Read Online Abomination by Robert Swindells - Free Book Online Page B

rinsed his hands, blessed the food and started eating. I was pretty sure he hadn’t found anything, but anyway I went up there as soon as I could. The floor was OK and at first I couldn’t figure out what it was he’d done. Then I noticed the chest of drawers had been fixed to the wall with two L-shaped brackets. I checked and found he’d done the same to my wardrobe, my bedside unit and the bed itself. He keeps the key to my door lock, so there was now no way I could prevent his coming into my room. I didn’t mention it, either then or later, and neither did he, but it made me more determined than ever to leave this miserable dump the minute I turned sixteen. That this was four years in the future depressed the hell out of me, but perhaps as time went on things would get easier.
    Like they did for Esther.

34. Martha
     
    An awful thing happened on Monday night. Mother had been gone about ten minutes and I was washing the dishes to the sound of Radio One when there was a knock at the door. I dried my hands on the tea-towel, switched off the radio and when I opened up Scott was on the step.
    ‘Surprise!’ There was a sheepish look behind his smile. I didn’t smile back. I was shocked for one thing, and for another he didn’t deserve a smile.
    ‘I told you not to come here,’ I hissed. ‘How’d you know I ’d answer and not Father?’
    ‘I watched him drive off, Martha. Saw your mum leave too. I’m not daft.’
    ‘You are, Scott. You are daft, or you wouldn’t be here.’ I glanced up and down the road. ‘You better go before somebody sees you.’
    ‘Nobody’d see me if I was inside, would they?’
    I shook my head. ‘I can’t . . . I’m not allowed to ask anyone in.’ I started to close the door. It was the last thing I wanted, to shut it in his face, but I was scared. It only needed someone from church to come by and that’d be that.
    He stuck his foot out. The door bounced off his Nike. I didn’t dare let him go on standing there. I stepped aside. ‘Come on then, quick.’ He came in. I closed the door, leaned my back against it and looked at him. ‘OK, you’re in. Now what?’
    He shrugged. ‘I dunno. I don’t have to stay long. I just wanted to see you . . . you know, where you live.’
    ‘Yes, well.’ I gestured at the dim hallway. ‘This is it. I told you it was horrible.’
    ‘It’s not horrible.’ He looked at me. ‘Do I get to see any more, or are we going to stay out here till it’s time for me to go?’
    ‘We can . . .’ I nodded towards the kitchen. ‘I was washing up. You can wipe if you want.’
    He glanced around the kitchen and nodded. ‘Nice. Sort of . . . old fashioned, you know – like a kitchen in a movie?’
    ‘Sure.’ I handed him the tea-towel. ‘ The Addams Family .’ He didn’t contradict me, just looked embarrassed. I shoved my hands in the suds, wishing he hadn’t come.

35. Scott
     
    I wiped the last item and hung the tea-towel on the rail. Martha was drying her hands. I could tell she was mad at me and I was embarrassed. The house – the bit I’d seen so far – was really grotty. Not dirty. I don’t mean that. I’m talking about dark paintwork, drab wallpaper and out-of-date fittings. There were no houseplants or flowers and yet there was an impression of clutter, of things chosen without care, crammed in corners and littering every surface. I knew that if I lived here I’d be seriously depressed without the bullying and the weird parents. No wonder she hadn’t wanted me to come.
    ‘D’you want to see my room?’ Her tone was leaden with resentment. I felt like saying no, it’s all right, I’ll leave now , but I didn’t want her to think I couldn’t wait to get out so I smiled and nodded.
    It was up two flights of stairs, the second flight dark, narrow and creaky. It was the sort of place where women get bludgeoned to death with brass candlesticks in old black and white movies and you don’t see the actual murder, just