LACY
I feel like I'm being watched.
Everywhere I go, my hair sticks up and I feel a sick feeling in my stomach. I look around, but no one is ever around.
I feel sick right now, on the beach next to Jessica and her friend, Hella. I keep turning my head all around me, but no one is in eye sight.
My mind wanders back to two nights ago, when I saw that shadow figure watching Jessica and me during the sunset.
"Are you okay, Lacy? You are so pale," Hella asks.
My gaze snaps to her. "Yep. I'm just fine."
She nods slightly, and we all return to the conversation at hand: should Jessica wear a pink dress to her date, or a white one?
"White. It'll make you look like a dove," Hella says.
Jessica nods thoughtfully. "Well, Lacy? What do you think?"
Her question snaps me out of another trance. I stare at the waves crashing onto the pebbles we're sitting on, nearly reaching our feet.
"Pink," I mumble out the first word that comes to mind.
The curly-haired brunette girl sighs. "Hm. Maybe I'll wear green. Mum always said that green makes my color pop."
Hella and Jessica begin to chat about topics I have tuned out of. I can't shake the feeling that something bad is going to happen soon. And I can't stop it.
I pull my knees to my chest and rest my chin on them. I gaze out past the horizon. What would happen if I just fled to the sea?
A life filled with absolute certainty and calm fills my mind. It would just be me and the water and all of the little creatures beneath the surface.
Someone taps on my shoulder, making me flinch and then tense in anticipation. "Oh, Lacy? You okay?" Jessica asks slowly.
I immediately look up, and see Hella and Jessica standing near me. "Huh? Oh, um... Yes, I'm perfectly fine." I stand up and walk to them.
Hella flashes me a small smile. "We're going to go to the bakery. My auntie owns it, and she always gives us free biscuits on Thursdays."
I nod slowly. We all walk side-by-side down the street to a quaint pastel blue shop. A sign with swirly letters says 'Auntie's Sweets' on the front.
A woman stands at the front counter when we enter. She whips her head up upon hearing the doorbell swing, casting a flow of notes into her ears.
"Ah, my favorite girls," Her piercing green eyes wander to me, and I hear her suck in a breath. "Who might you be, darling?" She asks in a warm tone.
"Auntie, this is my new friend, Lacy. She's living with the Johnsons up the hill," Hella explains for me, gesturing to my foster family's house that is out of sight.
The woman nods. "Pleasure to meet you, dearest. Please, call me Madeline." She picks up a plate filled with jelly biscuits. "Care for a treat?"
~~~
Hella stayed with her aunt when Jessica and I left the bakery by the time the sun went down. I bid farewell to Jessica a few minutes after that.
I walk up the paved road to the Johnson house at the top of the hill. The view is breathtakingly beautiful, but it takes more effort to get there than I am willing to exert now.
For a brief moment, I stop halfway up the hill. I sidestep so I stand on the grass, and I overlook the edge of the cliff.
Water bursts up against the jagged rocks. I kneel down on the cool grass, and then lay my stomach against the soft soil. I inhale deeply, taking in the salty scent of the water.
For certain, I shouldn't be here. This is a big mistake. A terrible idea. I should be running up the hill to the safety of being locked indoors.
Yet, I can't will my body to move from its comfortable position near the cliff. A small smile laces onto my lips and I lean against my hands, propping my chin up.
The sun sets below the surface of the water, casting orange and yellow glows onto the grassy area of the cliff I'm seated on.
"When the sea waves, oh, you must wave back... fall deep into its powerful churning water and sleep still in its touch," I whisper the melody under my breath.
I don't know how I came to learn the nursery rhyme, but I am certainly certain Mum nor Dad ever sang it to me. They were never interested in me, besides the times Dad was drunk.
Jackson and Stella were never home when Dad was drinking; Mum always sent them away to their friends' houses. I was made to stay at home.
At one point in the night, I'd hear the familiar sound of Dad's boots stomping upstairs. I would then brace myself for a beating before he got bored and returned to Mum.
I know Mum had bruises along her arms, too. I know her bones were broken by Dad, too. I sometimes heard her soft sobs in the bathroom when everyone was asleep.
When I was too young to know any better, I felt bad for the woman. I knew the pain of the beating just as well as she did. Now, I don't.
With a sigh, I hoist myself off the ground. I spin around on my heel, my sea foam green skirt flying up in the wind slightly.
I let out a shriek when I see a man standing right next to me.
Never mind, it's a boy. He must be a few years older than me, but he smiles at me cheekily. "Sorry to startle you," He apologizes. "I saw you sitting here by yourself. I got worried."
I eye him, up and down. Plain clothes, but they look expensive. Blue collar shirt, beige trousers. He could have stepped out of a catalogue and I would be none the wiser.
"So you just decided to watch me?" I ask.
He rubs the back of his neck. "I know that sounds bad. But I didn't mean to stare. I just didn't want anything bad to happen... you know?" Not really, but I kept my mouth shut.
I take a step to the side, ready to continue my walk back up the hill when the boy blocks my path again. My heart rate picks up, but then he holds out his hand. "I'm James."
I stare at his hand. He laughs and pulls his hand back. "So, do you have a name, stranger? Everyone here has a name."
"You don't need to know my name," I snap. I push past him, and begin walking at an even brisker pace than before.
James calls out a small 'Bye, stranger' before I round the corner and see the Johnson house at the end of the street.
I practically barrel inside, almost knocking over little Penny. She gives me a look. "Who are you running from?" She asks in a knowing tone.
"How do you figure I'm running away from someone?"
Penny's impassive look remains on her face. "You were rushing inside. Why run home? Mummy never gave you a curfew."
"Maybe I like running."
The girl glances down at my skirt, blouse, and sandals. She then looks at me again. "You run in a fancy outfit?"
I shrug. "I felt the urge." I do not need a little toddler getting onto me, of all people. Celia informed me Penny is four. How can this four-year-old know so much?
Celia comes up behind Penny. She flashes me a cheerful grin. "Ah, Lacy. You're back just in time for dinner, and Jacks is finally home from his trip!"
~~~
Jacks is elegant yet intimidating. He looks like he could snap the necks of twenty men in one go but he's too wealthy and powerful to bother in it.
"Welcome to my home, Lacy," He says in a low, smooth tone.
"Thank you."
I stay quiet after that, weary of the man at the head of the table. He reminds me too much of the people I no longer want to remember.
Celia excuses me when my plate is cleared, and I practically run out of there. I know it's impolite, but I can't find the fear in me of a possible punishment.
Upon return to my bedroom, the anxiety is turned into fear. I lock the door and push the chair onto the knob.
I sit against the windowsill all night.
———
Hello, loves!
Any theories on who James is?
What do you think of the Johnson family so far?
Please vote and comment!
Au revoir,
Eva