Spirit Part Six.

‘Have you been playing tricks on your sister again Jack’ Sophie enquired sternly.

‘It wasn’t me, you’re always blaming me for stuff, I’ve been right here on my game’ Jack shouted at his mother.

‘It’s not as if you haven’t got previous for tormenting your sister young man and don’t shout at me or you’ll get what for’ railed Sophie. In her heart that she knew it couldn’t have been jack. He had been playing on his game all morning but she was at a loss to explain it. Perhaps Lily really did have serious mental health problems.

‘I’m sorry Mum, I’m just sick of getting the blame for everything, I have been playing my game, honest’.

 Sophie let out a weary sigh,’ yes I know you have love, there must be some other explanation then.’ Turning to Lily she said ‘perhaps one of your friends wrote it when you were playing in the bedroom. Perhaps the wind blew it from out under the bed.’

‘I don’t remember any of my friends doing it’ replied Lily racking her brains to think.

‘Well maybe you didn’t notice’ let’s go and see if your window’s open.

Sophie and Lily made their way upstairs to the bedroom and opened the door. They stood frozen in the doorway staring at the paper and crayons strewn over the floor and the ornaments scattered around the room.

‘Lily, go downstairs and sit with your brother for a bit, I’ll be down in second’ Sophie directed her daughter. She straightened her back, took a deep breath and stepped into the room to start tidying up. She had to admit she was spooked. Sophie checked the window and found it securely closed, then checked inside the cupboards and under the bed, she began to gather the crayons and paper from the floor, perhaps I’ll take the kids out for a Macdonald’s in a bit and get Simon to come home, this is getting out of hand she thought to herself. Spirit lifted herself off the bed and drifted out through the open door and down the stairs.

Lily sat on the floor next to her brother, she really needed him to be big and brave now.

Jack looked at her, put his controller down and punched her in the leg, ‘I’m so going to get you, you little shit for getting me in trouble with Mum. Dads’ right, all she does is moan and it’s all your fault’. He gave her another swift hard punch in the thigh trying to give her a dead leg and turned back to his game. ‘Don’t sit near me, you stink.’

‘Please Jack don’t be mean, not now, I’m frightened’ whimpered Lily clutching her leg.

He reached out and pinched her arm ‘well crawl off somewhere and die then I don’t want you here disturbing my game.’

She got up from the floor and sat on the sofa just out of arms reach.

That’s not far enough you stupid cow, and don’t think I’ve finished with you yet, you just wait till I get you alone.

‘Don’t Jack, don’t be like that, why can’t you be nice for once? I’ve never done anything to you.’

‘Yes you have, just by being alive you fuckwit.’

‘Don’t swear, I’ll tell Mum,

‘No you won’t’ hissed Jack under his breath ‘or I’ll wait till your asleep and cut all your hair off and make you eat it’ 

‘You leave my hair alone’ said Lily curling herself up into a ball on the sofa.

Sophie came smartly down the stairs and picked up the phone calling through to the lounge, ‘Jack, look after your sister’.

‘Will do Mum’ he called back, then he looked at Lily and soundlessly mouthed the words ‘fuck off and die bitch’ at her while Lily buried her head in a cushion.

‘Hello, Simon? It’s me’ said Sophie into the phone ‘I don’t care if you’re busy this is important, I need you to come home, I’m really worried about Lily… No I can’t deal with it and no it won’t wait till the weekend. I think there’s something seriously wrong with her; I think she needs to see a doctor. Sophie was becoming furious now and she was shouting into the phone ‘and what am I supposed to do with Jack then… Oh don’t bother, your fucking useless’ She slammed the phone down onto its cradle, breathing heavily and trying to control her inflamed temper. ‘Bastard’ she mumbled under her breath wiping a tear of frustration out of her eye. She took a deep breath, composed herself with a little shake of the head and picked up the phone again.

‘Hello Mum it’s me, I’m going to bring the kids over in a bit, is that all right? I need to have a chat with you. Okay see you then.’

She put the phone down, made herself smile for the benefit of her children and walked through to the lounge,

‘How about we go to Macdonald’s shortly and go and see Nanny, would you guys like that? ‘Sophie asked.

‘Yeah’ both children answered enthusiastically.

‘Cool, I just have to hang out the washing and then we can get going.’

Sophie gave the children a big grin and walked off to the kitchen. She took the sheets and pillowcases out of the washing machine and placed them into the plastic laundry- basket. She rested the basket on her hip, picked up the peg bag with her free hand and headed into the rear garden leaving the door open behind her. What a lovely sunny day she thought as she placed the basket on the ground next to the rotary clothes line and started to peg out the sheets.

Jack had listened to his mum in the kitchen and heard her footsteps go out the back door into the garden. He dropped his game controller and in one swift movement leapt up of the floor and onto the sofa. Lily just saw him coming out of the corner of her eye but she didn’t move fast enough. He pounced on her, grabbed her arm in his meaty hands and gave her a Chinese burn.

‘Don’t you dare scream shitbag’ he whispered at her through clenched teeth, his face deformed with hate and spite. He put all his strength into twisting her naked flesh between his strong fingers until she screamed with the pain.

The breath of air that used to be Fabienne looked on from the corner of the lounge boiling with rage. She had hoped for a kind, big brother for Lily, not a bad tempered, spiteful bully like this boy.  She felt the anger swelling inside her as she thought of all the evil she had seen committed by men who were probably just like this boy when they were young. Men like the hateful, twisted liars who had killed her family. A red mist overtook her and she raced across the room, her rage spilling over. She looked straight into Jacks’ red, screwed- up face, gathered all her energy and stabbed him in the eyes with fingers made of air. Jack screamed with the agony and brought his hands up to shield his face but it was too late, his world had gone forever dark and he would never see again. Lily struggled out from underneath him and stood watching as if turned to stone by the shock. Sophie raced in from the garden at the sounds of Jacks scream. She ran to the sofa swept Jack up in her arms holding him tight to her

‘What’s the matter baby what’s the matter’ she pleaded as Jacks screams rang round the room’  she pulled his hands away from his face and let out long wail as she saw his burnt out eyes.

‘Lily, call an ambulance quick don’t just stand there’ she shouted at her daughter but Lily didn’t move, just stood there, frozen to the spot, her mouth open and her eyes wide.

Spirit slid through the air and came to a halt just in front of Lily’s shock ridden face. She felt the weight of her loneliness fall onto her as if the air were heavy with it.  She had wanted to be friends with this little girl who could have been her sister but it wasn’t to be. Was she fated to carry her loneliness with no respite forever? Spirit looked deep into Lily’s hazel eyes and, just for a fraction of a moment, thought she saw her own reflection in the dark irises. Perhaps in some indefinable way Lily had known she was there all along. She said her goodbyes as her twin stood rigid and dumb with shock, then she reached out a fingertip of air and gently touched Lily’s hair. A long grey streak appeared in the chestnut tresses from the crown of her small head to the tip. With a sigh that carried all the hopelessness of the world Spirit propelled herself towards the kitchen and out through the open back door with Jack’s screams and Sophie’s shouts following her into the daylight. What a lovely day the thing that used to be Fabienne De Savauterre thought as she let the wind carry her away, she didn’t mind sunny days to much.

                * That's your lot, thanks for reading and all your comments* 

                                            Steve.