EYES LIKE RAZORS

(37) Cambridge

"I bought snacks for our road trip." Ashton grins excitedly, holding up a paper bag. "I can't believe he's finally letting us meet his family."

"I'm so excited, we get to see one of his mansions. Oh my god, I might faint. Do you reckon he has a bath as big as a pool? Or like a massive dining area, one of those long tables for no reason? What about animals? Do you reckon they have pets?" Ashton questions, as they get onto the train.

"No, yes, and yes." Edmund answers, rolling his eyes as he drops onto a chair.

"What animals?" Ashton asks. "Two dogs, a horse, and a pig." Edmund replies.

"They have a pig!" Ashton exclaims, "they will when you get there." Edmund laughs, "you're so mean," Ashton pouts, "I'm not going to give you any sweets."

"You alright?" Eddie asks, looking at Madison who was staring out of the window as the train departed.

"Yeah, m'fine." Madison hums, fiddling with the ring she had put onto a chain and kept around her neck.

This is where Jude was from. This is where Jude is buried.

"Sweet?" Ashton offers, holding the bag out, Edmund taking one. "Hey I said you couldn't have one." Ashton exclaims as Ed puts it in his mouth.

"What're you going to do, take it out of my mouth?" Eddie retorts, chewing on it. "Spit it out." Ashton says.

"Wha- no." Edmund replies. "Spit out my sweetie Edmund." Ashton glares childishly.

"No, dude, it's just one." Edmund says. "Fine, but I'm going to lick the rest so you don't take them, and you owe me a gummie." Ashton replies.

"Before you lick them all, could I have one?" Madison asks, "yeah, you can have five. Don't give any to him, else I won't give you a sweet ever again." Edmund says.

"I won't."

"Promise?"

"I promise I won't give Ed a sweet." Madison states.

"Here you go."

"Thank you. I'll savour them." Madison replies, nibbling the end off of a twizzler.

-

"We're here. Wake up." Ashton says nudging Madison, whilst Eddie started gathering their cases.

"I'm awake." Madison mumbles, yawning and stretching out her arms.

"We're in Cambridge. Peakys on tour." Ashton grins, stepping off of the train.

"Need help with the bags?" Madison asks Ed, who chucks one at Ashton before replying, "no."

"Where are they picking us up? Who's picking us up? How many of them are picking us up?" Ashton questions.

"Outside the station. Probably only Cliff." Edmund answers. "Why not the other two?" Ash asks.

"Anna and Hugh can't drive." Edmund shrugs.

A man resembling in Eddie, in a suit just as nice, approached them, walking confidently, shoulders back and hands in his pockets.

"Hello little cousin."

"Hey Cliff." Edmund greets, as the cousins hug. "Long time, this must be Madison and Ashton." Cliff replies.

"Nice to meet you, thank you for letting us stay." Madison says, shaking his hand.

"Any time, all friends of Ed's are friends of ours. Not that he has many." Cliff chuckles.

"Yeah, I'm Ash. Is it true you have a pig?" Ashton asks. "No?" Cliff replies questioningly. "I was calling you a pig." Edmund inputs, rolling his eyes at Ash.

"Shall we get going then?" Cliff asks, clapping his hands together, guiding them to where he'd parked the car.

-

"Holy fucking shit." Ashton gasps as they pull into the long driveway that lead up to the Lancasters mansion, guards opening the gates allowing Cliff to drive through, acres of land either side of the gravel they were travelling upon.

"Why the hell do you live in that apartment if you could live in something like this?" Ashton asks. "I like my apartment. I don't need this much space." Edmund shrugs, getting out of the now parked car.

"Eddie. Little Eddie." Anna exclaims, rushing over to her younger cousin, embracing him, forcing him to bend down so she could wrap her arms around his neck.

"Not that little anymore Annie." Cliff tells his sister.

"Come on, it looks like it's going to start pissing it down." Hugh, who looked like a slightly smaller, chubbier version of Eddie spoke, gesturing to the front door.

"Who are they? They all look so... golden." Ashton says, staring at paintings that hung along the walls in awe.

"They're the cousins." Cliff states.

"Look Eddie, there's you." Ashton says pointing at the portrait of his bestfriend.

"I'm the eldest." Anna says to Madison, "that's Bert, second oldest. Then Cliff, obviously. Next is Dayna, my sister. Then Eddie, he was only fifteen in this."

"Frank is Bert and Cliffs younger brother." She informs, pointing at the picture of a grinning child, maybe twelve.
"Gladys was an only child. Like Ed."

"Hugh and Ian. The twins. They were only nine in this, it's with their sister Jadie, she must've been maybe five."

"They're all so... young." Madison whispers, staring down the wall of her bestfriends dead relatives. She couldn't imagine that many people in her family being dead. Four out of ten were left. Only Anna, Cliff, Eddie and Hugh.

Six had died, and this was just their cousins. Not even Ed's parents, aunts and uncles.

"Why don't we show them where they're staying?" Cliff suggests.

"Right, Ed, you're in your room. Madison,
you're in the room beside his and Ashton you're beside her." Anna states, leading them up the stairs.

"So what happened to your arm?" Hugh asks Madison, walking beside her up the stairs. "I got shot." Madison replies. "Recently?" Hugh asks. "About a week ago." Madison says.

"Woah, that's so cool." Hugh gasps, "did it hurt?"

"Did getting shot hurt?" Madison asks slowly, and he nods. "Well... yes?" Madison laughs. "A lot?" Hugh queries. "I'd say so." Madison says.

"Ed, you didn't tell me your friends were so cool. Madisons been shot." Hugh says. "I am aware that she was shot Hugh." Edmund replies.

"Were you there? Did you get shot? Did you shoot her?" Hugh questions. "Yes, no and of course not." Edmund says. "You're boring." Hugh states.

"Hugh, stop pestering the guests." Cliff says. "It's fine, honestly. He reminds me of my younger brother and his friends." Madison replies.

"What're they like? Are they exciting like you or boring like Eddie?" Hugh asks.

"Why am I being called boring?" Eddie asks. "You're a Grandpa old man." Ashton teases.

"They're great, hilarious." Ashton tells Hugh, "can I meet them?" Hugh inquires.

"Maybe one day." Madison replies. "I'll travel to Birmingham. That's where you live right? Anna, Cliff can we move to Birmingham? It sounds brilliant." Hugh questions.

"No." Anna replies. "I wouldn't class being shot in the middle of the street randomly, brilliant, Hugh." Cliff adds.

"It wasn't randomly." Ashton inputs.

"What?" Hugh asks, looking back at Madison.

"My family annoy a lot of people." Madison shrugs.