Healing - Book One

four

Three sharp bangs on the front door wake me. I sit up from my bed in fright; the clock on the wall reads 4:43 in the morning. Rubbing my eyes, I swing my legs from under the blanket and stand up, wobbling slightly. Some more noise from downstairs; I hear movement from my parents room. Cautiously, I open my door and peer into the corridor, however I see nothing as all the lights are off.

The door to my parent's bedroom cracks open, light spills onto the floorboards from inside. My father creeps out holding a door holding an umbrella, closely followed by my mother, her hair in rollers.

When they notice me, my mother beckons me out and silently orders me to get behind her. We creep down the stairs slowly, whoever is at the door does not stop knocking vigorously. My mother and I hang back on the bottom step as my father approaches the front door. He raises the umbrella threateningly as he steadily turns the key in the lock.

In a sudden flash of movement, he swings the door open and grips the umbrella tightly. His threat is fortunately in vain as he sees his sister-in-law standing on the doormat. She wears a white fur jacket and bright red trousers.

"Good morning Peter, Martha." Aggie chirps, unfazed by the man wielding an umbrella before her. She flicks her eye contact to me. "It's time, Violet."

My heart swells with the excitement. Mother's body begins to tremble ever so slightly while Aggie steps inside, wiping her feet.

"Go and get your things, baby. Oliver's keeping the vehicle running."

Not bothering to even wonder who on earth Oliver is, I jog back upstairs: my heart is pounding heavily in my chest.

Once back in my room, I switch the lights on and quickly change out of my nightclothes into a plaid skirt and a cozy knitted jumper. I scamper around my dresser, scooping up my toothbrush and perfume along with a few other, probably unnecessary items which are piled into my luggage before I fasten it shut.

Hastily, I run into the bathroom and splash my face with cold water in an attempt to wake myself up properly. Back in my room, the clock now reads 4:50 am. I haul a suitcase in each hand and bustle out into the corridor for the final time.

Waddling due to the heavy weights either side of me, I steadily tread down the stairs where my family stand in almost the same positions in which I left them. Aggie smiles and adjusts her hat, taking one of the cases from me when I reach the bottom.

As I stand at the door, ready to leave my home seemingly for good, my mother begins to bawl. I gather her up in my arms and let her cry into the wool of my jumper. My father pats my shoulder and gives me a farewell nod - a much less emotional goodbye.

"Promise me you will write." My mother sobs, her words almost inaudible.

"I promise." I assure her, before peeling my arms from her. Picking up my suitcase, I stand on the doorstep and take a deep breath as I inspect my surroundings. The front garden is shrouded in darkness and an expensive-looking automobile sits proudly in the driveway. For the first time, I step out onto the paved path with intent to go further than the front gates. I follow Aggie to the car and a middle-aged man steps out of the driver's door. He nods courteously and takes the bags off both me and Aggie. She also receives a peck on the cheek: I'm guessing Oliver is another of her many male admirers. I turn back to the house and wave cheerily to my parents, both faces are beyond forlorn and my heart suddenly aches for them. However, I have no time to dwell on anyone's emotions before I'm quickly ushered into the back seat.

Aggie settles herself next to her admirer in the front, and he begins to drive away from my home. I stare back at it, tears begin to well up in my eyes. I suddenly feel terrible for how excitable I was when I first found out about the other home, and I regret everything horrid I'd said to my parents about the situation. Forcefully I fight away the tears and drag my attention to scraping dirt from under my fingernails in a desperate and gross attempt to distract myself.

"It's alright if you get a little upset Vi." Aggie murmurs, placing a hand on my knee. "It's bound to be a little difficult at first."

I nod and cut off the conversation by staring out of the window at the sleeping village we pass through. It all feels eerie, even though I've never been here when it's 'buzzing with life' as my mother always told me. After the village, the landscape is all fields; geometric shapes of gold and green tumble over the Oxfordshire hills, the colour of the crops so vibrant I can make them out in the darkness.

When I look out of the front window, I notice that Oliver's headlights have been altered. They only shine towards the ground instead. To me, this is a poignant reminder that the war is still happening. Why should I be worrying about stupid things when there are boys and girls not much older than myself getting blown up and shot nearer the mainland. I also wonder how Miss Peregrine and the children managed to cross the English seas without being questioned.

Shaking my head, I let the grim thoughts pass from my mind, just as we enter the city of Oxford. The sun is also beginning to rise. I admire the beauty of the architecture through my window, wanting to find a camera and capture what I was seeing forever in monochromatic goodness. We arrive at the railway station too soon, approximately an hour and a quarter after we left. Aggie gives me a nod before exiting the car. I follow suit and the cold morning air feels like a slap in the face. Shivering, I take one of my suitcases from Oliver. He smirks at me, and I force a shy smile back.

Aggie takes the other half of my luggage, and her and Oliver share a kiss. I turn away, extremely embarrassed. He must be more than double her age. Then I watch a man in a suit stride along the pavement before crossing into the station next to us. The day has begun.

"Vi, lets go."

Aggie calls me over as the car pulls away, I obediently join her and we walk into the station together. I inhale deeply - this is the beginning.