Dominance

Chapter 11: Bloody Renovations

Although the area where Sara lived should not have been far by road, traffic was dramatically slow.

The constant stop-start from the queue of cars did not quell until the road hit the suburbs, leaving the traffic lights and main roads behind.
Strangely the only vehicles they had to share the winding roads with here was another passing police car and an ambulance that it was escorting.

Sara thought the officers may question her further during the intimidating drive. But aside from the police radio consistently crackling to life, the ride was silent. Officer Scotts did attempt to speak a couple of times, but the female officer was quick to silence him.

Sara felt the strong urge to chew her fingernails. To distract herself she kept her hands on her lap, nervously gripping her baggy pants. She couldn't wait to get home and change into her own clothes which actually fit her.

She stared out the window, watching houses whizz by and started playing scenarios in her head. Her mother was bound to be upset Sara had not even called in her absence. But should she actually tell her parents of her morbid adventure? Or would they not believe her and just ground her, or something way worse? Like, send her to a 'loony bin'?

Sara's mother had always been the sensible and strict person in the family. She was difficult to get a laugh out of and certainly did not believe in anything spiritual or occult. Sara's dad was laid back and far easier to talk to, but just as atheistic. She was not sure she could get him to believe she had been abducted and was then hanging out with shapeshifting people either.

Behind the mask she wore, Sara nibbled her lip nervously. Had her parents been told anything? Surely a whole class full of students disappearing on the same day raised some red flags? The police had not mentioned anything after looking up Sara in their records. So what did the parents actually know? Or what had they been told?

Sara's worries fizzled away as her home came into view. It was a relief to see the usual familiarities. The letterbox sat on a slight lean, her mother's potted plants crowed the front deck, the windows were that ugly yellow colour that Sara hated.

Sara half expected her parents to come running out, probably relieved but equally angry. But they didn't. The glow from the living room window told her the light was on, but there was no movement, even as the police car crawled to a stop in the driveway.

The street light by the curb still hadn't lit and a smeared line of red from the sun fading into the horizon gave the house a slight eerie feel.

Perhaps all Sara's bad feelings were actually unfounded. It had only been one day after all. Before she could ponder further, Officer Marrson had opened the car door for Sara. She motioned to speak, only to have Officer Scott cut her off.

"Go tell your parents we will need to speak to them." He undid his seat belt and turned to the female officer. "Could I have a quick word with you, Marrson?"

Officer Marrson hesitated, but waited with a pout as the male officer made his way out of the car. Sara quietly slipped out of the back seat, wanting to avoid the obvious tension.

She noticed petals, some even crushed into the driveway as she stepped out. A trail had started from her neighbour's prized rose bushes, which looked like someone had trampled through and smashed a decent gap along the perimeter of the property. Strange. But Sara kept her second thoughts pushed well aside and she headed for the safety of her own home.

She chokes back a cry of protest when she was tugged back.

"Wait." In the dim light, Sara could not make out which twin had stopped her. "You shouldn't go in there."