His Silence : His Silence - Chapter Fourteen by Jacob1395 |
Warning: The author has noted that this contains the highest level of language.
‘I trust Luke’s told you about me,’ Oliver says, still smiling. He keeps his gaze intently fixed on me, like I’m the only other person in the room. The corner of his mouth twitches. There’s a flicker of recognition in my mind. God, he would’ve been there for my birth. There’s a scar above his right eye. I flick my gaze away, my cheeks burning. I always find it embarrassing whenever I catch myself staring at people. I nod. Callum’s eyes are fixed on Oliver’s, like he’s trying to work him out; Oliver doesn’t seem bothered by it. He continues to smile at me. ‘Um, yep, he did talk about you, a little. But he didn’t tell me a lot,’ I say. ‘I was very close to your family when you were living here. You don’t know how much this means to me to see you looking so well.’ His eyes shimmer with tears and he moves towards me, I flinch and move closer to Callum. He’s acting like it’s been no time at all since he last saw me, but a lifetime’s passed. ‘I’m sorry, who is this you’ve brought with you?’ ‘This is Callum, my best friend. We’ve known each other since we were ten,’ I reply. ‘I see,’ Oliver says a slight hint of disappointment in his voice. He wipes his eyes. He’s not happy I’ve brought him. ‘Callum, I hope you don’t mind, but I would very much like to speak to Danielle on her own. You can wait here with Luke if you wish.’ Callum’s face is scrunched up. ‘Err, OK, so long as you’re OK with this?’ he asks me. ‘Yep, I should be fine,’ I reply. I can’t help my voice coming out in a squeak. ‘This way please,’ Oliver says. Callum smiles at me. I follow Oliver towards a door at the other end of the room. He opens it, letting me step outside first. I stand still, my mouth dropping open. This is the garden from my memory, where I could see myself picking daisies as a child. There’s a willow tree at the end shimmering, its leaves making a whistling noise. Mum’s soft voice singing You Are My Sunshine filters through into my head. Beyond the bushes bordering the garden, I can make out the marshes stretching for what seems like miles. It makes me think of tiny islands dotted around a shallow sea. ‘Is everything OK?’ Oliver asks. ‘I . . . I remember this place, at least I think I do.’ Tears prickle my eyes as the memory grows bolder in my mind. I scan the garden again, stepping forward onto the soft grass. There’s a small annexe to my right, further down the garden, with a bright green door. It wouldn’t look out of place in a Grimm fairy tale, there’s even a chimney poking out of the roof. Oliver smiles. ‘You used to spend all of your time out here,’ he says. ‘Your arrival was so special, to all of us.’ He places his hand on his heart. I look away my cheeks burning. ‘We celebrated for days after your birth.’ My mouth’s dry. ‘I, there’s a memory I have of me picking daisies, there are a couple of women standing, hanging laundry out, they’re both wearing white clothes. I’ve never been sure if the memory is real, or if it’s something I’ve made up.’ The memory flashes in my mind, and I close my eyes as sunlight warms my cheeks. ‘Ah yes, I’m pretty sure I know who you mean, they’re still here,’ Oliver says. ‘Where is everyone? I thought there were a few people staying here. That’s what Harvey told me.’ ‘There are,’ Oliver says. He’s walking with his hands clasped behind his back. ‘They’re currently out for this afternoon, but if you and Callum would like to stay for dinner, and you’re more than welcome to, I would love you to meet them. There is one girl, Eve, who’s around your age, she only joined us a couple of years ago; you’ll probably get on with her.’ The grass squelches underneath my foot. ‘Oliver, um, when I saw my brother, in prison, he didn’t tell me a lot about what happened twenty years ago. Is there anything you can tell me about what happened?’ I can’t let him know Harvey told me he thinks he’s innocent. Oliver’s going to think I’m holding something back from him. I do my best to keep my emotions out of my facial expression. Oliver shakes his head, and wipes his eyes. ‘I was so upset to find out what happened to your parents. Of course, I would’ve had you back here in a shot, we would’ve adopted you and taken care of you, but things got complicated. There did come a time when I thought I might never see you again.’ Birds chirp around me. It is peaceful out here. ‘It was . . . well what happened to your family was unforgivable. Your name had been changed by your parents, after you left, and then you were adopted. It proved impossible to track you down. Your name was never revealed by the press, of course, due to your age. Your parents were so valued amongst us all here; your brother was as well. He was a shining member of our community and that’s what made, what happened, even more devastating.’ Emotion trickles into his voice. My heart beats fast against my ribs. ‘Why did my parents leave, if they loved living here?’ I can’t stop anger and frustration from seeping into my voice. I want answers. I’ve waited far too long and it feels like everyone’s trying to stretch things out even further for me. It’s not fair. Oliver sighs. He can’t be annoyed by my questions, can he? ‘I’m sorry to tell you, Danielle that I’m about as clueless as you are. There was someone who . . . I don’t know what he exactly said to them, but one morning we woke up and they were gone. He spread all sorts of lies about us and this had devastating consequences; if you’re looking for someone to blame for what happened to your family, I would blame him. He got them to leave,’ there’s a growl in his voice as he says the last part of his sentence. ‘But of course, Harvey’s the one who killed them. If they’d stayed, it wouldn’t have happened.’ He’s hiding something from me. He’s not telling me everything. I run what he’s told me over in my mind. The flash of the memory I had earlier, when I entered the building, filters through. It must be Ian, who Oliver’s referring to. But what exactly did he say to Mum and Dad? How did he persuade them to leave this place? ‘Did you try to find them?’ I ask. ‘After they left.’ 'I did, but I wasn’t successful. When they published the pictures of your parents, after their bodies were found, I howled like a wounded animal, that’s what Luke remembers. They were like a brother and sister to me. We shared the same ideals and ideas for the future. They truly were visionary, and I think you might be as well. You certainly take after your mother with your looks. She was so beautiful.’ My cheeks sting. I don’t think I look anything like my mother. How can he know anything about me? He hasn’t seen me for twenty years. We’ve reached the end of the garden now. We’re standing underneath the willow tree. I get a whiff of what to me, reminds me of rotten eggs, I glance again over the bush and towards the marsh. ‘Why did the police never find this place?’ I ask. It seems to take an age for Oliver to respond. ‘I fully expected them to,’ he says. He runs his tongue across his lips. ‘But, like I said, your parents changed their names and your name. They didn’t have any other family members alive who could help fill in the missing gaps for the police.’ But you could’ve told the police, I think. ‘What were my parents like?’ I ask. ‘All the memories I have of them are snatches at best and I’ve never been sure if they’re real or something I’ve made up.’ Oliver clasps onto a gold ring on his finger. ‘Your mother was wonderful, kind, caring, always willing to do things for others, much like your brother was. Your father, on the other hand, he was more reserved, kept himself to himself. But he still helped out a lot,’ Oliver says. He smiles again. ‘You were a cheeky little thing when you were young, but everyone loved you. It was such a joyous moment when your mother told me she was pregnant with you. I have to say your mother was treated like a queen and she deserved it.’ ‘I can’t imagine what it must’ve been like at that time, with everyone here.’ My heart beats hard against my ribs. I hate the fact he has more memories of my parents than I do. It’s so wrong. Oliver’s beaming at me. ‘You don’t have to imagine it, you know. There’s always a room for you here. If you would like to stay here for a couple of nights, to see how it feels, then that’s fine too. Callum’s more than welcome. I created this place as a sanctuary for like-minded people, Danielle. I grew up in the care system, I had . . . I had no family, this place. I built this place for people like me, for people who grew up without that love, care and attention. Peace, love, family, that’s our motto here, that’s what we promise.’ I think of the sign I saw above the door. What’s he trying to say? I have been loved, I grew up with Emma and Michael; they took care of me. I flick my gaze towards the annexe, rubbing the back of my neck. ‘I . . . I think I’d like to, but I’d have to speak to my parents first, my adoptive parents,’ I say. ‘Of course, I totally understand.’ It’s like there’s a stone wedged in his throat. ‘But, I think we’d both like to stay for dinner.’ ‘That’s excellent. We’re having lasagne tonight, it’s a vegetarian recipe; all of the products we cook with are locally sourced, so you’re in for a treat, all of our vegetables are grown on site. We don’t cook with meat here at all. We’re very concerned about the state of the environment, and cooking meat, rearing cattle, is one of the biggest causes of climate change, as I’m sure you know. I imagine, being so young yourself, this must be something that plays on your mind as well.’ ‘Yep, it, it does a bit,’ I reply. I stare back towards the house, hugging my arms to my chest.
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