right where you left me

Chapter 13 - No More Lies

12 Years Earlier

"Why is this happening?" I asked Finn, as he held my hand, the door closed as we both leant against it.

"I don't know," he replied. We were both too young to understand what any of that meant. I was only 10, and he was 11. We were kids.

"We should get Eden," I said, standing up, wanting to open the door and save my sister. I could hear her screams. I could feel her heart.

"No!" Finn retorted, grabbing my hand and pulling me back down.

"But, we can't just-"

"Eden is older. She can protect herself." I didn't believe it. I couldn't believe it. She was only 15. It wasn't as if she was an adult.

After a few hours, the commotion had stopped. I opened the door, slowly, seeing the glass on the floor, and the drinks smashed on the ground.

"Edie!" I called out, trying to find my sister. I could see that the car was no longer in the drive; he left. Thank god. "EDIE!" I called again. I went outside, trying to see if I could see her. The endless fields lay in front of me, and in the distance, I saw a light.

"She's there," I said, pointing towards the light that was most likely coming from a torch. Finn grabbed my hand, and we ran towards the light. Ran towards our sister.

As we approached, I was scared. But, to be fair, I was always scared.

"Edie?" I said, as I saw my sister laying on the ground, in a bare patch in the field. "Are you okay?" She was staring up at the sky, hiding her face from both me and Finn.

"Do you ever wish you could fly away from here?" she asked us.

"I don't understand," I replied.

"Right, yeah, sorry," Eden soon answered. "Come here." She hurried me over towards her, still covering her face, not letting me see the likely bruises and blood. Finn went on the other side, both our heads resting in the crevices between Eden's arm and shoulder, with her arms holding us tight into her.

"I love you two, more than anything in this world, you know that right?"

"Yeah," we both replied.

"And, even if I do go somewhere, and leave, I'll always come back to you both. I promise."

"Promise?" Finn said.

"I promise," Eden responded.

"Where are you going?" I asked, naively.

"Not sure yet," she answered. "But somewhere."

"Can I come with you?" Finn asked.

"Maybe," Eden replied.

"Maybe we can all run off together?" I said, hopefully.

"It doesn't work like that, Tippsy," Eden said, sighing softly. "I wish it did. I really wish it did."

The next morning, Eden was gone. She had gone. Mum got her on the first train to Armidale, and she left us. She left me and Finn, in Forbes, while she was off to save her life, and herself.

And no one had heard from her since. No one knew where Eden Jones was in this big, big world. She had disappeared, she was missing. Or maybe, she just didn't want to be found.

Present

I arrived back in London the day after our final game against New Zealand. I was jet lagged, exhausted, and had a pit of anger burning in my chest.