Chapter 2

It was a new day, a new start for the newly formed Rachel Mason, Ethan Mason had just woke crying, and being in a new environment must have unsettled him. It was 7:30 and Rachel was running around the hostel in a manic panic trying to find her work shoes as today was the first day of the rest of their lives.

Time was ticking, Rachel was fretting about finding these work shoes, and it was now 7:56. Rachel knew in 19 minutes she had to meet the estate agent of Barton Kendal Limited. Ethan stumbled in to the room Rachel was in, she was frantically unpacking bags in order to find her shoes.

Ethan still in his PJ's rubbing his hand over his head whipping the sleep out of his eyes. Ethan stood there mumbling to himself after waking up, Rachel turned around, "Ethan, baby, why are you not dressed yet?" Rachel spoke sweetly to her half-awake little boy. Ethan shrugged his shoulders up and down, rubbing his palm over his face in an attempt to wake himself up. Rachel stood up and walked towards Ethan with her arms outstretched saying "I know its hard baby, but mummy could really use your help today, please could you go and dressed for me?" Ethan didn't have to say anything, he nodded before going to give his mummy a hug and off her leaped to the other room to pick out some clothes. It was fair to say Rachel was stressed, sat on the floor after searching all their luggage for her shoes. Ethan entered, his short hair, combed over to the left of his face, brown chino's, a black jumper with a light blue shirt peeping out from the bottom of the jumper and his mummy's shoes on his hands. Ethan wondered over to his mummy and spoke softly, "Mummy, are these what you are looking for?" "Now where did you find those?" Rachael spoke softly but sternly to her little boy. "They were under my clothes in my bag." Ethan said. A smile beamed across Rachel's face as she let out a sigh of relief, "Well done monster, you are a right little detective!" Ethan shuddered, "I'm not a monster mummy, and monsters are scary." Rachael laughed to herself, and brushed her little boys check. "I know you are not darling, you're my special good little boy."

8:15am, Rachel couldn't believe her luck, she was on time, despite the morning struggles. Stepping out of hostel, luggage in one hand and her little boys hand in the other they made their way to the pavement awaiting their taxi taking them to their new house. Being an unexpected move from Cornwall to Rochdale, the council had arranged for housing and career arrangements. This was their new future. The taxi drive felt like hours, driving down streets that held trapped but vivid memories, Rachel found it too hard to contain her emotions as a tear ran down her check as the taxi man drove down Sundown Close, a road where Amanda attended primary school, where life was easy, she felt stable and above all happy. Little Ethan had headphones in gazing out of the window in some form of trance, his mother sniffled as Ethan removed his headphones and turned to Rachel and spoke in a concerned manor "Mummy, what's wrong? Please don't be sad, this is a new start, we are not in Cornwall anymore!" Rachel inhaled her sorrow and whipped away her tears as her little boy leaned in to lay on her lap. Rachel mumbled under her breath, "It would have been easier if we were still in Cornwall." Flashbacks were forming in the mind of Amanda Fenshaw. She used to be so happy here, in Rochdale. The sun glistened through the taxi window, causing both the taxi driver and the passenger's vision to be impaired. Rachel felt some what some familiarity here. Although she was struggling to see where she was headed, smells, emotions and memories filled Rachel's body and mind with pain and dread. The taxi was in silence, Ethan lay on her lap, finally the pair were off to start their new life, however, something didn't feel quite right … The silence was overwhelming Ethan and he began to cry. Rachel stroked her little boys check and said, "What's wrong buddy?" Ethan gazed up at his mummy trying to crack a smile and said, "Oh, nothing mummy, it's just it's awfully quite." "Put your headphones in and listen to your music on your Ipod." Rachel said calmly. Ethan responded "I can't, its out of juice." Which caused Rachel to crack a smile. Tsshe taxi driver put on the radio to much delight of Ethan but dread to Rachel.

"It's too late to cry, too broken to move on, and still I can't let you be, most nights I hardly sleep, don't take what you don't need from me." An anthem for Rachel about a mysterious man from her past, a man she believed she ruined the life off. A song that brought so much comfort to Rachel 8 years ago, throughout the poor life choices she made, the lies, the deceit, the pain, the heartbreak, a reminder of all she had lost and given up, the pregnancy and the labor of her little boy, it was now just a reminder of that dark past. Tears fell from Rachel's eyes like rain from an unhappy cloud and Ethan hummed along to the radio, the taxi driver had recognised his passenger was unsettled and gave a sympathetic smile in the wing mirror, to which Rachel responded by a gentle nod of her head and a small smile emerged on her face, the taxi driver then changed the radio station. As Ethan turned to his mummy to ask the question that every child always seems to ask "Are we nearly there yet?!" Rachel was whipping a tear from her once silky soft skin. Ethan lent in to his mother wrapping his arms around her waist leaning in to lie on her chest, Ethan spoke softly "Mummy, everyone wants happiness, nobody wants pain, but you can't have rainbow without a bit of rain." Rachel stroking her little boy's hair, she couldn't believe how much her little boy was growing up. "You are a little trouper Ethan, I love you baby." Rachel spoke sweetly kissing Ethan's head gently. Ethan giggled to himself, "I learn from the best, I love you too mummy."

The taxi man pulled up, "Here you go love!" "That will be 32 pound please?" said the taxi driver. Rachel emerged out of the car, he little sleeping baby boy in her arms, "Are you sure" spoke Rachel in a confused tone. "Yes, 32 pound, I am positive, why can you not able pay that lovely?" said the concerned taxi driver. Rachel scoffed, "Oh, no I can pay my taxi fare," exclaimed Rachael, this slight anger causing her little boy Ethan to awake. "I mean are you sure this is where you are meant to take us." Rachel said in a shuddered tone. "Dark Bank Lane?" questioned the taxi driver. "WHAT!?" Rachel's felt like life had it in for her today. Rachel fell to the floor, she began rummaging through her handbag to find the paper work she had been given informing her of her housing and career arrangements. There is was in black and white. 13A Dark Bank Lane, Rochdale Lancashire OL11 7PE. How could she have missed this? The house she grew up in, the house that contained dark and unlearning secrets, the place it all went wrong.

Rachel paid the taxi man and grabbed their bags out of the taxi and greeted the estate agent at the door to their future. After looking around, the wallpaper and carpets the same as they were 8 years ago. The estate agent handed over the keys to which Rachel stretched her sweaty shaking palm out to receive the keys to which she responded without a second thought, "What happened to my parents?" she stopped to consider what she just said, "I mean the previous tenants?" "I used to live around here and I used to play with a little girl who lived in this house…" Rachel said through gritted teeth. The young lady from Barton Kendal Limited estate agents could tell Rachel was quite distressed and said, "We don't usually discuss previous tenants but if you must know, Mr. and Mrs. Fenshaw moved away, if you pardon, they only had one daughter we knew about, however she seemed about 5-6 years older than you." Rachel dipped her head in shame, was it really that easy for her parents to write her off… The young estate agent coughed quietly but in aim to get some response from Rachel. "So, are you interested in this property Miss Mason?" said the estate agent. Rachel said nothing. Although her name had been changed for 8 years, she had rarley been called Miss Mason, it was always just Rachel. Ethan shook his mummy's hand and said sweetly "Mummy, that's you, shall I answer for you?" "Yes, we are interested in this property, my room is huge, and it's perfect for all my toys." Rachel and the estate agent chuckled. Ethan was growing up so quickly and she'd never seen him so excited about anything before. So for her son, Rachel nodded and took her keys off the estate agent. Ethan held his mummies hand and spoke sweetly, "Can we go and paint my room blue?" Rachel chuckled and said "Do you mean the front room?" "No, that will be purple." Ethan pulled a face and said "But, mummy, I don't like purple …" Rachel chuckled under her breath and said "Ethan, darling, what makes you think you need a double room and an on suite bathroom?" Rachel smiled at her little boy, she couldn't be prouder of him, he was his mummies little rock, she knew that had to change.