The Angel in Hell

H O M E B O U N D

It's not over yet by the Klaxons <3

~

Two week later

'So that's it? You're done. Like..done, done?' Venetia questioned from the other end of the phone as Delilah threw the clothes and accessories from her door floor into her suitcase along with some stray makeup she'd found somewhere or other.

'Yep, done. He told me I was disgusting for smoking right after my dad died, V.'

'Well yeah, that's true. Fuck Lilah, this is all so shit i'm so sorry.' Venetia said softly.

It was the only true sorry she had heard for the entire last two weeks. But it always was true with Venetia. The two had been inseparable since the both played angels in their predators production of The Nativity back when Delilah was in Reception and Venetia was in year 1. Felix was the donkey, of course, and the three became a little trio from then on but Venetia and Delilah had always been a bit closer. Maybe it was being girls or maybe it was being girls in the kind of society where all the men are...the way that they are in these sort of old-money rich communities. Whatever it was because of, Delilah was so glad for it.

'Look babe, now the funeral is over, why don't you and your mum come to Saltburn early. You're leaving uni anyway, may as well start summer early...if you're up for it?' Venetia offered. She knew Saaltburn was Lilah's safe place. Whenever home life became too much, when mum was non-responsive off the red wine and her father was locked away in his office having secretive phone calls about god-knows-what with god-knows-who, Delilah would pack a bag, jump in a cab and head for home. For Saltburn.

'Mums away in Thailand on some cleansing retreat, can you believe' Delilah scoffed, hiding her yearning to be held by her mother, or anyone really.

'Fucking of course she is, well...just you then? Come Lilah let me drown you're sorrows in espresso martinis and an endless supply of 'Hello magazine' with a side of cigs.' Lilah's bestfriend pleaded.

Delilah thought for a moment. She wanted to see Lacey, or she thought she would go and see Lacey. Despite her love for the woman, Lacey was a crier and Delilah didn't know if she could handle that at the moment. There'd already been so many tears and she was all the way over in Durham. I mean, even her English professor sobbed when she entered her lecture the other day. 'Such a special Man' she said, 'Heavens gained a good soul' others would say. Delilah just scoffed internally while giving the so heavily affected, random fucking strangers, a consoling hug. But at Saltburn nobody would be crying. They don't cry at Saltburn. How can you when that place is the whole world, both heaven and the most lustrous parts of hell, all in one big fuck-off mansion. And Venetia was there.

'Felix is back tomorrow, he's bringing some friend with him and so I reckon we'll have a nice dinner. I can ask for a trifle to be made.. You're fave!!' Venetia added, desperately trying to sell her idea to Lilah.

'Well...if there's trifle...'

'There we fucking go, alright i'll send a car for you now. Bring your most fabulous clothes, especially that pink sequin jacket please and thank you!!' Venetia squealed, definitely kicking her legs in the air. Delilah could picture it now, she always did that when she was excited.

'Alright, alright but you can't steal it this time!' Delilah laughed, remembering how she never thought she'd see that jacket again after that summer. 'See you soon, V'

'See you before you know it, Angel.' Venetia said, then she kissed down the phone and hung up before Delilah could ask anymore questions.

So, Saltburn it would be. Delilah closed her case and sat on it, trying to close the zip. She thought back to last summer, back to the water fights and parties, the arguments with Henry on the balcony, the sex with Henry on the balcony, the quiet mornings in the breakfast room. She remembered the summer ball they held last year, she had danced with her father that night. It was to 'My girl' by the Temptations just after the big meal. It was the only time Delilah and her father had ever really connected. He was still sick at the time and took an air canister around with him, even to the dance floor. But he still went to the dance floor. He wanted to dance with Delilah, his daughter. While her father was stiff and hesitant to fully embrace his one and only child, he held Delilahs' hand softly and never snapped despite the numerous times she stood on his toes as they danced. It was the best memory Delilah had of her father.

She sighed deeply and zipped up the final few millimeters of her case before throwing on the matching blue, short sleeved zip up jacket to her juicy velour tracksuit bottoms. Then, sliding a pair of sunglasses on to hide obvious sleep-deprived eye bags, she locked up her dorm room and made her way out of Durham university until September. 

Delilah gave her bag to the driver that Venetia had sent and walked towards her door to the backseat of the all jet-black Roles Royce. Suddenly a pair of feet on the floor entered her vision and the door opened for her. 

'Let me get that for you' Henry grinned. Delilah sighed in defeat, she'd nearly escaped undetected but Henry always had a way of finding her. 

'Go away please Henry, I don't want to speak to you.' Delilah pleaded as she sat herself in cushioning black leather seats, pre-warmed as Venetia knew to request. 

'I just wanted to say, I'll see you later' His grin was even wider now and his eyebrow raised slightly. And with that he slammed her car door shut and the driver rolled away. 

Delilah ducked down and rose her eyes just far enough above the headboards of the back seats to look out of the back window. He was just standing, his hands in his pockets staring at her in a way that made Delilahs heart Rach and chest tighten with what felt most like fear. Whatever he had meant by later, Delilah prayed to god meant after September. She could not handle another summer spent arguing the in the four walls of her bedroom at the Manor over how much she drank or ate or how little she wore or how much she danced with Felix. 

'Felix will be home tomorrow' Venetias words rang in Delilahs brain and she felt the knot in her chest ease a little, replaced with a small sensation that felt like...no...surely not...it felt like butterflies. Felix Catton, she thought. She was excited to see not only Venetia, but him as well.