DIFFERENT (Different Series Book 1) (11 page)

They were just stupid little things that didn’t cause anyone any permanent damage, and it stopped Max from ruining things for me. It would have been okay if he had just kept them to small things, but he had to go too far. He handed me the piece of paper, and as I opened it, a smug look appeared across his face. He took a puff of his roll up, and I felt my fear altering as it turned into anger. On the piece of paper were written the words-
Julie Kingston, knife.

‘She’s your mum! Why would you want to hurt her?’ I’d shouted at him.

              ‘It won’t be me hurting her. It’ll be you.’

              ‘I won’t do it.’

              ‘Then everyone will find out what a freak you are.’

‘No one will believe you.’

‘I have hidden proof, and when it gets out, everyone will know exactly what you can do.’

He’d said this to me before, this mystery proof. I didn’t fully believe that he had any, but there was a niggling feeling in the back of my head telling me that he might have. He’d had me exactly where he wanted me for far too long, and I was fed up of being his puppet.

‘I don’t care! I’m not doing it. I’m not doing any of this again,’ I shouted at him.

‘Yeah you will,’ he grinned before he took another puff on his roll up.

‘You’ll always be a far bigger monster that I’ll ever be.’

‘I’m not the freak, Celeste. You are.’

The lit flicker of amber amongst the blackened tip of his roll up mesmerised me. It was all I could focus on; it was all that mattered.

His roll up burst into flames in his hand. He shrieked as he dropped it onto the floor. The fire spread, eating away at my bedroom like a terminal disease.

‘Stop it!’ Max screamed at me.

‘It’s over,’ I said, as I walked calmly over to the bedroom door before the flames blocked my foot. Max followed me like a needy puppy and I let him. I could have trapped him in the room but I didn’t. I could have done far worse things, but I didn’t want to do them. I just wanted Max’s power over me to be burnt away. I just wanted any proof there may have been of me to be engulfed by the flames.

The fire brigade arrived too late to save the house. Julie and Doug rushed back from work and stared up at the destruction that I’d caused. I’d lost them their home and a lifetime of memories.

It was proved that the fire had started in my room from a cigarette of some sort. I’d never smoked, so the blame lay with Max. He never said a word. He just stared at me as I was taken back into care. I’d rather have been in care than anywhere near that boy; he was toxic and uncaring. He’d had everything, yet this hadn’t been enough for him. How could he have wanted me to harm his own mum, a woman who wasn’t without her faults but who clearly loved him? He was the monster; he was the freak. I was just a girl trying to find my place in life who never quite seemed to succeed.

***

I lingered over Finn’s name on my phone. I didn’t know what I was meant to do. I felt completely lost. I hadn’t touched Veronica, not physically, but they knew that it was me that caused her to fall, just as Gloria knew that it had been me who’d broken the vase.

            Why was I the way that I was? Had my parents been able to do what I could, too? Was there anyone else out there like me?

            I could ask Finn to come and get me now, but I doubted that he would. He had been so adamant about meeting tonight, and I didn’t want to mess things up with him as well. There was nothing at the Prestons’ that I particularly valued. Most of the things were either Louisa’s or items that had already been brought for me before I’d moved in. Still, a reckless part of me was telling me to go back. Terry would be at work all day, and Gloria was at work until lunchtime. I could go back and get my stuff, and they wouldn’t have a clue.

            I had nothing left to lose; it was time to be reckless.

            ‘See you later,’ I said under my breath as I walked along the path towards the park exit.

           I didn’t have a home, I never had, but as I stared up at the Prestons’ presentable detached house, I felt myself pining for the stability that Louisa had. I had wanted it to be my home, and I had wanted so badly to fit in.

            I took the key out of my pocket and opened the door, stepping inside to the quiet house. As I headed towards the stairs, Alf appeared in the hallway, and on seeing me he let out a whine before heading back into the kitchen.

           ‘Bye, boy,’ I said to his back.

           I walked into my bedroom, which now smelt of apple air freshener. Gloria had even made my bed. I sat down on it and looked around. If things had been different, could I have made things work out here?

          Sighing, I stood up and pulled the pink and black rucksack (that’d previously been Louisa’s) out of my wardrobe. I changed out of my school uniform into my jeans and black jumper, and I shoved a few pairs of trousers and tops into the bag. I also slung in a hairbrush, lip balm, my phone charger, and Louisa’s Katy Perry CD, although I wasn’t quite sure as to why. I took all the money I had out of my bedside drawer and stuffed it into my jean pocket, and then I sat back down on my bed and contemplated what to do next.

          I couldn’t stay here much longer, as Gloria would be back soon, and she’d want to know why I wasn’t at school. I couldn’t ever go back to school; I wouldn’t be welcome there, not now they all knew that I was a freak.

          I took one last glance around my room before I left it, closing the door behind me. I found myself tip-toeing downstairs even though nobody was in, my rucksack slung over my shoulder.

         This was it. There was no going back.

         ‘Celeste,’ Terry said, as he walked out of the sitting room. A shocked expression was on his face as he took a step backwards. ‘Why aren’t you at school?’

          I froze. This couldn’t be happening. Only Alf should have been in the house at this time, no one else.

          ‘Why aren’t you at work?’ I replied, deciding that we both were clearly trying to avoid something.

           ‘A meeting got cancelled.’ He was unable to meet my gaze as he spoke. ‘You shouldn’t be here. Gloria would be devastated if she knew you’d missed school.’

           I nodded as I lingered in the hallway. I was scared that he’d comment on my backpack or make me go and change back into my uniform. There was no way that I was going back to school, and if I had to stop him making me go back, then I would.

            There was a knock at the door, and loads of thoughts went through my head. Was it someone from the school? Or, worse, was it the police? Was I finally going to get locked away for all the things I’d done? Maybe whoever’d sent me the email had proof of what I could do and they’d shown it to the police. I’d be locked away forever; they’d never be able to let someone like me go.

           ‘I’ll get it. You go back to your room and get ready for school,’ Terry said as he walked towards the door. I didn’t move. ‘Celeste, go now,’ he said sternly, but still I didn’t budge.

          ‘I’m not moving until you’ve opened the door,’ I said. If it was the school or the police, then there was no point hiding from them anymore, but I had a feeling from the way that Terry seemed so anxious that it would be someone else.

          Terry opened the door. In front of him was a man who looked forty or so, was wearing a charcoal grey suit with a black tie.

           ‘Come in,’ Terry said to the man, who stepped into the hallway and paused when he saw me. ‘Go on through to the sitting room, Frank, I just need a word with my foster daughter.’

            The man nodded and did as he said. I noticed that he was carrying a large black briefcase, and I wondered what was in it. Cold Terry have invited him here to talk about me? Was he planning to send me away?

            ‘Celeste, you shouldn’t be here. Will you please go back to school?’

            ‘Who is he?’

             ‘Will you please just do as I ask?’ I didn’t move, even when he tried yanking at my arm. I focused on him. I made his arms loosen their grip on me. Terry looked at me oddly, but he didn’t try grabbing me again.

            ‘Who is he?’ I repeated.

            ‘Frank Thomas,’ Terry sighed. ‘He’s the best private detective in the area.’

             ‘Why do you need him?’

             ‘I need to speak to him before Gloria’s back. Please, just let me do this,’ he grimaced.

             ‘I don’t understand. Why would you need to hire him behind Gloria’s back?’

             ‘Because someone killed Jake, and I want to know who it was. The police closed the case, saying there wasn’t enough evidence, but I’m not giving up on my son. Someone planned it; someone killed him.’

             The colour vanished from his face, leaving him looking pale and fragile. I didn’t know what to say or do.

            ‘It was officially a hit and run, but I know that someone planned it. Gloria never recovered. She took all the pictures of him down, and then she kept pestering me about fostering. I thought it might help her, might get her to realise what has happened, but it seems to have made her worse.’

           ‘I’m sorry,’ I muttered out as I bit on the corner of my lip.

           ‘It’s not your fault. We should never have fostered you; it wasn’t fair of us to do so.’

           ‘You need to tell Gloria.’

           ‘I can’t. Please don’t tell her.’

           ‘I won’t.’ I headed towards the door, and then I stopped and looked back at Terry. ‘Thank you for fostering me. I’ve liked it here.’ I smiled before I turned around and left the Prestons’ house for the last time.

           Terry didn’t shout after me or try to stop me from going. I didn’t know if he knew I was never coming back; all I knew was that he was a broken man. One question remained, swirling in my head: if Jake hadn’t sent the email, then who had?

           Maybe Max really had found out where I was; maybe he was ready to get revenge, or maybe it was someone else?

           It wasn’t even lunchtime yet, so where was I meant to hide out until seven? I needed to leave Oakwood earlier than that; I needed to go right then.

          I scrolled through my phone and stopped over Finn’s name. If I texted him, would it ruin the plan, or would he come and help me?

        
‘You have to help me,’
only I didn’t send the text to Finn; instead, I sent it to Leo.

        
‘Where are you?’
he replied, almost instantly.

          I imagined him sitting in class holding his phone under his desk as he texted me. I always envied the fact that Leo could do that. I had to stare at the screen as I typed, else it was pretty much unreadable.

         
‘I don’t know. I just need somewhere to hide out at until tonight.’

         
‘
Go to my house, no one’s in. I will meet you there as soon as class finishes.’

         ‘Thanks,’
I typed out, as I started to walk faster. I didn’t care that Leo’s house was the other end of town. I was glad of having the time to waste walking there. I was glad that my best friend was helping me.

          I walked through the various housing estates. Not many people were around, and no one double-looked at me; no one cared. The news hadn’t spread yet about how I was the crazy girl who had hurt Veronica. I knew that soon it would, as news always did. Soon I wouldn’t be able to walk around Oakwood without people double-looking at me before they scurried back into their homes.

          It took me forty minutes to reach the dirt road that led me up to Leo’s detached, white-painted house. It was disguised by overlapping trees, and even though the lawn was overgrown and the house could have done with a repaint, there was something kinda peaceful about Leo’s house.

           I walked up the gravel path and sat on the step. I’d been to Leo’s house a handful of times. It was usually at weekends, when we spent most of the day in his room playing video games and watching lame films. I didn’t want to leave Oakwood on bad terms with Leo; after all he was the only friend I’d ever had.

          Half an hour passed before Leo huffed his way up the path.

          ‘About time,’ I shouted out to him.

          ‘You need to leave,’ he panted out. ‘You need to go now.’

          ‘Why?’ I said, not understanding why he’d said he’d help me only to want to now get rid of me.

           ‘They’re coming.’ He rested his arms on his knees as he bent over, still gasping for breath.

           ‘Fine, I’ll go. You were meant to be my best friend, Leo.’ I stood up and headed up the path.

           ‘Celeste, you don’t understand. Megan saw my texts. She said something about how Brandon needed to know. I told her not to tell him, but she said that she had to. I wanted to text you and warn you, but she broke my phone.’

          ‘You idiot!’ I turned around and shouted at him. ‘Have you any idea what you’ve done?’

          ‘Yes, which is why I’m telling you to go.’

           ‘You don’t get it, do you? There’s nowhere to go.’ I glared at him, looking away before I could hurt him.

           I started to jog, but with the rucksack on me, I couldn’t go very fast. I took it off and left it by Leo’s gate. It’s not like it’d help me much with Brandon, unless I wanted to whack him over the head with the Katy Perry CD.

          I got to the end of the dirt road when Brandon appeared. He wasn’t alone. A few boys who I’d seen him with at school were with him, and Megan was stood to the side of them. In Brandon’s hand was a baseball bat.

        ‘What do you want?’ I forced the words out as I dug my nails into my palm.

        ‘To stop you, Celeste. I heard about what you did to Veronica today. You’re dangerous. Come on, you know this is for the best. I’ll be quick,’ he grinned.

        ‘You’re sick.’ I took a few steps back.

        ‘No, you are.’ he motioned for his friends to walk towards me.

         I saw what he was trying to do. He was hoping that if I was outnumbered, I wouldn’t be able to do anything to him. That was when I noticed that one of the boys was carrying rope and the other a black bin bag.