The Portal - Pain Is The Password

Chapter Two - The Pink Pyjamas

Audrey is asleep in her bed, the springs poking into her sides. A lightning bolt outside cracks onto the ground and her up with a fright. The curtains are still open and Audrey can see as far as the next house. The street looks the same, the cars are all parked in their right spots, the lights are all turned off. One seventeen-year-old rushes up the road as another lightning bolt hits the ground. The seventeen-year-old doesn't seem affected by the storm, she continues up the road until she turns into a dark alley.

Audrey sighs and peers up the sky, purple, like it has been for a month. The same colour, only lighter in the daytime. Rain thunders down when the sun sets and immediately clears up once it rises.

It has been a month since her father last yelled at her, she's sure he'll do it again. Audrey's heart still hurts like it happened yesterday. The day after it took place, she woke up to the purple sky. Researching, checking the news and asking people what was going on; she found nothing, people gave her weird looks and continued on their journeys. Another lighting bolt hits the ground, Audrey slips out of bed. She needs to talk to her, she hasn't spoken to her in three years but right now she has to.

Her slippers are too small, so Audrey squeezes her toes tight, she flings on her holey raincoat and runs down the stairs. The door is always left unlocked, her father never locks the door. She glances behind her before opening the door, her father is not following after her; he isn't waiting to attack when she's vulnerable.

She sprints out the door, slipping on the wet tiles, the wet tiles that are only wet to her. Her knee is grazed and she sits for a few minutes. Eventually, she stands after the rain has soaked through the thin, hello kitty pyjamas. Walking up the steep wooden stairs, up to the top of the garden, emotions building up inside her as she becomes closer to her destination. Audrey can feel the long grass, the wildflowers in between dripping with rainwater, the thing that stands out to Audrey is the headstone. The small metal headstone, the only writing is written in permanent marker, the messy handwriting from a ten-year-old.

Shay Ann Smith

18/02/1982-27/04/2014

Mummy, I love you

Audrey gazes down to the grave, her mother is resting under this piece of earth. No coffin, only her clothes. Audrey stares softly, pushing the memory of burying her to the back of her mind.

"Mummy," Audrey whispers, tears already spilling down her face, she takes her coat off and sits on it. "I'm not going to talk about the bad stuff okay? Today I'm going to talk about the good stuff and the good stuff only." She sniffs and wipes her nose. Staying silent for a moment, collecting all the good moments over the years.

"When you died mummy, as soon as I could I went straight to Taylor's." She struggles to speak, "they let me in, they didn't care that all I was wearing was my dance kit, I wasn't even wearing shoes." She thinks back to the day, the worst day of her short life. "They let me stay there for three days, apparently you told them that Dad wasn't very nice. I stayed in Theo's room because Taylor's was too small." Audrey smiles, that was fun, Theo stopped being such a teenager that night. He talked to Audrey all night and let her watch Disney movies for as long as she wanted.

"Every birthday I have, they get me something, they know it can't be big because dad will find out," she grins wide, " every year they get me a proper art kit, most of it stay at theirs. I love art, drawing relaxes me, makes me feel like no one in the world is bad, only good people."

"When I was thirteen, dad started kicking me out on the regular, I stayed over Taylor's every time. One time a boy in our year was throwing a party and Taylor's parents let us go, we partied until twelve; Taylor's mum wouldn't let us stay out until after that." Audrey relaxes back onto the grass, "the best night ever."