Chapter Three
Home Sweet Home
Savannah’s house stood proud and isolated at the top of a steep hill, overlooking the valley below. The rest of the town was nestled in this valley, and cars moved through it like little scaletrix pieces. Up here, there were few houses and few people, and, save for the occasional slam of a car door, it was tranquil. The view of the bustling town and rolling hills, with the last sunlight of the day bathing the countryside in a blissful, orange glow, illuminating the surrounding area of empty fields and dense woodland, was astonishing. Their home was close enough to the town centre, yet far enough away that they could live in peace.
The Glasco-Masons valued it most in summer when they could spend all day in the garden, absorbing the sun, sipping ice-cold drinks, and playing daft games together, all while admiring the magnificent view without having to leave the comfort of their home.
Alexis in particular adored the location. It was right in her wheelhouse - she had limited contact with those around her, and it enabled her to live her adolescence on her terms. If she wanted to, for instance, meet a boy or her friends, she would do so, but if she wasn’t feeling it, she’d seclude herself in her room, or sit in the garden (drinking Lyra’s wine, provided Lyra was stuck at work) and stay away from her friends, safe in the knowledge that they wouldn’t bother to come all the way up there just to spend time with her.
Aaron was similar. He’d go out every once in a while, but most of the time he could be found in his room in front of his television, either watching films or playing video games. He was more sociable than Alexis in that, on occasion, he would invite one of his friends over, and they’d hide away in his room together.
By contrast, Savannah always had Lauren around. As much as she loved spending time with her siblings and her mother, their house didn’t feel like home to her if Lauren wasn’t there.
Savannah, Lauren, Alexis, and Theo arrived home from the park. Savannah and Lauren were exhausted from chasing Theo around - playing tag with a seven-year-old who owned endless reserves of energy proved more physically demanding than expected. Alexis had managed to tear herself away from her ‘boy-slash-friend, not boyfriend’ as the others were getting ready to leave, while Aaron continued playing football with his friends, promising to follow them home later.
Savannah twisted the front door handle. The moment the door was open wide enough, Theo barged through and hurtled around the house searching for Lyra.
‘How does he still have the energy? Especially after that damn hill, never mind the park,’ Savannah asked Lauren, doing her utmost to disguise her breathlessness.
Lauren shook out her limbs. ‘I have absolutely no idea, I just wish I had that left in reserve.’ Alexis, to the surprise of no one, had her eyes glued to her phone and took no notice.
The girls followed Theo inside. A comforting warmth washed over them like they’d slipped into a hot bath; a welcome change given the frigid temperatures outside.
The hallway had a high ceiling and its walls white, the latter a design flaw as proven by the dark fingerprints from Theo imprinted in many places. Next to the front door stood a rack full to the brim with shoes - from Alexis's running shoes, to Aaron’s numerous pairs of football boots, to Savannah’s heels for nights out (part-owned by Alexis, she wore them that often), to Lyra’s hiking boots.
Adjacent to the rack was a small, oak cabinet, with mail strewn over the top and childhood photo albums stored within. Lyra occasionally said she’d wished she had an album of her and Jeremy’s time together before Savannah was born, but from what Savannah could gather, this time wasn’t fond - more turbulent, fast-paced, and culminating in a baby that neither was prepared for. After that, every semblance of intimacy had left her parents. From as early as Savannah could remember, Jeremy and Lyra were rarely found in the same room as one another. Though she tried to avoid the thought, she had a sneaking suspicion her birth had contributed to that.
On the left-hand side of the hall, a mirror hung in an ornate, silver frame. Savannah’s maternal grandmother, Katerina, brought this over with her family when they moved to England from Greece 50 years ago. She’d gifted it to Lyra as a housewarming present when Lyra had first moved in here with Jeremy, shortly prior to Savannah’s birth. Alexis loved this mirror; in it, she examined the state of her hair. While she had few stray, windswept hairs, she decided its overall condition was unacceptable. She huffed and stormed up the laminate staircase.
Further down the hall were three doorways - the first led off into the living room, the second to the dining room, while the third, opposite the dining room, was the kitchen. Savannah led Lauren into the living room, swinging the heavy, oak door open. She chucked her schoolbag on the sofa and launched herself on top of it, collapsing in a heap of fatigue.
The living room, like most other rooms in the house, was huge. The walls, from which a multitude of family photographs from which Jeremy was entirely absent hung in expensive frames, were painted in the same sharp white as the hallway (minus the fingerprints - Theo was forbidden from touching these walls), aside from the wall above and around the fireplace, which was a deep burgundy. The fireplace itself was an old-fashioned open fire rather than electric. When lit in the winter, it created an unrivalled ambience of relaxation and cosiness as it crackled in the foreground; not least on Christmas Eve, when Savannah, her siblings, Lauren, and Lyra would curl up together on the sofas with the wood fire burning, enjoying numerous hot chocolates, sweets, and Christmas films. (Jeremy elected not to partake, preferring his own personal Christmas Eve ritual of being out of the house getting piss-drunk from 10 am).
There were two black leather sofas in the room, one to the left of the doorway and the other directly in front of it. In the alcove left of the fireplace, stood a large television on a glass cabinet; the alcove on the right played host to a bookcase that stretched up the wall, grazing the ceiling. This contained many legal tomes and diaries - which Lyra would often refer to, despite knowing them off by heart by now - various novels, and history books, the latter Savannah and Aaron were partial to. In the centre of the room was a fluffy, burgundy rug beneath a metallic, silver coffee table.
Lauren sat on the other sofa - more composed than Savannah, who seemed content to lie on her stomach.
Theo came into the room, too. He started pulling at Savannah’s leg, looking very concerned. ‘Savvy, mummy’s not home. Is she okay? Has something happened to her? Is she going to come home?’
Savannah lifted herself into a sitting position, picked Theo up, and placed him on her knee. ‘No, darling, nothing’s happened to her. She’ll be home shortly - she’s just got stuck at work, that’s all.’ Theo wasn’t comforted and squirmed in her grip. ‘How about this? While we wait for mum to come home, I’ll make you your dinner and you watch TV in here with Lauren? By the time you’ve finished your dinner, mum’ll be home.’
Theo’s lower lip trembled. ‘You’re sure? You’re sure she’s okay?’
Savannah stroked his curls. ‘Yes, darling, she’s fine. You go sit next to Lauren. Would you like fish fingers or chicken nuggets?’
Theo slipped off Savannah’s knee and sat next to Lauren. He observed Lauren through narrowed eyes, unwilling to allow himself to be comforted by someone who wasn’t his mum; even if he had known Lauren for a year now. ‘Nuggets,’ he answered.
Lauren flicked on the TV. Savannah left the room, the soft voice of Lauren talking to Theo trailing her as she wandered into the kitchen.
Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.
The tiled walls gleamed; Savannah had cleaned them last night, and Aaron had polished the dark wood floor to a shine. She walked over to the freezer, pulled out the nuggets and a bag of chips, placed them on a tray, and put them in the oven. On the way back to the freezer, the thought hit her that she should text her mum. She pulled out her phone - the latest iPhone, of course, she wanted for nothing thanks to her mum’s earnings - and pulled up Lyra’s number.
‘Hey, mum. Just checking, when are you gonna be home? Making Theo’s tea now xxx’.
Savannah moved to the pantry and pulled out some pasta, busying herself with it and a pan while she waited for her mum’s reply. Savannah cooking for everyone was a common occurrence. She was aware it wasn’t Lyra’s fault, and that she couldn’t expect her to be home when they were, considering Lyra’s job and the extra hours it entailed. While the others could cope without Lyra’s presence after school, she felt the daily torment Theo went through as a result was unjust.’
It wouldn’t be as significant an issue if Jeremy decided to be a father for a change, Savannah reflected. He wasn’t home, either; she felt no need to text him, knowing precisely where he’d be.
The water for the pasta came to the boil at the same time Lyra texted back.
‘Hi Sav. On way back now, b 20 mins. Hope ur all ok x’.
From experience, the twenty minutes estimation was under-exaggerated, but at least Theo would have had his food by that time.
She continued making the pasta for the rest of them and before long Theo’s dinner was ready. She plated it up and moved back into the living room.
Theo’s head darted around the door when he heard her coming, followed by a look of abject disappointment upon realising she wasn’t Lyra.
She placed his dinner on the coffee table for him. He shuffled over, took his seat - a blue, cushioned stool - and began to pick at his meal. ‘Has mummy texted you, Savvy?’ He ate half a chip before turning his nose up at his plate and putting the uneaten half back.
‘Yes,’ Savannah groaned as she sat down in Theo’s vacant place on the sofa. ‘She’s gonna be home as soon as you’ve finished dinner.’ He nodded and went back to playing with his food, his head darting every so often to the window.
Savannah lay back and, without bothering to ask permission, put her feet up in Lauren’s lap. Lauren, who had been absorbed in kids’ TV, diverted her attention away from it.
‘Who said?’ she said, raising her brow and nodding at Savannah’s feet.
‘I said,’ Savannah threw her a cheeky grin that drew an eye roll. Lauren turned her phone on and began texting. Savannah, comfy and content, resented the fact she’d put food on to cook when she’d now rather take a nap.
Lauren received a text and her expression stiffened. She replied, her fingers smashing against the screen.
‘Who’s that?’
Savannah’s voice brought Lauren back to the moment and the flash of fury vanished as fast as it had come; so fast Savannah doubted that it had been there.
‘No-one, it’s nothing,’ she said, wearing a strained smile. ‘Just someone I know being… it-it’s nothing.’
Savannah examined Lauren, eyes slightly narrowed. Deciding it was none of her business and she’d better let the matter lie, she said ‘mm-kay.’
Moaning her reluctance, Savannah got back up from the sofa, and went to check on the food. The front door opened. Savannah poked her head around the kitchen doorway just in time to see Theo dart out of the living room in excitement. His arms flopped to his sides and he screwed his face up upon noticing that the entrant was Aaron. Aaron went to hug him, but Theo shrugged him off and ran back into the living room.
Aaron looked at Savannah. ‘Mum late home again?’
‘Yeah, how’d you guess? You okay with pasta for tea?’
‘Yup, ta.’
‘Good, if you’re going upstairs will you let Lex know it’ll be ready in ten.’
‘Sure thing,’ he responded. He seemed in good spirits, despite stinking of mud - Savannah could smell him from the other end of the hall.
‘Take a shower!’ she called after him as he bounded up the stairs, taking them two at a time, the thumps on the floorboards along with his chuckling audible throughout the house as he went to Alexis’s room.
They all had separate rooms, even Lyra and Jeremy, spread over the upper two floors of the house - Theo, Lyra, and Jeremy on the second, Savannah, Alexis, and Aaron on the third.
Savannah had moved back to the oven when the front door opened again. Once again, Theo launched for it, and Savannah stuck her head around the corner. This time, Theo froze in front of the figure, as though he had been dropped into a vat of liquid nitrogen.
‘D-d-dad?’ Theo’s voice quaked as their father stepped through the front door.
Though shorter than Savannah, he towered over Theo, glaring at him in a drunken fury. Dark shadows which deepened in colour with each passing day lurked beneath his narrow, black eyes. His greying hair flew all over the place, his beard ruffled, like he’d been caught in a wind tunnel. Like Aaron, Jeremy’s scent reached the kitchen, though the tang of alcohol and the revolting scent of stale tobacco which invaded the house with him made Savannah want to retch. His grey complexion was peppered purple in places by burst blood vessels. Contrary to his addictions, Jeremy wasn’t fat; his body was stocky, tough, and had assisted him in many drunken duels. He’d hit the pub the moment he’d finished night shift this morning, so remained dressed in his work clothes.
‘Wha’re yi’ gawking a’?’ he growled at Theo, slurring his words. Theo hightailed it into the living room, where he buried himself in Lauren’s arms, trying desperately to hide from the terrifying man he had to call ‘dad’.
‘Aye, tha’s right,’ Jeremy called after him, losing his balance and pointing in Theo’s direction. ‘Run, ya wimp. God, yi’ nee’ a goo’ beatin’ yi’ do, kid, tough’n yi’ up, li’l nancy boy.’
Savannah walked into the hallway, staring at her father in disgust. A strange fatigue set over her; she felt her body slump and her eyes droop, but adrenaline began spreading, counteracting the wave of fatigue. She tugged at her earlobe.
Jeremy squinted at her, trying to make out her dark form at the end of the hall.
‘Who’s tha’?’
She stepped into his field of view, arms crossed. Her legs ached.
‘Oh, i’s yi’, the freak,’ he snarled. ‘Your ma’ shoulda’ swallowed yi’. We didn’ wan’ yi’, y’know.’
Savannah was too used to this treatment to let the severity of its impact show. It destroyed her internally - every time he said something like this, every time he came home drunk and raging, every time she was reminded of who he really was, she felt the barriers she’d built up against him strip away, revealing a devastated little girl who desired her dad to comfort and love her the way he should - but outwardly, she laughed.
‘Yeah, Jeremy, I never asked to be born. Get upstairs and sleep it off, or leave.’
Ogling her, he staggered against the wall. ‘Don’ give me orders in my own ‘ouse, girl.’
Savannah walked towards him, holding his gaze all the way. She stopped in front of him, his foul odour threatening to break her resolve. Her countenance was stern and unmoving.
‘Get upstairs and sleep it off, or leave. This house is less yours now than it has ever been. It’s the money mum makes that allows us to live here, not your pathetic earnings, you fucking leech. Go and sleep it off and don’t come back down until morning.’
Jeremy began to shake. ‘Don’ yi’ DARE talk to me like tha’!’ His eyes popped out of their sockets. ‘‘Ow many times do I ‘ave to tell yi’?! Don’. Tell. Me. Wha’. TO DO!’.
Spit flew. He curled his hand in a fist and raised it. Still, Savannah held her ground.
Before Jeremy could lay a finger on her, Lauren stepped out of the living room. She shut the door, leaving Theo alone, but safe, where the danger he had fled from could not hurt him. She turned to Jeremy and fixed him with a cold, emotionless stare. Her lip curled upwards, as though she was in the presence of someone who had trampled dog faeces into the carpet. Her voice was dead.
‘Jeremy, listen to her. Leave. Either leave the house, or go upstairs. Continue shouting at Savannah,’ Lauren paused. A smirk seemed to flit onto her lips, but it was gone so fast that Savannah again assumed it hadn’t been there. ‘And I promise you, you will not like the consequences.’
Jeremy stood, frozen in place, sneering at Lauren.
He slowly lowered his fist. All traces of rage dissipated; he shrank back into the stunted shell he was without his rage and, in silence, he trudged upstairs.
Savannah appraised Lauren, feeling like her best friend’s heart had frozen solid. She was filled with respect and warmth for her protection but… the interaction instilled another, ever so slight emotional response which she’d never experienced (with Lauren, at least) - fear.