Four

Episode 4

"What do you mean, Emily is gone!?" Sandra exclaimed 

"Yes, She died after some brief illness" he replied with his face buried down

"I'm so sorry, I didn't know that she is.." She was saying 

"Nah, it's okay" he interrupted

"That is so sad," she said, not knowing what else to say, knowing how much Paul had loved her.

"I know right, anyway I'm over it now," he said with a cracked voice, obviously he isn't.

"It's okay to feel sad, Emily is the best human I've ever met," she said with a sigh remembering some memories she had with her. It must have been hard for him, losing his daughter and also his beloved wife.

"Now back to what we were talking about, what happened?" 

***

"So I guess you will be starting school next week, right?" Sean said, hoping for an answer this time, as he opened the car door to grab Sandra's bag.

"Seriously, pretty girls don't talk huh?" He said not liking the silent treatment he is only trying to be nice here.

He saw a diary lying at the backseat as he took Sandra's bag, then he went for it and took it out and flipped through the pages.

I tilted my head sideways as I stared at his ocean eyes. He got distracted as to why I'm staring at him like that, with a smirk, I hijacked my journal from him.

"Here I am thinking I'm the only human being alive keeping a diary, mine is fancier than yours tho," he said while he shot the car door closed and they proceeded inside.

Sandra and Ben's eyes landed on them immediately they got in.

We're they talking about them before they came in and interrupt? Chloe thought. 

"Take her to the guest room, and don't bother talking to her, she is not gonna answer you anyway" Paul said to Sean as soon as they got in with the bags 

"Wait you knew?, is she kind, of Dumb," he said saying the 'dumb' part as silent as he could, not wanting to sound offensive which earn him a hard glare from her.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean it that way," he said. with his hands up in the air in surrender.

***

"Sean, your Bus is here" Paul yelled from the dining room. After several honking from the school bus outside the house

"You're skipping breakfast again today, when you won't wake up on time" Paul frowned

"Bye dad" Sean said as he rushed to the door slamming it shut loudly 

"Don't remove it, you brat" Paul yelled at him.

Sandra looked at him while Chloe kept eating her breakfast, not bothered by what was going on.

"Take it easy Paul"

"I'm sorry, Sandra, he can be annoying sometimes, it's so hard raising him" he huffed

"Seems you are enjoying your meal" Paul said to Chloe interrupting the date she was having with her food. She nods her head in satisfaction

"We need to get going paul, we still have a lot to do, Chloe will be starting school next week, and you know today is Friday, Sandra said standing up from her seat while gulping down the remaining water in her cup, and Paul started parking the dishes.

"And don't worry I and Chloe here will do the dishes before we leave," she said while she collected the used dishes from him.

****

After doing the dishes they drive straight to a small bungalow that is two streets away from Paul's house. They alight from the car as Sandra looked around the house before finally pushing the door in, the paint has worn off, this surroundings is kind of bushy. it's a nice but an old house the furniture is still good but dusty

The house used to be her home 

She smiled then turn to Chloe "we have a lot of work to do, and I know you have so many questions for me, after we are done with the makeover of this house I will be answering every bit of it " she said

***************************

After a lot of scrubbing, dusting and sweeping the rooms they are finally done.

"This place needs some paint, don't you think?" She said observing the paints

"And some decorations after that we will go shopping" she added 

She grabbed her phone and dialed Paul's number, after some ringing the latter finally pick up.

"Hey, so I was thinking if you know of any painter or an interior decorator around here, this place need some makeover " she said immediately he picked up the call

****

After washing away every dirt on her body she grabbed the old but still nice towel and wrapped it on her body, and came out of the bathroom. She took the clothes Sandra picked for her, she said it was one of her wear then and she left them behind when she left town. She had gone out to meet with the decorator a few minutes ago to go do some negotiations.

Putting the cloth on it fit her perfectly as though the dress was made for her she stare at her figure on the dressing mirror then lay flat on the bed, and was surprised at how soft and comforting it is, is it weird that Zoe have not been disturbing her since they arrived town, well that is her problem not hers.

"I'm back" Sandra's voice woke her up from her sleep. When she was about to drift into a deep sleep, she sluggishly  walked to meet her, descending from the stairs.

"So after the negotiations, I realized it's 2pm, so I decided to get some foodstuff, Mac and Cheese won't be a bad Idea" she replied while rinsing her hand in the washing basin, she already dropped the small grocery she did.

"Finally" she said in her mind she is so hungry 

"So take out the stuffs in that bag please, I could use your help here, I'm so famished" she said to her

**

"You know I never knew I would ever come back to this town not to talk of staying in this house, this place used to be home," Sandra said. They've finished cooking and are now eating.

"Ever since the death of my family I have run away from home, through the help from Gerard's family."

"The Gerard family are our family friends, really really close friends. I don't know how they got to meet with our family then, but we were friends with them, they had a daughter, her name is Rachel, she was my best friend. We attend the same high school, the one you will be moving to starting from next week."

"I was 18 at that time, it was my final year for my high school, I was at school at that time when I was called by the principal to the principal's office during lesson hours, as I got into the principal office I met Paul at the office looking tattered and wounded, immediately he saw me, he stood and said we should leave now, saying something like 'I need to get you to safety' and all that which I can't fully comprehend at that moment, following the homicides that have been happening for a while during that time."

 "When we were driving in his car he drove past my house, this house, then straight to their place, I met Emily and Rachel already outside with some packed bag, I was kinda confused with what was going on,"

"Where is Mom and Dad? and Dave, my elder brother? I asked."

 "Rachel was my best friend at that time. I had wondered why she wasn't in school that day."

"So it was during the period when there is this homicide going on in the town, it was so bad that the mayor put us into lockdown. It was a week after the lockdown ended that it happened. After I saw the tears and wound on Emily's face I asked again ``where is my mum and Dad?".

"Sandra, they are gone. She took them" she said painfully

"Who took them?'' I was saying when Paul interrupted and said we should get in the car because we don't have any more time to waste. The drive out from Wales was a very silent one, everyone is deep in his or her thoughts" she said with tears on her face while cleaning it off 

"It's all over now I'm over it," she said, pushing the memories back.

"I never thought I'll come running to this place and call it home again if it's not for him", she said and takes a break

"He killed her, Chloe, he freaking killed her," she continued, breaking down.

"He killed our daughter, My daughter!" She added.

TBC