The Touch

Chapter 4 - My Safe Place

Mrs Darion was waiting at the top of the stairs as soon as I opened the door to the front landing. Standing in her usual place always brought a bit of comfort to me, a bit like being mothered even though she would be more like my grandmother's age than my mother. She was dressed in her usual floor length blue with white clouds dressing gown which had been a present from her granddaughter.

"There you are Lacey, I am glad you got out of that rain. Looks like we could have a bit of a storm on the way"

"Yes, Mrs Darion" I replied. "It's pretty bad out there".

"Have you been out visiting your mother again dear? "

"Yes, just been to see her at the home" I lied.

"How is she today dear, any improvements on your last visit?".

"No she is about the same as yesterday" . I hated lying to her but I had to do everything to keep my life private and making up that my mother was in a rest home after a stroke was easier than telling her that she had died. There were always more questions when someone knew that your parents had died and more opportunities that someone would try and become more involved with your life out of pity. Pity and involvement in my life by outsiders was not on my agenda.

I shuffled my feet a little which was always a sign that I am getting a little restless and wanted to move on.

Mrs Darion sensed this and hands me a package along with a small tin.

"The package arrived for you this morning and in the tin are some chocolate chip cookies I baked".

"Thank you Mrs Darion, that's very kind" I said "I had better go and get out of these wet clothes now".

"Yes, of course. We don't want you to catch a cold or anything. Enjoy the cookies" she said as she opened the door and walked back into her apartment.

My apartment was one more floor up which was the top floor of the building. There were no other apartments on this level which meant that I had the whole of the top floor to myself. The apartment had been standing vacant for a while before I had arrived here after that fateful day. I found out that it had once belonged to my parents and they had kept it vacant over the years but had made some modifications over that time. They were prepared for the inevitable and I think they had initially planned for all of us to live in it. But of course I was the only one to survive that day.

I put my key into the door and turned it, hearing the familiar click of the locks. I open the door and quickly closed it behind me, locking it again. I had installed a camera on the door and always made sure that I looked at it to check that no one had followed me. Taking off my wet jacket I hang it on the coatrack beside the door then turned to the fire extinguisher and push the black button hidden on top.

To anyone entering the apartment they would see a normal everyday apartment. It had a nice sized lounge, kitchen, bathroom and three bedrooms with windows looking out over the neighbourhood below. It was nice, neat and clean but it was definitely no ordinary apartment.

A hidden panel on the fire extinguisher opened and inside was a keypad of 16 numbers. I keyed in my code and another click sounded from behind the closet door. This was my actual sleeping area, the place that I knew as home. The apartment with all its furniture was just a cover up should anyone try to enter and it had just the right amount of that lived in feel to pass off as somewhere where I cooked, cleaned and slept. I opened the tin of cookies and threw them in the bin then placed the tin on the table so I could give it back to Mrs Darion. It wasn't that the cookies were probably not nice tasting, I just never tasted anything hand made as I was always aware of the rule my mother made, never trust anyone, never eat any food not made by yourself or that you have seen being made and never drink anything you have not prepared yourself or have seen being prepared. You can not trust anyone.