Chapter 1
Marcie stood there motionless watching the ball bounce further and further away from her, slowly transforming into a slow roll and finishing with a quiet thump against the old brown fence at the bottom of the alley. She couldn't tell you how many times her parents had told her to stay away from there, but the ball was just calling for her to go grab it, almost calling to be saved. The alley came off the main road of the small town of Poston, Drew Lane, and ever since 1873 when the first kid dissapeared down there it had remained desolate. Old stories, that almost became traditions were passed through the generations of the very few survivors that had once visited the alley for a shortcut or for whatever means, and the many memories of those that never got out.
The ball was now totally still, it's multi-colours contrasting against the dark alley sticking out like a sore thumb, thinking about it the ball was only a few metres away, at a sprint she could be out safely with the ball within about 10 seconds. The ancient fences looked as if they were about to crumple with a touch, grass and weeds growing in every crack they could find in the path, a few cans ran along the sides of the fences where teenagers would come and throw there rubbish in the hope to lure whatever was in the alley - out. Nobody walked down the alley, so nobody looked after it.
Poston was a small town, an old village surrounded by the beautiful green countryside, cut off from the rest of the world. The old village shops ran down the main road, Drew Lane, sitting neatly in there perfect places, on the corner of the alley sat what used to be a coffee shop - ran out of business in 1873 after the first kid dissapeared, belonged to an old woman called Miss Tara Hamper she lived two doors down from Marcie. Poston school was about 3 minutes from Drew Lane, placed right next to the village church, further down the road to the left was the park, a couple more newsagents and the local doctors, further down the road to the right was the oldest houses in the village and the local library. Marcie didn't know any futher then that. If you followed Drew Lane all the way up to the top of the hill you would come to the small woods which a small river ran through, if you stood on top of that hill it was said to be the most beautiful sight in the world. Poston was a key village for visitors and when in good weather there were even a few tourists, but no matter where they came from or how long they've been there, somehow everyone knew - don't go down the alley.
"I think we should just leave it" Polly whispered taking Marcies arm and pulling her away.
"I don't! That's my ball that is, got it for my birthday from my gran!" Jack with his hands on his hips glared at Polly through his rectangular glasses.
"I think Polly might be right, you know the stories, it's not safe down there" Stephanie stood shaking her head, walking slowly towards Marcie.
"You're all such girls! Stop being a wimp... I want my ball back!" Jack stood his back to the alley staring at everyone angrily.
"I'll buy you another ball Jack, come on lets just leave it" Ciara attempted to grab Jacks arm who spun away quickly, nearly falling off his feet. Ciara was Marcies best friend and after dragging her out unwillingly earlier, she knew that if anything happened to Marcie, the guilt would be on her.
"Whatever you three say, i'm going in there and i'm getting my ball, Marcie are you with me?" Jack turned his glare on to Marcie who was silently staring down the alley.
After a few moments complentation, she shook her head. If whatever down the alley didn't get her first, her mum would kill her.
"Fine then! You all need to grow up your such babies" Turning around and taking his first step into the alley, Jack hesitated as his foot hit the floor. They stood watching montionless as he drew closer and closer to the end of the alley, with every step he took it seemed to get darker and darker, picking up the ball and spinning around he cried -
"See I told you it wasn't haunted" There was barely enough time to smile before an ear-piercing scream broke into the air and within a blink - Jack was gone.
Chapter 2
As a child when a problem occurs or you need to get something of your chest, then the first person you go to is - your mum. Just one of those people who will love you no matter how much wrong you commit, who will listen to you no matter how boring you are and most importantly who will care for you in your darkest hour. Ironic really; Marcie may as well have been invisible to her mother.
Unloading the dishes from the dishwasher, her mother drifted around the kitchen in a swift dance, as Marcie sat propped up on the worksurfaces bouncing a little ball against the wall on the opposite side of the room. Except for the continious thump of the ball and the murmur of traffic flooding through Drew Lane in the distance, the room was silent. It had been over two weeks since Jack had dissapeared down the alley; his family were still mourning for their loss, Marcie would pass their house on her walk to school every day and ever since the moment they were told - their curtains had never opened.
The disappearance of another child was still the talk of the town, wherever you went; whether it was down the road to get some milk, or to the cafe for breakfast Marcie would never avoid the constant whispering of rumours and the gossiping from the locals. A week back there had been a meeting in the town hall for all local citizens of Drew Lane, in Marcies eyes it was a way to warn everyone of what they already knew - something wasn't right. The mayor stood talking of the atrocities that have been placed upon Drew Lane ever since 1873 and of his undying sympathy for Jacks family and friends, Marcies name had been mentioned number of times - she would often wonder if it was a way of putting the blame on her.
About the only thing that caught her attention within the hour of sitting cramped into a little hall was the mentioning of the local police force and how the case had been reopened the previous day - a search for the kidnapper was in place. It gave the locals the little comfort and safety merely possible, and as for Jacks family it gave them the smallest glimmer of hope. However after a week or so since the town hall meeting it seemed that the case reopening and the 'search' was just a couple of police men (of the lowest ranks) strolling past the alley from 7am to 4am with a cigarette in a hand, whilst children journey to and fro school. Even they feared to walk down the alley.
But no matter how hard Marcie tried, she may as well have been talking to a brick wall rather than her mother, and with her nightmares growing worse and guilt eating away her heart - sitting alone in the kitchen, just the two of them, Marcie took her chance - she had nothing left to lose.
"I miss him" Marcie threw the ball a little harder this time bouncing back into her palm with force.
"You miss who?" Her mother didn't even hesitate, she carried on exactly how she was, almost as if what her daughter was telling her went through one ear and out the other - as for the question, she knew exactly who.
"Jack - I miss him" Marcie replied. By now the ball was motionless and her mother paused placing the plate in her hand gently into the cupboard, closing the doors and leaning on the worktops.
"You know not to talk of this, what happened is in the past - it cannot be helped, my deepest thoughts and sympathy are given to Jacks family but I have my daughter safe and that is how I intended to keep it" Her mums tone of voice crackled, behind the words were resentment, anger, and pain.
"That's exactly it mum! You have me... you've got me safe, then why aren't you listening to me?!" Marcie had jumped off the worktop and was stood arms out infront of her, a tear trickled down her cheek.
"I cannot" The words fell in an almost whisper, her mothers face had turned a light shade of white, her cheeks lost the little colour left and staring straight out the window; time seemed to of came to a halt.
When Marcie was a child she would often wake up to the screams of her mother as she fought away from her nightmares but was unable to wake herself up. The screams would last only around 10 seconds before her dad would manage to calm her down, but from Marcies room they echoed endlessely. So when her dad left and disappeared through the door a few years back, there was noone to wake her mum up, after weeks of persuasion she finally went to the doctors for help, and slowly the nightmares became fewer and further between. However still to this day, she would refuse to speak of her experience down the alley. All Marcie knew is that her mum was only the one that got out, and whatever was in there chased her.
The room remained in silence, however it seemed that the world had come to a stop the murmer of traffic had died off and the bouncy ball was in the middle of Marcies left clammy hand. The room was in dead silence - the telephone rang.
"Hello Miss Harriet Walters speaking... yes.... what?!... SHUT!? It has only just opened.... I have a child you know..." The other end of the line cut off, but her mum didn't remove the telephone from her ear, her mouth was drooped open, and a silent tear sprung down her cheek and splashed against the ice cold tiles beneath.
"Whats happened?" Marcie questioned.
"The case... they can't find the kidnapper, he's not down the alley... they're shutting it, theres nothing they can do" Harriets voice twisted into anger and fear, dropped the phone onto it's holder, just a week of attempting to keep the town safe, and the kidnapper was left walking free.
Marcie threw the bouncy ball against the wall with all her force and watching it's multi-colours come to a halt next to her foot, she recalled the ball at the end of the alley and screamed. What she wouldn't do to of walked away that day, then maybe... just maybe... Jack would still be here.
Chapter 3
The divorce rate in the UK is high, however Poston seemed to contribute nothing towards this, at the most you would see 2 divorces every 5-7 years; and for as long as Marcie could remember her mother and father divorcing a year back was the first she had ever encountered. With a small-town mentality the news spread faster than it did to Marcie, who ended up finding out from a couple of kids at the park one afternoon, after they questioned her on what it was like to be the offspring of single parents - and what was she to say, she had only just found out that she was.
Marcies dad had never been a Poston boy, he often called himself a "Fish living on land" And with that made-up term created by her father Marcie would often wonder what it actually meant, so after the fish divorced his wife and returned as quickly as possible to the sea, where he belonged; Marcie was left with what her dad actually meant - Poston was not his home, the city was.
Twice had she seen her dad in over a year since he escaped, he made little attempt to try and see her regularly Marcie often wondered if it was her that split them up and that's why he disliked her so much or if it was just the obvious reason, he felt trapped in Poston. A few weeks back after the dissapearance of Jack, Marcie had made an effort to come into contact with him in the hope for someone to listen to her, 32 missed calls and still no answer - turns out through a friend he's living in the city with his pregnant girlfriend, those 32 calls were not missed, they were ignored.
A few days ago Marcie was shouted at after she asked her mother why she married such a "bastard" she was sent to bed for rude language and as she sat on the stairs eaves dropping her mothers conversation on the phone, there was a knock at the door.
"Good evening" Her mum wrapped her arms around the stranger now standing in the doorway and placed a light kiss on his left cheek.
"Good evening Harriet" His arms enclosed her waist pulling her in closer and this time replacing the kiss on her lips.
Marcie's face had somewhat drooped into a shocked expression, her mouth open and her eyes like saucers - who was this stranger? He must of been new in Poston? And why was he kissing her mum? The man was around the same age as Harriet maybe a few years older, rather tall with broad shoulders and a muscely figure, his jaw line stuck out a little and his face had a rather rough edge to it, a little stubble and his eyes a dark shade of sea blue; his dark curls of hair sat messily on the top of his head as he stood a little hunched wearing worn out dark blue jeans, with muddy trainers and a plain white top. In Marcies eyes he looked a little scruffy.
However after over an hour of watching them lay next to eachother on the sofa with the occasional kiss, giggles and boring conversation; she found herself beginning to imagine if her mum and dad used to do this, and with that thought to sleep on she headed to bed and would think about what she would say in the morning.
"So how are you Miss Marcie?" Stella Jane questioned, sipping quietly on her tea as Marcie dunked biscuits messily into her cup - occasionally leaving one in for too long which then crumbled.
"Fine" Marcie replied, the answer was always the same, even if she was lieing. "And it's Marcie. not Miss Marcie, your a friend not my doctor or a random stranger in my house!" Marcie raised her voice, she had been throwing hints to her mother all morning but either she was pretending not to notice or she was totally oblivious to the third person in the room last night.
"You seem rather distressed?" Stella aksed.
"Distressed? Me? No... I have no reason to be distressed and it's not in your business even if I was. And anyway shouldn't it be you that is distressed, your the one pregnant without a husband Miss Jane" The words fled out before she had enough time to swallow them back, and out of the corner of her eye she watched as her mother entered the room.
"I'm sorry Stella! I didn't mean it!" Marcie quickly said, attempting to make up for her rude comment. Stella was now sat back in the arm chair, looking a little blown away.
"It's fine Mis- I mean Marcie, you are right it is not in my bussines to ask you something like that, and yes I s'pose I should be the one in a state of distress" Stella forced a little smile as she took a biscuit from the tin that my mum was offering around.
Stella Jane was a neighbour, a close friend of Marcies mothers, she had moved to Poston a few months back after she broke up with her boyfriend who left her after she fell pregnant, a middle aged pretty woman who because of her situation stood out in Poston. And Marcie had officially thrown the rudest comment yet.
"Since when did you speak to anyone like that?! She is no stranger in your home, she is a friend?!" Marcies Mother was on her feet, her finger pointed just inches away from Marcies nose (who had to admit was extremely embarassed, ashamed and tremendously guilty)
"I didn't mean it, the words just slipped out. And if that's how I'm meant to speak to strangers in my home then you were being awful nice last night!" She had said it, Marcie had told her - she was now out in the open and infront of Stella who was looking around the room nervously blushing.
"What are you talking about?" She had fallen still, her arms by her side.
"That man here last night... I saw so don't try and lie to me! You were kissing and everything - why didn't you tell me..." Marcie drew slowly quieter as something came to her, she wasn't annoyed at the fact that her mother had been with a man last night it was the fact she had never told Marcie. Did she not trust her?
"We will speak of this later... go to your room" Marcie fled as quickly as her legs would carry her... she needed to escape from the shame and the embarassment the day had thrown at her. An hour or so of crying into her pillow, she heard the front door shut as Stella finally returned home and listening to her mother place herself onto the sofa with a sigh, possibly about to over-think the events that occured today.
Moving to sit on her windowsill and stare out across the town something colourful caught her eye that was pressed up against the tree at the end of the garden. A ball... Jacks ball.
Chapter 4
The grass was now a little overgrown (it hadn't been trimmed since last summer) just covering Marcies ankles as she trudged through the wilderness of her garden, dew sticking to her socks with every step she took. The large apple tree twisted into a little bend which sheltered her from the drizzling rain overhead and smiled at her, shaking it's autmn leaves as she walked over it's roots. Her bike she had last rode 5 years back was leaning against a little wooden plank - the pink now a peeling orange and the tires now flat, grey, muddy circles, like everything else she owned it was placed to the side and left to rust.
Drawing closer to the garden shed she found herself slowing down and squinting through the fuzzy rain which blurred her vision, something crackled high up in the ivy that swallowed up the fences whole, falling to a halt, her heat beat through her damp polo, her sweaty hands clammed into fists. Something was moving up there, pacing the fence top, watching her, tormenting her, waiting for her... waiting to pounce. Thrusting the ball under her arm she gave a little yelp as Miss Gregory (Miss Tara Hampers fat black and white cat) jumped from the fence top landing with a delicate balance next to Marcies foot. With a gentle nudge of her shoe against Miss Gregory's ribs she pelted off down the grassy paving stones underneath the frowning apple tree and through the back door - panting hard. The ball rolled down the kitchen leaving a muddy trail behind.
Throughout Marcies whole Maths lesson the following day the image of the colourful ball; now at the foot of her bed spun through her mind continiously, how did it get in her garden? If Jack dissapeared down the alley then how did the ball get out? She was so intrigued in thought that she managed to embarass herself infront of the whole class; when her teacher asked her a question on algebra that left her speechless in confusion and a blush of embarassment with no answer.
As the school day drew to a close Marcie threw her backpack over her shoulder managing to persuade Ciara to take a lift home so that Marcie would have some thinking time as she walked home alone. The sun was still visibile over the hilltop in the distance glinting against the little river that passed through the forest, the small town houses reflecting the sunlight as families prepared for evening when children arrived home. Marcies mum had a doctors appointment (and for once not because of nightmares but a small rash that appeared on her leg a few days back) and Robert (her mothers boyfriend) was at work until 6, whom she had been introduced to since the other afternoon, leaving Marcie to walk home alone on this chilly autmn evening.
The sidewalks were mainly empty except for the trail of litter that the school kids had left behind and the cheeping of the hungry chicks as they waited for their mothers to bring back the days supply of food. After a few seconds of thought Marcie had decided to take the long winding roads back instead of the shortcut of Drew Lane just to keep on the safe side. She cut through the path of the oldest houses in Poston seeing as she loved to stare through the windows as she walked, looking in at the roasting fires and the sweet smell of cooking chicken, the cosy cushions and the groaning radio.
"It's getting dark and mighty cold for a young girl to be walking home alone on this fine autmn evening" Miss Tara Hamper called across the road. Marcie gave a little wave and with a quick check of passing cars (very unlikely) she crossed over.
"I remembered my jacket and look i've even got my knitted gloves you made me for last christmas Miss Hamper!" Marcie replied in an act of self defence. Miss Tara Hamper Chuckled.
"Your well prepared. Fancy a cuppa tea?" She questioned.
Marcies hands felt as if they were on the verge of freezing over, her nose was the slightest red and her bag was weighing down her shoulder causing a shooting pain up her back. Looking inside the house she could see Miss Gregory curled up in a ball on the sofa, glaring at the cat who she was still annoyed at for giving her a fright the following evening. Marcie nodded.
The house smelt of rose candles, home made soup and cat, everything was perfectly placed in her living room, there was no sign of a television in sight just a few old pictures hanging on the wall, a dusty radio on the shelf in the corner of the room, a faded green sofa covered with a flowery blanket and an ancient oak coffee table acting as a centre piece. The old-fashioned giant fire place blazed on the wall setting the room up in flashes of orange and red dancing lights. The room held an odd atmosphere, loneliness....
"Here" Miss Tara Hamper passed the steaming cup of black tea into Marcies hand, feeling the warmth flood from her head to her toes as she took her first scolding sip. "Wheres your mother?"
"At the doctors" Marcie replied, taking a second sip and sinking further into the armchair.
"I wish her well" Miss Hamper smiled.
"She's fine, just a rash is all" Marcie placed her cup onto an old frayed, grey coster and stared into the blazing flickers of light.
"And what about you Marcie, how are you? I know this is a hard time for everyone" Miss Hampers hands were crossed over her neatly ironed skirt and she seemed to stare straight through Marcie and straight through her deepest thoughts - this worried her. Marcie didn't reply.
"It's hard losing someone" Miss Hamper interjected the momentary silence.
"It is mighty hard Miss Hamper but everyone loses someone at some point, I will get over it" Marcie suddenly didn't want to speak of Jack, she didn't want to talk to anyone now someone was actually willing to listen.
"You may get over it Marcie but it doesn't mean you will forget it, you know of your mothers nightmares... I still haven't forgot about p-" She cut herself short, Marcie looked up.
"Forgot about who Miss Hamper?" Marcie questioned, suddenly she was interested, as far as she knew Miss Hamper had been the lonely old woman that lived down in the Woods Cottage with her cat Miss Gregory, never married, no children.
"Forgot about Peter, well at least that's what I called him" Miss Hamper looked down and her eyes sunk into sadness, I now understood the atmosphere - Miss Hamper missed someone. I nodded for her to carry on.
"Peter, a tiny baby boy when I first knew him.. well actually I found him. He had been abandoned as a little boy, nobody wanted him and he couldn't take care of himself so I took him in, nursed him, cared for him, fed him until he turned 17. As he grew he became more rebellious against me, he hated the world, he hated what had become of his life, he hated himself and so at 18 he was an adult and he left, just walked out the door and disappeared one evening. I woke up alone. That is why I feel so sympathetic towards that Jacks family, one minute they're a family the next second... they're not. I searched for him everywhere for years and years, he must of changed of his name because he is nowhere to be found" Her sentence drew to a close as Marcies mouth was drooped open, Miss Hamper had lost someone and nobody knew. Miss Gregory purred stretching herself over the cushion and whisked out the door leaving just a few white hairs behind. There were so many unanswered questions.
"Where did you find him?" Marcie had seemed to of asked the exact wrong question. Miss Hamper looked up her eyes fading into a dark grey. She shook her head worringly.
"In the alley" The words were a whisper and Marcie felt her heart fail inside her chest, her whole body weight collapsing into a lifeless figure in the arm chair.
"bu-bu-b-u-but how? You would of been taken?" Marcie exclaimed almost knocking the tea of the table, the fire lights flickered.
"You are too young to know it, but once upon a time there was a day in which anyone could walk down the alley, anyone at any time and you would would perfectly healthily walk out of the other side. The second he left my house, the second the hauntings began" There was a little too information for Marcie to absorb, what was Miss Hamper doing? Was she blaming the hauntings on this abandoned boy who she took into her home?
"You mean to say that it was him... Peter? He's in the alley?" Although the fire blazed and the tea still steamed through her, Marcie was ice cold.
"I know that as well as you do, however his name is not Peter, that is the name I gave the young boy I once knew, he is gone and that is no longer his name. But whether it's the boy I raised or not, someone lurks within that alley Marcie.. and nobody is safe... nobody... especially not you! You must leave Marcie, get out of here, don't run or else it will chase you!" Miss Hamper was now stood up, shouting the words across the room at her, Marcie had jumped into a stand swinging her bag over her back and running for the door, as she left she saw the fire drain out putting the room into darkness and she felt Miss Hampers eyes watching her as she sprinted down the road into the night.
Her mother was curled up on the sofa with Rob under a thick blanket, her mums head lay gently on his chest as she snoozed lightly. Marcie skidded through the door panting and heaving as Rob swung his head round at the sudden change in noise level.
"Whats wrong?" He asked nervously.
"Nothi-Nothin-Nothing! Just the night getting the better of me" Marcie was bent double gasping in sharp pains that shot up her lungs.
"Sit down and calm down, relax your safe" The words soothed Marcie she made her way up the stairs where she pushed open her bedroom door. Glancing around, something was missing.
"Rob you ain't touched anything in my room have ya?" Marcie shouted down the stairs.
"Of course not, I haven't been up there!" He hollered back.
The ball was gone.
Chapter 5
"So the ball was there, you remember leaving it at the foot of your bed? It's a ball, it rolls, are you sure you didn't accidently let it slip anywhere?" Ciaras mad attempt to soothe Marcies nerves were just making matters worse.
"My room is only so big Ciara, i've searched top to bottom and it's gone? Mum and Rob says they hadn't taken a step in my room, didn't question them any further then that - This isn't the sort of news you wanna be telling your mum" Marcie replied agitated.
"Set up cameras in your room, that way you get to see exactly who goes in and what they exit with?" Ciara recommended smiling at Marcie gently.
"My room is not a crime scene investigation it's a place to sleep not to watch people break in! Besides, it's too late they've got the ball and now they've gone!" Marcie sighed in exhaustion and let herself slip on to the grassy mounds.
"May as well be, all of the strange stuff thats been happening" Ciara exclaimed, placing herself next to Marcie.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude, to tell the truth i'm scared and just for today seeing as we've came all the way up here, I wanna forget whats all the way down there" Marcie pointed to the small village of Poston in the near distance. Ciara nodded falling on to her back.
The girls had decided to take a walk up to the top of the hill today where they would spend the day staring in awe over the fantastic sights, paddling in the little stream, doing there favourite thing on the last day of autmn and most importantly forgetting everything that had happened to them in the past month. The sun beat down on to where the girls lay, the sparkling, glimmering, river drizzled lightly over the hilltop, the trees gently swished in the light breeze, the warm, soft grass tickled there backs beneath them - only the grey clouds that were brewing in the sky were the constant reminder that a thundering storm was due tonight.
Sunshine dimmed as the day began to fade away, the sun set slowly over the village in the distance and as the girls stood hand in hand watching another day pass away before them, a thundering noise and a flashing bolt of lightning drove them back to there senses.
"It's time to go: I don't want to be getting any wetter then I already am" Ciara shut her eyes and enjoyed the last gulp of fresh air as Marcie hulled her hood over head and set down the hill, it was about an hours walk down, her mother had promised to pick her up at the bottom.
As the glinting streetlights came into view; Drew Lane seemed to grow forever longer, Ciara sighed in relief as she watched her mothers car pull further closer in the distance, the bright headlights making Marcies head hurt. She could feel Ciaras eyes on her.
"I'ts beautiful isn't it? I've never seen the town in this light before" Ciaras eyes followed the direction of Marcies as she grinned at the long rows of warm houses, the drops of rain catching the light and sparkling as they danced against the old brick road.
"It's horribly beautiful" Marcie whispered.
She watched as Ciaras eyes raised a little at the contradiction, but it didn't matter if she didn't understand - Marcie knew exactly what she meant. Refusing a lift from Ciaras mum and insisting that she would be safe waiting for her mother who would be there any time now the car pulled away and as Marcie waited alone in the pouring rain, an hour drifted by before she realised her mum wasn't coming to get her.
Wondering if her mother had forgotten where she was or merely lost track of time, Marcie pulled her phone out of her back pocket and watched as the signal bar decreased into nothing, attempting to switch her phone on and off the large red cross at the corner of the screen signalling no connection taunted her. Her mum had no way of contacting her, she had no way of contacting her mum. There was nothing.
The rain had drenched straight through her jeans making them feel twice as heavy and even her 'so-called' waterproof coat seemed to be giving up her, she could feel the damp soaking through pressing against her goosebumps and leaving her body shuddering. Only a few more minutes and she would make it to the phonebox outside the post office mid-way down Drew Lane, hopefully she could get hold of her mum and before she knows it she would be heading back home in a warm, dry car. However slowly approaching to shelter she desperately searched through her pockets and bag for emergency money, Marcie had lost her spare change somewhere up the hill earlier when playing on the rope swing across the river, leaving Marcie freezing, alone, and in danger as she stood in the shelter of the phonebox in a bitter autmn storm.
She had pressed herself against the back of the phone box her feet a few inches infront of her and as her thoughts slowly lost conciousness the image of her terrified mother searching for her snapped her straight back awake. Something occured to Marcie... What if her mother supposed she had gone down the alley? What if her mum thought she had been kidnapped? What if... She gasped in fear as she watched a silhoutte draw closer in the distance. Who would be out at this time in Drew Lane? Central London maybe, but hardly anyone came out at mid day around here let alone midnight. But whoever it was they were heading straight towards her, there body growing with every step they took and as the door opened a creak she let out a little scream throwing her head into her arms.
"Are you hurt?" A soft unknown voice spoke to her.
"No I'm fine" Marcie didn't risk a little sneak peak, with all the strange things going on at the moment - nobody can be trusted especially strangers lurking the streets at midnight.
"Are you sure? You don't look okay? And have you seen the time..." It was a boys voice Marcie could tell that much and by the sound of it he wasn't that old either. She risked a little peak - opening one eye through the gap in her arm and staring at the boy standing in the phonebox doorway, his face clear in the streetlights.
"I'm fine.. I'm just... I'm just..." Marcie didn't know exactly what to call it? She wasn't lost, infact she knew exactly where she was and exactly how to get home, but she was too cold, tired and wet to actually get there.
"Well you can't sleep in here all night? Wait your not a ..." The boy looked a little shocked, taking a step backwards.
"No! I am not a tramp!" Marcie shouted raising her head from her arms quickly and glaring at the boy infront of her.
"I errr... wasn't going to say that" He blushed. "Do you want help up?"
Marcie contemplated the question, a stranger had just walked up to her at midnight on drew lane and was offering to help her up from a phonebox floor... she nodded taking his hand.
She was a little smaller then him, the top of her head level with his nose, he was a little pale with pebble green eyes and straight blonde hair that sat neatly on his forehead. He was dressed in trainers, chinos and a top with a raincoat under his arm. Marcie pondered over his features - he was very handsome.
Quicky realising she still had hold of his hand she snatched away sharply, his cheeks filling up.
"The names Marcie 15 years old and go to school just down the road, a local" She lifted her hand and he gave a little shake, a small smile curving his lips into a smooth pink line.
"Danield.. Daniel Pickett, 16 years old and not a local... well I will be soon anyway!" He smiled at her.
"Don't recognise you? When did you move here?" She felt herself hesistate a little as she remembered her mother warning her too many questions could be rude. He didn't seem bothered though.
"Moved here yesterday afternoon Miss, I'm out at this time, well ermm because? I find it easier to get used to a place if there aren't many people around" Marcie didn't even ask that question, maybe it was obvious that it needed explaining.
"That explains it then, I'm out because my mum forgot about me" She pushed past him ignoring the comment she had just made and pulled up her hood sheltering her hair from the drizzling rain.
"Do you need escorting home, you look..." He left his sentence unfinished and pulled off his dry coat pulling it over Marcies wet one. Unable to refuse the warmth that had washed over her she looked at his expression as he stared down the road, he was better looking then before.
"Yes please. I live down there" She pointed infront of her.
The walk home was quick, too quick, there was something so entriguing about this boy that had just turned up in her life which made Marcie want to spend longer with him, he was a beautiful stranger who had come to her rescue escorted her home and given her his jacket. She grinned.
The house lights were all switched on and shadows paced the rooms.
"Are they looking for you?" He questioned, staring worryingly at the house.
"Yes" She was too busy thinking about him to even realise the shit that she would be in the second she took step into the house.
"You best get in there, nice meeting you" He placed his hand infront of him and she took it heading up the steps drawing closer to the door.
"Hang on... errr.. err... my coat?" He laughed nervously.
"You can't have it" She smiled.
"What?"
"I said you can't have it, because if I give it to you then I've got no reason to ever see you again. But if I keep it then you need to get your coat back so you need to see me? Makes sense doesn't it?" She laughed at her sillyness, she was seriously knicking a boys coat just so that he would come and see her again.
"But I haven't got your number or anything... so how?" He questioned staring at her curiously.
"You know where I live don't you!" Marcie had her hand on the doorknob.
"But i'm not gonna just randomly knock for y-" Marcie opened the door quickly and with a little wave shut it again, cutting his sentence short.
"MARCIE! IS THAT YOU!" Her mum screamed at her through the living room door.
"It's me mum, I'm home"
The biggest smile spread across her face.
a/n : I don't usually leave an authors note for you guys but I thought I kind of had to seeing as i've let you all down not posting in such a long time! So sorry, school just kind of over-taking my life, and I know "writing and my fans before school" I think it's time to get my priorities straight! Ahaa, But anyway you've finally met the boy of Marcies dream... so what do you think? TEAM DANIEL. Will try and get chapter 6 posted tomorrow or sunday... got the whole easter holidays ahead of me to finally draw this story to an end! What are you thinking of it so far? Love all of my fans Xx