Read Online Roadkill (LiveWire) by Daisy White - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Daisy White
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first time since her death, I sleep long and dreamlessly, and wake with a smile, reaching for my pastels and sketchbook.
An hour later, and rain is tapping on my window, soaking the sill, so I slam it closed. Typical, I can hear my sister say, “English summer only lasts a month if you’re lucky…” She would go on to tell whoever was listening about how different it would be when she was trekking through rainforests in Borneo or something.
“Caroline? Are you awake?” Saturday so Mum is still at home at, I squint at the clock, Eleven. Oh my god. Grabbing my phone I hastily scroll through six messages; Four from Leo asking if I’m okay, one from Melissa trying to persuade me to head over to Herman’s Lake for a ‘wild swim’ later, and asking me to call her, and joy, one from Matt suggesting a date for tonight. Result!
Yelling to Mum that I’m just going to jump in the shower, I’m positively beaming as I rinse out my hair, inhaling the last of Rose’s Clarins body wash. It’s weird how one minute you can actually be happy, the next that dull ache catches you unawares and drags you down again. This time it’s because for a split second I thought I must get out the shower and text Rose, tell her about Matt.
Quickly I haul on my clothes and stumble into Rose’s room and locate the diary. To set my niggling fears to rest I flick through, specifically checking the evening stuff. Cursing Leo for adding to my suspect list, I riffle through the pages, pleased to note there is nothing. Except…oh jeez.
“Leo called twice. He was wondering where you were? Says he couldn’t get hold of you on the mobile. Whatever time did you get in last night?” Mum is bustling around with a cloth and floor polish, for all her efficiency missing a couple of patches, which obviously I don’t point out, because she hasn’t stopped the whole cleaning thing since Rose was found. Our whole house stinks of bleach and furniture polish.
“There! All done. Did I miss anything?”
“Um. No,” I mumble through a mouthful of cereal. The diary is stashed in my bag. I’m also itching to get online and see if I can trace the mystery bloke Rose was allegedly going to leave Ash for.
Mum looks pleased, and stashes her stuff away.
“So where did you go last night?”
I yawn, tapping out replies to my texts, “Oh a party, then I walked back with Matt and Ashley.”
“That’s good.” She makes us both coffee, and sits opposite me.
Gradually it dawns on me, she is waiting to have a Talk. Mum is a nightmare with this, going days, weeks without really asking what we’re up too, immersed in her important work. She gives conferences all over Europe, and The Times once did an article on her work. Then, bam! Something that’s been niggling her blows up and we have a Talk, which generally makes a drama out of whatever has been bothering her. However this time I’m blown away by her subject choice.
“ Caroline, I know how hard it has been for us all after losing Rose, and you have been wonderful. It will get easier.”
I am silent, letting her talk as usual, and it works, she continues;
“After your dad died I hurt so much I thought I would never get over it.”
“But you did. You met Garry,” I can’t stop myself sounding vaguely accusatory.
“Yes,” she is unruffled, twisting a gold link charm bracelet on her left wrist. “That doesn’t mean the pain I feel for your father’s death has gone. I still feel a piece of me is missing, and I always will. Garry understands that. It’s the same with Rose,” now her eyes are bright with tears and my throat constricts.
“With Rose, it’s not the same,” I blurt out, suddenly furious at her for ruining my happy mood.
“It is Caroline. We’ll never forget either of them, and our lives will always be a little bit sadder. But we have to move on.”
Chapter Nine
“MOVE ON!” I shout now, standing up, grabbing my phone, “It’s only been three
An hour later, and rain is tapping on my window, soaking the sill, so I slam it closed. Typical, I can hear my sister say, “English summer only lasts a month if you’re lucky…” She would go on to tell whoever was listening about how different it would be when she was trekking through rainforests in Borneo or something.
“Caroline? Are you awake?” Saturday so Mum is still at home at, I squint at the clock, Eleven. Oh my god. Grabbing my phone I hastily scroll through six messages; Four from Leo asking if I’m okay, one from Melissa trying to persuade me to head over to Herman’s Lake for a ‘wild swim’ later, and asking me to call her, and joy, one from Matt suggesting a date for tonight. Result!
Yelling to Mum that I’m just going to jump in the shower, I’m positively beaming as I rinse out my hair, inhaling the last of Rose’s Clarins body wash. It’s weird how one minute you can actually be happy, the next that dull ache catches you unawares and drags you down again. This time it’s because for a split second I thought I must get out the shower and text Rose, tell her about Matt.
Quickly I haul on my clothes and stumble into Rose’s room and locate the diary. To set my niggling fears to rest I flick through, specifically checking the evening stuff. Cursing Leo for adding to my suspect list, I riffle through the pages, pleased to note there is nothing. Except…oh jeez.
“Leo called twice. He was wondering where you were? Says he couldn’t get hold of you on the mobile. Whatever time did you get in last night?” Mum is bustling around with a cloth and floor polish, for all her efficiency missing a couple of patches, which obviously I don’t point out, because she hasn’t stopped the whole cleaning thing since Rose was found. Our whole house stinks of bleach and furniture polish.
“There! All done. Did I miss anything?”
“Um. No,” I mumble through a mouthful of cereal. The diary is stashed in my bag. I’m also itching to get online and see if I can trace the mystery bloke Rose was allegedly going to leave Ash for.
Mum looks pleased, and stashes her stuff away.
“So where did you go last night?”
I yawn, tapping out replies to my texts, “Oh a party, then I walked back with Matt and Ashley.”
“That’s good.” She makes us both coffee, and sits opposite me.
Gradually it dawns on me, she is waiting to have a Talk. Mum is a nightmare with this, going days, weeks without really asking what we’re up too, immersed in her important work. She gives conferences all over Europe, and The Times once did an article on her work. Then, bam! Something that’s been niggling her blows up and we have a Talk, which generally makes a drama out of whatever has been bothering her. However this time I’m blown away by her subject choice.
“ Caroline, I know how hard it has been for us all after losing Rose, and you have been wonderful. It will get easier.”
I am silent, letting her talk as usual, and it works, she continues;
“After your dad died I hurt so much I thought I would never get over it.”
“But you did. You met Garry,” I can’t stop myself sounding vaguely accusatory.
“Yes,” she is unruffled, twisting a gold link charm bracelet on her left wrist. “That doesn’t mean the pain I feel for your father’s death has gone. I still feel a piece of me is missing, and I always will. Garry understands that. It’s the same with Rose,” now her eyes are bright with tears and my throat constricts.
“With Rose, it’s not the same,” I blurt out, suddenly furious at her for ruining my happy mood.
“It is Caroline. We’ll never forget either of them, and our lives will always be a little bit sadder. But we have to move on.”
Chapter Nine
“MOVE ON!” I shout now, standing up, grabbing my phone, “It’s only been three
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