Everything Isn't What It Always Seems

Chapter Six

When I woke up in hospital my mum and Caitlin was beside my smiling. I've never seen either of them happy like this. They couldn't loose me, even if I do see that there's no point in living, clearly there is if I've not tried to kill myself. My mum grabbed hold of my had and squeezed it gently.

"Ellia you're so brave, Caitlin told me what you had done for her, of course the police have sorted out Dillon, he can't hurt either of you now"

Now that I looked at mum properly, I realized how much older she looked, her bump looked huge now. Lately I never gave the new baby much thought but maybe a baby being born soon is what we needed in this situation. I took it as a sign for hope. I was glad Dillon had being taking care of, it wasn't me I was worried about it was Caitlin, he could've seriously hurt her. The nurse who sat with me last time I was in hospital came in the room. I looked at her and she looked similar to my mum. Her hair was black but of course it looked dyed, she had the same crystal blue eyes as my mum. They were both slim too. Were they related? Of course they weren't, my mum told me her mum and dad died in a car crash just before I was born and she never had any brothers or sisters. 

"Marie, is Ellia fine, has she just work up"

"Yeah"

"Marie, I think Ellia needs to know"

I looked alarmed, was I dying. Was mum dying. I looked up in fright, was something going on that I didn't know about. Was it the baby? These questions kept whizzing round my head that it gave me a headache.

"Ellia, I've lied to you and We agreed it's time to tell you the truth. The nurse here is your aunty, my sister.  I didn't want to tell you because Kate, my sister had took a disliking to your dad, I had a falling out with her and pretended she didn't exist but she's here now and she wants to get to know you more"

So they were related. I had an aunty. No wonder last time I fell asleep on her she let me. I wasn't that bothered by me being lied to, I was over the moon that I had an aunty. To me everything seemed like it was getting better. Maybe it was. The only bad thing about today was that I had to get weighed at hospital and there was no way of getting out of it. I wasn't sure what I expected of mum but a hug was what I least expected. Caitlin smiled as she always did when I need to reassured. We left the hospital after a few final tests and they gave me the all clear. Before we were leaving Marie gave me a hug and told me to phone me for whenever I need someone to talk to.

When we got home, Caitlin told me that she couldn't stay, she was going out with her mum so I was left alone. I tried my hardest to spend downstairs but I only lasted 20 mins before I done my usual and ran upstairs. For a change I had a ice warm bath to calm me down, painted my nails afterwards and put on my pajamas, ad joined mum downstairs. We were watching a film and she was being too lazy to cook so we ordered a Chinese. Which for a change I ate without being sick. I was enjoying myself. After tea was done I painted my mums nails and we both relaxed with our face masks on. Afterwards we both went to bed. I still couldn't sleep properly though. Throughout the day, I was coping but on the night it was like I had lost all capability to block out painful reminders. Eventually I fell asleep and for a change I had a great dream. It was Christmas day, and me and Caitlin's family were having a little party...  But then I woke up and the cold realization that I was just dreaming sunk in.

 Up until the start of the Christmas holidays everything flashed by. Mum was soon to have her baby and I was so excited. We were constantly buying little things for the baby such as bedding for its cot. We were unsure whether she was having a girl or a boy, she wanted to leave it as a surprise. We talked about names, she had chosen for a girl, Lilie Mai, and for a boy, Simon. I wanted a baby brother because maybe if it was a girl I could't love her, not after what happened to Amelia, that seems selfish but it's the truth. Christmas was a rush this year, we had invited Caitlin and her family over to have Christmas dinner with us also granddad Joe, we had also invited my aunty and her family as well. Altogether there would be 10 people in our house celebrating together. This would be the first time as well that I'd get to meet my cousins. I was beyond excited. When it came to Christmas day I was excited off my mum she had got me some band t-shirts, more black vans and converses, jewellery, a new phone and just little things. Granddad Joe got me cd's, iTunes vouchers, a new hoody and tickets to go see my favourite band, Good Charlotte. Caitlin had got me a new phone case, and a photograph of us with Linkin Park, in a glass frame that said best friends. I had got her a band t-shirt because she was whining on about how she wanted one. I got her a Bowling for Soup one with some little things like chocolate, bracelets. Caitlin was like my guardian angel, she would walk down the corridors and people would call us emo's and she'd just laugh all about it.

When it came to dinner it was a tight squeeze, I sat in between Caitlin and my granddad. Granddad Joe was telling me about his little adventure in France, I didn't believe him but he was a great story teller. Caitlin seemed to be engrossed in the story as well. My two cousins I had never met before were called Dan and Declan. Declan seemed really shy and never really spoke to me but Dan straight away talked to me. My aunty and mum were in deep conversation, seems like they had alot to catch up on. Christmas Day seemed perfect. If you were an outsider looking it, it would be like it was in films, but loads better. The parents were slightly drunk, Caitlin's brother spent time with Declan. While me ad Caitlin spent time with Dan. We were reading our new books we had got for Christmas, as another little surprise I got Caitlin Divergent seen as she seemed interested in reading it. I was reading the second book in The Hunger Games series. And Dan he was just sat there reading a Simpsons comic book.

New Years Day was eventful, Caitlin was visiting her family in the UK so I was left at home with mum. We were half way through cooking when she let out a painful cry. I turned to stare at her more alarmed than ever. 

"Mum, is it the baby?"

"Ellia, phone for an ambulance, go quickly, my waters have broke"

I ran to dial for an ambulance and gave them a brief explanation and they said they would be soon. I didn't know what to do in this situation, I ran to sat down beside her and told her to take deep breaths which made her laugh. A short while later a knock on the door gave me a fright, the ambulance helped my mum and we were whizzing away to the hospital, I was told to stay it waiting room. Mum had handed me her phone in case I needed to phone my aunty. Half an hour later a phone buzzed, it was a private number. I was unsure whether or not I should answer it but I did.

"Hello?"

"Is this Marie?"

"No it's Ellia, her daughter, my mum's in hospital her waters have broke"

"Oh, Ellia, I'm coming straight to the hospital and by the ways its the detective, you know the one who helped with finding your dad, we have some bad news, but I don't want to scare you too much over the phone"

Then he hung up, I was sat alone in the waiting room trying to figure out what the detective had meant. I got a fright when the detective sat beside me, handing me a cup of coffee. 

"Ellia, this must be a bad time but your dad broke out of prison"

"You're joking?"

"I wish I was Ellia, we'll be protecting you and your mum again but word got out to the social services and they don't think its safe for you"

"So you're telling me I'm going to be put in care because some idiots let my dad escape"

"No, they'll be keeping an eye out too"

My aunty came out a short while later and told me, that I could go see my mum and my new baby brother. I walked in and mum was smiling at me. In her arms lied a beautiful baby boy. I didn't want to tell mum the bad news yet, it would only worry her. So I sat down and I held the new baby Simon. He looked like my mum already, he had the same coloured eyes as her. A few days passed and after the tests were done we were allowed to go home. The news had gotten to my mum about dad and she looked ill the moment she found out. When we arrived home I got a cold shiver down my back, someone had being here and my guess was it was dad. The lights were off in the house, exactly how I left it. But things were thrown about carelessly and sat in the middle of the sitting room he was there. Looking more evil he glared at us. He got up with a kitchen knife and headed towards me, Simon and mum. Mum handed me Simon and pushed us both behind her.

"You can't hurt me no more Stephen, you are nothing to me, nothing"

He looked shocked, scared and more raged by what she had said. He kept walking towards us but he looked sad and broken but mum didn't look fooled. She screamed out for the detective but instead the social worker came and took me and Simon. Mum looked at us and she was crying, screaming out no. That's when dad had ran out the door and down the street, not to be seen. I was screaming out for my mum and Simon was crying just how Amelia cried as well. The social worker put me and Simon in the car and she walked away to speak to my mum. I think my mum was tired and that's what I hoped because she didn't even put up a fight. The Social worker drove us away leaving mum behind us more broken. We were taken somewhere, somewhere new. I was glad it was a face I recognized when they opened the door, it was my aunty Kate. I grabbed hold of her tightly not ever wanting to let go...