Blood Tears - Editing in process.

Chapter 4 - Lost

~ The queen moved three spaces diagonally, right infront of Vickey's king, between her last knight and rook. "Check mate" Eli's voice was calm, but Vickey could hear the hidden happiness in his voice.

"That's the sixth time in a row Eli!" Vickey laughed. The smile came on Eli's face, Vickey could see his bright milk teeth, still waiting to fall out. Vickey couldn't help but smile too, Eli's smiles were an infectious sight.

"Rigtht, thime to put the games away, luncth is over." Miss Maud said, her lisp was easy to hear. It was maths next, Vickey and Eli's worst lesson. Niether of them were any good at it and that just made them dislike it even more. Eli could feel the Miss Maud staring at him, they had not got of on the right foot. On thier first maths lesson togther, he had backchatted, called her Miss Moany, thrown his pen at the back of her head and pulled her chair away from her desk on the way out of the classroom when he was sent out.

This time he had to behave, or he would have to move school again, and he really didnt want to have to move again. He liked it here. ~

Vickey's eyes were greeted by an unfamiliar darkness, she could smeel something damp. She rubbed her eyes, hoping they would adjust to the lack of light soon. They didn't need to. A bright light shone down from what Vickey assumed must be the crack of a door. She could she a shadow in the doorway, the woman from the beetle. Vickey knew it was her, she could see the bright copper strands of hair reflecting the light. The shadow began to descend the steps between the door and the stone floor where Vickey lay.

"Where am I?!" Vickey demanded, her voice weak having just woken up.

"Oh, you're awake. I was wondering when you would be waking up." The woman's voice was sweet, it sounded like her mothers, warm and calming when you feel upset or distressed. "We never had time to introduce ourselves," the woman flicked a light switch on the wall as she finished coming down the stairs,"My name's Nancy, what's yours?"

"Vickey." Vickey said, trying to keep her conversation as short as possible, but she knew this was going to be a long conversation.

 The light bulb swung around in a small cicle due to the draft coming into the basment, it shone a odd pattern onto the wooden floor boards where Vickey was sat, shining on Vickey's face, the stair railing and Nancy's shoes all in one cycle.

"So..." Nancy's voice broke the silence that Vickey had been purposefully trying to keep hanging in the air for as long as possible."It's a little cold down here, why don't you come up into the living room..." Her  words trailed off at the sight of Vickey's expression.

"If you think it's so cold then why am I even down here." Sarcastically, Vickey rolled her eyes getting rather annoyed at how Nancy could stay looking so calm and innocent when she had obviously knocked here out and carried her down here. There was no memory of what had happened between the time Nancy had pulled up outside the house and when she had woken up. 

"Well it wasn't my idea to put you down here in the first place..." Again, Nancy's words broke off, but this time Vickey could hear a choke in her voice.

"Who's was it then?!" Sarcasm still clung onto Vickey's every word, she hadn't meant it to come out so powerful. She almost felt sorry for Nancy, she looked so fragile and lovable.

"Brendan's." Suddenly, Vcikey took back all that she had just thought, Nancy's voice had completely turned, there was nothing left in her words but bitter hate and a vulnerabilty or worry, Vickey couldn't make out which one it was. 

A chill swept over Vickey's body as she realised how much Nancy had just reminded herself of her voice when she was at the canal with Eli. Guilt flooded her stomach and made her want to vomit, she hadn't really thought about Eli since she had killed him. Vickey could feel her heart beat quicken, finding that she hadn't thought fully about how Eli was gone either. 

"Not again" Vickey murmered just as a black clouded over her eyes and she fainted.

~Music filled the air, Vickey could feel the drum beat pounding against her eardrums, she hated school discos. "Why does the music have to be so loud!" Eli only just heard the shout over all the other childrens screaches and screams. A hand grabbed vickey and she could feel herself being pulled away from the crowd in the middle of the brightly lit school hall into the corner, where a row of ugly grey chairs had been placed.

Eli and Vickey sat down, taking up the space of three chairs, Eli had his feet knelt up on one half on the middle chair. "I...hate...discos." His voice was broken up into individual words due to the music breaking each breath, 

"Me too, I don't understand why everyone gets in such a fuss over them, it's just really loud music and everyone jumping up and down!" A laugh erupted from Vickey's mouth and soon Eli followed suit. Vickey had barely ever heard Eli laugh, it was only on rare occasions when he was extremely happy.

Smiles joined their laughter, Vickey knew that Eli had never felt this happy before, somehow she could feel that this was one of the happiest days of his life. ~

Once again Vickey's eyes were glued shut, she must have fainted for quite a while, she could feel someone watching her. Without opening her eyes, she cautiously felt around her, trying to work out where she was. There was no longer the solid, cold floor of the basement, but a soft, warm matress beneath her. There was a duvet wrapped around her also, warming her toes and covering her arms.

Keeping her eyes closed Vickey tried to think about home, without looking around this felt like her bed in her room. She welcomed the idea that maybe it had all been a nightmare, maybe she had just had a terrible nightmare. Maybe Eli was still alive, maybe Justin was too.

Daring to open her eyes Vickey was not greeted with the view of her lilac walls, but with Nancy, and a tall man leaning over her, watching, waiting until she was awake.