The Veil

Chapter Forty-Six

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I decided to go and see Mr and Mrs Armstrong next door before I left, I wanted them to know I was ok and happy, for the most part anyway. 

I wanted them to know where I was. 

I stuffed my box and suitcase into the backseat of Tom's car before walking down their driveway.

I knocked on the door, suddenly worried that they could have moved, but then the door swung open, the same smell of freshly baked pastries hit me just as it did all throughout my childhood, the same smile on Avril's face. 

Her eyes grew wide for a second before a huge smile spread across her face again, "Lillian" She beamed. 

"Hi Mrs Armstrong." I beamed back at her, despite the circumstances it was good to see her again, the last time I'd seen her was the funeral and I hadn't said a word to anyone that hadn't forced an answer out of me. 

I always regretted not saying goodbye to her. 

"Come in!" She exclaimed as she moved aside to let me walk in. 

I smiled at her as I slid passed her, my feet finding their way to the living room before my brain told them too. 

Harry was sat in his recliner watching a ball game, when I entered he got the same surprised look on his face before he muted the TV and beamed up at me, "Is that really you Lily?" He stood up and gave me a quick one armed hug. 

"It's really me." I said, holding back tears. 

I felt the warmth and love immediately and it stung in a way I couldn't explain.

He sat back down and gestured for me to take a seat on the sofa, I did, putting my bag down at my feet. 

Mrs Armstrong came back through, placing a tray of freshly baked cookies and orange juice down on the coffee table, she pored me a glass and offered me a cookie before she sat down next to me. 

"Thanks" I smiled as I bit into the cookie. 

It was always her first reaction whenever I visited as a child, while my mom couldn't cook she couldn't bake either so I used to love coming over, stuffing cookies and cake into my pockets to take home with me. 

I didn't think Avril saw but thinking back I can remember her smirking out the corner of my eye as I did it. 

"How've you been sweetie?" She asked, getting that sad look in her eyes I'd just seen in the lawyers eyes.

I pretended not to see it as I answered her, "I'm good. Really good. Happy. I moved to a real small town called Eastrose, it's a few hundred miles away. Really small, lots of trees." I laughed slightly, they knew how much I loved the woods. "I live with some friends they're amazing, my boyfriend came with me, he's back at the motel with Sky." I smiled at them, hoping that despite my recent worry about my health and the creepy things happening, they could see that I really was happy.

"Boyfriend?" Avril asked, raising an eyebrow at me. 

Once I turned fifteen she'd always ask me about boys every time she saw me, I never knew if it was worry I'd never find someone or just plain curiosity. 

They'd treated me as their own child, they didn't have any children, despite the fact they'd wanted them. 

I nodded and bit my lip. "He's perfect." I said. 

"I bet he's not good enough for you." Harry laughed. 

"Trust me, he's definitely good enough for me, too good in fact." I could feel myself blushing.

He shook his head, still not believing me. 

"So what are you doing back here sweetie? Is everything ok?" Avril asked, curiosity burning in her eyes. 

"I just came back because the lawyers called me, I'm selling the house." I glanced down at my hands, for some reason telling them made me feel guilty about it, like I was betraying my parents by doing it. 

"I think that's a wise decision, it would be nice to get some fresh faces around here. We do miss having you and your parents here." She sighed sadly. 

"I miss having them too." I said, holding a smile on my face, I didn't want to make them feel sorry for me.

I sat for an hour, nibbling on delicious cookies and listening to them tell me everything that had been happening for the last three years. It was distracting and peaceful, like I was seventeen again stopping by after school, I never liked to go home to an empty house and mom and dad didn't get home until after five.

"I'm on my way back." I told Tom over the phone as I started to pull away from the curb. 

"Are you ok?" He asked, I could hear he was worried. 

"I'm ok, it was sad, and I'm going to feel guilty for a long time selling the house. But I need to let this city go. I stopped by to say bye to Mr and Mrs Armstrong, I never expected to see them again, but I'm still sad now knowing I really won't see them agin." I sighed. 

It had started to snow while I'd been in their warm house and it was getting heavier. 

"It's good you got to say bye this time though, and you told them where you are?" He asked. 

"Yeah, I wanted someone to know where I was, that I was happy." I smiled to myself. 

"Ok well I'll see you soon, you need to concentrate on driving it looks really bad out there." I could tell he'd be frowning deeply. 

"Ok, I love you." I said. 

"I love you." He replied, I smiled as I put the phone down and tossed the phone into the passenger seat. 

I sighed again as I turned the wipers up another notch, the snow had started to mix with rain and it was getting heavier by the minute.

I turned the radio up slightly, unable to hear over the rain on the roof of the car.

"This sleet is going to keep up for a while and then snow through the night and into the morning folks, so make sure you keep your-" the radio started to fade out and then all of a sudden at top volume a woman shouted "Help me!" Through the car speakers.

I looked down to try and turn the radio down, I glanced back up at the road and there was a man stood in the middle of my lane, soaked to the bone staring off into the woods. 

I screamed and slammed my breaks on, swerving to avoid him. 

I felt the wheel pull under my hands and the car start to shake I screamed again as the car started to tip, the trees, grass, snow, rain, road, all blurring into one big nothing around me.

I felt my head hit something solid, I screamed again as I heard something shatter and a piecing pain shot though my leg. 

I was wet.

I hurt everywhere. 

Colours were fading, grey, white. 

Black.