Author's note: This part is a memory
Roxy ran through the alleyway, her heels clattering noisily against the paving stones. She tried to run faster, to catch up with Ronnie but the shock of her sister's words had momentarily paralysed her and for those few minutes, Roxy had stood beneath her father's portrait and stared up into his face.
But now she ran.
"Ronnie?!" She called out as she flung herself through the back door of the Vic and flew up the stairs. She heard the running of water and rushed to the bathroom. Red swirled in the water that had filled the basin and she immediately clutched hold of the red streaked hand towel.
Paint. It was just the paint.
Turning off the taps, Roxy softly treaded to Ronnie's room, slipping inside silently. "Ron?" She asked. Her sister was sitting in front of the dressing table mirror, staring into her reflection. "Ronnie?"
"Yeah?"
Roxy gingerly approached her, sitting down on the bed behind her sister. "What did you mean . . . before?" Their eyes locked in the mirror for a brief moment before Ronnie dragged her glance away.
"Nothing," Ronnie replied, shaking her head.
"You're lying!" Roxy exclaimed, jumping up from the bed and thrusting herself towards Ronnie. "What did you mean he did it before? To who?" She grabbed hold of her sister's arms, her slim fingers digging into the soft flesh.
"Roxy, let go!"
"No! What did you mean?! Who has he done it before to? Someone you knew? A friend of mum's? WHO?!"
"Yes, them. He did it to them!" Ronnie shouted quickly, twisting and turning her body in an attempt to get away from Roxy. "Now, let go! Let go of me, Roxy. Let me GO!"
"Who?! Who is 'them'?! Give me a name Ronnie!" Roxy demanded, her grip on her sister's arm getting ever tighter. The look of terror flashed through Ronnie's eyes once again and for a fraction of a second, she stopped fighting. "You're lying, aren't you?" Roxy whispered, the droplets of tears that had been clinging to her lashes now trickled down her cheeks. "Ron, who was it?" She let go of Ronnie's arm, instead her hands clutched both sides of her sister's face, forcing Ronnie to look her in the eyes. "Ronnie, who did he do it to?"
Suddenly, tears sprang to Ronnie's eyes. She could feel them welling in her eyelids, but she couldn't stop them and she couldn't bring up a hand to wipe them away. She couldn't move. She couldn't speak. She couldn't do anything.
Ronnie heard Roxy's deep, rattling intake of breath. She felt her sister's hands drop from her face and then saw her staggering out of the room, before the sound of retching filled the silence.
"Me," she whispered into the empty room. "It was me."