Thanks for all the feedback, really it's my crack. Well it's not, crack is my crack, but feedback is right up there.
The lyrics at the beginning are from the song "Oh Mandy" by The Spinto Band.
Chapter 9A
It's looking quiet as I jump in,
So I can finally hear you scream,
You got a gnome in the backyard,
You put him right on the X mark,
You're eating brains out the back of my head,
Oh yeah, that's where the money is
Present Day.
My right hand instinctively shoots out to smack my alarm clock, the shrill sound it's emitting hastily stopping, I yawn and force myself to get up. Well I try to force myself to get up, but I fail and stay exactly when I am, far too comfortable to move. Wriggling around in the cocoon of warmth I had created for myself just by laying in one spot throughout the night, I let out a contended sigh and bring my hand up to my face, letting it hover in front of my eyes. I stare at the faded scar that diagonally marks my palm, it runs from the base of my index finger to the top of my wrist, and it's a constant reminder of her.
September 2nd 1997.
I swing my legs back and forth, each arm locked around a different branch on either side of my body as I try to coax Spencer up, but she continues to protest.
"C'mon Spence', your Ashy-Bear is all alone up here."
She stubbornly shakes her head at me, "Then my Ashy-Bear should come down here and play with her Spencie, then she won't be lonely."
"Pweety pweeeze Spencie, with sugar and a cherry on top, pweeze. It's not that high up and I know you can do it." I pout at her, even though I'm seven or eight feet above the ground I know she can see it and Spencer never can deny me when I pout at her.
She hesitates, I know she can see my protruding bottom lip, but she relents and starts to climb, her face a picture of concentration as she reaches out to grab onto the higher branches.
I smile at her she gets nearer to me, my legs still swinging back and forth as she looks up at me her grin mirroring my own, "I'm doing it Ashley, I can't believe I'm doing it."
I think she might finally be over her fear of heights as she gets closer to where I sit, and I'm so proud of her. As she beams up at me, I untangle an arm and reach out to her, offering my hand for her to join me on my branch. Her eyes flicker with fear as her body slips backwards, her feet fly out from under her only serving to propel her further back, faster. I sit and watch in horror as she freefalls over twice her height, her body hitting the ground with a thump and a light snapping sound.
Before I can even blink I've thrown myself 'round the tree and am hurriedly making my way down, barely registering as my palm snags on a protruding piece of bark, my feet moving too fast to let me stop and survey the damage.
The soles of my trainers smack on the hard turf around the base of the tree as I jump the last few steps, rushing to Spencer's side, my hand starting to throb.
She looks up at me, her eyes are already red and she's softly whimpering like a wounded animal, the bottom half of her dungarees is covered with blood and a jagged rock has ripped through the material of the left trouser leg. The cotton lays ripped, the leg open for the world to see, I peek past the blood and dirt covering her tanned legs, and see something that makes my stomach lurch, unaware that it was possible for the bone to break and rip through the skin like that. I had seen Glen do something similar to one of his Ken dolls once, but seeing Spencer sprawled out on the ground with the same type of wound made me want to vomit.
I look back up at her face, her blue eyes cloudy, her mouth open, a pained o expression on her face and I feel guilty for making her climb when she didn't want to. I look back down at her leg, blood still pouring from the open gash, nodding I run as fast as I can back into my house, leaving Spencer outside completely vulnerable. I barely notice as I start to shout for my parents, frantically searching for a grown-up to help.
The ambulance came quickly, it turned up just as Spencer was starting to black out, her entire leg was paralysed with pain. The paramedics got her into the back of the ambulance as soon as they could, the elder one hoisting me up and into the vehicle too, telling me that I was going to need stitches on my hand, I didn't care though, just as long as my Spencie was okay.
Present Day.
I stand naked in front of my bathroom mirror, staring back at my own reflection, eyes skimming over my bare form, my gaze stilling on my abdomen, fingertips tracing over an embossed scar. My digits running over the perfectly formed indentation in my skin, a mere inch to the right of my kidney on the same side. The paled skin feels spongy underneath the weight of my fingers, the memory of the wound making me relive the night I was awarded the lifelong marking.
3 Months Prior.
Damnit LA is cold tonight! It's so cold it's like an English Summer. It's hardly surprising, it is December after all, but still, brr! Ah crap, now that I've thought "brr", I'm now thinking "it's cold in here, there must be some Clovers in the atmosphere." Sonofabitch, Bring It On ruined my life! I only wanted to see that film for the girls in short skirts jumping around, and I'm left with crappy "cheers" in my head.
But yes, it's cold tonight, we're in the final week of school before the winter holidays and I'm in true festive Scrooge spirit, bah humbug and all that jazz with an extra helping of Santa can shove a candy cane up his pink arse. I honestly loathe this time of year for so many reasons, I can't even be bothered to list them all off, it's just all bullshit, that's the long and short of it. I'm not a religious girl, but I don't see why everyone buys into the commercialisation of Christmas, the birth of the messiah you say? Hmm, now what's the best way to celebrate that? Oh, I know! Ridiculously overpriced gifts, faux snow, a fat man in a red suit, and Brussel sprouts. Gee wilikers, that sure sounds like the most logical way to celebrate the birth of the saviour for a whole religion! What will they think of next, hollow chocolate eggs to commemorate the death of the messiah maybe?
I loathe the festive season and I'm not dressed for the chilly weather, so I'm brr'ing. There's only one reason why I'd be walking so far out of my way on a cold evening like tonight. And she's a little way in front of me, talking on her mobile phone, making plans with Madison for the weekend. It's not long before she's finished her phone call and has put her mobile back in her jeans pocket.
I shiver once more and look up wistfully at the sky, it's almost pitch black already, well no, that's bollocks it's not pitch black, it never is, but it's already dark, the sky melding from navy to indigo. I'm awestruck as I continue to stare, the stars already out, twinkling so peacefully, I know that Ashley is getting ahead, but it doesn't matter, I know where she is. I know the route off by heart. I know that she's just turned off from the main road, using a little alley as a short up, shaving an extra ten minutes off of her journey. So when I hear her scream I know exactly where to find her.