Finding Mercedes.

Returning home.

It was late at night, I didn't have a clock or a watch on me but I could see the darkness drifting in from outside. I was nearly asleep and I didn't have a a jacket to keep me warm, it was cold and I couldn't roll myself into a ball because I was wearing a stupid posh dress. I sighed and unfolded my legs from on top of eachother. 

"Miss McQueen," D.S. Banks whispered, from behind me. I was shocked since I had been standing there for so long, I did feel a little but guilty since I promised I'd ring Mum and I still hadn't nearly 12 hours on. 

"Yes," I replied.

"We were going to keep you in over night, but since we're not charging you with anything we can't. Is there any chance you can come back in tomorrow, maybe 12 O'clock?" He asked.

"Yeah, that's fine," I smiled.

"We'll be ringing in on your Mum and Nana later, to check you've gone home instead of tagging alone with Mercedes, okay," He sighed.

"You do that, I don't know where she is," I lied, turning around and walking out the police station. If I thought it was cold in there, I clearly didn't know what it was like outside. I swear it was about 5 degrees colder. Dee Valley police station was ages away from the Hollyoaks village. I crossed the road into the cut behind town beside the village, the one where the post office was. I could have gotten a taxi but I had no money and I didn't know whether anyone at home did either. I kept walking, I didn't even have enough for a bus fair and that was only 60 pence. Closer to the village, was the begining of a bridge, there was about twenty steps going up and the bridge was flat across a little road that lead into the Hollyoaks village. The steps going down were considorably more than 20, maybe about 50 or 60. At the bottom of the steps, I was right beside my house. I just needed to walk around the corner and along the street. It was about a 30 second walk and I felt sick with nerves after being gone so long. I didn't know what people were going to say, since nobody really said anything when I was around them before. I pushed the door open, nothing happened, it was locked from the inside. I knocked on the door, since when I left the doorbell didn't work so I didn't bother pressing it, I just knocked on the bit of the door where the glass was. A few shadows drifted past the door and nobody opened it for about two minuets. When someone did open it, Jaqui was at the door. I smiled at her, but she didn't smile back. Her face was straight across like she was gutted to see me. I pushed past her, and took my shoes off at the bottom of the stairs. I popped my head around the corner of the living room door. Mum was sat with her head in her hands, Nana was beside her with a cup of tea in her hand. They both looked at me when I walked in.

"How's Porsche?" I whispered, something was awkward and I knew exactly what it was. 

"She's fine, her and Lockie are just upstairs, Celine's in the bath," Mum blankly said, she turned her head back to the T.V. and carried on watching it. Jacqui shoved me into the living room, since I wasn't expecting it I stumbled a little. Jacqui took a seat on the other settee, I didn't take a seat since I didn't really feel welcome. Someone began walking down the stairs, it was all three of them. Porsche, Celine and Lockie. They all looked at me when they came in, Celine took a seat beside Jacqui, Porsche and Lockie sat on the floor in front of Celine and Jacqui. 

"Not got anything to say?" Jacqui asked, her voice was sarcastic and angry.

"I think I should explain," I whispered, playing with my thumb nail like I always did when I was nervous.

"You and Mercedes have put us through such hell, Ellie-Anna, do you not understand?" Mum gasped.

"This wasn't me, I didn't plan anything," I scowled, since they all seem to be accusing me.

"Well what really happened then? And we want the truth, I can see straight through you when you lie," Jacqui smirked.

"It started after Mercedes had already gone, I got messages from someone called 'Mercy' and they were sometimes threatening, sometimes asking for favours and sometimes telling me to do things for money," I whispered.

"Is that where the money for the boiler man came from? Mercedes?" Nana asked.

"That's where the money came from, but the messages weren't from Mercedes. I don't know who they were from," I lied. "Then, a few days before I went, I got a message saying I needed to go to the post office the next morning, in the packages was a diary setting Freddie up for Mercedes' murder, I already had a knife with her blood on and a top she was wearing the day she went missing. I needed to plant the diary in Mercedes' draw, and the rest of the things in Freddie's flat or something bad would happen to me. I did all this then, after Porsche and I watched a DVD, I needed to meet whoever it was that was texting me at the Foley at 4pm exactly. So I went there, like the idiot I am and the next thing I know someone's grabbed me from behind. They had there hand over my mouth and they threw me against the wall. Then someone stabbed me, in the hip. I woke up, a few days later apparntly and I was in this bed in these lushy pjs, then I saw Mercedes in the kitchen and she said we had to stay there or something even worse would happen to us, someone was paying us to be there. We watched the news hundreds of times, we saw you all and I really wanted to come home, I promise you I really did. Mercedes wanted too aswell, but I think she was frightened of what might happen to us or you when we got here." I said, droning off towards the end.

"Were you even stabbed?" Jacqui smirked. I lifted my dress up and showed them my right hip. It was all fleshy, bloody and sore.

"It's hasn't healed, I wasn't allowed to get it checked out." I explained and Porsche gasped, covering her eyes.

"Mercedes has one too, although hers looks better than his since it's had longer to heal," I told them.

"Sorry," Jacqui whispered, embarrassed.

"You don't need to be sorry, I should be the one who's sorry." I lamley smiled.

"You don't need to be sorry, whatever we've been through here it looks like you've had it worse," Mum whispered.

"Don't, I can't even imagine what you've been going through," I replied.

"What did the police say?" Nana asked.

"Nothing much, I need to go back tomorrow though," I sighed. "I'm going to go to bed, I'll see you all tomorrow," I smiled, walking up the stairs. Nana and Mum were sharing a room, Celine had Jacqui in with her and I was just in my old room. I clicked the door open and slowly walked in. Everything was different, I guessed the police needed to search my room like they did to Mercedes' half. I took my dress off and got into bed, with the pj's on that were folded nicely on my pillow.

A few hours later, I was still laying awake. My door, which I had closed, reopened and closed the door behind them. I didn't turn around, I kept my eyes closed for as long as I could without twitching. Whoever it was, pulled the duvet from me and quietly got into the bed beside me. It didn't feel like Nana or Mum, their weight wasn't enough for it to be them. They grabbed my hand with theres, I knew it was Jacqui for a moment and I squeezed her hand to let her know I was wake.

"Honestly, Ellie-Anna, I thought you'd gone forever, and Mercedes. I didn't know what to do, you are my little sisters and I was honestly heart broken. Mum didn't seem to ever get her head around it, I don't think Nana did either. But everyday you were gone I hoped you both came home safe and every day that went past I lost a little bit more hope," She whispered into my ear. At first I couldn't tell whether she was angry or not, but in the end I guessed she was just hurt. I didn't want to reply but I felt like I needed too.

"Atleast you didn't get hurt, it was hard with Mercedes but with you too I don't know what I would have done. Honestly, I'm so sorry," I begged her for forgiveness.

"I would  rather it be me than you, now get some sleep while I've got your back, I love you," She smiled.

"I love you too," I smiled back. I closed my eyes and I could feel Jacqui breathing on the back of me neck.