum was busying herself with drinks and sandwiches. I sighed and closed my eyes thinking of any possible way that I could break the news about Dad to her easily without it making anything worse. I couldn’t I couldn’t do that to her.
“Hey! Don’t you dare make that face!” Parker commanded pulling my face towards him. I screwed up my eyes but let him anyway.
“Don’t worry about her. From what I can see she’s strong she’ll get through it. Phobias are always easier if the person with the phobia knows about it and has help getting over it. Which your Mum has both. So please get rid of the puppy dog eyes they are driving me crazy.” My laugh had no humor in it at all but I somehow managed to bring myself to look away from Parker and to Sophie who was looking at me confused.
“I’ll tell you later.” I mouthed as Mum came back in the room holding a tray of sandwiches and drinks in the other hand.
“So are you staying for a sleepover tonight Sophie?” Sophie looked at me and I shrugged so she said in her pushiest voice,
“If that’s okay with you Mrs. Smith.” Mum simple clapped her hairs like this was the best news she had heard all day and nodded that it was fine with her. By this time I was very aware of parkers arm around me. This was not a pose I would have chosen to have with my old fashion Mother in the room. Somehow Parker picked up on this and loosened his arm so I could lean a little bit away taking my hand instead.
I had known Parker for what a week and a bit now and already relied on him too much. I mean it’s not every day you place your life in a strangers hands. Well not really stranger anymore but still.
“You okay? You look really pale.” I turned to face Parker again and smiled a little and nodded before leaning my head down on his shoulder. My Mum would just have to cope with that much. Closing my eyes I could see the silhouette of shapes just beyond my reach. Trees I think. Before I knew it I had started to fall asleep again I started to freak out but it was too late to come back to the surface of the dream land I was now entering.

The nights breeze was crushing against me cheeks. Sending deep chills through my body. I quickened my pace as I ran away from the monsturaouse cliffs face. It’s taunting features following me with every step I take. Grabbing every opportunity to speed up I reach the opening.
The trees around me looked to me like they were caving in. surrounding my frail body with their huge limps.
I stopped. Stopped running. Stopped breathing, it had followed me. Twisted it’s gruesome self out of the waves.
Leaning against the giant body of one of the thousands of tree trunks I stayed. Breathing deeply and steadily. Even this was not enough to save me.
Every little noise sounded deafening in these woods. Coursing me to nearly jump right out of my skin. I took several steps away from the tree I had claimed as my hide out.
The night air was still blowing playfully at my face and hair. Strands of red kept flying into my face every time I turned my face in the wind.
I turned wildly tis way then that changing speed and direction when the feeling took me. The wind suddenly started to pick up, pushing me to the left. Closer to the cliffs. No!
I glanced behind me quickly noticing the approaching mist. My pace sprung up. Away from the mist I must get.
Closer and closer it came. My vision was clouded with the lick of thousands of pieces of the mist all around me. No!
I scrambled around looking for a way out of the growing darkness. Nothing! How could there be nothing?
Darkness.
Darkness.
Nothingness.
Safe.
ROSE!

Someone was shaking me. Shaking me gentle.
“Wake up.” An urgent voice shaking me again. I open one eye to see Parker and Sophie hovering over me. HUH?
“Huh? What ? When? Why?” my voice sounds sleepy and really all I could think about was the last thing I had seen in the dream. Red hairs flying in my face. Do I have red hair?
I pick up a piece of my hair and bring it down to see the color. Nope still brown. Wait why am I acting so retarded? What!
“Rose snap out of it!” I looked up to where Sophie was hovering and blinked several times.
“Okay what the hell?” I say sitting up and blinking again trying to get my balance. I have no idea how blinking helps with balance but it does. Somehow.
“Rose you fell asleep again. Your Mum just went upstairs saying something about how sweet it was or something…..” I raised my eyebrow at Sophie. My mum had called me falling asleep sweet. Oh god I am really still her little girl which of course made me groan and lean back against the settee.
The sad thing is I'm actually getting used to the strange dreams that are now haunting my every sleeping hour. I could still feel the fear and dread inside my body but I just tuned it out. Unlike when I'm facing the situation it is just a memory that can be forgotten but with Cody right in front of me you know not so easy to forget. Well great now that’s put that in my head…….
Parker looked around the room and then put his arm back around me pulling me to his side. Where I closed my eyes and settled in.
“Okay you two are way too sweet together its ridicules!” I turned my head away from parker’s chest and looked at Sophie who was now backing into one of the other settees fully convinced that the danger was over. Like it had never happened. “What you are!”I laughed and hid my face again letting the soothing of Parkers hand on my hair relax me. Not making me sleepy but just relaxed.
“Quick question before you two become even more glued to each other. How long do I have to put up with this? I mean I am becoming very concourse of the fact that I am single and please do not get me started on that!” I laughed again and leaned a little bit away from Parker so I could roll my eyes at Sophie and settle myself back against the cushions that where all around me.
“You know you are crazy right Soph?” I smile at her while she just sits on the settee and glances at the clock doing a very bad impression of not hearing me. I laugh and then look at the clock myself well crap its ten to midnight. I roll my eyes when I hear Mum yell from upstairs,
“It’s getting late Rose Honey.” In other words time to say goodbye to Parker.
“That’s my cue to g right?” he whispered in my ear making me jump a little.
“Good guess.”
“You’ll be okay with Sophie right?” I rolled my eyes at him. He took that as a yes and told me to just call him if well he used the word ‘anything’ I would have said Cody but anyhow. We were both standing by the door. Sophie was still in the living room and my Mum was somewhere upstairs.
“So….” I said just before Parker bought his lips down on mine. My arms went around his neck keeping him to me while his hand were once again on the small of my back. His tongue was making little circles in my mouth as his had came up from my back and knotted itself into my hair.
When we finally came up for air we were both out of breath and I swear it was not even possible for my cheeks to go any redder. Which of course made me blush just that bit more.
“I’ll see you soon. Take care.” He said just before letting go of my waist and hair and stepping out the door. I waved as he walked away. He made a sort of solute at me before disappearing behind my next door neighbors bush. Strange boy.
“Rose have you stopped making out with your boyfriend now? Can I come out of hiding?” I heard Sophie voice emerging from the living rooms closed door making me laugh. I pushed the door open to find her sitting on the same settee she had been before Parker had left.
“As I am now stay for the night can I borrow a spear pair of PJ’s please?” I nodded and motioned for her to come up stairs so I could find her some.

When we were both in our PJ’s I pulled out the spear mattress from under my bed and plonked myself down on mine pulling the covers over me and leaning over to turn the light off.
“Rose?” I heard Sophie whisper.
“Yeah?” I replied
“This is really not a joke is it?” Oh.
I sighed
“No. its real, trust me…..” I let out a non-humorous laugh
“You are really in danger. You know that’s not cool with me right?”
I simple laughed not knowing what to say.
“I mean that boy Parker had better be taking care of you. He told you he wouldn’t let anything happened to you. He better keep that promise or I swear I will slap him again. You have no idea how good that felt.”
I laughed again and whispered,
“I hope so. Anyway on a brighter note we still have a whole two weeks left of freedom before collage. What mayhem can we possible course in that amount of time..... hmmmmm”
I heard her laugh a little before sighing and asking,
“What was it that you said you would tell me later? Something about your Mum?”
I sighed again and cringed away from the thought.
“She has Mnemophobia Soph.” I say not remembering that Soph probable had no idea what Mnemophobia even was.
“Mnemophobia what?” I have another homerless laugh and started to explain,
“It means she has a phobia of Memories. She panics whenever she thinks of them. Remember my Nan she had Amaxophobia you know the fear of riding in a car………………….. I just don’t want Mum to end up like that. It would drive her crazy!”
There was a long pause and then Sophie whispered,
“Rose. I'm sorry.”
“Its okay. Everything always end up for the ‘greater good’ or whatever that crap is.”
“Night then”
“Uh huh night.”


Chapter Eleven: Thursday 3:11pm

The song was going round and round my head like crazy. How had I even got the song stuck in my head it was impossible. I glanced away from the program on TV and stood up. I walked out of the living room making my way up to my room where I think I left my ipod. Well it had been there the last time I had checked.
When I reached my room with its cream walls and cluttered furniture covered in clothes I really could not be asked to put away I groaned. Looking for my ipod really was going to be a mission. Was it really worth it? The song started going around my head again making my choice for me.
I started by chucking all my clothes off of the table where I could have sworn I had put it down a few nights ago when I had got to tired and didn’t really feel like being strangled by my head phones in the night.
Anyway it wasn’t there leaving me pretty much helpless. I climbed my way over the mess I had just made and started yanking top after trousers after underwear away from the desk next to my bed.
No such luck.
Five minutes later I still had not found the damn singing thing! I was starting to question my sanity when I heard my Mum walking down the hall next to my room.
“Mum do you know where my ipod is?” I yelled hoping against hope that she knew and I could just get this song out of my head! Please!
“Sorry Hun- WowMyGod! What have you done to your room?” well oops…….
“Well….. song stuck in my head. I really needed to find my ipod…..” I muttered under my breath as I made my eyes stare at the carpet beneath my feet.
“Tidy it up NOW!” great. Funfunfun!
Mum turned in the door way and left me to work. Well where to start. Well there’s the tops over there or the now totally disorganized pile of CD’s over there. Oh hell!

Half an hour later I was still nowhere near done and to tell you the trust the accomplishment of finding my ipod about eighteen minutes ago was not worth the pain of tiding this room! My arms were now killing me from lugging pile after pile of clean and not clean tops, trousers, dresses, skirts and underwear was not what I had had planned for today.
I heard my phone from all the way up here and quickly dropped the last pile of washing in the washing basket and closed the lid then slid out the door and quickly down the stairs I went.
I reached my mobile just in time,
“Hello?” I said trying not to drop the mobile when I realized it was the wrong way up….
“Rose? Why are you out of breath?” Brendon……. Why had I not looked at the caller ID before picking up the phone? Oh right yeah I'm an idiot.
“Oh right hey Brendon. I just ran down the stairs you know……” awkward!
“You running. God would have never guessed!” hmm funny.
“Right so you were calling because…….?” I sounded rude but I really was starting to feel the pain in my arms….. Okay that was a pore excuse…
“Sorry let me rephrase that how are you?” he simple laughed and said,
“You know just because we broke up it doesn’t mean we can’t hang out right?” well it wouldn’t if you didn’t keep with the snide comments…… okay think nice thoughts.
“Yeah. Ahhhh….. sorry damn settee jumping out of like nowhere…….” I rubbed at my knee where I had just slammed it against the side of the settee when I had turned around trying to think what the hell I should be saying here.
“Well I see you haven’t changed at all over the holidays………… so back to what I was saying…….. do you think your new boyfriend would let you hang out with me today? Round the park?” errrr crap……
“You know full well that I don’t let any of my boyfriends tell me what I can and can’t do. But I am sorry today I can’t do. I have a date with tiding my room. Tomorrow maybe?”
“Sure I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“See you.”
I put down the phone before I had to think of anything else to say. God we used to be really close and now we were reduced to having majorly awkward convocations over the phone where he makes annoying jabs at my having a boyfriend that is not him errrr crap. I sighed and walked back up the many steps with my phone in my pocket back up to my room where I could at last see the floor. Miracle!

The tune was still going round my head like crazy. Once I had found my ipod I had put the song on repeat hoping that would work with my idea of getting rid of the damn song. Well now luck there if anything it had just got it stuck more firmly in my head. Great.....
I picked up a stray lipstick from the floor and threw it in the general direction of my open make up bag. I had already managed to fill up over three bags full of makeup and that was just from what I had found in my room. I groaned when I saw that a load of the stuff I had thrown had ended up hitting the wall and bouncy back to the same place I had found them. Okay be that way!
I picked them back up and put the carefully this time into the blue and white plastic case that was now my make up case. I stood up straight and looked around my room. Right so just my desk to do now. That can’t be that hard can it?
I started by pulling all the jewellery off of the counter then sorting it into necklaces bracelets and earrings. Their glorious colours mystified me shining in the light of the now glowing sun coming threw my open window. Wait open window?
I pushed myself up and ran over to the window slamming it shut. As I slid down the side of the wall just below the window I could a glance at the makeup case I had just put the lipstick in. they were once again lined up against the wall. All on the end not their sides like when I had thrown them before. Well okay be that way then Cody. He can tidy my room if he likes.
I sat up straight leaning my back right up against the wall and stared at the now floating cases of red and pink liquid. The light court the edge of the blue packing making little sparkles fly across the room. I sighed and leaned over to pick up my phone which I had minutes ago left on the side of the table I had been cleaning.
I thought Cody would do something more than just throw one of the free lipsticks at me totally missing as I dialled Parker’s number.
His phone rung free times before a grumpy voice picked up.
“Hello?”
“Okay you asked me to ring you when ever-“ Of course he would cut me off. I groaned
“What Rose? Argh what happened?” well now he sounded more awake...
“Well my makeup is sort of ummm flying around my room. Wahh” I wahhed as I had to dogged one of the other lipsticks this time it was not so badly aimed. Well okay......
“Rose. Get out of your room. I’ll be there in four.”
“Wait Parker! You don’t-“ beep beep. Well damn it!
Well I guess that’s what I get for actually calling him like he asked. Well he asked for it........ argh damn it how the throwing of the makeup is getting old now. I mean if he wanted to hit me he would have already. I stood up and walked to the door of my room almost falling on way by some stray pillow had had appeared in my way. Well okay he really didn’t need to try and trip me up and can managed very well on my own thank you Cody. Oh god I really am talking to a ghost here.
Wait why has there not been any death threat yet or is he planning on killing me with makeup. Well okay.......
I opened the door and stepped out of my room glancing behind me to see the lipsticks fall to the floor as Cody decided to follow me instead of totally wreck my room again I might add.
I closed the door behind me knowing full well that this would not stop him from following me but felt the need to do it anyway.
Bump! I heard something that sounded like someone walking into the door. I looked back and sure enough the door handle was starting to move. Slowly but surely it would be open any second. Why not just walk threw it? I mean how many times have you done it in the past. I shook my head and carried on walking well he hadn’t tried to kill me yet so maybe he won’t. This time.....
I swung round and hit the stairs at a funny angle making my foot slip to the side. My heart skipped a beat as I fell forwards down the stairs. I closed my eyes and sucked in a deep breath waiting for the stairs below to hit my fragile body. Waited and waited......
Umm should I have not hit the stairs yet? I opened one eye to see the stairs in front of me but sure enough they were no were near me and didn’t seem to be coming that way anytime soon. But how.......?
I felt the cold hands on my arm at the same time I looked behind me and saw nothing. Nothing but thin air. Well the strange glittering mist really does not count as anything. I blinked but it was still there when I reopened my eyes. I put my foot down properly on the stairs and the felling of cold hands on my arm quickly despaired. I just stared at the space where Cody must be standing I could not look away. Why had he not let me fall? He wanted me dead right?
I nearly fell right back down the stairs when I heard the door bell ring but I didn’t feel the cold hands again on my arm instead I felt a draft as the door opened down stairs. The door opened down stairs WHAT? I rand own the rest of the stair to the ground floor to find Parker standing at the doorway looking around the hall waiting for the person to appear who had opened the door. My eyes were wide open with I noticed the glittering figure of a tall man hovering just to the left of the door. Well okay you want to open my door for me now..... perfectly normal.....
“Rose?” I heard Parker say as he slowly approached not taking his eyes off of the mist to his right.
“Yeah no idea.” I replied also not taking my eyes of the mist that I could have sworn was shaking but I could have been wrong since you could not really make out the whole shape.
“Right. Wowhey what’s up with your arm?” he finally looked away from Cody and picked up my arm that I just realised was glowing. My arm is freaking glowing! Since when is that normal?
“Rose? Hello answer me.” I looked up at Parker’s freaked face
“Oh yeah because I really know that................ umm wait no I think I do.......” Cody had grabbed my arm when I had almost fallen down the damn stairs. could that be why my freaking arm is glowing? Right I closed my eye hoped that it would stop glowing and that damn hovering thing would disappear like normal....... or try to kill me..... whatever.
“Rose you know not the time to be acting strange...... are you even listening to me?” well not really....
“One second god Parker!” he was actually starting to get on my nerves it was crazy.
“Sorry.” I whispered when I finally opened my eyes again to fin d Parker looking down at the ground. Puppy dog eyes. Awwww! I swear they could be the ultimate weapon against well anyone!
“Whatever.” He said leading me away from the hall and into the kitchen looking behind him to see if his brother was following. Like we could tell!
I sat down at the kitchen table and put my hand on my forehead. Well now I was being a bitch to Parker I would have to make sure he knew I really am sorry.
“Hey Rose quit it with the stress lines I'm not mad at you. Really” he put his hand under my chin and lifted my face up. I tried to smile but it came out more of a grimace than anything else.
“Okay I know you can smile better than that do I really have to tickle you to get that smile back?” I laughed and leaned away from him making sure he wouldn’t do it anyway. He didn’t thank god but instead turned his head to the door where we could now both see the silhouette of Cody. I raised my eyebrow and asked,
“Whys he just standing there?” Parker didn’t turn to face me when he replied,
“He’s weak. His little stunt yesterday wore him out.” His voice was distant like he was remembering this from some other time.
“Oh.” I looked down at the table. It was so obvious how much Parker missed his brother it literally coursed me pain to think that my own Dad had coursed it. To think he had coursed that and my mother’s phobia, if he had had any idea what his death would have meant would he have gone through with it anyway? Or was that his plan all alone. I closed my eyes trying to block the emotions I was feeling. Not to show them on my face. Not to let Parker see.
I reopened my eyes and glanced over at the mist still hanging in the doorway. My head was all over the place so I cannot be sure but I could have sworn I saw him wave. Okay I must be crazy.
I blinked several times and then the mist started to fade away making the background come back into focus and my arm to return to its normal non-shininess.
“Rose?” I looked up to see Parker’s face looking worriedly down at me.
“Yeah?” I could have sworn I had hid all the crazy emotions from my face. Please tell me that I had!
“What happened before I arrived............... he-he opened the door for me?” again I could see the same distant look in his eyes. I got up taking the free necessary steps to put myself right in front of him. Lifting my hand to is cheek he looked down at me surprised. He really did look so sad..... My heart started to hurt again and I flung my arms around him trying to squeeze the pain out of his gorgeous eyes.
“Thanks” I heard him whisper into my hair as him arms came around my back to.
We stayed like that for another couple of minutes until my phone started vibrating in my pocket making us both jump. Parker moved his head away from the top my mine where he had been leaning it and took the phone out of the pocket for me.
His amused look came back as soon as he saw the caller ID.
“Yeah thanks for the privacy Parker.” I said taking the phone out of his hand.
“Sorry.” He muttered once again resting his head on top of mine. For once his tallness didn’t annoy me and I just answered the phone without looking at the ID. I realized what a mistake that was after I said hello and Brendon’s voice answered again. Okay really not the time......
“Oh hey Brendon.” My voice when high pitched as Parker laughed picking up a piece of my hair and twirling it around him little finger.
“Rose jeez are you trying to contact the animals or something?” contact the animals...... okay.... health in check.
“Ummm sorry.” Well what else could I say did I always have to turn convocations with Brendon awkward or something? Hell yeah...
Suddenly a loud blasting noise blasted its way out of my phone making me drop it and yep backwards away from Parker’s comforting arms.
“Jesus!” I yelped pushing my hair out of my eyes where it had fallen after my jumping trip.
I bent down still holding my hair away from my face to pick up the phone still not putting it to my ear since I could hear from here how loud the music Brendon was playing. God that boy must be freaking deaf by now! Was he crazy?
I was still not putting the phone anywhere near my ear as Parker laughed taking it from me and putting it on the table as he leaned in to press his lips to mine. It wasn’t like the other kisses we had had this was sweet and tender. His hand gently cupped the side of my face as the kiss went on and on.
“Rose? Sorry bout that..... Are you still there?” I groaned as Parker pulled his lips away from mine and leaned over to pick the phone back up. He place it in the palm of his hand waiting for me to take it. I looked down at it like it might bite my head off which of course made him laugh and of course Brendon heard that.
“Quit the pouting it’s too cute.” He whispered this time putting the phone to my ear.
“Err sorry Brendon what was up with that drastic music?” I took the phone from Parker’s hand as he leaned back against the table looking very amused. Well at least he wasn’t looking like a lost kitten anymore. Though I was not too sure which one I disliked more......
I rolled my eyes at him but he simple laughed and took like hand pulling me to him as Brendon muttered over the not so blearing music,
“Sorry I turned it on not realizing how loud it was. Couldn’t find the button to turn it down Its new and all.....” I rolled my eyes as Parker again picked up my hair and started blowing it in my face. I elbowed him softly well even if it wasn’t softly I doubt he would have thought that it was hard. Damn muscle freak. Like I had thought he just laughed and carried on. It was so obvious that he wanted his presence know to the other person on the phone.
“Sorry Brendon I'm going to have to call you back. Parker’s being a pain see ya.” This made him smile and rap me up again in his arms as I quickly hang up the phone and plonked it on the side of the table that Parker was not leaning against.
“So I'm being a pain huh?” I looked up from his chest and raised my eyebrow as if this was not obvious. He ruffled my hair which just made me look at him as if he was mad and then pull my hand up to my hair to pull it out of my eyes.
“You are so being an pain.” I said as I leaned up to give him a peck on the lips. Once he realized what I was doing he leaned down to help me with the height difference.
I moved away after that opening the fringe while Parker laughed,
“Your face when you I handed you the phone. God you look more scared of that than the idea of my brother killing you.” I turned round to scowl at him but the damn fringe beeped saying that I had kept it open to long and if I did not close it, it would carry on beeping at me. Well okay. I turned back around and leaned against the fringe as I polled the lid of one of the two 7up’s I had reserve out of the fringe. The other I chucked at Parker who with his annoyingly good catching skills court it in one hand and opened it in the other.
“Show off....” I muttered under my breath turning away to pick up my phone which I had just heard vibrate making it known that I had text.
“Excuse me. Did you just call me a show off?” I heard Parker’s foot steps before I turned round to come face to face with him. He had put down his drink and was looking at me like I was supposed to answer him.
“Maybe.....” I said turned back to my phone where a text from Stacy had come through.

Webcam get on it now. I need to show you something! x

I felt Parker’s arms go round me before I felt my feet left off of the ground.
“Ahh Parker what the hell?” I laughed as he swung me round.
“Making you take it back. Show off me?” I laughed again and quickly squealed,
“Okay okay I take it back I take it back” he put me down on the ground and but didn’t take his arms away from my waist but instead rested his head innocently on my shoulder looking sideways at me as I attempted to elbow him which he dogged.
“Quit it with the innocent eyes.” I told him moving away and putting my phone in my pocket. As he took his hands away from my waist and followed me upstairs to the work room and the computer. The computer in my room was really slow whenever you put it on webcam so I tended to use the one in here.
It only accrued to me just before I turned on the webcam and Stacy’s face popped up that Parker was behind me looking pretty please with himself. Argh!
“Okay.... Wowkay! Boyfriend alert. Thanks for the warning R!” I laughed as Parker sat down in the chair next to me and started playing with a pen. Of course the space he picks to sit is still in view of the cam as Stacy can still see he concentrated face. Well okay act normal will you......
I shook my head and turned back to the computer screen where Stacy to was looking at Parker then ‘stage whispered’
“Is he okay?” which of course he looked up to and smile. I kicked him under the table but he just turned to me and laughed picking up my hand and replacing it for the pen. Smiling to himself about who knows what.
I pushed my hair out of my eye again with my other hand and asked,
“You said you wanted to show me something?” before she could notice anything else about Parker that made her think that he was crazy. I mean I was the crazy one here.
“OH yeah of course! God you got me forgetful with all this about your new boyfriend I mean I really didn’t like Brendon he was a right jerk. No wait he still is a right jerk trying to get you back and all. OH sorry rose! I'm so slow your boyfriend’s sitting right there and here I am talking about your old one. Sorry!” I could have sworn my cheeks had gone a bright red as usual but when I looked up at the screen the picture of me just showed a pale me. Well great now I was going pale. How is that even possible when it so hot outside. The sun was still blearing in on us as we sat here.
I was wearing a blue short sleeved shirt and a denim skirt. I had been wearing a cardi but had taken it off when it became too hot while tidying my messy room. Meanwhile Stacy was still apologizing for blurting out the fact that my Ex was an arrogant ass. I court a look at Parker’s smug faces out of the corner of my eye and smile seeing that her ‘saying’ had done no damage.
“Stacy. It’s okay. Back on target?” I reminded her while smiling to show that really it was okay.
“Yes of course sorry I’m doing it again! I do this all the time sorry. Right target....... umm..... OH yeah! “ she disappeared from the screen and I heard her rummaging around looking for something.
Parker quickly checked that she was not on the screen before pulling my hand up to him lips to kiss it. I smiled a little bit and rolled my eyes as I heard soft swearing from the other end of the speakers.
“S you okay?” I ask looking at the screen as she stumbled back onto the screen with a huge picture in her hands.
“Yeah! Look at this! Io mean look at it! Now tell me you do not think he is beyond gorgeous!” she had enlarged a picture of the boy from the beach. His eight pack was shown pretty clearly in this picture and I simple had no words for it.
But of course Parker had some. Eak!
I heard him laugh under his breath but he didn’t say anything then. Until he leaned forwards to whisper into my ear,
“your friend has some weird taste.” Before leaning back smiling. I looked at him but couldn’t think of anything to say so I turned round to the computer where Stacy was still grinning. Err I could think of anything to say here either..................
Well I'm stuck............
 
Chapter Twelve: Thursday 6:18pm
The phone call came through at 6:18pm exactly. I had been sitting on the settee with Parker watching some crap documentary about how the world would explode in 2020 when the home rang making me dislodge myself from under Parker’s arm and get up to get it.
When I answered the woman on the other end was talking in a very calm soothing voice. Though the news she had to tell me was no where new calm or soothing it was far far from in.
Parker got the next door neighbour to take us to the hospital in his posh leather fitted convertible. He played music the whole way trying to start up convocation but I could not even begin to start t form words together at this point. It was too stupid and crazy to have this idea in my head. I blocked the world out and just stared at the back of the seat in front of me.
There was one loose thread in the man’s perfect car that annoyed me. It was a different colour to the rest and stuck out like a sore thumb. I stared at that same thread the whole car journey waiting for the moment when I would have to get out and leave the comfort of this warm car to one of my greatest fears.
We Parker a little way away from the doors. I could hear Parker talking to the Man in the front seat as I got out and waited for him to as well. There was a rock on the ground that I started kicking back and forth back and forth and back again. The movement its self was awkward and stiff like a robots. For that was what I felt like at that moment. No emotion no feeling no words. Nothing.
Parker finally exited the car door to my right but I didn’t notice straight away my mind was so concentrated on this rock under my foot. I had given up on trying to kick it and simple stood on it waiting for the faint crack as it crushed under my foot. The crash never came. I kicked the stone away. It was useless to me now what was the point in stupid stone anyhow?
I thought I heard Parker calling my name but I ignored it only looking up when he touched my arms gently and drifted forwards towards the hospitals glass doors. The glass in them were speared with finger prints. Thousands of them all from different people people coming here with hope and joy and some with no feeling at all. I concentrated on those people. The lucky ones.
I watched as person after person entered those doors. Injury after injury coming in and going out. There were no familiar faces from times that had past. Not that I could have remembered any of them. I only had one face in my mind and that face was taking up every thought I possessed. Every time I closed my eyes to blink the same face popped up staying with me even when my eyes were open.
I saw nothing of the inside of the hospital only that face. It blocked out any other image I may have seen. Only that face. We had reached the room the face herself occupied. Her head turned away hooked up to so many wires.
Parker had had to leave me to walk the hall alone. I could not feel more alone than I did now. Her frail body curled up on itself as the shakes of her heart beat shook her frame. The loud noise of her rapid breathing as she fault to stay there. And all I could do was sit there and wait.
Just be there. Waiting. In time she would wake up and in time she may not. The emotion had still not returned to my lifeless body as I continued to sit there waiting. Nothing changed. A few nurses came in to check on her breathing how could they not see how much pain she must be in. the face and arms turning black and blue from the impact. Her arm in a sling hanging lifeless at her side. The lines in her forehead were not the only give a ways. The nurses told me that her heart was not as strong as it had been that it could fail any second.
The clock ticked by second after second minute after minutes. No change. I stared at the same spot on the wall for hours. The cream paint was supposed to look comforting. Homely it looked anything but. They had missed one spot. One spot where the green paint was showing threw. The wall did not seem complete without it. I stared and stared as my vision became more and more blurry as I refused to blink unless there was no other choice.
Feeling was starting to come back to me by about hour four. I wish it wouldn’t.
The pain of my heart braking yet again in two years was almost unbearable. Pieces of my heart were flying all around my body jabbing in were ever they could coursing more pain than I already had. Yet another member of my family had almost been taken from me. The pain this thought coursed me made me gasp. Huge welling tears started to spring from my eyes as the situation dawned on me. I could lose her. Really lose her.
I paid no attention to the wall I had been staring at for the whole time I had been sitting in this chair. I took no notice of the welling tears trickling down my face as I looked at my Mother laying there. She looked so cold and hurt on that bed with the hospital gown tiding her bruised and broken body.
I started tucking the sheets around her more tightly in some hope that it would warm her. The sheets were so thin and stiff under my fingers that it was a wonder it even protected her one little bit. She was still curled around herself. Protecting herself from the outside world that would come to harm her. She looked so old laying there on those white sheets stained with her blood. She had been so happy the last time I had seen her this morning. Happy to be getting back to the way we had used to be. The pain started to jab at my heart again coursing me to gasp with the pain.
The pain was a good thing it meant I didn’t have to think didn’t have to consider that fact that my mother’s life might end right here. Right now.
I started to star again. Just stare. Nothing in this room meant anything to me apart from the woman on the bed who’s breathing kept picking up coursing panic to rush threw my vain and then slowing back down. The floors in this room was hard and cold. I could feeling it radiating up from my feet and through my legs.
I could hear the commotion outside this ward as yet another person is lost to this place. There are some people that just cannot be saved that’s what Mum had told me after Dad had died. Now she was in that very same position.

Her heart stopped beating free hours later. all the beepers in the room started going off on red alert and within seconds the room was flooded with people nurses doctors and even some doctors in training. The room was on high alert as my Mother took her last breath and her whole body just seemed to give up. Caving in on itself.
Meanwhile all I could think was that this was not happening. That this could not be happening. It was not fair how quickly someone’s life could just be snatched away from them without a second glance. I was not human to just leave a woman lying by the side of the road after you have just hit her with your car. How could someone even do this. It coursed anger to seep from my body as they wheeled the machine that was my Mum’s only chance at life nearer to her. They ushered me out of the room telling me to wait there. They would do everything they could to save my Mum. But there best was not good enough for my Mum died on that bed. Lying there alone and cold. Never to see anything again.
Nothing after that makes any sense to me. It all went in a blur. From the moment they came out and told me it was over to the moment I got home. You asked me how I had made it there I would have given you the honest answer of ‘I don’t know’. Somehow Parker had gotten to me as I walked out of there and guided me home.
I had fallen asleep on the settee with Parker’s arms around me hugging me to him. We hadn’t said a word to each other since he got me away from the hospital but it didn’t matter. It didn’t feel like anything mattered. My emotions had gone once more and I was once again a robot.
 
Chapter Thirteen: Friday 3:01pm
I wake to the soft snoring of Parker who was acting as my pillow. I had my head on his chest as we sat on the settee in my family living room. Well now my living room..... The pain from last night quickly returned making any thought of anything but grief disappear to be replace by that face. The face that I would never forget.
I had no idea what I should be thinking but no matter where my thoughts lead me it always came back to the simple thing. Mum.
This was simple I was dreaming.
These dreams were getting more and more real by the second. Cody must really be sick minded to come up with things like this.
“Rose?” I heard Parker say as I leaned up away from him. As the silence was broken.
“Yeah?” my voice sounded steady and normal compared to the dream like me who had just seen her Mum die right in front of her. I shook with the memory and let parker pull me willingly back into his arms resting my cheek on his shoulder as I found myself once again perched on his comfy lap.
“Parker oh come up I’ll crush you” I mutter moving off his lap and back onto the settee.
“Rose?” he asked me looking at me like I was mad. Well yeah I was going to be if theses dreams carried on. Well actually this dream in particular.
“Rose? Hun? Are you .................okay?” I rolled my eyes at him and started to move out of his arms as the phone started to ring. He had other ideas and tighten his grip on me looking up at me with pleading eyes.
“I’m okay.” He let go of me grudgingly I might add which made my insides warm. I quickly walked out of the room smile at him behind me and picked up the phone from its hock.
“Hello?”
“Rose oh my god Hun are you okay? Is Parker there? I only just found out.” Sophie chattered on.
“Okay.... yeah he’s here.....” okay totally normal...
“Can you put him on the phone please?” I walked back into the living room where Parker was still sitting on the settee staring at the ground like it had insulted him.
“Parker?” his head shoot up like I had surprised him and he was on his feet in less than a second and the other part of a second to step forwards and pull me into his arms.
“Sophie wants to talk to you.” I say passing him the phone. He takes it with wearily hands and puts it to his ear saying,
“Sophie?” she must be talking since I can only hear a muffled sort of speaking on the other end which I cannot make out a word.
“I don’t know..... She-“ he looked down at me in his arms like he was trying to solve a puzzle that was like 1000 pieces. “She seems okay..... that’s what I'm worried about.” He sounded worried but he had nothing to be worried about. It had all been a dream.
I play punched him and simple said,
“I'm dreaming.” Slowly and clearly like I was trying to convince myself. he made a laugh with no humour and pulled me tighter saying into the phone,
“She thinks she dreaming. Oh god! What am I supposed to do?” he whined into the phone while I stared at the ground. This was a dream. It’s a dream. It’s a dream! It is! Oh my god! My heart felt like it was being pulled into as the realization came to me.
“OhmygodOhmygodOhmygodOhmygod!” I whispered against Parker’s chest noticing little details around the room as if for the first time.
“Oh god I have to go. Rose? Look at me!” I started to fall to the ground only held up by two strong hands. “Rose!” I heard just before everything went blank.

I opened my eyes to find myself in the same meadow as I had been before. I remembered every aspect of that dream like it really was one of my close memories it was the same with all of the other dreams Cody had planted in my brain over the last couple of days. I looked around me not really taking in anything but the fact that I was alone. Alone as I felt.
Eve feeling I had had over the last week the happiness with Parker the upset over my Dad had left me. My mother’s death had taken it all away. Leaving nothing in its wake.
“Well well look who’s dreaming again.” My head snapped round looking for the face I knew that went with that deep echoing voice.
Sure enough there Cody stood only meters away from me.
“I would have warned you about your mothers upcoming death but well I thought I’d let you find out the hard way. the same way my parents had to find out.” My face had transformed from emotionless to pain in seconds I could feeling my mouth pulling down as the memories crushed me. My eyes were welling up as I thought of my Mother’s lifeless body lying in front of me in that darn hospital. I thought of the house that she would never walk though again. I hoped she would be happier where she was with Dad. Happier that she no longer had to worry about the phobia the memories that scared her so were gone for her now.
How much better she must be.
“Oh it’s not that bad. Brighten up it could have been you that the car hit. Come on now think happy thoughts.” His voice was going on and on making every word he said sink in just that little bit more.
“I wish it had been me and not her.” The thought suddenly dawned on me. “You. You did this to her! You monster!” the thought didn’t surprise me but it did hurt more that this had been intentional and not just a spear of the moment thing by someone that didn’t even know her.
“No not me. Though it could have been I hadn’t been so damn weak! You know my brothers little stunt the other day in saving your life. It means nothing. It does not mean you mean a thing to him!”
I closed my eyes. His word stung like I never would have thought. I had feelings for Parker more than I had with any other boy. He made me happy and right now he was probable either freaking out of laughing at how stupid I was like Cody was saying.
“Well let’s see what’s next on my agenda of ‘how to hurt Rose today’ you know you are way too easy. I never thought I could have you wrapped around my little finger so quickly. It’s actually pretty useful.” He laughed bloody horrid laugh that sent chills down my spine.
“Err I know just you wait till you see these pretty pictures. They’re coming right up!”
Slowly the meadow started to blacken out and new images came into focus. A road. It looked familiar but I couldn’t place it..... I saw a figure waiting towards the crossing near the front of the images I was seeing. It was only when the woman turned to look straight at me that I realized who it was. She took a step out and onto the road. I screamed out to stop her but it was no use. This was only a memory I could do nothing with it. The car would come round that sharp bend anytime now and hit her square on. I closed my eyes but the image didn’t go away. There was no escaping it I would see my mother being knocked down weather I liked it or not.
Sure enough there was the car now. swerving round the bend at a ridicules speed. Mum turn just in time to see it coming at her. The look on her face would haunt me for every waking moment. The sound of her bone being crushed under the heavy wheels of the car was ear piercing. I made my heart break for what felt like the millionth time today. The picture quickly faded into one of my Mum lying on the ground blood everywhere. I could feel tears trailing their way down my cheeks but didn’t care I would never forgive myself for this. I would never forgive that driver for speeding of without a glance.
“You see now Rose. You see what it’s like to have Part of you die. I guess we are nearly even now. You have lost everything to.” Cody’s voice started to echo around my head as the image faded away and black nothingness took its place.

“Rose!” I heard someone shout taking away any peaceful thoughts and memories of the past. Hollowness was starting to sink in again and the blind spots in my vision were really the only thing I would look at. Even Parker’s handsome face hovering above mine could not take my mine off my Mum. Her smiling face turning to one of shock and then pain. The sound of her bones being crushed as the tyres wheeled by. Big tear drips started to well up in my eyes and slowly spill over.
“Sweetheart. Come on come here.” I felt hands pulling me closer to Parker but no comfort came from them. Just grief. Pure and full. The tears were still trickling there way down my cheeks but I had no control over them to even think about stopping their awful tracks.
“Rose. Sweetie. Come on look at me. Please tell me what to do!” right if I tell him what to do that would mean I knew what to do myself. Not a chance there then. But I looked up anyway where of course I find him eyes full of worry and completely forget what Cody had said about me not meaning a thing to him. I didn’t care now and juts snuggled up to his side closing my eyes. I heard soft humming as a tune I had never heard before.
We were silent for a long time not saying anything just sitting with each other blocking out the outside world that was so cruel. Finally when Parker spoke he asked me about the dream. When I spoke to answer him I didn’t even recognise my voice it was all thick and slow and the worst part was I couldn’t even detect a single part of emotion hiding in its depts. Before I knew it I was telling him every aspect of the damn dream in the same hollow voice. Every detail I uttered made Parker’s face transform into something even more animal like. When I had finished I started to regret not trying to stop my damned hollow voice from saying it all at all. I was such a freaking idiot! From the look on Parker’s face I would not have put it past him to start punching walls again. Instead I was surprised by how it softened and he simple pulled me closer and onto his lap where I just looked at him in the best apologetic look I could muster. It was not good enough I should be trying more he has helped so much. I'm just difficult.....
“Hey get that look of your face. It’s fine. And don’t start taking it back I'm glad you told me.” Well I'm not. I swear only yesterday I had noticed the sadness in Parker’s eyes. How could I have made it freaking worse by telling him this! Was I really turning into that much of a bitch?!?!
“Really stop it...... please.” He begged tucking my head under his chin to keep it there.
“When Sophie gets here I got to go out for one minute. I swear it will only be a minute. I’ll be right back. I have my phone so you can still call my cell. ....... You’ll be okay right?” I could tell from his voice that he was freaking out. I moved my head away from under him chin and looked up at him saying,
“Of course I’ll be okay. Really.” Just keep telling yourself that. Because you know all of a sudden I really don’t care if Cody gets me. My heart had been torn in two to many times. Then I realized that he had said that Sophie was coming here. Well okay. Parker laid my head back under him chin and started smoothing my hair again. I closed my eyes feeling little tingles down my neck where his fingers grazed. The voice of Cody came back t me repeating the words that had stung just that little bit more. ‘It does not mean you mean a thing to him!’ maybe I didn’t maybe it was just guilt that had him comforting me? If possible my heart felt like it was cracking more. Changing shape. Changing my point of view as it did so. Slowly I leaned away from Parker and stood up. He tried to keep his arms around me but I shook him off and started walking towards the first exit I could see to the room. I exited quickly not wanting to look back.
The kitchen was cold when I entered. The window had been left open from last night. I blinked back tears as I remembered only hours ago when my life still felt real. I had not been in this dream like state where I had no idea when I was dreaming and when I was not. I wished I was. Dreaming that is. Give anything to wake up in a minute and just find out that it had all been a terrible nightmare. I would probable laugh with Parker about it or just think secretly how crazy Cody was starting to turn out to be. How sick and twisted his mind must work. I would give anything for that. Yet I knew this would not happen. I could feel it in my heart. This was not the dream. This was life. A life I now had to live on my own. A sleepless life with every waking hour changing path changing my life just that little bit more.
Would Mum have gone out to get the milk if I had gotten it in earlier? Would she have gone out if I had said simple I would get it? Would she? Would that have changed everything if I had just delayed her that vital few minutes?
Before I knew it huge sobs had taken over my body and I came crashing down to the floor with my head in my hands. The breath in my throat was catching making loud gasping noise as I clambered for air. Hands came around me as I curled around myself more. Crushing my legs with my arms as I hugged myself to me.
“Rose. Shhh” Parker’s inviting arms came around me taking me up to his protective chest. My body was heaving with the sobs still running through my body as the memories just get worse and worse. The pain of being alone was deafening. Ever cell in my body was crying out with pain. Closing my earlier worries about Parker right up and allowing me to just curl around Parker’s arms instead. Letting him calm me some. Waiting for the pain to disappear. Of course they would not.
That thought haunted me for some time after Parker had pulled me into his welcoming arms. Until the memories were forgotten? Was that really what I wanted? To not even have the memories of the family I had loved and lost so soon? How could I want that! They were all I had now. I would not be like my mother. Scared of them they were the only love I had now. Only in memories. Only in the past.
A new set of tears cascaded down my cheeks soaking into Parker’s shirt. He was no longer wearing the same top with the middle finger on but now a pale green button down shirt. Soaked with salty tears.
“Shhh baby shhh” he ushered but I simple cried more and more burying my face deeper into his shirt trying to stop my shaking shoulder. No use. Every move I made just made it that much more impossible to breath. To the knowledge in my mind of why I should. Well I sounded suicidal right now..... that’s just a great turn in life.
“Rose?” I heard Parker whisper into my hair as he pulled it away from my shoulders and pushed it down my back. I shuddered at his touch completely forgetting that I had in fact just walked out of the room where I had been snuggled up under Parker’s arm because I thought his feelings were not true.
It’s not hard to believe. That a boy like Parker. A boy who always got the ‘hot’ girls would go for me. It just didn’t happen. Not even when a girl like me is totally in her right mind and has not just had the thought of suicide. Well that just adds to my case right. I could not believe this right now though. Being held against his supportive chest while he muttered nonsense into my hair. It was hard to think anything after I noticed this. My breathing started to slow from its late fast rhythm and back into a normal. Or close another. Speed.
My eyes felt dry as I slowly blinked several times clearing my thoughts trying to make some sense of my freaking life. Well that was already a lost battle right there.
“Rose?” I heard him repeat as he started to once again start stroking my hair down my back and twirling the ends around his finger.
I lifted my head a little trying to let him now that he should go on without me having to attempt the impossible act of speaking aloud. I guess he got the message of simple just carried on whether or not I wanted to hear it. Now I think about it I was not so sure I did. I moved my head back down against his chest and waited for him to carry on.
“Okay.... right. Never mind. Not the time right?.?.?” He stammered. If my mind was not thinking about a million different things at once I would have been concerned as to why the strong steady Parker I had known so far to be stammering. However I still worried so looked up not even caring how my eyes must look. There were some people who look good or well at lease ok when they are crying but as you can tell I am not one of those people. There are also the people that look perfect twenty four seven. These were the type of people Parker should be with. Unlike those lucky girls my eyes always decided to swell up to about twice the size while the whites of my eyes go bright red.
“P-P-Parker? W-w-what is it?” I stammered sounding like a broken radio. Maybe I should not have attempted the act of speak just yet.....
“Hey shhh sweetheart..... it’s nothing. Just ignore me okay.” I laughed harsh laugh at the end and pushed his face down in my hair taking deep breaths that sent shocks through my body as I became very aware of how stupid I was acting. Was this what My Dad would have wanted to happen when he well died? What would my Mum want me to do? See me crying down on the kitchen floor while depending way to highly on a person that felt guilty about my many death threats I was still reserving? What would they both have thought of my pathetic behaviour? Happy? Sad? Disappointed? Or just not given a shit. Yeah I was swearing even if it was sin my head. I had tried to cut down on using words that annoyed mum when Dad had died. Swearing being many of them. Now I saw no point in it I had no one to tell me what to do. No one to prove myself to. No one to care. Well that’s such a nice thought to have while trying to convince myself that this crying is not what I am supposed to be doing right now. Wow Waitago me!
I pulled away from Parker a bit bending my head so I was facing full on with the floor. I mumbled something like ‘sorry one second’ before clambering to my feet and walking out the room and down the hall up the stairs and into the bathroom where I locked the door and went straight over to the mirror.
As I had expected my eyes were about twice the normal size and taking on the impression of a goldfish. There was no emotion in them. Nothing just hollow. And it scared me......
My cheeks were red as well not like it goes when I'm embarrassed but more of a blotchiness. I pushed my hair up and away from my blotchy face with y shaking hands and leaned against the sink behind me. This was crazy!
I wanted to cry but no tears came. I wanted to feel something but no feeling came. I wanted something anything thing at all but nothing came. I closed my eyes and waited. Five minutes I waited. Five minutes. Nothing came.......
I gave up and pushed away from the sink and walked to the door that had at some point swung open and was now revealing an empty hall. An empty house. No life and way too many memories. No matter how much I wanted to keep these memories the thought was too bad. My feeling had gone replaced with want. A robotic feeling that I was now going to have to use to survive. Well aren’t I dramatic tonight.
I clambered back down the stairs with my face a little less red and blotchy then when I had escaped up them. My eyes felt like I was in a hurricane as the cold air rushed against them cooling them before I had to face Parker again. The hallway I had to walk down to reach the kitchen was going past to fast no matter how slow I choose to walk. The door was inevitable and no sooner had I thought this it was right in front of me haunting me. Okay that is ridicules a door haunting me? Come on rose you are least have that much common sense left right? I could feel little bits of feeling pouring back into my body as I took a deep breath and pushed open the door.
No sooner had I entered the room to find Parker standing in the same spot as where I had left him I was swept up into his arms after he had bounded over with two large strides. His arms were crushed around me as he pulled me to him. Again I started to not care a little bit that he was only hugging me for guilt that didn’t mean I felt nothing for him. I don’t think I had ever felt this way about anyone before. Again this scared me. They always so that girls like the boy more they the boy likes the girl right?
He put his hands on my shoulders and pulled me a little bit away from where I had been hiding against his chest to look at my face. His face was serious with no humour what so ever. This reminded me of the time in the work room when ever thing had still been okay. Apart from the little fact that I was being hunted down by Parker’s brother but right now not so much my greatest worry. It was just starting to dawn on me that I was only seventeen. Not a legal adult meaning I could not live on my own. What was going to happen now?
“Rose your getting that far off look again back to earth anytime now.” I heard Parker say in a shaky voice clearly wanting to say something but confused or something. I shook my head a little and then looked back up at him to show I was listening to what he had to say.
“Okay right Rose listen. I lo-“ he was cut short by the door bell where I quickly slide out of his arms and scampered to the door.
“Rose!” Sophie squealed as she hurled herself through the door and wrapped her arms round me.
“Hey to you to.” I gasped. As her hold tightened and my breathing started to come out in little gasps.
“Sorry! Right so what first. Hot chocolate or heavy chocolate cake and I swear if you give me crap about it being fattening I’ll shoot you!” I gave a ‘laugh’ when she finished although my laugh sounded little more than a croak that could only be distinguished by frogs of some sort.
I heard Parker’s footsteps coming up behind me and his arms coming around my middle pulling me to him.
“Like I was saying-“ once again he was cut short by the beginning of I'm not a robot by mariner and the diamonds: I don’t even remember changing my ring tone....
You're vulnerable, you're vulnerable

You are not a robot

You're loveable, so loveable

But you're just troubled


Guess what? I'm not a robot, a robot

Guess what? I'm not a robot, a robot
I jumped and Parker groaned letting go of me and stepping back to lean against the wall where he stayed with his hand over his face while I pulled my phone out of my pocket and pressed the answer button. Looking over at Parker who was not looking at me but anywhere but.
“Well okay. This is awkward I'm going to go make hot chocolate and take this cake out.....” Sophie indicated with her left hand that she would be leaving to go to the kitchen. Well great now my feeling decides it is going to make a reappearance great timing!
“Hello?” I sputtered into the phone. Turning to face Parker who was looking somewhere above my head. Okay.
“Rose! Oh shit man turn that music down! Rose? You still there?” I squeezed my eyes shut and followed Parker’s example and leaned against the wall as Brendon continued to yell at whoever it was who wouldn’t turn the music down.
“Fuck you two! I am trying to speak to Rose her mum has just died give some respect!” I heard him yell in the background muffled by something but still audible. I leaned more heavily against the wall still with my eyes closed.
“Roes? You still there?” finally Brendon’s’ voice came back on just before I was about to press the hang up button, why did he have to keep ringing me?
“Yeah.” My robot voice was back with vengeance. Well maybe that had been why I had changed my ring tone....
My eyes were still closed as I felt arms pulling me against Parker where I laid my head trying to forget the nagging feeling that had stayed with me ever since the dream. What if it was true? what if Parker did just feel guilty? I mean its’ not like he’s doing anything right now to prove me wrong..... How many what ifs did I now have in my life? The answer is way too many.
“Rose I'm so sorry. To hear about your mum and all. I mean so soon after your dad......” Waitago Brendon with being subtle..... I must have crown up my face and shown some expression I was not aware of because Parker took the phone right out of my hand and press the screen to hang up. Leaving Brendon’s reason for ringing a mystery I really did not care about right now. I leaned against Parker’s chest as his arms once again curled around me rocking me softly.
“Rose-oops sorry!” Sophie came running up the hall then stopped dead when she saw me in Parker’s arms with an apologetic smile on her face. This was the way Sophie acted when she had no control over the situation in hand. She would go all apologetic and hyper jumping about like crazy trying to get everything done and then when that’s done find more things to do. Now she was backing back into the kitchen with the same apologetic smile I had seen so many time when she had come round after my dad’s death and comforted me. That had been back when I had had no idea the danger that would follow. Wow Waitago me! Well sarcasm wouldn’t help me now.... Much...
After Sophie had retreated back into the kitchen given me another apologetic look while closing the door I looked up at Parker who had buried his face in my hair only to look up now that my hair was gone.
“What was it you wanted to say?” I inquired looking at a spot just over his shoulder.
“Oh right.... I’ll tell you when I get back. Your okay with me going right. Your got my cell if you need to call.” His voice was distant as I untangled myself from his arms and leaned once again against the wall and looked up at him with his slightly too concentrated expression as he kissed me on the forehead and picked up his jacket from the hock on the side of the wall and opened the door while still holding my hand. Only letting go when he was half way out and finally looking me in the eye. He bent over to give me a quick kiss on the lips before exiting the door completely and closing it behind him. I pushed myself off the wall nearest to the door and made my way towards the kitchen where I could hear Sophie clattering about busying herself with mundane things.
I pushed the kitchen door open and found sure enough Sophie running round like a tornado getting plates and putting them on the table while the microwave started to ‘beep’ telling the house that it had done its job of heating up its contents in this case milk for the hot chocolate.
“Here I’ll get it.” I assured walking over to the microwave just as Sophie did the same thing while carrying two plates in her over hand.
“No it’s okay you go sit!” like I said hyper mode......
I went and perched on the edge of one of the chairs I would have before called comfy now they just felt like rock hard wood covered by a fin amount of fabric. To think about it that is pretty much all any of these things were. All the things my mum had worked to keep clean and neat were pointless. All the money her and dad had had to work for to just be spent of something that looked good. Pointless.....
Well I could be more dramatic dire drama queen if I liked but really? Not in the mood. I could say things like: my life is so over! Why me why why me!?! Or even something like: why was Parker being such an ass? Or was he? And poor poor me my family is dead! Yes I am going crazy! Please help me!
I shook my head and started rubbing my temple trying to shake the confused mess that was my brain back into some type of order. I wish myself luck!
“You look really tired.” Sophie pointed out when I looked up. She was finally standing still with two plates full of delicious chocolate cake and a cup of hot steamy chocolate already on the table. Sophie had replaced her apologetic face for one of concern which I simple dismissed with a roll of my eyes. Though to tell you the truth I started to feel tired just as she said it. Making my eye lids drop just that little bit more....
I leaned against the table and started picking at the cake she had just laid in front of me. I stared at the brown sponge with its oozing chocolate filling. On any other day I would have jumped for joy at the thought of not caring about the calories in this cake and to have jus scoffed the lot without a second glance. Now the thought of eating repelled me. Not because I wasn’t hungry but because I couldn’t think about actually putting that food into my mouth and chewing.... well here I go with the poor poor me again. Stop being such a stupid wimpy girl and do what your parents have wanted you to do. That would be.......
I heard the sound of a chair being pulled back over the tiled floor making a loud scraping noise as it collided once again with the hard surface. I heard the soft puff as Sophie sat down on its ‘cushioned’ surface of the chair and pick up her fork which made a metallic noise as it hit the plate. As I continued to observe my cake without eating any of it I noticed the noises around the now dusty room. The absence of my mother for one day was enough to make this place rebel with dist and non neatness. The room smelt of decay with smudges all over the windows. Clouds of white were billowing out of the pipes outside. When I had been younger I had imagined in my old house that the clouds were marshmallows with each a different flavour. This is where I believed real happiness would come from. It would come and scoop all your doubts and stress away. Whenever mum was mad and dad went out into the garden to just stare at the sky. I believed he thought the same as me.
Now I found this totally stupid. Life would be too simple if such things were true. Childhood fairy tales coming to life in everyday business.
As the clouds would change colour indicating the start of something new. A new time. A new season or even weather. I even had Sophie noticing all of the shapes when we went to the park playing in that green green grass as the birds and people in those ‘magical boxes’ as I had called them then, fly over head. The faces of class mates, animals and inanimate objects passing us by as we lay on the grass giggling like crazy at all the funny shapes we could see. To be fair we were only six and as innocent and naive as any other six year old. Lucky us.
I was bought back to the present by the sound of metal on china as Sophie put her fork back down on the plate finished with her cake after nervously eating bite after bite of the crummy mess.
“Come on Rose! Don’t tell me you have gone off Chocolate Cake!” the way she said ‘chocolate cake’ could really only be represented in capitals since it was so obvious she was in love. I laughed a hoarse sounding laugh and finally lifted the fork up to my mouth taking the first bite.
The theme tune to the Simpsons suddenly sounded breaking the silence that had started to build up over the short time it had taking Sophie to demolish off her cake and for me to even decide to take a bite. Which you tell you the truth I am very glad I did. God it tasted good!
“Sorry! Ahhhh” Sophie yelped as she reached into her hand bag which was coved in purple flowers entwined at the top and building their way out as they reached closer to the bottom. She pulled out her flip phone giving me her apologetic look before flipping it open and holding it up to her ear saying a quick hello. I tuned out after that and started staring at the tiled ground.
Each tile had its own unique corner. Either with a flower or some kind of pattern you could only make out after concentrating hard on each one in turn as none of them are the same in a single way. This was another big reminder of my mum since she had argued with dad for weeks. Not letting him anywhere near the kitchen since he was not letting her get a painter in to pain the tiles each with its own pattern. I had woken up in the night many times to hear dad heading down the stair to sneak snakes from the kitchen since he was no longer allowed while mum was around. Which annoyingly for him was most of the time. Sometimes he was not so lucky and when emerging from the kitchen with his hands laden with snaky goodness. He had the encounter with mum who even form up stairs in bed I could just tell the expression on her face as she started to yell her head off at dad who retreated slowly back into the kitchen to replace all the food he had somehow managed to pick up. Slowly mum ware him down by what she called a good compromise. Where as everyone else decided to blame it on my dad’s stomached. He gave in seven weeks before his accident. Seven weeks of seeing our family friends hand work every time he walked into the kitchen to finally eat his food in peace. Dad had given in with the painting but not fully as he had insisted instead on only the corners. Each showing different aspects of a scene my parents loved so much. A meadow with flowers growing wildly from the corers and a family sitting peacefully in the middle. Their picnic laid out in front of them as they enjoyed their Sunday lunch. Seemingly unaware that they were in the process of being painted.
Just tis kitchen had so many reminders of the time both my parents had spent here. one room that held so much. One place. One thing holding my mind together at that particular second. soon to be replayed by something else. Something less likely to stay. Less reliable. Well somehow my thoughts always seemed to turn back to Parker even when he was not anywhere in my sight. Thoughts of his comforting arms coming round me as I cringed from the phone call. His lips in my hair as I leaned against his muscled chest trying to find comfort with him stroking my hair. I closed my eyes at the memory trying to bring them back to life as Sophie carried on with her phone call still giving me nervures glances ouch of the corner of her eye as I leaned back against my chair still with my eye closed.
The peaceful silence was interrupted again by Sophie squealing loudly,
“Oh my god! Brendon down even think about it! This is not the time!” she shoot a glance over at me as I realized who she was speaking to making me groan aloud and push my chair away from the table with enough force that it hit the wall behind making it shake as I stood up and walked to wards the dish washer dropping the glass into the bottom if the dish washer and scooping the rest of my cake into a container and pulling the fringe door open to shove it in before I found out what it was that had Sophie yelling at Brendon about a bad idea. If she thought whatever it is a bad idea I am sure I would find it a whole lot worse making me grudgingly curious but at the same time hoping I would not find out what he was planning. Okay maybe let’s just settle with no finding out always safer.
When I turned around I Came face to face with Sophie who had sneaked up behind me and sheepishly held out the phone. Oh god......
After ‘me’ hanging up on him earlier you would have thought he would have got the message that I was not in the mood to speak to him but nooo he rings Sophie guessing that’s she’s with me. Damn you Brendon damn you!
I took the phone from Sophie’s hand and lifted it to my ear grudgingly while rolling my eyes half heartedly at Sophie.
“Hello?” I whispered into the phone hoping that he would just think that one of us had once again hung up and hang up himself giving me a excuse to why I did not want to or plan to talk to the tactful idiot.
“Rose finally what happened before?” well so much for that..... I sighed and started to make up the excuse of having no signal when he said,
“Oh never mind! You know Rose I think Parker’s a really bad influence on you. I mean both your parents are dead for crying out loud! So he leaves you alone. Where’s his mind gone?” Right not going to yell. Not even going to comment.
“Right anyway not seeing how that’s any of your business Brendon so if that’s all you wanted to say....” please tell me that’s all you have to say.... please.....
“Sorry but it’s true. I know you think I'm pocking my head in where it’s not wanted but come on look at it from my point of view okay. We have been friends for ever Rose. I don’t like some guy being a jerk to you.” I stared to calm down seeing that I was being silly with my emotions so high. “I mean I was better for you than that. Right? You don’t need some guy treating you like trash..... Well anyway I just wanted to say I'm here if you need me. Okay?” oh god and there it goes again. That boy could not learn to keep his mouth closed. Could he? I sighed and simple hang up the phone while he was still speaking. Not the time. Not his fault. Had he always been such a freaking ass?
I heard Sophie laugh and looked up to see her leaning against the table amused since I had just asked that out loud. Oops.....
“Yes he has always been a jerk or ass, whatever you were just kind of distracted to notice.....” I laughed now. not a hollow laugh this time but a true one. Well feeling was starting to come back. Just not sure whether that’s a good or bad thing.
Thoughts of Parker somehow managed to return to my mind. Could I ever get him out. The thought made me smile though so not sure a bad thing.
“god your thinking of Parker aren’t you? Can you get him out of your mind? Really really conscious of the fact I'm single over here!” I laughed again feeling a blush creeping its way up my cheeks. I looked down my usually response to embarrassment only to find Parker implanting himself in my thought just that little bit more. Strange fluttering feeling was starting to make its way through my body. I stared even more at the tiled floor picturing his face over and over. The curve of his lips when he looked down at me amused. The way he could raise one eye brow making it obvious I was acting strange but really I would act strange just to see his eye brow. Okay sounding the tiniest bit strange here but hey.
“Oh my god! You have that look!” I looked up from the floor ungrateful from being distracted from Parker’s face.
“What look?” I asked curious of what emotion my face was giving away...
“That look! The one that says you love him! Oh my god you do! That is soooooo sweet! It’s about freaking time as well Rose!” I looked at her at first as if she was mad. Then as my thoughts took over I realized something. She was right. I did love him even if I had known him for such a short period of time. Well there was also that slim chance that he was with me for comfort..... Like I cared my brain had made up its mind unable to change willingly.
I laughed nervously and leaned back against the fridge down without looking at Sophie. I nearly jumped half a foot in the air when the door bell rang making Parker’s arrival well known to the house. I quickly glanced up at Sophie who was fighting hard not to smile and walked out of the kitchen and straight to the door where my mind had already made up its mind. Picturing the person behind it already the silhouette was the only true thing I could make out as I put my hand on the door lock and turned sharply.
“Hey” he said as I pulled the door open. He scooped me up into his arms nearly straight away and walked inside still with his arms tightly around my waist.
“Miss me?” without allowing me to provide him with an answer since his lips came down to mine and pulling me closer as my hand slip up around his neck to keep his head down to my level. His hand slowly moved from my waist up top my cheek cupping it there as his lips still moved quickly on mine. He came up for air a couple of seconds later only to look into my eyes. I could have sworn I saw something in them. Some sort of emotion. More than I had seen before when he looked at me. Again I had that tingly feeling passing through my body making me shiver and his arms tighten around me.
“Do you think I can manage to tell you what I wanted to say this time without there being interruptions?” I nodded and he leaned his head down to my ear whispering,
“I love you. Really I do.” His voice was soft on my neck as he slowly pulled away to see my reaction. Energy rushed through my body again. Different this time and before I knew it my hand had come up to Parker’s cheek making a loud smack noise. Anger. Great so now he thinks he can just tell me he loves me without even fucking meaning it! How could he?!?!
My mind was spinning with the emotion rushing through my body. At the back of my mind I could tell that my reasonable self had gone and I was in no state to be making up my mind on anything right now. Whereas the rest of my mind was telling me that Parker was a totally asshole! Parker was looking at me in surprise as I turned my back on him and walked away back into the kitchen.
I pushed open the door to find a bewildered Sophie standing by the dishwasher pitting her plate in the sliding tray.
“What the....” she had noticed my pissed of expression as soon as I walked in the door and then wiped her head round to glare at Parker who was just entering the kitchen with the same surprised look on his face.
“What have you given her?” he finally asked breaking the bloody silence with his voice. Just because a couple of minutes ago I had wished he loved me and the fact that I loved him was still strong in my mind didn’t mean that I wanted him to say it if he didn’t mean it.
Sophie shrugged at him still glaring but now looking a little confused since Parker’s cheek was becoming a little red from where my hand had collided with it. He now turned to me his face turning into pissed father than surprised. Whatever!
“Rose isn’t that what you wanted me to say? Why’d you go crazy do you just think that going out with me is some kind of fling or something? Coz I don’t really see it that way.” he said his voice raising high as he spoke.
“What you think it’s me that thinks that? Are you kidding me? How many times has your brother told me I mean nothing to you? You expect me not to even think that he might be saying the truth.” I voice was as steady as a crazy angry voice goes and I could see Sophie becoming uncomfortable and sneaking out the room with a roll of the eyes and closed the hall door behind her.
“What?! Since when has Cody said that? Why haven’t you told me this? You really think I'm just telling you I love you because... because what? You think I'm that heartless?” umm I'm not in my right mind right now I don’t now bloody well what. I closed my eyes still not completely calm but more than I had been when I had slapped Parker.
“Oh I don’t know.” Was all I could think to say apart from sighing loudly and reopening my closed eyes but that doesn’t really count right? I stared at a stop over the over side of the kitchen willing myself to calm down.
“I guess you just feeling sorry or something..............” my voice trailed off as I dared to glance over to the closed door where Parker was still standing regretting it quickly afterwards since the look on his face was one of disbelief. Well is that good or bad?
“Rose? Please tell me you don’t really think that? You don’t think I have any feelings for you? Rose sweetie are you crazy?” his voice was soft as he finally walked away from the door further into the room and closer to me.
“You’re really asking me if I'm crazy.” I laughed nervously as he came closer still. My eyes were still firmly placed on the floor as Parker came only inches away trying to lean down to look at my face.
He sighed, “We’ve both over reacting aren’t we?” when I nodded he laughed a full laugh that made the electricity run through my body as he pulled me into a huge bear hug. I buried my head against his chest as he lifted me off the ground still holding me tightly like I would just simply slip away from him if he loosened his grip the tiniest bit.
“You stupid girl. How could you honestly believe my Brother over what is right in front of you?” he pulled back his head a little so he could see my face better. I looked somewhere over his head as he moved sideways trying to get into my vision.
“And now you’re not looking at me...... do you still believe I was lying to you?” when I didn’t answer he carried on, “Rose how could I lie to you? I'm a shit liar to start off with!” I blinked finally looking him in the eyes.
“Parker I can’t tell anything right now........ I don’t know what’s a lie and what’s not and frankly I don’t care. Sorry but...... I have no idea.....” I pulled away from him hiding my head since I was once again glaring at the no longer glistening tiles. I walked over to the sink and looking at the picture dad had hang on the wall behind it. It had been stuck on with blue tack until a frame had been specially made to match the rest of the room. Looking at it now just made me more confused giving me no answers like all pictures do. Leave you guessing without a firm grasp on what it really means.
I didn’t hear his footsteps behind me but all of a sudden I was being pulled backwards by the waist and into Parker’s strong arms. I turned round just as his lips came down on mine. My back was to the cabernet behind me as his hands moved up my back and into my hair. Locking my face to his with one hand. While his other hand stayed at the small of my back making any space in-between us impossible. How he did not totally crush his hand between the cabernet and my back was as good as anybody’s guess. Anyway none of these thoughts were my main concern. The only thing my mind was fully concentrating on was Parker’s lips on mine. How soft they felt. The first time he had kissed me was being replayed in my head as our lips moved smoothly together.
His tongue made sweeping movements inside my mouth as he pulled me tighter still. Trying to force me into believing that his words were true. He cannot just kiss me into believing...... as if sensing my thoughts he kissed me harder or maybe he can......
It was becoming more and more apparent that I was falling in love with Parker. This feeling made me want what he had said to be true even more. Wishing never helped though. Each time Parkers hands touched me I felt electric waves right to my heart which was aching like crazy as the few seconds of having my lips planted on his were coming to an end as we both needed breathe. Damn humans!
Parkers lips slowly came away from mine but instead of pulling away completely he rested his forehead on mine keeping his eyes closed while blowing in my face softly catching his breath. I did the same until my breath court and my breathing once again became uneven as I struggled not to cough oh for crying out loud! Parker laughed softly pulling my head down to his shoulder and finally letting my feet touch the ground. I hadn’t even realised he had lifted me. Well okay that’s perfectly normal.
“Rose?” I raised my head to look him in the face. His large puppy eyes were looking down at me. His expression however was different. More serious. There was something else he wanted to say. I mean it though those damn puppy dog eyes already had me entrance by whatever he was about to say.
“Yeah?” I whispered unable to look away from his eyes as he pulled me tighter to his chest. I felt my eyes take on their innocent mask as his lips once again came down on mine this time only quickly it could barely be called a kiss.
“Can I ask you something?” like I was about to say no with those eyes....... I nodded as he picked up a strand of my hair and started twirling it around my fingers. Once and then again. Over and over.
“You’re seventeen. Not legally allowed to live on your own right? I know that’s not just over I the US since I was not allowed to move out of my parents place until this year. Anyway....... I have spare rooms in my apartment. My parents their not exactly poor. My place its on the edge of the cliff you know supported by theses beam things. Right going of track right?” I glanced up at him as he started stroking my hair back from my face. What was he on about? The question must have shown on my face since he laughed and stared again, “what I'm asking is...... or saying...... if you want to move in with me?.?.” I looked up sharply noticing him looking the other way then slowly gliding his eyes back to mine as I said,
“Are you serious?” my mind was buzzing with the confusion of whether he was joking or not. Well Waitago with the difficult questions when my mind does not seem to be in the working mood.
This was so not the time to be asking difficult questions to me even though it really was the only time and really if you think about it every question would be difficult right now. on the over hand however hadn’t I just determined that I was truly falling in love with Parker. Even thinking it in my mind was hard it seemed like I was giving something away. Something I wanted to keep. Taking a wild guess I would say that it was my heart that I was giving away. Giving it to Parker. Well there was no telling how this was going to end. No telling what strange answer would pop out of my mouth next.
“yeah I'm serious. I won’t ask if I wasn’t. I really mean what I said. I do love you no matter how crazy that sounds really I do.” He looked deeply into my eyes as he wound his arms more firmly around me. Still waiting for my reply. Well okay lets go with whatever crazy thought pops into my mind. That has always done more trouble than I could. Was that a good idea? What was a good idea after all? Standing here in Parkers arms while I go crazy? You know sounds great but answering and getting g this very awkward moment over with. I am still trying to work out whether I was happy that he was asking me or that I finally believed him since all my emotions seemed to have done a disappearing act again.
Before I k new it I had my head back on his shoulder as the full realization of not being able to live without a legal adult sank in. my breathing was starting to come in sharp gasps and Parkers hands smoothed out my fears and shed away my doubts. Parker was not legally allowed to take care of me but nothing could be done if I moved in with him before people noticed this.
I was really starting to think about this when Parker once again whispered into my ear, “I really do mean it Rose. I wouldn’t lie to you.” He leaned away slowly and slowly kissed my forehead and looked down at my eyes where were round with confusion and my brow was furrowed with concentration.
“Rose it’s a simple yes or no don’t over think it.” I laughed at his words as he used one finger to smooth out the wrinkles in my forehead and leaded his head down on mine. Humming a tune that I once again didn’t have a clue of the name.
I bit my lip making Parkers face take on its old amused structure I had come to k now and love. Well there’s that word again am I ever going to get I back out of my vocabulary after using it once? Well confusion is still a saint right now. it let me think about a number of things instead of just one. The one thing I was supposed to be thinking of at the moment. You know what I'm starting to get used to this confused phase I'm going threw it could help a lot.
“Parker you have no idea how much trouble I would be.....” I trained off as he made a full sounding laugh again.
“I have a feeling I do. You know growing up with a younger sister kind of prepares you for what to expect.” He laughed again at some far off memory I did not know.
“still. You already warned me about Cody and saved me.... I have lost count of how many times. It is way too much to ask that I invade your space as well. Parker its way too much to ask” when I finished he pulled up my face and looked right into my eyes as I squirmed under his touch.
“You are impossible. I'm asking because I want you to. Not because I think there is no other result because I know for a fact that you have a load of friends who could take you in without a second glance. Trust me I want you with me. and as from the fact that I told you about Cody you really think I won’t? that’s crazy talk Rose! Saving your life countless times. It was about two maybe three but anyone would have done it.” He paused to look down before collecting himself and continuing, “I couldn’t bare if anything happened to you Rose. I have said that to you before I know but before I had no idea what It felt like to be properly in love. To have your heart belong to someone else and only hope that they return it. Now I understand. Rose Hun I love you please believe me.” I looked up at his eyes and smiled laughing while closing my eyes again and ducking me head while Parkers hand strokes my hair back down my shoulders.
“Okay.” I whisper looking back up at him in time to catch the grin that spread across his face as he pulled me once again into the air and swung me round.
“Ummm sorry you two....” I turned still grinning to see Sophie standing in the door way to the hall. Parker put me down with a laugh keeping his arms firmly around my waist as I continued to look at Sophie and raised my eyebrow.
“Sorry Brendon is driving me crazy. He’s still calling up asking for you please can you tell him to fuck off.” She sounded exasperated and I groaned at the mention of Brendon’s name leaning my head against Parkers chest and hiding my face from the begging Sophie.
“Here.” I heard Parker say as he took one hand away from my back and held it out for the phone. I looked up then and raised my eyebrow at him now. what was eh playing at?
“Hello? Brendon? No this is not Rose you dummy. Parker. Right not happening. Would appreciate it if you would stop harassing my girlfriend and her friends.” There was a load of yelling from the other end of the phone and then parker held the phone away from his ear as I tried not to laugh at his expression before he said, “ good bye to you too” under his breath and handing the ‘cell’ as he called it back to Sophie who was doing the opposite to me and just letting her laughter fall across the room as she pressed the end call button and rolled her eyes at me before strutting back out of the room still full of laughter.
I laughed to and leaned my head against Parkers chest letting him stock my hair and pretty much send me off to sleep. Why was I always so tired lately? I opened my eyes and moved my head away from his chest in the hope that the kitchen would stop making me feel like I had just gotten off a rolla costa. Wow well no luck there. I swayed on my feet and had to lean against Parkers for support. His arms came more firmly around my waist again keeping me straight.
“Rose?” I heard him say as I blinked several times and was firmly planted on a seat but the table which he must have pulled out with his foot. How the hell did he mange that. When I sat down with Parker kneeling in front of me the walls finally started to stop shaking like the end of an earthquake. Even though I had never myself been in one I had literally just seen pictures.
This brought back memories from when I was younger and dad used to watch the football on the TV in the living room at our old house. He had next to no patience with it but would watch it anyway. Leaving him something over than the soaps to talk about with the people who rode in the back of his shiny black cab. You could hear him yelling at the screen and the ‘idiotic’ football players who didn’t do what he told them to. He always used to say that if they simple did as he asked they would win more matches. Even when I was younger I would simple just roll my eyes at him and play along by every Saturday morning sitting with him on the settee watching the ‘sport’ and yelling along with him. One morning however the football was interrupted by a news show telling the ‘great losses of hundreds of people’ in an earthquake. My dad’s face transformed from its jokey angry face to one of surprise. He got up of the settee and kneeled on the ground to watch the crazy picture flash past the screen. I remember looking down at him kneeling on our carpeted floor searching for something on the screen.
Mum came home not more than a second later to find him in that precision and looked at me still smiling from her day out at the shops catching up with friends and buying ‘necessary’s’ in other words anything that court their eyes. Her smile faded as she court sight of the headline on the screen and came quickly in to join my dad on the floor. I remember asking what was wrong but only getting a quick be quite from mum who held up her finger. Both of them still staring at the screen. The phone must have rang five times before either of them pulled their eyes away from the screen and the unknown source for their curiosity and walked out of the room nearly pulling the phone of the hock in an attempt at answering quickly.
I only found out later what my parents had been so afraid of. It turns out my dad’s sister had been visiting her husbands relatives in the place where the quake had hit. The person on the phone was telling them that Alice (my dads sister) was in hospital with miner injuries. I breath my parents took then was probably the best thing they could have done. My dad still looked worried about his little sister and flew out there the next day to check on her. Everything was fine after that apart from the image of both my parents kneeling on the floor incredulous expressions on their shocked faces.
I came back to realty as the room finally stopped spinning and Parkers arms felt soft on my skin ads he once again pulled me to him as I buried my head under his arms and hide there until I heard the phone ring and groaned before hearing Sophie yell,
“I’ll get it” allowing me to breathe again normally. I could not stand explaining anything right now. explaining why my mum was not home. Explain to friends what had happened. It sounded like hell to me now and probable would later. Later sounded better to me now though.
“Shhh Rose you don’t have to handle any of that now. Me or Sophie will okay. You don’t have to think about explain yet. Leave that to us.” He used one of his fingers to stroke stray hairs out of my face and tucked them behind my ears. I closed my eyes as he did this and leaned back against his chest as his arms pulled me close. I was content.
The sound of hushed talking echoed from the other room as Sophie continued to talk to the person on the other end of the phone. I couldn’t make out the words to what she was saying but she sounded annoyed and getting more and more by the second. I groaned when I heard her voice raise to her high voice which happened ever time she got flustered. Even now I couldn’t stand to hear my best friend fight her battles along. None of my group of friends could bare to think of little Sophie yelling at those who annoyed her. Especially now. I pulled away from Parker regret plan on my face as I moved out of the room everything had changed in over the last couple of minutes. Sophie was standing at the hall table with the phone pressed to her ear as she continued to speak into the phone unaware of me and Parker approaching from the hall.
“No she can NOT talk right now. Yes I am sorry but- no sorry!” she was getting more and more flustered as we apache. As soon as I was in arms reach I held out my hand just as Sophie turned round to see me standing there. Before handing the phone over she looked up at Parker who simple shook his head not knowing what I was up to.
My hand was still held out asking for the phone. Finally Sophie handed it over with a regretful look playing about on her face.
“Hello?” I asked the other person on the phone whoever it was still talking in a angry tone to who he must have thought was still Sophie. When he heard my voice he stopped calmed himself with deep breathing and replied, “Rose?” in a much more calmer voice than the one he had been using with Sophie.
“Yes” I replied curtly. Remembering that second ago the person had been making Sophie flustered making the protective instanced for my best friend thrive.
“Okay your damn friend was saying you were out! Damn it!” I raised my eye brows saying
“well my ‘damn friend’ is trying to help. So who is this calling?” my tone was defiantly one of annoyance but for once I did not try to calm myself and no ob e stopped me.
“Okay calm down doll! Jeez are you all fucking crazy!?!” if possible my eye brows raised higher hiding behind my side fringe which had flopped down from my ears and was now covering my eyes until Parker brushed it away with one hand while pulling me to him with the other.
“Excuse me!?” I asked a little stunned in to the phone who the hell was this guy?
“Okay whatever. Just talk to your boyfriend already!” What! Oh for crying out loud? Who the hell! I heard a loud bang and then a muffled, “what the fuck man!” from the over end of the phone while I waited for the person to bloody well come on the phone so I could hear who it was.
“Rose? Shit sorry you hang up on me so I got Dave to call you. He’s always that much of an ass sorry” I heard something hard collide with something else guessing ‘Dave’ had thrown something at Brendon. Well that was really hopeful thinking. Damn it!
“Brendon for crying out loud! Why do you keep calling me? no wait don’t answer that!” I moved the phone away from my ear and slammed the hang up button and let Parker pull me back against his chest as I let out a long breath. Letting my annoyance go. What was wrong with that boy.
To late I realized I had said it out loud. When was I ever going to get control over my damn mouth? Parker just laughed and Sophie simply snickered a “way to much manly he’s not leaving you alone since he has the hot’s for you” thanks Soph could you make that sound anymore unappealing?
Parker just laughed again and turned me wrong so I could hide my face against his chest. Reading my mind. When my head was safely under Parkers arm with my eyes closed the phone rang again. Two shrill rings before I felt Parkers hand move away from my side and lean to pick it up.
“Hello?” I heard him say muffled since his face was hidden in my hair. “Ahh Brendon just the person I wanted to speak to.” I raised my head and looked at Parker wondering what he was doing now. Brendon must have been speaking on the over end of the phone because Parker look boredly down at me rolling his eyes and saying, “I want to know that why?” his tone was not unfriendly but not something you would use with someone you were the bests of friends with.
“Right. You want to speak to Rose?” he asked but made no attempted at handing the phone to me. I raised my eye brow. Still confused as to what he was doing. I looked over at Sophie who was still smiling slightly but not saying anything when I continued to raise my eye brow questing her she shook her head and laughed under her breath until I turned back up to look at Parker who was now saying, “how about you tell me why you want to speak to my girlfriend?” I rolled my eyes at him and he grinned typically he would used that to annoy Brendon, “not a good enough reason. I am controlling her to much? She’s not talking to you because of me?” he raised his eye brow at me to see what my reaction to this was. I just starred annoyingly at the phone in his hand and shook my head still leaning against his chest. “Get your facts right mate. No I don’t think I need to look that up in a dictionary. Now as for the word stalker. You might want to look that up before calling Rose again. Huh what was that? Didn’t quite hear you. Sorry?” there was a load of yelling from the phone and much swearing from what I could hear. Which really was not a lot. Parker pulled the phone away from his ear saying, “there must be bad connection have fun with your arrogant friend” his cheerful voice made me laugh as he pushed his lips together and plopped the phone on its stand as Sophie who couldn’t hold her laughter in any more burst out laughing while I just shook my head and leaned up on my tip toes not even annoyed that I had to and kissed him on the cheek. “You know you can be a sweetheart when you want to.” Making him grin and move his head in time to kiss me square on the lips. I laughed and leaned back down while he laughed still grinning, “Aren’t I always?” I rolled my eyes and slipped out of his arms just taking his already waiting hand and pulling him into the kitchen where Sophie followed unsure until I turned round and asked if they wanted a drink on whither she was welcome.
“Hmmm........” Sophie said as she open the fridge door looking around. My mum had stocked the fridge up with bundles of food for the Garden party that would now be wasted since there was no longer going to be one. It hurt a bit to think that my mum had coursed her self so much stress for nothing. Maybe I should....... my thoughts were drifted away by Parker leaning down saying something about me having a text on my cell. I snapped out of my daze and took the phone that was being held out to me by Parkers large hands. I flipped it open and looked at the top of the screen where it said I had one text from an unknown number. Well that was promising....
I clicked on it and read,

Hey Rose can I talk to U now and not some1 else? Its not so bad to talk 2 me right? Can U text me back now?
B

Damn it! When was this boy going to learn? I simply shut the phone not wanting to answer yet since I had no idea how to phase leave me the fuck along! In polite Brendon language. Well that would have to wait for later.
“Please tell me that was not Brendon?” Sophie said as I looked up from chucking the phone on the table where I was leaning and letting Parker trace my hand into the table. I just rolled my eyes not knowing what to say since Parker was obviously very aware of how annoying Brendon was starting to be to me. not wanting to make it into a big a deal I changed the subject by asking, “ have you found anything you want yet Soph?” it worked because her face took on one of confusing and amazement.
“How am I supposed to choose? You have so much stuff in here! what were you planning another party thing again?” her words slipped out making it obvious from her face that she wished she could take them back but I only looked down for a second before regaining strength and looking back up to answer.
“I think I might still do it. It’s a waste for mum to plan so much then for it to just not happen right?” I hadn’t even realized I had made up my mind before the words were out of my mouth with no taking them back.
“Really? You want help?” her face lit up we the prospect of helping and not making me feel worse. I heard Parker move as he walked over to the fridge door that Sophie had just abandoned and was now walking over to me. I swear they were doing this on purpose. Switching round as the other walks away.
 
Chapter Fourteen: Monday 12:01pm
“For crying out loud Parker! What are you doing?” I yelped as I walked into the kitchen to find Parker half bent of the oven or the ‘baking monster’ as Parker who has zero imagination when it comes to names had named it. It had been free days since I had come to stay with Parker but I had quickly come to learn that he lived of fast food meals and take always since his ability in the kitchen was next to none. Now seeing him next to the oven that had not been used since he had moved in was more than just a little shocking.
“I. Am . Trying. To. Cook!” I had to laugh at his pained expression as he straitened producing a pan of what looked like charcoal. It was mean of me but it was so funny! Finally something Parker was not bloody perfect at.
He produced a sort of half scowl half smile as he placed the coal on the table and tried to peel it out of the pan without it crumbling to pieces. I started to feel sorry for him and pushed myself off of the door post and ambled my way over to the glass table at the over end of the room where Parker stood concentrating on the pan that looked more black than the ‘food’ . I had to hide another laugh with a cough but must have not done a very good job of it since I reserved another glare from Parker at the table.
“Parker if you wanted cooked food you could have asked me instead of torturing the cook pans.” I put one hand on the table and one on his arm leaving him no way to avoid my gaze. So I didn’t miss the rare bush that started to creep up from his neck only noticeable if you were looking for it.
“Okay what is it? Why have you now choose to start the act of cooking?” he still tried to avoid my gaze but soon realized he was not getting away with it that easy and pushed the what used to be a silver pan away from him and pulled me up into his arms kissing me softly on the lips before spinning me round so I was the one trapped against his arms instead.
“Nice try..” he mumbled under his breath as he unwound his arms from around my waist and picked up the pan again still trying to pull the..... Well the food he had been trying to cook.
I rolled my eyes at him and pulled the pan out of his hand manoeuvring it over to the sink and twisting the hot tap on while running it over the sides of the tin letting it soften the mixture.
“You don’t seem to like all the take away’s........ I just thought.....” his arms came around my waist form the back and he leaned down to rest his head on my shoulder watching me ease the sticky substance out of the pan and into the dust bin by my side.
“You were cooking this for me?” I was amazed Parker had really started to turn into a really sweetheart since I had moved him with him. I thought I might be awkward at first but soon came to learn that this was not the case.
“Maybe.....” he whispered as I turned my head to the side so I could see his face move.
“Okay what is it? Your being way to kind. No teasing. Wait no I take that back but still.....” I was still coming to turns with how lucky I was to still have someone who cared. Or more than cared since he was obsessed with telling me every night before we departed for our different rooms that he loved me. Every time sending the same happy shiver through me.
“Does there have to be something wrong for me to be kind to you?” he asked raising his questioning eye brow at me which I court from the side of my left eye.
“Well...... I don’t know” I admitted letting him laugh at my exasperated face before turning his head to face my neck and kissing it quickly before moving away to take the pan once again out of my hands and placing it in a bag he had somehow pulled out of the cabernet next to where I was standing. How did he do that?
I turned around leaning against the sink and watched him twist the top of the plastic bag and tie it in two before picking up the bin bag I had just emptied out the food and doing the same with that. With one in each hand he kissed me on the forehead before walking to the front door and the garbage bins that sat on his porch. I stayed leaning against the sink while I heard him talking to his neighbour who he complained several times would keep him talking for half an hour out in the freezing cold without a jacket. I laughed silently to myself before pushing off of the sink and marching over to the door and into the living room where I think I had left my phone.
“Yeah Rose is staying with me. So how’s your cat?” I heard Parker voice drift in threw the still open door as the neighbour must have asked about me. I found my phone on the settee where I had abandoned it last night when becoming too tired to text Sophie and inform her on my free day stay at Parkers luxury house. And I mean luxury he had not been joking when he said him family were not on the poor side. Nowhere near was more like it. I mean my family had come in to some money well enough to be able to buy a house the size of the one I had now pretty much abandoned but this place it was huge! And beautiful. Half on a cliff half pretty much hanging off with stilts attached.
I flipped the phone open making the screen light up a bright shade of white as it turned itself on. The sudden vibration of texts coming through sent shocks threw my hand as I looked down to discover what Sophie had said after I had said good night.

Rose hey txt me 2moz need 2 talk 2 u! Xxx S

Well okay.... Sophie had been acting jumpy and not really herself ever since she had come round to my place that day..... the day she found out mum had ......well.... moved on. The thought still made tears prick to my eyes. Free day really is not enough time to get over it. Even though this really was a short amount of time to even think about getting over it I couldn’t even start to image myself doing it. Even though I know from my classes that it takes time and forgiveness to start off with. I just couldn’t seem to get that. This was really my fault so why try to shove it on someone else. Well this is defiantly putting and damper on my career as a consoler/ art therapist.
“Rose. You can stop staring at that message so intently anytime now.” Parkers hand started waving in front of my face as I continued to stare absently at the screen that had started to sleep. I snapped out of it quickly trying to act like normal like I had not really been thinking emo’ish thoughts again..... what a positive way to start the day. Parker had talked me in to this thing where I had to at least think five positive things before I eat lunch. Most of them at the moment include him which he very well knows. Typical.
I feel arms going round my middle before what felt like a hard bolder came behind my back supporting me. I leaned my head up to look at Parkers face before closing my eyes and turning round to face him laying my head against his chest as he pulls me tight against him taking my thoughts away. I raised my head up so I could lean against his shoulder before he steered me over to the settee and pulled me down on his lap where I curled up no longer having a complain since I could take most of my waist by putting my socked feet on the other side of him on the settee.
“Rose don’t just hold it in please. I sound like a broken cheesy record but I mean it.” He whispered into my hair as images of him saying this to me over and over again ever since I moved in. I left my eyes closed until I felt Parker stiffen as him hand stocked my cheek since I hadn’t replied. I lifted my head opening my eyes before lifting my lips to his and losing myself in his sweet arms. I am really turning my life into one of those really bad sitcom movies. Never a good sine......

The day pretty much went on like that. Me curled up next to Parker occasionally kissing or pulling me closer so he could give me a big bear hug. The TV in front of us never even turned on as we sent our day comforting each other. Yeah soppy I know; I really needed it.
We both heard the phone ring at the same time. Turning our heads to look in the direction of the hand set on the other side of the room. Reluctantly I leaned away from Parker who slowly pushed himself up from the settee; grabbing my hand and pulling me with him. It shouldn’t have but it really did make my heart beat several times faster than it normally would.
With his arm now around my shoulders and me tucked against his side he picked up the phone and murmured a slightly annoyed hello into the speaker. I pretty much blanked out after that since I was concentrating on all the little notes Parker must have left himself while on the phone to people. Dates, times, comments there were even a few doodles on a piece of paper on the side where he must have been on a very long and boring convocation to someone. There were imprints of him all over the house from all the times he had past the halls and all the mess he and left behind. its crazy how after only knowing someone for two almost free weeks could make me feel like I had known them my whole life. I felt like I knew Parker more than I knew most people that I had known for years. Yet there was still so much stuff that I didn’t know and was in no hurry to find out either.
Cody hadn’t bothered me since I had moved out of my family’s house. For this I am grateful. Whatever twisted plan he had had planned have not been acted on; hopefully won’t be acted on anytime soon either. Tucking my head under Parkers arm I close my eyes hoping that all the horrific things that have happened over the last two years will just stop and I can finally just be happy with what I have left without someone trying their hardest to stop that. At any costs.
Life hopefully would start to go back to normal and any situation like the ne I'm sure Sophie is going to bring up when I call her back. Later..... I just hope Brendon is not involved; at least he is something I can deal with now. I can’t really give a damn anymore about anything trying to ruin whatever this is that I have now. I have something that I can depend on and that someone is hanging up the phone right now and turning round to kiss my forehead as I snuggle under his arm. Things are going to be okay.

We both looked around at the same time. In time to see a slight dark mist hovering in the door way twisting and turning as it struggled to stay visible. Cody. The light in the room was bright making it easier to see him. His shape taking shape slowly as my heart started to beat a hundred mile an hour. Had in not just had convocation with myself about how everything is going to be okay. How Cody had chosen to move on. Stop making my life misery. Well I have never believed in jinxing things before but now. Hell!
I stood still with parkers arms still around my back and his head slightly turned in my direction. I swallowed loudly before pulling my back up straight and squaring my shoulders. Although I couldn’t stop my hand from shaking a little and decided to hind them behind my back for safety reasons. Parkers arm came around me more tightly while he still started a death glare at his brother who was just hovering there still fading in and out of forces. We stood there still until all that was visible was a hand. Cody’s hand. He waved once before the image slipped away completely.
My mind took time to come to terms with what had just happened. It had been easier earlier when I had been able to convince myself that he would stop without actually proof.
Parker was the first to speak his voice confused but firm although I could still detect that sadness I had sense before when he had been thinking of his lost brother.
For all the things that Cody had done. All thing things he had threatened I still couldn’t hate him. He was Parkers brother and I loved Parker. I couldn’t hate someone he loved so much.
“Well it’s over. Finally.” He looked down at me then and pulled me up into his arms hugging me tightly keeping me to his chest. I hugged him back trying my best to comfort him to. We really were going to be alright. Everything is.
 
Two years later: Saturday 12:46pm
When I woke up this morning to find Parker lying next to me with his arm thrown drastically over his head they way he does when he’s thinking. I knew that today would be different. Don’t ask me how but the years since I had met Parker had made me attuned to his moods and if he had something planned. The years had gone by but most things are the same. I am at the same collage studying art and English. Parkers starting Uni in the fall but is still staying in Brighton since his course is not that far away. Trust me I am glad about that. After my 20th birthday last month Parker had been acting strange. A good strange I'm not sure about.
Putting thoughts thought out of my mind I sat up and rubbed my eyes before I felt Parkers arms going around my waist and pulling me to his chest. I snuggled down knowing it would be some time before I actually find out what it is that has been troubling him for this time.
“Come with me to the beach today?” I looked up letting his hand continue to stroke my hair as he looked down at me with those same blue eyes he had looked at me with for the past two or so years. I leaned up to kiss his cheek before pulling away to sit back up and climb out of bed.
“Sure. What time?” I ask not knowing how important this is and act casually like every time he asks for us to go out together.
“11:30” he won’t look at me when he says this but I still don’t get it. My mine is elsewhere searching for a top to wear. Even at the age of twenty I have not become any more organised that when I was still a teen. Although my mind is else where I still look up and find him staring at the draw next to the bed. I still didn’t get it.
“Great. What time is it now?” I'm still shuffling threw the drew I kept my tops in but couldn’t find the one I wanted. Soon I would just give up and go for a white top with the print of an old hand watch on the front wearing it with skinny jeans and a blazer.
“11” His answers are short and his tone is distant like he is thinking hard about something in another universe.
“Cool” I went back to the bed kissed him on the forehead and then disappeared into the bathroom to change. Five minutes later I exited the room with my hair brushed and in a messy pony tail and dark rose colour lipstick on. To find Parker already dressed and tugging on a jacket still looking hundreds of miles away. Still not understand what was going on even when Parker said he would be back at 11:30 to pick me up. He just had to do something first.
When Parker came back I was sitting on the settee in the living room with a book in my hand and coursework in my over. Going over and over hoping to get a good grade. He came in straight away pulling me up into his arms and swinging me round until stopping to plant his lips smack on mine.
“hey to you to” I had time to mange before his lips came back down o mine. The feeling I have for Parker haven’t decreased since I admitted I loved him. If anything I love him more which is why his acting funny is starting to confuse me.
“Ready?” I nod my head and he starts to pull me to the door and to his car and away we went. Of course I still hadn’t gotten what it was yet; it was not long to go.

When we arrived at the beach with it glorious pebbled walk way and wave swept pair. We didn’t head towards the pair but straight down the pebbled path towards under the pair. I spotted what looked like a red blanket on the ground before realizing that Parker had set up a picnic for us. So that’s where he had been before.....
“it’ the only day that it’s not that windy down here so I thought.....” I looked up at him; kissing him on the cheek and letting him drag me forward.
He had packed all my favourite foods in the picnic along with some I had never even heard off but are no among my favourite. We were laughing around when Parkers face suddenly went serious. That’s where I am now. Wondering what it is that he’s been keeping. Been thinking of for weeks. Making him seem miles and miles away. His arm was around me when he took a deep breath and put his hand in his pocket before asking me to stand up. I did as he asked but he stayed on the ground taking the small box out on his pocket and turning it round and round I his hand before flipping it open and pulling himself up so he was kneeling in front of me. in his left hand he held the small box. As the light court it the thing inside started to sparkle blinding me until the light came off and I saw that it was a silver band. The round diamond in the middle was the thing that had the light reflecting in my face. Before I realized it my mouth was open and Parker was opening his mouth to speak.
The words came slowly but I heard the repeated over and over in my head as he said them.
“Rose? Will you marry me?” over and over. This is what he had been keeping. What he had been thinking about.
“Oh my god” I breathed unable to believe it. Parkers face was as open as I had ever seen it. The question shown clearly on his face and wide blue eyes. I just had to say it.
I love him. But is it right? To early? A spear of the moment thing
“Yes” I grinned.

The end

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Tag der Veröffentlichung: 25.06.2011

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