Knight-mare stories

Chapter 5

The next morning Autumn had woken up to the sounds of birds merrily chirping outside her window, normally the sounds of her father's hard fist banging against her door woke her up. And the only birds to dare approach Knight manor were ravens and crows. She had woken up at 12 AM since she fell asleep late the previous night. Her brain still hadn't completely digested what had happened, it felt un real to her. She just wanted to be able to cope with the tough reality of her life, not make it even harder. Her precious hands were throbbing, her fingers weeping and her hair was covered in vomit. Her clothes were dirty, full of sick and she felt disgusting. She was still in her night gown, it a was a gorgeous royal blue colour, with once again white thrills. Reece had been begging his father to let him visit Autumn, Roger kept replying with "Not until she awake Reece!" He couldn't stand the thought of his beloved sister waking up alone and confused isolated to a hospital room, no matter how many times Roger threatened him he kept asking. Once the staff were altered Autumn was awake the doctor ,who had been caring for her, walked in. "I see you're awake Autumn." He said grinning warmly. Her face immediately lit up, it was no secret she had taken a liking to the man. He came closer towards her and sat on the chair next to her, "Is it okay if I measure your heartrate and take a small blood sample?" he asked. Autumn quietly nodded. After the doctor was done he thanked her and left, leaving her with a few pancakes and a glass of freshly poured orange juice. "Don't worry about finishing it" He remarked. Autumn was aware her father was extreme when it came to having to finish all their food, she couldn't help but think of Reece sitting at the table, staring at the piles of food, forcing it down him.

Later on Reece and Roger would arrive, Reece was bursting with excitement to go and visit Autumn. "Aut!" He said whilst rushing towards her. She smiled back at him. Shortly after Roger followed behind Reece, he stalked him like prey. Reece couldn't help but stare at his little sisters bruised fingers, they remined him of his own hands. He never wanted Autumn to feel the way he did, the thought consumed him in guilt. Once she had noticed him staring at her hands, she tucked them under the hospital bed sheets, she never wanted Reece to feel guilty for her. Roger stood like a solider in the corner, making everyone feel as though they were being watched. Luckily a nurse came other to break the awkwardness, "Hope you're okay sir, shortly the social worker will be in to discuss a safety plan" He said. "Very well" Replied Roger, he acted like he was calm but in reality he knew his children could expose him for the monster he is.

A tall lady, carrying a brief case, soon entered the scene. Autumn and Reece couldn't help but be imitated by her presence. "Hello" she said in a posh English accent. "Hello, are you the social worker" asked Roger, his nerves had been soothed by the lady, she gave off the same vibes as him. "Indeed" She replied whilst nodding. As soon as the words "social worker" had been said, the two sibling turned around to face each other in panic. They stared at each other for a while until the woman cleared her throat to break the silence. She began walking to wards Autumn and shook her firmly, "I see your fingers are bruised Autumn" she said. The Knight family all felt a sudden rush of adrenaline coming through their stomachs. Before rolling his eyes Roger switched the subject by saying "My daughter Autumn has been drinking my wine" He said with a straight face. Reece was sitting on the chair next to Autumn, trying to read his dad's body cues. "I see" said the woman as she stood up and walked towards Roger, she had forgotten about what she had just witnessed. A nurse then implied "Autumn had clearly been drinking the substance for a long time" Reece and Autumn were both on the other side on the room, so they couldn't quite piece together what the huddle of people were saying. "Autumn, if you'd like to come with me" Said the lady as the huddle deformed. She nodded and stood up from her hospital bed for the first time since she had first lied in it. She followed the lady through the corridor, Autumns heavy breathing was so great it, was weighing her down. She hadn't left the hospital room since she had entered it, a wave of reality had just hit her. She could hear the sound of parent's soft voices, desperately trying to soothe their children, Autumn was envious of this. Secretly she had always hoped her mother would one day randomly arrive on her doorstep, even though she knew it was just a fantasy. She had the whole thing mapped out in her head, her mum would run towards her with open arms and the two would just stand and hug for a while. Autumn always was so fixated on the past that she found it hard to focus on the present, she found herself dissociating a lot. Her expressions were blank but in her eyes you could see her frustration and anger, tiredness and sadness, her eyes said more than her mouth ever did. The social worker in front of her, dressed in a grey suit, was still marching towards her. Autumn was reluctantly following behind her, like a dog being dragged on a slip lead. The lady then made a turn for the right corner. Her large fist reached for the metal door handle "Come in Autumn" said.

The two sat down in a glum room, it was dark but there was still light. The room had a window central to the back wall, the view overlooked the carpark. In the middle facing each other, sat two grey chairs, they were rather uncomfortable and Autumn could barely stand the feel of them. Hung all other the walls were "self help" posters, they had numbers of phones line like child line or words spelling out quotes like "Mental health is just as important as your physical health." Her eyes rolled as her jaw opened to release a loud sigh, her father had sent her to counselling before after reading her diary. She could easily spot out a therapy like room when given the opportunity. "Everything alright Autumn?" Generally asked the social worker. Although she looked stern, she did in fact have a big heart. "Yes" Replied Autumn annoyed. "Good!" said the lady as she tied back her long curly hair. The two awkwardly sat in silence before the woman asked Autumn a series of questions about her home life. Every question Autumn was asked she would reply "yes", "no" or "it's fine". Of course these were short answers for the deep questions she was being asked. The social worker knew this meant she didn't want to talk about it, so she then returned her to her room and called Roger in.

When Roger stepped in, he began twisting her mind into making her believe Autumn was a troubled kid ever since her mother left. Like mentioned before, he is a master manipulator. A few moments ago she was extremely worried for Autumn, but after Roger had finished, she believed Autumn was nothing but a spoilt, rude and arrogant kid.