Madness

Chapter 8

"I'm coming. I'm coming for you Nessa. I'm coming."

The words circled my head, entwining themselves in my dreams. There was nothing anyone could do. He was going to come back for me, I knew it.

So the news shouldn't have surprised me as much as it did when the prison contacted the school three weeks later to tell them that my father had gotten out, somehow, and that they were worried about me. About my safety.

And I found myself being followed around by teachers.

"It's for your own safety." They would say when I asked. But if my dad can escape heavily armed prison guards, I doubted a few teachers could stop him. I pointed this out. And still I was kept under constant surveillance. Mrs Vord would come from when I woke to my first class, and between classes. Mrs Curtis and Mrs Deets took day about after classes ended for the day. It wasn't so bad when it was just those three, but I had people outside my room day and night. I felt under so much pressure. And Benny didn't help.

"Your dad's coming weirdo." She would say. "He's gonna get you."

Then she would walk off laughing.

I became very nervous. I knew he would come. It was only a matter of time. But how many people would he hurt to get to me? I didn't know if I could take another person dying because of me.

It was this thought that made me repeat my little journey to the forest. And stay there. For good this time. Dad might not be able to climb as high as me, and besides, the forest kept me feeling safe. I could hear and smell the air around me.

I felt slightly better to be back in the real trees again. It took away some of my nightmares and I had the real squirrels that I could sit and watch instead of my dad's people-squirrels. And the rabbits, and even a few deer. Normally, I would have loved it. But I was too scared to climb down and see them, to scared to even descend my new tree. I was scared while I got food, in case someone got to me. Like dad. But I was more scared that he would get to someone else. I could take him. But if anyone else found me and stood between us...

Mostly, I was scared for people. But something within me was able to fear for myself as well. I had not forgotten the feeling when my dad had pinned me down and then become a part of me. The bark from the trees and the nuts and seeds kept me going. I found a bramble bush and ate from that for a few days, but it was close to the school and I was not keen to be found.

The panic of the teachers set in and there were paroles of the forest every day. The dogs were called out again. But they would not find me. I wouldn't scream, and I could swing away from them into another tree. They could only smell me when I moved around on the ground. So they would not find me. And neither would dad. Mrs Curtis was almost always out looking for me, with Mrs Deets and Mrs Vord at her side. Especially at the weekend, when there was no class. And it hurt me to see them looking so hard and desperate, and knowing that I was doing that to them. I was a bad person. I was such a bad person.

But I had to hide. They would get even more hurt if they stood between me and dad. He killed mum for it. And Aunt Alice.

When he came, I would face him alone. And I would take what came.

But their shouting for me was loud. And it was what led dad in.

He was drunk and smoking. I could smell him from a mile off. And if he got to anyone else first...

But no. He wouldn't. I had to make sure of that. So I had to go after him. Alone.

As I thought this through, I didn't see Mrs Deets below me. Or Mrs Curtis. So when I coughed back a tear, they heard. And looked up.

"Oh thank goodness! Nessa!"

They walked over to the tree I was in, so I swung to a different one. They followed me there too.

"Get out of here," I hissed. "He's crazy. He'll just hurt you too."

Mrs Curtis got out her walkie talkie. And I pounced. Straight to the next tree. And the next. They were following, but I was fast, and they were running to catch up with me. I was so busy trying to get away from them that I didn't notice the smell getting stronger until it was to late. Looking down, I saw what I had dreaded from the start. My father, bottle in hand and knife pointing directly at Mrs Curtis' heart.