Hi guys, here's the next update glad you like it, hope you still want more of it. I'll try and get another update soon if I can but I'm going away on Monday for the week so if it's not up 2moz, then it will be the week after. Okay well here it is enjoy :)
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An hour had passed and Ronnie was sitting in the living room with a cup of coffee, and standing anxiously watching her, neither had spoken much since Ronnie had her cry upstairs.
"What are we gonna do?" Andy speaks nervously.
Ronnie lifts her head turning to Andy.
"We?"
"Yes we. She was my daughter too; whoever is doing this is messing with me too. They've been in my house…" Ronnie didn't say anything just watched as Andy ran a hand over his face.
"We need to ring the police."
"What?" Ronnie finally speaks.
"The police, we need to tell them… they must be able to do something…" Andy nods his head mumbling to himself.
"And tell them what? They'll think we're crazy, think we're grieving."
"But, you said you saw the person on the security tape…" Andy questions Ronnie. Who places her coffee on the table.
"Whoever it was, came back as I was out. Changed the tape… There is no proof anyone was there… That anyone left these. So the police will be of no use."
Ronnie says someone confidently, yet, it didn't help her in the slightest, was this what the person wanted, so she couldn't go to the police. Who ever it was, had thought about this very carefully. Hopefully not too carefully, and they would make a slip up soon. Or not at all, as this whole thing would stop.
"How could they do that?" Andy looks at Ronnie doubtfully. Ronnie sees this and stands shaking her head.
"I don't know, but they did… Look, if you can't deal with this, I'll do this on my own… Whoever it is, I'm the person they want to get at, you're just the guy with the goods."
Ronnie somewhat coldly tells Andy, who straightens, face-reddening hearing Ronnie's words.
"'Cos everything's about you isn't it. Nobody else just you." Andy replies just as coldly, but a hint of hurt.
Ronnie shakes her head, letting out a small laugh. She turns and walks to the TV.
"What are you doing…Stop…" Andy steps forward, stuttering slightly. Ronnie ignores him.
She crouches to the DVD player and takes out the DVD, and places it in the case and holds it in her hands. She turns looking at Andy. Her face, still her eyes showing the only emotion, sadness, fortitude.
"I'm taking what's mine."
No more words shared between the two, no goodbye courteous exchanges, Ronnie turns and exits the house. Andy staring after her, so much, he wished that today hadn't happened, so much he wished to not want, to not want to believe. He wasn't sure what he believed, but it was better than yesterday, the day when there was no hope. Surely, that's what today brought wasn't it. He wasn't sure what to believe anymore.
Neither did Ronnie. She had no answers, just more questions. What would wait for her at home now? Would she go back home and find another note? Another 'gift'. Did she have to start watching her back? As she was driving, she found that she checked her mirrors, more than she had before. She hated this feeling, the not knowing, for years it had haunted her. Not knowing where, her baby was, what she looked like, and everything else in between, she was never good at surprises either. Secrets; even though they had been kept with good intentions, she never liked the thought that people could keep things from her so easily, it always made her wonder what else they were keeping secret.
Her mum had said to her once, sometimes good things are just what they are, there are no hidden motives, hidden meanings, sometimes people just do a good thing because they want too. You should learn to accept things more, open yourself up more. You'll never reap the benefits otherwise.
When her mum left, she found know reason to believe that anymore. She just proved that people always have surprises up their sleeves, that you can never trust someone at face value. She was her mum, she trusted her, loved her, and she just left her. Therefore, everything her mum had told her went out the window, and she became who she was today. Closed off from everyone, expecting nothing from no one, because, when they surprise you with something, you're not going to be disappointed if you don't like what it is.
Why set yourself up for disappointment, why open your heart up to people. In the end, you just get hurt. Either way it ends.
As she arrived home, it was dark now, but Ronnie caught Roxy leaving her house, she slowed down, and hesitated before leaving her bike, and approaching her. Roxy having seen Ronnie arriving waited apprehensively for her, holding something in her hand. Ronnie closed her eyes, praying just for one moment that it had nothing to do with this, nothing to do with Danielle.
Once Ronnie stood before her sister, she wished anything that it was to do with Danielle, the person keeping her memory alive. Yet what her sister gave her next, was the next best thing, or better she thought over, as she looked at the photo booth pictures of Danielle on her own, and a framed picture of Danielle with Amy.
Ronnie couldn't suppress the tears that filled her eyes, and begged to fall, as her fingers traced over Danielle's face in the framed picture, she allowed the tears to fall.
She looked up at Roxy who was quite emotional too; she gave her a watery smile.
"Why don't we go inside you can look at it better." Roxy suggests with a comforting smile.
Ronnie nods, and leads Roxy upstairs, where the pair look over the photos with love. Roxy points to one of the pictures of Danielle on her own on the smaller photos, and suggests to Ronnie.
"You should be able to put one of those in your locket, beside the other picture."
Ronnie looks at the pictures in her hands, then to Roxy, who placed her hand on her arm, giving it a gentle squeeze.
"I should really be getting back to the Vic; I said I wouldn't be long, left Amy with Phil… You gonna be okay Ron?"
Ronnie nods at her sister, she tears her eyes away from the pictures to look at Roxy and give her a small smile.
"Yeah, go, I'll be fine."
Roxy rubs Ronnie's arm and gives her a kind smile then stands, as she reaches the door she turns to Ronnie.
"Happy birthday Ron."
The sisters share a meaningful look, then Roxy leaves, Ronnie looks back to the pictures in her hands, and she places them on the table in front. Her hands reach up and around her neck; she undoes the locket, and places it on the table before her. She stands and makes her way to the kitchen to find a pair of scissors. As she makes her way back, and she sits back down, looking over the pictures, she didn't want to cut them and ruin them, but having a recent picture of Danielle close to her heart meant the world to her. Therefore, she cut the picture off at the bottom, one of Danielle beaming up at the camera, she carefully cuts out an oval shape, Danielle's face clearly seen, and she places it in her locket, beside the baby picture. One last longing look at the pictures, she then closes it, placing it back, aptly around her neck.
…
Two months passed, and nothing out of the ordinary had happened. At first Ronnie was slightly tense going back to work in the club, but as she did, nothing happened, and nothing did for the rest of the week. She began to relax, but it was always in the back of her mind, and she would find herself looking over her shoulder every now and then.
It was the beginning of September; Ben had started back at school, as had the rest of the squares children. The club had been busy, having a few hen parties and stag dos, and a couple of birthday parties. Ronnie had been her usual reserved self. Roxy had tried talking to her about Danielle and the things she had left her. Ronnie had just snapped. Telling Roxy to butt out and stop bringing up the impossible. Her daughter was dead. She deserved some respect. After that, things had been a little sensitive between the two. They had kept their distance for a while, when close, said very little. Things had reverted to how things were before the wedding, Ronnie keeping herself to herself, and not letting anyone in.
Jack had tried talking to Ronnie, knowing something had happened, but got the same treatment, and decided it was too hard to try to break her icy exterior. If it were meant to break, it would break on its own; he clearly wasn't the person to do it.
It was a Thursday night, September 10th to be precise, and Ronnie was working late at R&R in preparation for tomorrow night. They had a themed night on. Masquerade Night. It was a little daunting, but it would work out. Most of the woman were just going to wear little eye masks, and the ones you held in your hands. Ronnie just hoped things wouldn't get out of hand, as they tend to do on themed nights. People getting carried away, lost in the moment, thinking they were invincible or something, untouchable. As people hide behind masks and can pretend to be anyone else.
Ronnie had decided to call it a night; she could finish the rest tomorrow with Jack's help.
She was walking home, it was dark now, and she held her coat tightly to her, the night air getting to her.
Walking round the corner her eyes glanced over the wall, she paused, and there was some graffiti. Graffiti was normal around these parts, getting closer to the tube, but something about this writing caught her eye. Written in large red spray paint were the words 23. Ronnie stared at it a moment but shook her head. Probably gang related or something.
She continued her walk, holding her coat tightly, wrapping her arms around herself, as though protecting herself from what was coming. She was about to walk past the spot her daughter died. She didn't know why she walked this way every night. It was longer, out of her way, yet she always found herself walking this way. Maybe subconsciously it was to keep the night fresh in her mind, somehow never forgetting Danielle.
She continued her walk, letting out a small yawn. She paused, stopping now, having reached the spot, where she had yelled Danielle's name, watched her smile in relief that she knew, she called her baby, in that one moment, they both had gotten everything they had ever wanted. Each other. She closed her eyes tightly as the next part came into her mind, not having to watch her daughter be cruelly snatched away from her again, she continued on her walk. Yet something caught her eye as she walked forward.
A flower lying in the middle of the road, to any passer by, they would not pay it any attention, thinking it some random flower having been dropped. However, Ronnie noticed. The average passer by had not sat in that very same spot as they held their dying daughter in their arms. That is why Ronnie stopped. She had learnt recently that coincidences rarely happened, everything happened for a reason, even if you could not explain it.
She warily walks over to it, as she stands above it, she sees that it wasn't just an accident, it hadn't just fallen, it was wrapped in cellophane like it had just been bought from a shop. Who would drop something they had just bought. Her curiosity, or fear, takes over her and she bends down and picks it up. She walks to the side, near a lamppost, so she could see it clearer, there was a card stuck to the cellophane. She takes it of carefully and reads it.
"162"
Was written in big bold, black letters.
She looks at it strangely; she takes in the flower, a single rose. She looked around, to see if there was anyone near. She saw no one. She was alone. What did this mean? She shook her head and placed the card in her pocket, and looked at the flower.
She then turns and walks towards a spot on the opposite side, near some railings, where some dying flowers still lay, having not been disposed off. She lays the rose down in between the others. Taking her time as she did, she let her fingers trace over the other flowers, careful not to damage the already fragile petals. She kept herself composed, as she took in the words that could still be read on one of the cards.
"So young, so tragic. Couldn't have happened to a nicer person. The heavens are lucky to have an angel like you. We were lucky to have known you at all… Forever in our hearts. Rest in peace. Robin."
Robin? Who was Robin? A friend of Danielle's? Ronnie wiped at a tear that had fallen having read that. She couldn't remember having read it before. It must have been known. Yet, the flowers were dying, so it couldn't have been that recent. She took one last look at the flowers before straightening herself, and making her way back to her house.
Once back at home, she takes her keys, and phone, out of her pocket and feels the card, she pulls it out, and looks at it again.
"162" She considers throwing it in the bin, but instead she turns and places it in a draw. She then hangs her coat up, and tries to forget about what she had just experienced.
She had a party tomorrow, it was already late, she would need her energy tomorrow. So, with that decided, she headed in the direction of her room, and went to sleep.
Good? Bad? i would really appreciate your thoughts. Now the next chapter will be the party..."A mask is a tool; they can be used to conceal and protect or to reveal. Whether to replace one's identity or simply to veil it. A mask is a means to hide your true self, the anonymity a mask creates, can serve useful purposes but in others, they cause harm, especially if they are being used deceptively. It greatly changes how you behave, either out of cowardness or out of evil. You can find comfort and solace in that the world does not know who you really are."
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As the party provides the perfect opportunity to interact with certain people without revealing themselves. Will a mask really hide the person behind it. Is it pushing it too close? Will all be revealed? Will the mask slip? Review, and an update shall reveal some answers. :) Thanks for reading :) x