Excellent Danielle and Callum drive to Raven House His Silence : His Silence - Chapter Twelve by Jacob1395

Background When Harvey murders his parents, he refuses to say why he did it. Twenty years later, he's finally ready to talk. It’s coming up to a quarter to nine. Taking in a steady breath I focus on the fields opposite. A tractor’s moving steadily across the grass. At least the weather forecast was right. The skies a deep shade of blue today, the sun’s already warming the back of my neck. I study the trail left behind by an aeroplane in the sky. Everyone on board will be off somewhere on their holidays, without a care in the world, excited for the next few days ahead. If only that was me. I tried to see earlier if I could get a look at Raven House on street view, on Google Maps, but the road was blocked up; I guess it must be private. I could see part of the house from the main road, but it wasn’t enough to give me a clear view. It isn’t too far from Hadleigh Castle; I went there on a school trip once. The house is surrounded by Hadleigh marshes. I reckon the nearest neighbour will be a good half hour’s walk away. I can’t imagine living so remote, I’ve always thought the area where I live now was pretty isolated, but it’s nothing compared to Raven House. Before I went to bed I googled the house to see if there was anything I could find. I’d found an old local community Facebook post. The comments are stuck in my head. David Norman Crazies were out in town again, did you see them all, all huddled together? My misuses was handed one of their leaflets. Went straight in the bin, lol. I’d headed straight for the replies, and that’s where I’d come across the houses name. Tim Lawrence replied Raven House isn’t it, where they’re from? David Norman replied Yeah, it’s the house overlooking the marshes. They must perform some weird rituals up there. Religious nut jobs, the lot of them. Someone had jumped to the defence of the people they were talking about. Christine Allan replied Leave them alone, why can’t you? It’s a community of likeminded people living together, sounds idyllic if you ask me. They’re all about peace, love and family, aren’t they? David Norman replied Off you go and join them, then. Go and join the crazies, bet you’ll be drinking sheep’s blood by next week lol. The comments I’d read swirled in my head all night, making me feel sick. These Facebook users were referring to the people who supposedly knew my family. These were people who I lived with for the first six years of my life. They can’t be like that. Callum’s blue Vauxhall appears at the top of the road, and a shiver pulses through me. I take a step forward as he pulls up. This is it. ‘All good to go?’ he asks, rolling down the passenger window and leaning across the seat. ‘Yep.’ I open the passenger door and slip in, flinging his West Ham scarf off of the seat and into the footwell. I glance back at the house. I left Emma and Michael in the kitchen; they’ve still got it in their heads we’re going to be spending the day strolling around Leigh on Sea, visiting the old haunts they used to take me. I bite my lip. I hate lying to them, but what other choice do I have? They’d go mad at me if they knew what I was doing. They can’t stop me from doing what I want to do now I’m an adult, but I don’t want to create any animosity between us, particularly after everything they’ve done for me. Callum manoeuvres the car back out onto the road. ‘My sleep was shit last night,’ Callum says, yawning. ‘Tell me about it,’ I say. ‘You alright driving though? How was football?’ 'Yeah, yeah fine, we won so that was good. Didn’t go out drinking with them all though, for obvious reasons.’ We pull out onto the main road. Callum gradually picks up speed, I texted him the address earlier so he could put it into his satnav. I’m reminded of when we used to go off together for days out, during the long summer months. We’d never go too far, but it was always amazing getting out of the house and spending all day together, and do whatever the hell we wanted. Sometimes we’d sit in the middle of the field near the forest and drink beer, once we were eighteen, of course. Now we’re working, those days are getting few and far between. It makes me ache for those days of freedom we once had. ‘Why do you reckon your parents lived with a bunch of people in the first place, bit weird, isn’t it?’ Callum asks. ‘I’ve no idea, but I’m sure they’ll be able to tell us everything when we get there. It’s going to be weird, being back in the place where I grew up, it’s strange I have virtually no memory of it, just snippets here and there.’ ‘Perhaps your mind’s blocked it out,’ Callum suggests. ‘But I thought that only happened if you’ve suffered some kind of trauma?’ I say, frowning. ‘Well you suffered a pretty massive trauma when your brother killed your parents.’ ‘Yep, but that was after I lived there.’ I shift in my seat and focus my gaze on a family walking up the pavement to my left. There’s a mum and dad holding onto each hand of their little girl. She can’t be more than three-years-old. In my head I’m the little girl and either side of me are my Mum and Dad. They’re both so happy. I wipe my eyes. ‘Well, weren’t you only living in that house, the place where the murders happened, for three weeks? Look, Danielle, there must’ve been a reason why your parents left,’ he says, keeping his voice soft. I don’t reply. I stare out at the rolling fields passing me by and the horses grazing. The family I spotted are getting smaller and smaller in the distance behind us, like the ghost of my past I can barely remember. Callum doesn’t ask me again. Instead he keeps his focus on the road. I don’t want things to be awkward between us. He’s doing me a massive favour coming with me, there’s no way I could’ve done this on my own. I bite my lip. ‘Well, I’m hoping I might find out some information today,’ I say. There’s got to be something I can find out. I don’t want this to be a wasted journey. I loll my head against the cool window. In an hour, or two hours’ time, I’m going to know more about my family than I’ve ever done. I rub my hands down my jeans. It won’t be long now.

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