"pull it together" TNN SIOBHAN SERPANT ANGST

chapter four

siobahn hadn't always been like this.

once she was carefree, young and reckless, with red hair and a tounge peircing. she would stay out past curfew and steal her father's car keys to meet up with boys from the neighbouring village.

that was the siobhan that most would remember.

but ever since her parents horrific deaths, she was a changed woman. her father, her best friend, gone.

her father was her first love. he would take her to see a movie every friday after school, would paint her nails, let her stay up and extra half hour when mummy was out drinking, and would supply her sugary drinks that usually weren't prohibited.

it absolutely destroyed her when she received the news.

it destroyed her so much that she found herself spending her thursday afternoons in quiet little grotty bars, drowning her sorrows in vodka coke's.

that wasn't who she wanted to be though. so one afternoon she decided to leave the bar early. as she started to walk out the doors, she was stopped by an older man with grey hair and a blonde mustache that had obviously been dyed. he introduced himself, and offered her a large sum of money to be his girlfriend. siobhan being strapped for cash and severely depressed, had nothing to loose, accepted his offer and got in the passenger seat of his masserati.

that man was named roger knight.

the same roger knight who she found herself lying beside in bed, trying to fall asleep, when all she could think about was how she was going to cover the brusies when her makeup bad had been confiscated.

she dragged her feet as she got ready as usual, taking her time, enjoying her morning as roger was still asleep.

she drove to work alone, listening to the radio playing soft music that made her sleepy. luckily, overnight some of the bruises had faded so there wasn't many left. she had never been caught yet, but she knew she couldn't hide much longer.

as she arrived at the knight nursery, the sun was beginning to rise and parents were beginning to arrive. siobhan didn't pay attention to the parents much, not like the other staff did. she knew their names, but that was basically it. every time a parent had tried to get to know her she had shut it down instantly.

when she pulled her car into her usual car space beside the big oak tree, sheilded from any sunlight, someone caught her eye.

jamie's mum.

the blue shirt lady.

vivian markward.

siobhan noticed her. she noticed the way her demenor changed after her divorce with her husband. after the news got out that he had abused her for 10 years. siobhan truly felt sorry for her, which was strange to admit.

she sat in her car, watching her for a few minutes, until it became dangerously close to the start of her shift, so she began to walk into the building.

as they were walking in, siobhan and vivian brushed shoulders

it was although a sparkler was lit between them, bonding them together by an external force that neither of them could explain, or know if the other had felt it too.

it was electric.

she was brought back to reality when marjorie greeted her at the door, handing siobhan the shift rota and the keys, before heading to her own car.

siobhan took a seat in the office, completely ignoring autumn, who was sat beside her.

"you know siobhan i think this is the first time we've worked together as mother and daughter." autumn commented, turning to look siobhan in the eye.

siobhan looked up at autumn, rolling her eyes and turning to face her conputer.

"autumn i am not your mother" siobhan replied angrily, staring blankly into her keyboard.

autumn smirked and reached into her bag to get her laptop.

"after seeing what my father's done for you, id expect you to be staying for the long haul." she muttered softly.

siobhan's eyes zoned out as she began thinking. if autumn thinks she will be here to stay then she must, siobhan knew roger had many girlfriends, but they must not compare to her. if roger seemed besotted with her, then he couldn't have imagined the pain and torture his past relationships must have been through.

"well it isnt all sunshines and rainbows." siobhan retaliated in defence.

autumn chuckled.

"well if my father's involved then it definitely isnt." autumn said, almost comfortingly.

she gave siobhan a sympathetic look, beginning to feel bad for her. but she remembered siobhan chose to stay with this monster of a man, and reminded herself who siobhan liked to be associated with.

siobhan looked out of the window, and smiled as she caught sight of who was outside. she could recognise that black hair and blue shirt anywhere.

"how long has jamie attended here?" siobhan asked, still staring out of the window.

autumn looked up from whatever she was typing and raised and eyebrow.

"what?" autumn asked, sounding very confused.

"you heard me."

"around a year, why?" autumn replied, giving siobhan a strange look.

it was unlike siobhan to take interest in a child, let alone jamie, an autistic boy who only attends two days a week.

siobhan smiled.

"no reason."