The next morning I awoke early, feeling disoriented at first, as I opened my eyes onto the unfamiliar room.
As soon as I remembered where I was, however, I was glad - for once I didn’t have to get up and skulk around, staying out of my stepfather’s way until he fell asleep in front of the TV, or went to the pub.
I heard the soothing early-morning sounds of Jessie’s mum moving around and leaving to go to where she worked as a nurse, and when everything was still, I decided to get up and do something.
No one else was stirring as I put my jacket on, walking downstairs through the house and out into the backyard, with its view over the muddy creek.
The air was brisk, but in the grey dawn some little robins hopped around, flitting from tree to tree above the lush garden.
It seemed so peaceful, so calm in the early-morning gloom, that I didn’t dare make a sound.
I sat silently for a time in this fragile stillness, just taking it in and enjoying the peace but eventually I heard someone moving around in the adjoining kitchen.
In a moment, Jessie emerged, carrying two steaming coffee mugs.
“Thanks,” I smiled, taking one.
“You sleep okay after last night?” Jessie asked me, pushing her spiky blonde hair away from her face.
“Yeah,” I shrugged, “as well as I ever do, anyway.”
We said nothing for a while, just watched the birds searching for food, but after a few minutes Jessie looked at me, her green eyes earnest.
“Angel.” she said.
I watched her worried face, surprised at the urgency of her voice.
“Angel, I saw the bruises, last night. Are you okay?”
I felt the blood rush from my face and I turned away, desperately trying to think of an excuse - then, suddenly, it came to me.
“It’s nothing, Jess, honest - I just fell off a... a ladder the other day.”
I fielded her next question before she spoke it, hoping that my lies were sounding genuine.
“I was getting onto the roof, for some, uh, air.”
A part of me knew how lame the excuse was, but another, stronger part was amazed at how easily the lies came... not that I was lying completely.
I had fallen from the ladder getting into my room the day before; but the marks were not from the fall, rather, my stepfather Chris when he heard the noise and found me sneaking about.
I seemed to have fooled Jessie for the time being, though, for after a moment watching me as if she could find out the truth by studying my face, she sighed.
“Okay,” she said, “I was just worried... I thought you might be-”
I shook my head quickly, scared to open my mouth lest the truth came tumbling out.
But, before either of us could say another word, voices from the house made us turn.
Jay and Josh were talking as they walked into the kitchen from the hallway; stopping when they saw us talking just outside the door.
“Oh, hey, Jess, Angel. Are we interrupting...?” Josh frowned.
“No,” Jessie shrugged, “We were just talking, weren’t we, Ange?”
