Clopwyck River (Book One)

Clopwyck River Part 1

Pain tiptoes through the darkness of my broken mind, slowly wrenching me from unconsciousness. All I can hear is whistling. The flames and smoke slap me awake as I try to move my arms and legs. My eyes sweep the debris. She can't be dead. Not again. She cannot be dead.

Chapter One

My forehead's numb from where I've been leaning against the passenger side window, and my back aches from sitting at an awkward angle. I shift in my seat, and realising that I'm not asleep as I've been pretending to be, Jackie, my old neighbour, glances at me.

"I really think this is for the best, Demi."

I sigh. Isn't that what all adults say when they're making you do something you don't want to do? I look ahead and rub my neck. "It's fine."

"It's not fair on you to be stuck with me. You should be with family. My boys are much younger than you, I don't want them..." She catches herself before she says what she really thinks. "You need to be with people who love you, people that know you, people that..."

"Daria doesn't know me."

"Of course she does! She's your sister."

"That doesn't mean she knows me."

Jackie purses her lips and exhales through her nose. "I know you're not happy about this but there isn't another option. I really think it's for the best."

She nods as she repeats the words, convincing herself that palming me off is the right thing to do.

"I said its fine." It's not. I'd rather stay at Jackie's with her annoying twin sons blaring their PS4 through the wall, than live with my sister in Clopwyck River. But Jackie has been waiting for this day since she shook me awake from a vodka induced sleep, and told me that Mum had died in a car crash. She agreed that I could stay with her 'for the short term', so I knew I wouldn't be there for long. Nobody has come out and said it, including Jackie, but I know they blame me for my Mum's death. I mirror their thoughts when I lie in bed, waiting for sleep to bring me a fraction of peace that I know I don't deserve.

A road sign hurls my thoughts back in my face and officially welcomes me to Clopwyck River. Dense trees shadow the car, shielding us from the rain as we glide into a leafy tunnel. I look through the window and tree trunks speed past my eyes, hypnotising me into almost forgetting where I am, their spell breaking suddenly as we emerge from our passage. As my eyes adjust to the grey daylight, I experience the only familiar feeling I can associate with this place: a static shock crackles through my palms to my fingertips. I shudder, shaking away the sensation that I've had on the previous four occasions I've visited my sister here.

I look out at the dull evening and exhale until I have no air left; the weather is as depressing as my life. As is the norm in England at this time of year, it's chucking it down. Grey clouds tumble and swirl against each other like the thoughts in my head, and the wind forces its will on the tree branches. Entranced by the weather, my Mum materialises in my mind's eye as I remember how wild her hair would get if she got caught in the rain. Those dark shadows of despair wash across my soul and I squeeze my eyes shut before the loss of her rises up to engulf me.

"This place is completely off the radar."

I open my eyes and see Jackie frowning between the road and the sat nav, jabbing the buttons on the screen. "Are you sure you can't remember where Daria's house is?" I shrug my shoulders.

Jackie's knuckles are white on the steering wheel and she's sitting so far forward her nose is almost touching the windscreen; she's concerned that she's never going to deliver me to my new baby-sitter. She spots a young couple in a dilapidated bus shelter, and slows the car to a stop. Deep in conversation, a guy leans over a girl who glances between him and her bright pink nails. The conversation stops abruptly as we pull over next to them.

Jackie winds down the window. "Hello there. Do you know where, um..." She grabs the paperwork from the dashboard, "...Blackthorn Lane is? My sat nav has completely given up."

Without hesitation, the boy pops open an umbrella, strides towards the car, and crouches down next to the driver's door as if he's about to talk to a five year old. I steal a quick look at him. He's gorgeous. His dark brown hair is styled in that oh-my-luscious-hair-naturally-stands-up-and-slightly-to-the-side look, but the swagger in his walk suggests he spends at least thirty minutes in front of the mirror getting his appearance just right.

"Well, let's see." He charms Jackie as he makes a show of squinting down the road. "You're almost there. Just carry on up here for about two minutes and you'll see a fork in the road. Take the road on the right, and then you'll see the woods. Keep driving and it's the next left turn. Drive slow or you'll miss it."

I risk a look into his brown eyes. Big mistake. He winks at me.

"Thank you." Jackie throws the paperwork onto the back seat, and then looks from Brown Eyes to me. "You two must be around the same age. Demi, this boy might go to your new school."

"I thought you must be new." He grins. "I'm Sullivan, and this is Ciara."

"His girlfriend Ciara," she shoots back. With her long blonde hair, she's equally as gorgeous as he is, but her blue eyes dart an immediate coldness towards me; she's not in any way interested in making friends. Suits me. It's not like I'm looking for a new best friend to have pillow fights with.

Jackie nods at me expectantly, but when I remain silent she introduces me herself. "This is Demi-Louise Darnell. She's moving here to live with her sister, Daria. She'll be starting at Clopwyck Academy tomorrow. Demi, won't it be nice to know a couple of people at your new school?"

I nod unenthusiastically, and suddenly being the centre of attention makes me blush. Ciara does nothing to cool my pink cheeks as her eyes sear my face like white hot pokers.

Sullivan interrupts the glare. "Don't worry, Demi-Louise. I'll look after you." His eyes narrow as he looks at his girlfriend. "Ciara will too, right Ciara?"

"Yeah. Right."

Ciara shifts her attention back to her red nails and I...Wait! Red nails? I squeeze my eyes shut for a count of three, but when I open them her nails are still red. Ruby red. I'm sure they were pink. I pray it's just the bad lighting making them look a different colour, not me losing my mind. Again.

As Sullivan continues flirting with Jackie, Ciara flips up her hood, sashays around the car as if she's modelling a line of chic raincoats, and when she reaches my door, she bends over so her face is level with mine. She says something I can't make out. I wind down my window and raise my eyebrows at her.

"Where were you born?" She repeats.

Is this her version of small talk? "What?"

"I said: where were you born?" She enunciates the last four words like she's speaking to someone who has just learned English.

"Cambridge," I reply, but I don't take my eyes off hers as I answer. It seems like a harmless question, but like the interrogator herself, I suspect there's malice hidden beneath the surface.

"Hmmm." She studies my face, her smile a mile from reaching her eyes. "You just became interesting". She struts back to Sullivan's side as he and Jackie wrap up their little mutual appreciation society.

"Thanks you two; it was nice to meet you both." Jackie searches for first gear as she prepares to move off. "Oh Ciara, I love that nail colour! What's it called?"

Ciara waggles her fingers in front of her chest, making me gasp. "Sea Breeze Blue." She winks at me. "Welcome to Clopwyck River, Demi-Louise.

Thanks for reading the first part of Clopwyck River, I hope you've enjoyed it! I'd love it if you could comment, or vote. By voting or leaving comments you help to make it more visible to other readers. Thanks! I'd love to see what your playlists are for each of the chapters so feel free to leave song titles or artists in the comments. 

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