We had been in the car for over three hours, maybe she lives even further away than she did before.
"How much longer until we get to your house?" I moaned from my place in the backseat.
"You mean our house?" She said.
"Well I don't exactly own the house do i?" I snapped.
"Not you!"
"Well then who?"
"Your uncle, we got back together. Did Mike not tell you?"
"What! No he didn't!"
"Well he is the one that got me out of jail and convinced me to get you back"
I'm shocked. My uncle, the uncle who killed my parents, the uncle who attacked me on the streets, is now living with my aunt, who I'm going to live with.
I can't escape either. I can't even call Mike, I have no phone.
"We're here" she said, pulling up at some flats.
I got out and grabbed my suitcase and dragged it into the block of flats, and eventually, number 6b.
I walked into the dull flat. There was a kitchen lounge combination, then a few rooms surrounding that.
"This is your room, the bathroom is there and mine and your uncles room is over here but your not allowed in there anyway" she said, pointing at various doors.
I walked over to my bedroom. It was extremely bare. A bed, a wardrobe, a window. It's even worse than it was before I went into care.
"Can I decorate it?" I asked. My old one was decorated.
"No you can't. Now go and unpack before your uncle comes home"
I did as I was told. I put my clothes in the wardrobe and left everything else in the suitcase, which I slid under the bed.
I don't know what they would do if they saw my diary or my photo but it wouldn't be good.
I then went back into the small lounge area where my aunt sat. Before I had the chance to say, or do anything, the front door opened and my uncle stood there.
"Hello sweetie" exclaimed my aunt as she kissed him on the cheek. Eww.
"Now Marie, there is some food in the fridge, we will be back Monday evening"
"Wait what?"
"We're going on holiday squirt!" My uncle snapped. Auntie smiled at me and then grabbed two suitcases from their bedroom. Guess that's why I wasn't allowed in there then.
"You can't just leave me here!"
"Byeeeee" she door closed, and locked from the outside.
I don't know what to do now. I can't climb out the window as I will fall tens of foot to my death, I can't leave because I don't have a key, I can't call Mike because I don't have a phone and there isn't a landline.
I'm abandoned.
I decided to just check what was in the fridge for my dinner.
I got to the small kitchen and saw a pile of dirty dishes on the side of the sink and I'm certain they weren't all from today.
I got to the fridge and opened the door. There were a few plates of leftovers, the rest, we're just ready meals.
Great.
I slammed the fridge door in frustration and began to cry. This sucks. Why couldn't I have stayed home? Why does my uncle have to come here and ruin everything even more!
I then went to look in their room. What could they possibly be hiding in their that is so bad?
I slowly opened the door, anticipating the worst. All I got was a regular bedroom. A double bed, tv, set of drawers, wardrobe and desk with roses wallpaper.
I knelt down on my hands and knees and pulled a shoebox out from under the bed.
There was no lid on it but whatever was inside it was covered by a small cloth. I picked up the silky cloth to reveal what was underneath it. A gun.
He has a freaking gun?!!
I quickly covered it and slid it back under the bed.
Now I'm scared. Really scared.
What if he tried to kill me if I don't do as he says? What if they both try to kill someone else? What if they are murderers?
I lay in a ball on the floor in tears.
For the first time, I genuinely don't know what to do.
Last time, Ryan came and helped me. This time he can't, it's too far for him to come. Mike would never take him.
Do I just have to accept it?
----------
(Two days later)
I have eaten nothing but ready meals since I got here. I have cleaned the whole place, done the dishes and everything and now I'm waiting for them to come back from their 'holiday'.
I don't know what school I'm going to, I don't have a uniform. I don't even know if I'm enrolled anywhere.
At least I'm not stuck with Miss Barmes anymore. But I'm stuck with my uncle.
After waiting nervously on the sofa, I heard the click of the lock. They are back.
"Why are you so useless!?" Shouted my uncle at my aunt as he stormed in.
I have no clue what's happening.
"Why aren't you in school?" He yelled fiercely at me.
"I don't know what school I'm going to" I said quietly.
"Are you thick!" He came right up into my face "why are you both so pathetic?"
"No"
"Are you lying to me?!"
"Please, I don't know what school, honest"
Then he slapped me across the face, sending me off the sofa, plummeting to the floor.
"Your a liar!" He screamed.
"I'm not I swear"
"Shut up!" He swung for me again and got me just under my eye. I began to bleed. The pain was agony.
"Get out of my sight!" He yelled.
I picked myself up and ran into my bedroom.
No school for me then.
I sat on the bed and just thought. I thought about how much I hate it here, how much I'm unwanted, how much I want to go home. But where is home?
Then my uncle came in, rage in his eyes.
He came up to me and looked down upon me.
"I'm sorry" he stuttered.
"No you're not!"
"Yes I am child!"
"Really, because if you were sorry you wouldn't do this!" I yelled, standing up and gesturing to my bloody face.
"He's been drinking again" said my aunt in dismay as she too joined us in my bedroom.
"So he's a drunk now as well?!"
"Well what else am I?"
"You're a murderer and you know it!"
"If you're on about your parents, they deserved to die!"
I was gobsmacked. He didn't deny it, he didn't even try to pin the blame on anybody else or say everything happens for a reason.
"You know what..." I began as I cried. "You don't deserve me. You don't deserve the right to look after me or even speak to me and one day, one day you'll feel the way you make me feel because I will have won. I will be back at Ashdene Ridge and EVERYBODY will know what you did!"
"That's it I'm calling the police..." He said, pulling his phone out of his pockets.
"Oh please do. I'm sure they would love to hear all about how you left me alone for two days, locking me away, oh yeah and how you keep a GUN UNDER YOUR BED!"
"How do you know about that?!"
"I know a lot of things."
----------
Ryan's POV
It's been two days. I'm still not over it. Not anywhere near.
I didn't give her a chance, maybe if I had she would have been able to explain and I would have been able to tell her that we can still be together. Because we can. Or...we could.
I'm getting really worried though. She hasn't called, she hasn't emailed Mike, she hasn't sent any letters or anything. I know she doesn't have a phone but surely she can borrow one.
It's scary, not knowing what she is doing. When she lived here I could ask her. She would either be downstairs with the others, or up in our bedroom.
Her bed is still there, with her bedcovers. Mai Lee tried to take them yesterday but I stopped her. It feels like the last little part of her is still there.
Mai Lee called us down for dinner. I don't want to face everyone but I'm hungry and its Mac and cheese.
I was the last one to reach the dining room and I reluctantly took my seat at the edge of the table next to Carmen and opposite Floss.
"Ryan can I have Marie's address?" Floss asked.
"Why do you want it?"
"To send her this" she said holding up a handmade card that said 'I really really miss you' with a picture of who I'm guessing is Floss with tears drawn onto her face in crayon.
"You can get it off Harry" I said looking down at my plate and picking up my fork.
"What's your problem?" Carmen snapped.
"Carmen..." Mai Lee warned.
"No I'm sorry but we all miss her ok? You don't have to start being rude just because your precious girlfriend isn't here!"
"She's not my girlfriend!" I snapped.
"Yeah and I'm a flying pig!"
"It's true" Jody interrupted. "Marie told me. They broke up"
"What? Why?" Floss asked in complete and utter shock.
I paused for a moment. It still hurts.
"She didn't want me to be upset...when she...left..."
"So she dumped you so that you wouldn't miss her?" Tee asked, suddenly really interested.
"Didn't really work did it?" Tyler asked.
There was an awkward silence. Nobody said or did anything until suddenly, Harry got up out of his seat and walked all the way round the table.
He came to me and held his arms out to me and gave me a hug. I hugged him back. He pulled away and said "stay strong Ryan. Marie wanted you to be happy"
"Can I write a message in it?" Toni asked.
"Me too!" Billie said happily.
"We all should" Carmen said, receiving a weird look from everybody. "What? I miss her too"
"Yeah, Marie would want to hear from all of you" Mai Lee said.
Hearing her name made it hurt more. One minute we were in love, the next, she won't even stay in the same bedroom that night.
Everyone wrote their own little messages. I made sure to be the last to write in it. What I have to say to Marie is private and personal. I don't want any of this lot knowing.
I then offered to post it for Floss which she agreed to luckily for me. I mean she is only like 9 but I don't even want her to read it. She would never be able to understand.