A corpse in the marshes

Chapter 1

Mum", I shouted up the stairwell, in a stage of overwhelming fatigue " I don't want to be late for school on the first day of the new term so please can you hurry up!" Yes, it seemed like I was the mother in that house; sometimes the thirty-one years that separated me and my mum seemed reversed, like I was the one that had endured 45 years instead of 14.

She, like all 'older women' dreaded the time when she would turn another decade older. I couldn't understand it in truth, such a petty way of living, it's not like kids these days dread the big one o. Why live in fear when age is just a number? Nevertheless, she did and it bored me to death, "do I look fifty? John's cat's brother's owner's friend said I do?"

Despite her slight frame and regularly-dyed hair, I regret to say, my mum looked her age. Her chin had begun to show the first signs of aging; her skin was beginning to sag in a way that reminded me of a baggy jumper. No offence.

Five minutes later, still waiting, I looked out of the window and over the marshes, a monstrosity, consuming space as far as the eye could see. The air was filled with the terrors of the past; tales of quicksand, man eating monsters, colossal wrecks; Designed to keep the tourists out and the blackberries for the locals in, I guess.

Two months before, a lost holiday maker knocked on the door and claimed she'd seen a vampire. "Vampire in Castura? Are you having a laugh?" I'd said, a little too loudly, resulting in me being grounded for about five weeks. Dull is an under exaggeration, it was torturous.

I hated that particular storyabout the old man 140 years ago: 'Johnathon Lockwood- clawed to death by savage beasts- DoB- unknown, 'may he who hath slain my love follow swiftly in his wake'.

"Charlotte", my Mum shouted straight to my face, snapping me out of a trance like a hypnotist, "are you going to get out of the car or are you going to sit there daydreaming all day?" Did I forget to mention I had an attention span about as long as the memory of a goldfish? When I 'woke up' I felt like I'd been teleported to a completely different place, usually forgetting my belongings. Today my lunch box.

"Sorry Mum", I reply almost sarcastically, "I'll get out here but could I possibly borrow some money off the best Mammy ever?" I lisped trying my younger sister Evelyn's approach.

"Don't start that it's bad enough for a nine year old to do that but fourteen, really, Charlie" , she lectured handing over a £5 note anyway. "Please don't waste that on sweets and I expect a full refund when I get home", Mum ordered as I grabbed my school bags from the boot and quickly said goodbye to her.

I knew exactly what I plan to buying with the money she gave me, a cheese and pickle sandwich and an apple at lunch break.

The first lesson was Maths, taught by Mr Walton a guy of about twenty-five who all the girls swooned over and make stupid remarks to try to get his attention. Personally I thought he was about as attractive as Evelyn's arcade teddy bear which she brought home when we went to visit Dad in the summer the year before: I feel I should admit that that teddy had no eyes, they were ripped off by the grabber on the machine. So yes, not very attractive.

Their was noting remotely good-looking about Mr Walton.

I listened to what he was teaching us, simultaneous equations...my lucky day!

At lunch I walked over to the counter and asked the dinner lady if I could have a cheese and pickle sandwich and an apple. She walked back very slowly in a way that gives you no hope, like the shoe shop assistants when they have no shoes in your size left in the store. In an almost worried fashion she informed me that they we're out of cheese and pickle sandwiches but would I like a different sandwich as well as my apple. I told her that it's OK. 'I'll survive", I said and walked over to the table housing Sean, Eddy and Diana, my best friends.

"Hey guys, how was your holiday?" I muttered , filled with holiday spirit that would soon disappear. I loved my best friends, not in that way! OK I had a teeny weeny crush on Sean but I wasn't as bad as some of the girls and Mr Walton.

I got a murmur of "ok", from Eddy, typical monday-morning-first-day-of-term reaction, I expected nothing less. Sean said "I had a great time skiing in the Alps, but unfortunately my brother broke his thumb on the black slope and we had to spend our last day in A&E. "

" Ouch", I muttered at the perfect time sounding like I really sympathized with his younger brother Greg who I hated desperately. Well to be fair he hated me first, but it was one of those mutual hating scenarios, we hated the sight of each other and the bad thing was, I didn't even know why!

Diana began to ramble on about her shopping trip with her Dad to New York and how she saw the statue of liberty and blah, blah, blah. I know I'm her best friend but I really wasn't the girly girl sort.

Sneakily, I looked across and saw that Sean and Eddy were concentrating about as much as I was, luckily I wasn't alone on this one but they had more of an excuse, they were boys.

"Charlotte", Diana said in my ear loudly, "were you concentrating on a word I just said?"

"Um, yep", I replied uncertainly, I guessed what was coming next before a word left her mouth.

" What was I saying then?" she said suspiciously. Damn this girl was good and somehow I thought that I needed to get a job as a mind reader.

I looked over to Sean who was secretly mouthing 'Maddie's son square garden', yes I got it Madison Square Garden! How was he listening?

"Madison Square Garden!" I said confidentiality.

"And what did I do there?" she asked she was just too good. I was going to have to wing this question. Then I thought about the posters all over her walls. And vaguely remembered another girly whim she'd gone on before.

"You saw One Direction!" , I said, praying inside my head.

"You succeeded this time but next time I will catch you", she threatened sounding like something off the Godfather we all burst out laughing and then carried on eating our meals after several minutes of hysterical giggling, and gaining the looks of practically every person in the cafeteria.

Sean looked at the apple core in my hand and then up to my face, and gave me a questioning look as if to say 'is that all you're eating?' I nodded but then mount Vesuvius erupted inside my tummy and Sean and I burst out laughing again.

" Come on", he whispered "let's get some chips",

We lined up patiently and starving and eventually we were rewarded with golden chips. "Mmm, thanks Sean", I said sounding odd with my face full of chips and vinegar dressing.

" No problem, and I better no see you eating that little again, you are not going anorexic!"

"Sean, you do realize that I would never give up cake and ice cream right?" I emphasize.

Sean's only reply is "This is when I realize that I know you too well