Her final lines broke my heart and I just wanted to fill in where they might have come from.
"We're going now, sweetheart. We won't be long."
Verity Kizlet looked up at her parents. "Ok, Mummy. I'll be good."
Her mother leant down and kissed her cheek, leaving a red lipstick mark. Hastily wiping it away, she ran to the window to watch her parents go. Once they had gone out of sight she turned to face the babysitter.
"Time for bed."
"Can't I play for a little longer?" Verity pleaded.
"No. Go to bed."
Verity sighed deeply and stumped up the stairs. She pushed the door to her bedroom shut and slumped down on the bed. It wasn't fair. She hadn't done anything wrong, but she was being punished anyway. Where was the sense in that?
"Verity," a voice whispered in her head, making her jump. "I can help you."
"What do you want?" she asked aloud, trying her best to sound brave.
"I want to be your friend," the voice answered. "I can help stop your loneliness."
She thought hard for a moment. "Ok. You can be my friend," she agreed. "We can have fun."
The next thing she knew, the voice was all around her. It rang in her ears, made her eyes sting and her throat go dry. A bright light consumed everything and she felt like she was sinking. Down and down she fell, trying to cry out but not making a sound.
Then nothing. Nothingness.
The next thing Verity remembers is waking up, surrounded by soldiers. She is confused. Afraid. Alone.
"Where are my Mummy and Daddy? They said they wouldn't be long. Are they coming back?"