Читать книгу Toxic - Jacqui Rose - Страница 21

‘Give me a kiss then.’

Bree blushed, stifling a giggle. ‘And if I say no?’

‘Then I’ll love you anyway.’

Chewing her lip, Bree thought for a moment before standing on her tiptoes, quickly landing a large, gentle kiss. ‘There, happy now?’

‘Won’t be happy until you marry me, and don’t say we’re too young, say yes.’

Bree laughed but the sound of a door opening stopped her saying anything.

‘You better go, Bree. She won’t be happy if she finds you here.’

‘I hate this.’

‘I know, but once she gets to know you, she’ll love you … just like I do. It’ll take time, that’s all. Just give her a chance.’

‘I don’t think she’ll ever like me.’

‘She will. I promise. Now go on, get out of here … I’ll see you tomorrow.’

She waved goodbye, running happily towards her push bike, which she’d hidden in the bracken down by the stream. An overwhelming sense of joy came over her, something she’d never experienced before and something she’d certainly never had in her miserable childhood spent being passed from one foster home to another.

Humming quietly to herself, Bree’s thoughts came to an abrupt halt. Puzzled, she looked around. Damn, it wasn’t there. She must have left it further down the hill. The whole of the woods all looked the same.

She sighed, annoyed with herself for being so stupid, and quickly headed for the winding, muddy path. Although it was dusk, the track and the woods were still quite visible, but as she continued to walk, the darkness began to fall and the shadows of the trees twisted and distorted into monstrous shapes as the branches chattered and whispered in the autumn winds. She shivered.

A noise.

Another.

And Bree let out a scream as she spun round. ‘Oh my god, you gave me a fright … Are you alright?’

There in the darkness was Ma. Her bulbous figure standing motionless. Her stare, narrow and cold.

‘I warned you, Bree. I told you what would happen. You should’ve listened. But little bitches like you never do.’

Slowly, Bree began to back away as the wind picked up, then she started to run, heading into the dark of the woods.

It felt to Bree she was going around in circles. All the trees looked alike and all the paths seemed to be the same. Suddenly her foot caught on an ivy root, sending her forward, plunging her head first into the wet moss and mud. With her hands stinging from trying to break her fall and the rough earth digging into her skin, Bree desperately tried to keep quiet as she crawled along on her hands and knees.

A branch snapped beneath her leg, the sound resonating through the woods, and within seconds Ma Dwyer reappeared, pushing her body forcefully through the dense scrub to get to Bree, her hand reaching and grappling in the dark.

Bree began to scramble up but the mud was too wet and she found herself slipping. She turned to see Ma closing in on her, a maniacal look on her face, eyes wild and frenzied.

She screamed as she felt Ma grab her hair before she was flung backwards and dragged through the bushes. Her head felt like it was on fire, then a crippling pain exploded. Unbearable. Ripping through Bree’s eye as a small branch caught and tore into her lid. She could taste the blood trickling down her cheek and into her mouth as Ma continued to drag her along.

Out from under the trees, the moon high in the night sky, Ma stared at Bree, a nasty smile on her face. Then Ma’s fist came smashing down as her heavy body straddled Bree, banging her head against the ground.

‘You leave my son alone! You ain’t taking him from me. He’s mine!’

Her mouth full of blood, Bree gave a breathless, staggered reply. ‘I love him though! I love him!’

Ma let out a piercing, deafening scream. ‘You can’t love him, he ain’t yours to love! So, you shut your dirty mouth, you just shut your dirty mouth!’

Pushing herself upright, Ma raised her foot, ready to bring it down on Bree’s mouth.

‘Stop, Ma! Don’t!’

Ma turned to look at Johnny. ‘I won’t let her, Johnny. I won’t let her take anyone away from me.’

Johnny walked up to Ma, he spoke gently. ‘Don’t do it, Ma. Don’t hurt her. Bree ain’t done nothin’. She ain’t going to take no one away, is she?’

Ma looked down at Bree who was curled up in a ball. ‘Ain’t she?’

‘No, she ain’t … because nobody ever leaves Ma.’