Never As It Seems

Chapter 41

Kelsey's eyes flicked nervously from the wound on Amber's forehead to Dessa standing behind her and back again. Amber's phone buzzed in her pocket. It had been all morning. Jay was going crazy trying to get hold of her but she knew if she spoke to him, she'd have to lie about where she was and she couldn't do that. He'd just have to worry for now. Hopefully it would be worth it.

Kelsey looked around the street and then stepped back from the doorway holding it open. She led them to a small sitting room.

"Uh can I get some clothes on." She said, pulling her dressing gown around her.

Amber nodded and Kelsey left them.

"Not what I expected." Dessa whispered, looking around the room.

It was clean and everything seemed to have it's place. The decor was modern and fresh although the furniture was mismatched and tired looking. In fact, you wouldn't think you were in a flat in the estate they had been so intimidated by just a few minutes before.

"I'm beginning to learn that nothing's as it seems." Amber said, more to herself than to her friend.

"Oh. But look at this. That's a bit creepy."

Amber glanced in the direction Amber was pointing and noticed the familiar faces in the gallery of pictures on the wall. They were all framed, like they would be in a normal family home, which she guessed is why she didn't notice them to start with... they were all pictures of Rob or Keeper together as a band. Posters from magazines that had been framed. She looked around to see if there were any actual family photos but there were none.

"I guess you're not here to shake hands." Kelsey appeared in the doorway.

She was looking slightly more composed now although Amber sensed it was more of a mask than the reality.

"Err.... no. Well.. err. Can we sit down?" She tried to regain her composure using the time it took to sit on the edge of the worn looking couch to formulate, once again, what she was going to say.

Dessa sat next to Amber and Kelsey moved further into the room but remained standing, waiting for Amber to say something.

"It's about Jay." Kelsey looked at her blankly. "My boyfriend. The guy that was there when you... err... the other night."

Kelsey's face took on a defensive guise and Amber remembered how quickly she had flitted from one temperament to the other at their last meeting. Her nerves began to rise again and it was as if Jay knew because her phone began to buzz again. She ignored it but it pulled her mind back to him and the task at hand. She pushed her fear back and pressed on.

"It's just that something happened to him that means if he gets into trouble with the police again, he goes to prison." She thought she sensed a slight smirk on Kelsey's face. Taking a deep breath, she continued. "The thing that happened to him was an accident and the other night, he didn't hurt you. He was just trying to get you... uh... to separate us."

"And?" Kelsey placed her hands on her hips, realising that the control of the situation was beginning to pass over to her.

"And he's a good man. He was going to be a doctor."

Dessa raised her eyebrows in surprise as Amber continued.

"He didn't ask for any of this and he was just trying to help me. He doesn't know I'm here... in fact he'd go crazy if he knew. But please, would you consider changing your mind and going back to the police?"

The silence that followed was heavy. Amber could feel her heart pounding and felt like the other two could probably hear it.

"I don't know what I want to do yet." Kelsey finally said. "He pushed me. And I know what I saw with you and Rob."