C O L L I D E

Chapter One

Suicide park was hardly my favourite place to be. Situated in the middle of a field - behind The Blocks housing estate - and bordered by Bluebell woods, it stood in the most isolated part of town.

The Blocks, the nearest buildings for half a mile, were baron now as The Council were soon to demolish them to build another high rise housing block. The new build would be smaller but pricier - as if the families who were waiting to move back into their new homes could afford to pay higher rent fees. There was a reason they were living in The Blocks in the first place; they were poor.

My family had lived in The Blocks until I was eight years old. Our flat had been on the fifteenth floor and the elevators had rarely worked. My brother Ryan always joked that I had the high rise to thank for my strong legs and slim waist, as I’d started life as a pudgy child. That was eight years ago now, but I still remembered what it was like to live from pay-check to pay-check.

James, my eldest brother and Ryan had worked hard since I was young to build a new life for us, thanks to them the three of us and our reclusive mother now lived in a four bedroomed house in the heart of town. My mother and I even had our own en-suit bathrooms. Not that she was happy about the move, or where the money came from that my brothers used to pay for our new life. My mother was rarely happy about anything.

The nearest road to Suicide park was Clancy street, but it was rarely used as it dead ended into the estate. Four years ago, seven kids from my high school had hung themselves from the climbing frame and swing set in the park, giving it it's macabre nickname.

“I heard that it wasn’t a suicide pact at all. I heard the big guy, Stan… Shaun… Se-”

“Stephen. The dude’s name was Stephen,” Blaine corrected Dennis Stacey, who was smoking a joint and eagerly filling us in on his version of events.

“Stephen! That’s it. Anyway, I heard Stephen killed the rest of them, then topped himself. Wouldn’t surprise me, he was always a bit weird.”

“How the hell would you know?”

“My cousin Beth was in his class at school.”

“So? You mean to tell me that Stephen Mullen killed six kids from his year, before killing himself, and yet the Police don’t suspect a thing?”

“Yeah.” Dennis sounded proud of himself, like he was sharing with us some incredibly private and exclusive information. “Why would the police think it was him alone? He covered his tracks well.”

“Sure, you’re talking out ya hole!” Kate laughed. Kate De’Luca was my best friend. More of a sister really. She’d moved here from Ireland five years ago. Her brother, Shane had become close friends with my older brothers, making Kate a firm figure in my life. She was the only other person alive who knew what it was like to grow up the younger sister of The Campbell brothers.

Over-protective, and completely unreasonable, my brothers and Shane were famous around our area as being key figures in the local criminal organisations. If they knew myself and Kate were here in the field beside Suicide park they would flip a lid. If they knew we were here with some boys from school, well, all hell would break loose.

“I don’t care how it happened, this place still freaks me out,” I said, hugging my grey cardigan closer around my torso.

“Don’t worry, Pippa. I’ll keep you safe.” Dennis winked.

“Yeah, sure you would! Her brothers would rip you apart if they even caught you looking at her.”

It was always the same old story. Oh, Pippa Campbell is pretty, but stay the heck away from her or her brothers will sort you out. I’d heard the same thing repeated since I’d started high school. No-one messed with Ryan and James Campbell. No-one.