Missing Martha

11

Martin wasn't sure what to expect of this tour.
He booked it quite spontaneously 3 days prior to the day that they had to go.
He had envisioned that it wouldn't cost much. Everyone gave him £100 and he and Zoe would pay for themselves. The school contributed £2000 leaving them with £2500.
Martin bought the bus with his own money, as he was given a significant amount of compensation after the deaths of his wife and daughter. It was a cool bus, he had to admit. Eight seats with a huge mattress and a single mattress as a bunk bed on top.
It costed Martin £18,000 second hand, and it was pretty easy to drive with only 30,000 miles on the clock.
Martin hadn't quite considered where the suitcases would go; there was a very small boot, however considering that the group would be travelling for over a month without having much chance of cleaning their clothes, he assumed the suitcases would be big. Very big.
Martin was just about to leave his house. He wasn't sure when he'd be back again. He had packed a considerate amount of his possessions into a medium sized rucksack. He would leave this house desolate. He was alone, single, and had no friends or family left in a 100 mile radius. Martin liked that, however. He liked the freedom, the ability to change himself so drastically and no one would notice. To go to Starbucks and say his name was Joseph or to go to a bar and tell someone his life story before never speaking to them again.
But, he couldn't help remembering the life he used to have.
Scattered around his house where the pictures of Emily and Martha. These were the photographs he always saw but never quite looked at.
Today Martin looked at them.
Martha was too beautiful. She was so delicate, so precious. Even thinking about her death made Martin feel so sick.. she was shot.. his beautiful, cheeky little girl.. his daughter.. a bullet pierced through her light porcelain skin, cracking through her fragile ribs and plummeting right into the heart and that ended it.
Martin ran out of the house before he could think about it anymore.
Ever since her death he had seen little children, running to and fro, out in parks, tumbling after their parents.
That used to be his family. That used to be Emily, Martin and Martha.

Martin jumped into the large minibus, turning on the engine and setting off.
He went to collect Zoe first. He climbed out of the bus and knocked on her door, and for some reason he felt nervous.
"Hey!" Said Zoe, answering the door and dragging out her suitcase.
Martin took her suitcase, fitting it into the boot.
"Woah where'd you get this?!" Laughed Zoe, looking up at the minibus.
"It was on gumtree for £18,000.. looked fun." Replied Martin, showing her around.
"I take it Mrs Watson didn't pay for it." Said Zoe,
"Nah, government gave me some cash after Martha died. So technically she paid for it."
"Well.. thank you Martha." Said Zoe, climbing in the passenger seat.
"Thank you Martha.." murmured Martin, turning on the engine again and driving towards the school where the others were being picked up.

Although the parents didn't look entirely impressed, Ryan, Ollie, Cloda, Jemma and Lucy most certainly were.
"Sir.. this is amazing." Said Cloda, who had even bothered with winged eyeliner this morning.
Martin laughed, "it'll be a squeeze, I'm going to book a couple nights in a few hotels, don't worry." He ensured,
"I'm not worrying at all! It's gonna be amazing!" She giggled, "I call top bunk!"
"Oh you loser!" Yelled Lucy from behind; she had obviously walked to school, not wanting to agitate her parents anymore with fear of being hurt. Martin really worried about that girl.
"Me and Ryan get the big bed!" Called Ollie, "you and Jem can get the seats!"
"Aren't you gonna let the ladies choose their seats first?" Asked Jemma, nudging up against Ollie,
"I could..." said Ollie, facing Jemma and stepping closer, flirtatiously, "But... Ryan's not well..."
"Oh alright then.." laughed Jemma, climbing up on the bus.
"'Ello Mr McC!" Greeted Ryan, walking towards Martin with a large bag pack.
"Ryan! How are you?" Replied Martin, patting his shoulder.
"Alright! How are you?! This was a bit spontaneous wasn't it?"
"I needed a bit of spontaneity; first years were driving me mad."
"-and you've brought Miss Flynn.." smirked Ryan,
"Get on the bus already!" Laughed Martin. Trying to avoid the parents.

"Right." Said Mr McCafferson, sliding into the drivers seat. "I need all the passports."
"Haha! I never guessed your name was Oliver." Laughed Martin, flicking through Ollie's passport.
"Oh my god are you called Oliver!" Giggled Jemma,
"Cloda... how the hell do you pronounce your middle name?"
"It's Caomhie, kee-vah."
"Can't pronounce those Irish names." Muttered Martin, picking up Ryan's passport and Lucy's.
"What?! Lucy's real name is Lucia! W-why have you all got different names?!" Laughed Martin in shock, flicking to Jemma's passport.
"Jemma... your real name is Emily.." Martin thought immediately of his ex-wife, "w-why does everyone call you Jemma?"
"Don't know. I don't mind Emily at all." She replied, oblivious to the fact that Emily was Martin's ex-wife's name.
Martin tried to move on, looking at Zoe's passport.
"Now Miss Flynn... what's your middle name?" He asked, looking at her passport.
"Zara! Gosh, Zoe Zara, that's a mouthful!" He laughed,
"Yep! My parents liked the letter Z." She giggled, "don't you look at the photograph!"
Martin chuckled, turning on the engine and driving out of the school. The students waved to their parents. Martin was just so glad to be out, to be away.
"What's your middle name sir?" Asked Ollie, putting away his phone.
"Martin." He replied.
"That's your middle name?" Asked Ollie,
"It is."
"Then what's your first name?" Asked Cloda.
Martin shook his head, "don't have one."
"Charles!" Laughed Zoe, looking at his passport.
"For god's sake!" Laughed Martin, trying to reach it off her.
"What kind of a middle-class name is that?! Are you a royal or something?" She teased,
"I like to tell myself they named me after Charlie in the chocolate factory." Muttered Martin, smiling a little.
"Was it even out when you were born?!" Laughed Cloda,
"Course it was! I'm not that old! I was born in the eighties."
"Do you even like chocolate, sir?" Asked Cloda,
"Oh yes." Replied Martin before Zoë took a bar of chocolate out of her bag.
"You are a living legend." Remarked Martin, "give us a square."
Zoe broke off a piece and placed it on Martin's tongue,
"T'anks." Replied Martin, secretly savouring the moment where his tongue touched her finger.
"Give us another square."
"No you've got to share! You greedy monster." Said Zoe, patting Martin's shoulder as she passed the chocolate bar back.
"Aw come on!" He moaned, turning on the sat-nav and switching to the directions of the Euro tunnel.
The band was unofficially, on tour.