The Girl Who Never Came Back Read Online Free Page A
Author: Amy Cross
credulous and it's important not to fill her mind with nonsense. I'd have hoped that as her aunt, you might be a little more willing to take her needs into account, but apparently you only care about keeping yourself thoroughly amused!" She turned another page in her magazine. "I suppose it's hard for you," she added, "adjusting to the fact that you're no longer the special one."
"The special one?" Charlotte replied, raising an eyebrow. "Why? Because I once fell off a fucking great big rock and -"
"Please don't swear," Ruth hissed, interrupting her.
"Sophie can't hear me," Charlotte pointed out, glancing across the lawn and spotting her niece playing in the grass down by the river.
"Tony and I have a new rule," Ruth continued, keeping her voice down. "We cut out all swearing, even when Sophie's not around, so that we don't accidentally slip and let her hear dirty words."
"Dirty words?" Charlotte asked, amused by the very idea. "What kind of words might those be?"
"Please don't start -"
"Shit?"
"You're twenty-eight years old," Ruth replied, clearly trying to take the moral high ground. "Please, stop being so immature."
"Could you write a list of these dirty words for me," Charlotte continued, "so I know to avoid them? I mean, some are obvious, like cunt or bollocks, but there might be some I've missed, so if you could sit down later, take out a sheet of that lovely headed notepaper you bought for yourself, and write down all these dirty words, I could memorize them and make sure never, ever to say them within a hundred miles of your precious, delicate offspring."
Silence fell between the two women for a moment.
"Sorry," Charlotte added, realizing that maybe she'd gone too far. "I didn't mean to push."
Without replying, Ruth turned another page in her magazine.
Sighing, Charlotte turned and looked back over toward the river. She expected to spot Sophie still playing in the grass, but her niece was nowhere to be seen. For a fraction of a second, a spark of concern leaped through Charlotte's chest, before she reminded herself not to be as precious and domineering as her sister. Sophie was an intelligent young girl, and Charlotte knew that she needed to be granted a little freedom. The poor girl probably had enough trouble with her over-protective parents, without needing an over-protective aunt to make things worse. Waiting for a moment to see Sophie bob back into view, Charlotte eventually decided to force herself not to be so goddamn attentive.
Leaning back in her lawn chair and trying to ignore the loud, screaming silence emanating from her sister, Charlotte finally realized that there was no way she could relax. With a faint sigh, she got to her feet, muttered something about going to check on lunch, and started to make her way toward the house. Arguments with Ruth could be fun, but they were also emotionally draining, and Charlotte often felt pretty dirty and moody once they were over. She knew that the best thing to do would be just to remove herself from the arena for a few minutes. As she reached the kitchen door, she glanced back at the river, hoping to spot Sophie somewhere down there. There was no sign of the girl, however. Pausing for a moment, Charlotte reminded herself not to be as panicky as her sister. Figuring that Sophie was just out of sight, probably playing on the tow-path, she headed inside.
Twenty years ago
"You did not!" Ruth shouted, her bright blue eyes filled with pure fury. "You're a liar!"
"I did so go and see the witch," Charlotte snapped back, determined to wind her sister up as much as possible. She already knew that she was going to be ratted out to their mother, so she figured she'd have to get her revenge the only way she knew how: by pushing every one of Ruth's buttons until, hopefully, her sister's head would finally explode in a fit of pique. "She gave me a hairbrush and told me to tell you to stop being so mean!"
"You're not funny, you know," Ruth continued. "You're not
"The special one?" Charlotte replied, raising an eyebrow. "Why? Because I once fell off a fucking great big rock and -"
"Please don't swear," Ruth hissed, interrupting her.
"Sophie can't hear me," Charlotte pointed out, glancing across the lawn and spotting her niece playing in the grass down by the river.
"Tony and I have a new rule," Ruth continued, keeping her voice down. "We cut out all swearing, even when Sophie's not around, so that we don't accidentally slip and let her hear dirty words."
"Dirty words?" Charlotte asked, amused by the very idea. "What kind of words might those be?"
"Please don't start -"
"Shit?"
"You're twenty-eight years old," Ruth replied, clearly trying to take the moral high ground. "Please, stop being so immature."
"Could you write a list of these dirty words for me," Charlotte continued, "so I know to avoid them? I mean, some are obvious, like cunt or bollocks, but there might be some I've missed, so if you could sit down later, take out a sheet of that lovely headed notepaper you bought for yourself, and write down all these dirty words, I could memorize them and make sure never, ever to say them within a hundred miles of your precious, delicate offspring."
Silence fell between the two women for a moment.
"Sorry," Charlotte added, realizing that maybe she'd gone too far. "I didn't mean to push."
Without replying, Ruth turned another page in her magazine.
Sighing, Charlotte turned and looked back over toward the river. She expected to spot Sophie still playing in the grass, but her niece was nowhere to be seen. For a fraction of a second, a spark of concern leaped through Charlotte's chest, before she reminded herself not to be as precious and domineering as her sister. Sophie was an intelligent young girl, and Charlotte knew that she needed to be granted a little freedom. The poor girl probably had enough trouble with her over-protective parents, without needing an over-protective aunt to make things worse. Waiting for a moment to see Sophie bob back into view, Charlotte eventually decided to force herself not to be so goddamn attentive.
Leaning back in her lawn chair and trying to ignore the loud, screaming silence emanating from her sister, Charlotte finally realized that there was no way she could relax. With a faint sigh, she got to her feet, muttered something about going to check on lunch, and started to make her way toward the house. Arguments with Ruth could be fun, but they were also emotionally draining, and Charlotte often felt pretty dirty and moody once they were over. She knew that the best thing to do would be just to remove herself from the arena for a few minutes. As she reached the kitchen door, she glanced back at the river, hoping to spot Sophie somewhere down there. There was no sign of the girl, however. Pausing for a moment, Charlotte reminded herself not to be as panicky as her sister. Figuring that Sophie was just out of sight, probably playing on the tow-path, she headed inside.
Twenty years ago
"You did not!" Ruth shouted, her bright blue eyes filled with pure fury. "You're a liar!"
"I did so go and see the witch," Charlotte snapped back, determined to wind her sister up as much as possible. She already knew that she was going to be ratted out to their mother, so she figured she'd have to get her revenge the only way she knew how: by pushing every one of Ruth's buttons until, hopefully, her sister's head would finally explode in a fit of pique. "She gave me a hairbrush and told me to tell you to stop being so mean!"
"You're not funny, you know," Ruth continued. "You're not
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