AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 16
Daisy
There is nothing like a good stretch in the morning. The bed in the motorhome is surprisingly comfortable. I arch my back, elongating my spine. My arm sweeps across the bed. Callie isn’t there. I feel the end of the bed dip. Raising my head, I spot Callie with her head in her hands, elbows on knees. This can’t be a good sign.
Feeling me shift, she turns to me. Her face is pale. Her eyes are swimming with unshed tears. What the hell has happened? Before I get the chance to ask, she hands me my phone. There are two messages, both from Betty. I read the first one.Consider this your final warning. You can have two more weeks.I click on the second, which has a photo attached. It shows my brother lying in the foetal position, his face a bloodied mess. I presume he’s alive.
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” Callie’s hands are trembling. “Daisy—”
“Hey, hey. Stop. He’s alive.” I need her to calm down. No doubt she’s imagining the worst and blaming herself.
“How do you know?” She has tears streaking down her face. I wonder if this is the first time she has allowed herself to break down. Callie is one of the strongest people I know, but she’s only human. Can you imagine the toll her life has had on her mental health?
“Betty wouldn’t take away the only bit of leverage she has on me. Daniel is badly beaten, but alive.”
“What the hell do we do, Daisy?” She looks so defeated it shocks me. Callie always has a plan, hell, she has plans from A-Z normally. This Callie has no more to give.
“Right now, we get up and have breakfast. Then we talk. We will figure this out, Cal.” I hope she sees the sincerity in my eyes. My blood is boiling under my skin at the thought of Callie suffering as she is. Betty-fucking-Compton will pay dearly for what she has put her only granddaughter through, I swear it.
It takes a few minutes, but eventually Callie pulls herself together. She doesn’t want to show weakness in front of the others, which secretly makes me feel good. Yeah, it’s a bit twisted, but I like being the only one that Callie is vulnerable in front of.
The morning sun is only just peaking over the horizon when we head into the main area of the bus. The other three are still sleeping soundly. I prepare the coffee and take it out to Callie, who is leaning against the railings, staring out to sea. She takes the cup. I want her to open up to me, but I need to wait for her to feel comfortable. I doubt she’s had anyone to open up to in a long time.
“I just want this to be over, Daisy.” She’s put her mug on the railing and is now facing me. My heart breaks a little because she looks like a scared child. “I should have just stayed. Maybe it wouldn’t have been as bad as I thought. At least then I wouldn’t be putting the people that mean the most to me in danger.”
“That was never an option, Callie. You’re not her, you could never have done what she wanted you to do. You had to leave and I am happy you did. I’m sorry Callie, I left you and never looked back—”
“Fuck, Daisy, I could never blame you for getting out of there. I just wish I could have gone with you to university. Imagine how different our lives would have been.”
“I do need to apologise though. You were my world, Callie, for years, and I just left. The only excuse I have is that for once, I felt as if I fit in somewhere. I wasn’t ignored, made to feel like a freak or less than. When I got to university, it just felt so good to be free that I never wanted to look back.”
“Good, you were always too good for that place. You deserve to be seen as the magnificent woman you are.”
“How can you say that when I practically abandoned you?” Tears are streaming down my face now. The guilt I have carried for all these years is drowning me from the inside. I did leave her and look what happened.
“Sweetie, you did the right thing. Betty was never going to let me go. I was always going to have to run away. Do you think for one minute this is the life I would want for you? Skipping town every couple of weeks, changing your appearance? No, Daisy, I wanted you to go to university, I wanted you to forget about your wankshaft of a dad and my sociopathic Nan. I just hate that you’re here now.”
The statement cuts me. I understand what she means, but it still hurts. I can’t think of anywhere else I would rather be. I love my job and I love my life in Scotland. I have friends but all of that pales in comparison to being with Callie. I wish we were at the place in our relationship where I could confess how deep my feelings are, how they’ve always been but it’s not fair. I need to bide my time. I just hope Callie doesn’t push me away before I get the chance.
“None of this is either of our faults. I think we both need to let some stuff go. What is important is that we are together and we are going to bring you home. Callie, what happened to Daniel isn’t your fault. He was always going to find himself on the wrong side of Betty. Each one of her lackeys will find themselves either beaten, killed or locked up if it means she survives. Even my dad isn’t safe and he’s one of her most trusted ‘employees.’ Together we can end this. We’re not kids anymore.”
She’s turned to stare out to sea again. I know she’s mulling over what I’ve said. Hopefully she agrees and we can move on. I want to crucify the old witch and I need Callie’s help to do it. I turn to look at the rising sun. If Callie needs time, that’s what I’ll give her. Our silence is broken by a noisy Chris stumbling out of the bus looking like he has been dragged through a hedge backwards. His hair is sticking up and his T-shirt is half in his boxers.
“Hey, guys,” he waves. He approaches us and throws an arm around each of our shoulders. He takes a deep breath in and smiles. He looks from Callie to me and then wiggles his eyebrows. “So are you pair going to be giving each other googly eyes from now on?” He has a smirk on his face. Callie starts to laugh.
“Shut your face,” she shoves him playfully, but looks at me. I will happily make googly eyes at her if it makes her smile like that.
“Hey, you two were the ones giving rabbits a run for their money yesterday! It’s a good job I’m not impressionable, you could have scarred me.” He’s laughing. I start to feel my face burn. Shit, I think they actually heard us.
“You didn’t hear shit.” Callie rolls her eyes. She is acting much cooler than me right now. I want to put my hands over my face and hide.
“Like hell we didn’t. We came back to the van because Meryl forgot her sunscreen. We turned right back around once we saw that whole vehicle rocking. Damn, Callie.” He punches her shoulder and turns to me, winking. I want to fucking disappear. Callie puts her hand to her mouth then throws her head back, laughing. I know she’s mocking my reaction.
“You’re both assholes!” I direct it to both of them and then start laughing. Why should I be embarrassed? Yeah, it’s a fucked up time in our lives, but I can’t deny that she definitely rocked the van and my world. “Can we be serious for a second? Are we leaving Meryl and Derek now or later?”
“Why are we leaving them?” Chris looks surprised at my question. I think he’s become attached.
“I don’t want them in harm’s way Chris. The longer we stay with them, the more likely they’re going to get caught up in all this shit.”
