25

Alayna

Wednesday 28th February, Year 825

I fiddled with the beads around my neck. Tiv had made no attempt to contact me. I spent a lot of time pretending it didn't hurt and Ben spent a lot of time pointing out how stupid I was for thinking about it. Mum had also heard nothing from the Hawes family. Chances of ever getting another computer were bleak, cutting off my only other means of contacting Tiv. On top of everything else, it came to light that something had happened between Mum and Anthony the night he visited. I was not being told what it was but whatever had occurred, Dad was not happy. I was basically banned from talking about Tiv; every time I did, my Dad would start complaining about how disgusting their family was and it would escalate until he started shouting.

Since talking about Tiv was no longer an option, I realised I had stopped talking to people entirely. Mum had tried several times to engage me in conversation but I had nothing to say. She was an amazing woman who had just lost her best mate and her job; I didn't feel it was fair to complain about the fact a boy I loved had left. But I felt completely alone with nobody to confide in without Tiv. Even Jo didn't cut it anymore. She told me her dad witnessed Marco and Tiv fighting on the night of their mum's death. They destroyed half the hallway apparently. She jovially mocked how I had them fighting over me, which I felt old Alayna would have had some witty, self-deprecating retort... but not the new depressed version of myself, she wanted to curl into a ball and sob.

I stayed with Jo for nearly two weeks but not a single Guard visited my house. This frightened me more than hiding. If Marco had not reported me it was because he had no intention of coming back. None of them did.

Weeks had dragged by when Ben's impatience with my silence finally boiled over.

"So, you planning to become a mute now?" Ben grumbled as he passed the mashed potatoes during dinner.

"Ben, give it a rest," Mum shot him a weary smile, smudges of dark mine dust still streaked across her cheeks.

"No. She's being weird."

"Shut it," Dad snapped.

The first time Ben asked I went scarlet with embarrassment insisting nothing was wrong. But after puting up with his nudges day after day, I'd gotten numb, usually not even registering his words as they floated past me. I sat there fiddling with my fork, wishing I could fade into the scratched wood of the table. Every mouthful of food felt like chewing on damp cardboard; my appetite had vanished along with Tiv. Mum and Dad watched me like hawks, insisting I eat up or sit there til bedtime—an ultimatum meant for a kid. Their concern seemed to magnify my misery. It was stupid—Lucy's death, my shattered college dreams, Tiv leaving—how it all wove into a heavy blanket suffocating every ounce of will from me. I didn't even realise how much Tiv took my head away from Lucy until he wasn't there anymore.

The table sat in its usual state of silence like my mood was contagious. I was so bad for them…

As soon as I could escape, I did, mumbling an excuse and heading for my room. But only made it halfway up the stairs before Ben decided he wasn't having any more of my retreats. He snaked his arms around my waist and effortlessly carried me into his room, plonking me down on his desk chair.

"Not letting you leave until you tell me what's going on," he stated.

"Great. Guess we'll just sit here in awkward silence then," I scowled.

Ben plopped down on his bed opposite me. "Aly, tell me."

I thought his ability to read people had died with Hayley.

My chest tightened as words fought their way up my throat. "You want to know? Fine," I sighed heavily. "I miss college… and Lucy not being here is like… I hate it." Each confession felt like peeling off a scab. "And yeah... Tiv. He hasn't sent a single word since he left. What if something bad happened on his way to Lambent?"

Ben let out a harsh laugh and looked away dismissively. Skipping right over Lucy's part like it was nothing, he said flatly, "Trust me; if anything went down with Anthony Hawes' golden boy, we'd be drowning in headlines."

"I suppose you are right. Why hasn't he contacted me then?" I wondered out loud.

"Have you ever thought he was just a whore like his brother?"

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"He was the polar opposite of Marco," I snorted.

"I'm just saying that if he doesn't contact you the reason why seems pretty obvious," my face dropped and he quickly changed his tune. "His Mum has just died. He might have a lot on his plate."

"Maybe." I knew it wasn't true, just like Ben did.

From the moment Tiv gave me the mobile, I was never off it. We had been inseparable. I hated that I'd wasted a week not speaking to him. I hated that we weren't inseparable anymore.

"Ah Aly, I dunno what to tell you. It may be worth considering that he wants to forget about Harroworth… and by extension, you."

I suppressed a sob I could feel at the back of my throat. Telling Ben was awkward enough without him seeing how hurt I was. He used to be good at this stuff. He used to give me big hugs when was sad and joke with me until I felt better. Then Hayley died and he changed. Now, he could not deal with crying girls... or crying people… or people.

"Alayna, leave it and forget about him. The entire family were mental. They would have gotten you killed and by extension, probably gotten me and Dad killed too," he muttered.

"Can I go now?" I frowned, barely listening.

"S'pose so. Will you at least try and be normal though, Mum and Dad keep stressing about you," he shrugged light-heartedly.

I turned to leave the room. Ben's words had not helped in the slightest but at least he was trying to be supportive. He could have done a lot worse.

"Thanks for-,"

"Yeah, yeah, love you too," he said, picking up his guitar.

He started deftly playing a folk tune and did not look back up at me. Playing music was a good thing; he only did that when he was in a good mood, even if he never sang anymore. I smiled and figured while I had him in a good mood I would try my luck.

"Do you have a secret boyfriend?" I asked quickly.

He barked a laugh and stopped playing, "No."

"Girlfriend?"

He blanched at even the suggestion, "No. Now get out."

"I can tell when you're lying too, you know?" I said, stalking out of his room.

He wasn't lying… He didn't have a boyfriend or girlfriend. So where the hells was he sneaking off to? The question piqued curiosity that I hadn't felt in weeks.

"Why you been hanging out in an abandoned basement?" I asked, turning in the doorway.

Ben barked a gruff laugh, "Yeah, Dan told me you kicked his door in."

I put a hand on my hip expectantly, waiting for an answer.

He rolled his eyes, "It's a place the Guard don't know about where I can hang out with mates."

Definitely a lie.

"But-"

"Out Aly," he snapped.

"Fine," I huffed, before adding. "Thanks for smashing Dan's camera."

"Anytime."

"The number you have called is no longer in use. Please contact your service provider for any additional information," the automated voice said on the other end of my phone.

I lay down on my bed and put my arm over my eyes to hold the tears in. It was too dark behind my eyelids. Nearly midnight, the house was still. Then, as if answering my wish for a distraction, a piercing scream ripped through the silence. I jolted from my bed at the sound, heart hammering against my ribcage. Bolting to the hallway, Ben was already standing, body tense and ready; his hand gripping the metal of his gun. Mum burst out of her room a second later, her eyes wide and wild, Dad right behind her, his face grim. Bizarrely, every bone in my body wanted to sprint towards the danger, but I stayed put, following Ben's lead. If he wasn't moving, I sure as fuck shouldn't.

"Is everyone alright?" Mum hissed.

"Yeah. What was that?" Ben hissed back.

A second blood-curdling scream rang out even closer than last time.

"Ben, take her and hide," Dad ordered, nodding to me.

No need for words, Ben yanked open the closet across his room. He shoved aside the fake ceiling panel revealing our secret loft. His grip was firm on my wrist—then came a pounding on our door that froze him mid-motion.

"Nathan! Open the door!" a male voice screamed.

Ben looked to my Dad, unsure of what to do, "Is that George?"

Our neighbour George and his wife were pushing eighty. They mostly kept to themselves. Definitely not the dramatic type. Definitely not the run-screaming down the street in the middle of the night type.

"Attic, now," Dad snapped, swiping the gun from Ben's grip.

A fleeting shock that Dad knew about the gun crossed my mind before Ben hauled me into the closet. He hoisted himself up first through the tight opening with a push from me. Then in an instant, he was reaching down to grab my hands. With a swift tug and my feet scrabbling against the wall for purchase, I was through. Ben slid the panel back and we crouched close to the floorboards above, ears pressed down for any sound.

The front door swung open below; stumbling and weeping followed before it crashed shut again. Dad's voice was a low rumble and then George blurted out, "She's gone… That thing got her… Inside my place… It got inside!"

The words hung in the air. Ben swallowed hard beside me. His eyes locked on mine in silence and he hesitated before he flipped aside the panel wordlessly telling me to stay put.

"Where is it now?" he said at the top of the stairs.

George's wails carved through the house now. "I—I ain't sure… Just bolted… She… She wasn't moving no more. Blood everywhere... I bolted."

I shivered and pulled my legs to my chest. We always thought staying in our homes would protect us from Umbrith. But there were whispers that they might be branching out into the streets now, breaking their unspoken rule of never entering homes. And as I considered that terrifying possibility, a shiver ran down my spine.