Chapter 3
I hide beneath the covers as Howard gets up. I don't want him to know that I didn't sleep last night. I never do now. I stay awake so that I don't have nightmares. I get them every time I go to sleep, which is usually a few hours a week.
He leaves the room almost silently, obviously trying not to wake me up. I hear him close the door and go down into the shop. Relieved that he's gone, I come out from under the covers. I get up and open a drawer in my dressing table. I hunt around for a few minutes before finding a familiar small package. I unwrap it carefully, pausing to make sure that Howard hasn't come back upstairs. Satisfied, I take the contents of the parcel over to the bed.
The blade glistens invitingly in the faint light. Entranced, I put it towards the pale skin of my ankle. I make the first cut, but I can't see any marks, so I cut again. I slash desperately, trying to make some kind of mark appear. In the end I give up, returning the blade to its hiding place.
I get dressed quickly, making sure that I hide my ankle and cover my dark eyes with makeup. I put on a fake smile and bounce down into the shop.
"Alright?"
"What time do you call this?" Howard glares at me.
"About ten in the morning." I reply, sitting down. "What's the problem?"
"Vince, you were meant to be here an hour ago!"
"So what?"
"Just get to work."