Dangerous Affection

Chapter Six

Maisie

She lay in bed and listened to the tick tock tick tock of her pink Beauty and the Beast clock.

She was too grown up for it now. Last week when Sandeep came over for tea after school, Maisie slipped it into her bedside drawer before her friend could spot it. When Sandeep had gone home, she took it out again, because despite her embarrassment, she wasn’t ready to get rid of it yet.

The alarm on it played the theme tune to the film and was set to go off at 7.30 each morning. It was only 6.45 right now, so she had plenty of time to lie here and think.

The rhythmic ticking soothed her. It felt reliable and safe.

Things seemed to be changing at home, although Maisie couldn’t say precisely how. But things were definitely happening between Mum and Dad. Bad things.

Also, Mum had been acting a bit weird.

When she picked her up from dancing last night, Maisie spoke to her twice but she didn’t reply, just stared out of the window as if there were other things on her mind.

Dad had come home very late last night. Maisie had finally dropped off to sleep after tossing and turning for what seemed like hours waiting for him. When she woke in the early hours, she heard her parents arguing in their bedroom. She put the pillow over her head and hummed her favourite Ariana Grande song over and over until they’d stopped.

Before Dad got in, her mum had been moody all night, trying to do her work on her lap on the sofa because he hadn’t stuck to his promise to look after Maisie.

‘I’ll be fine watching television if you want to go and work up in the office, Mum,’ Maisie had offered.

‘It’s fine,’ her mum said tersely. ‘Your dad might be happy leaving you to your own devices, but I like to know you’re safe and cared for.’

That wasn’t really fair. Usually Dad never left her on her own. It was just that he’d been out quite a bit the last two days.

He had peered into her room on his way to bed, and when he saw she was awake, even though it was massively late, he’d sat on the end of her bed and told Maisie some exciting news.

‘I can’t say too much at the moment, but life is going to get much better soon, poppet. Then there’ll be nice treats in store for you all the time.’

Maisie wondered what the treats might be and if Mum would share in them too.

Best-case scenario would definitely be that they got her a dog, although in reality, she knew that unless her mum was planning on giving up work, it wouldn’t be fair to have a pet as it would be left alone for too long.

Perhaps a holiday, then. Maisie had always dreamed of going to Disney World in Florida because nobody laughed at you for loving Disney films there; even adults could get away with acting like kids.

Excitement burned briefly in her chest, until she realised what a nightmare a holiday might turn into. Being stuck in a room with her parents shooting vicious looks at each other and hissing nasty things under their breath wasn’t Maisie’s idea of fun.

Maybe a family holiday wasn’t the best thing to wish for at the moment.

Mum seemed to get so angry lately, so angry that Maisie thought not even Disney could make it all better.