Read Online The Truth About Celia Frost by Paula Rawsthorne - Free Book Online
Authors: Paula Rawsthorne
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cloud of hair got caught in the spiky wire and jerked her head back painfully.
“Oww!” she yelped. Bending her arms behind, she felt the tangled mess. She tried to work the hair out of the wire but only made it worse. Her arms and neck were starting to ache and
she realized that the only way to get free was to rip the hair loose, even if it meant leaving a clump attached to the wire. But Celia was overzealous and yanked it with such force that her head
shot forward and smacked into the earth, her mouth hitting a stone jutting out of the soil.
Immediately blood flooded her mouth. She pushed herself completely through to the other side and spat out the crimson liquid. No sooner had she done this than it filled up again. She felt inside
her mouth. At least all her teeth were secure; she’d never been to a dentist and she didn’t want to start now. But she could feel the soft sliding skin of her gums where they had split,
and the smarting of her right cheek, which had also felt the impact of the ground. Her lip was already ballooning. Celia spat again. From her bag she fished out the first-aid kit that Janice
insisted she never went anywhere without.
Useless! she thought, rifling through bandages, plasters and disposable gloves.
She patted her cheek with an antiseptic wipe. There was only dirt; at least the knock hadn’t broken the skin. But as her mouth filled with blood yet again, Celia became jittery.
It isn’t stopping, not like the knife wound. It isn’t stopping.
Stupid, stupid, stupid! I shouldn’t have doubted her. As if she’d lie about this. Think, Celia, think... Phone! Phone an ambulance.
Celia looked in horror at her mobile.
No signal! No signal!! Right...run back to the road. Flag down a car... Would anyone stop? How much blood could I lose before someone stopped?
But amid her growing panic, her senses couldn’t help registering the metallic taste in her mouth. She suddenly fell still, eyes glazed, as her mind transported her back to a scruffy
yard... She was no more than five years old. Janice had on bright yellow washing-up gloves and was carefully pulling a dangling baby tooth from Celia’s mouth. She’d experienced
that same taste then, as the tooth came away from the gum. She’d squealed even though it didn’t hurt. Janice kept giving her sips of water, telling her to swill it around her mouth and
swallow it. They’d sat in the yard together until the bleeding had stopped. Then she’d been taken inside, given an ice pop, a blue ice pop, and everything had been fine.
Yes! Everything had been fine! The bleeding had stopped, just like it must have done for all my other baby teeth – that must have happened. So, if it stopped then, there’s
no reason why it wouldn’t stop now.
Celia pressed the wipes onto her damaged gum. She concentrated on blocking out the voice that was telling her to run and get help. She had to know the truth once and for all. She breathed
deeply, changing the stained wipes, each time checking the amount of blood. She held her nerve until eventually it slowed down to a few specks.
Celia removed the final wipe. It was clear.
“She lied,” she whimpered like a wounded animal. But rage and relief quickly gathered force.
“The lying cow!” she howled into the air. “The crazy, lying cow!”
She lost all sense of time as she sat, confused and enraged, tears rolling down her dirty face.
How could she do this to me? Why would she do this to me? She stared at the dense woodland in front of her. Get up. Get up, Celia, and stop feeling sorry for yourself.
Don’t waste your energy on her; she’ll keep. You’ve just been given your freedom after fourteen years. What are you going to do with it?
She stood up, wiped her running nose across her sleeve and dusted off the dirt from her clothes. “Whatever’s through those trees, bring it on!” she proclaimed, striding into
the thickening undergrowth.
The atmosphere was distinctly different beyond the
“Oww!” she yelped. Bending her arms behind, she felt the tangled mess. She tried to work the hair out of the wire but only made it worse. Her arms and neck were starting to ache and
she realized that the only way to get free was to rip the hair loose, even if it meant leaving a clump attached to the wire. But Celia was overzealous and yanked it with such force that her head
shot forward and smacked into the earth, her mouth hitting a stone jutting out of the soil.
Immediately blood flooded her mouth. She pushed herself completely through to the other side and spat out the crimson liquid. No sooner had she done this than it filled up again. She felt inside
her mouth. At least all her teeth were secure; she’d never been to a dentist and she didn’t want to start now. But she could feel the soft sliding skin of her gums where they had split,
and the smarting of her right cheek, which had also felt the impact of the ground. Her lip was already ballooning. Celia spat again. From her bag she fished out the first-aid kit that Janice
insisted she never went anywhere without.
Useless! she thought, rifling through bandages, plasters and disposable gloves.
She patted her cheek with an antiseptic wipe. There was only dirt; at least the knock hadn’t broken the skin. But as her mouth filled with blood yet again, Celia became jittery.
It isn’t stopping, not like the knife wound. It isn’t stopping.
Stupid, stupid, stupid! I shouldn’t have doubted her. As if she’d lie about this. Think, Celia, think... Phone! Phone an ambulance.
Celia looked in horror at her mobile.
No signal! No signal!! Right...run back to the road. Flag down a car... Would anyone stop? How much blood could I lose before someone stopped?
But amid her growing panic, her senses couldn’t help registering the metallic taste in her mouth. She suddenly fell still, eyes glazed, as her mind transported her back to a scruffy
yard... She was no more than five years old. Janice had on bright yellow washing-up gloves and was carefully pulling a dangling baby tooth from Celia’s mouth. She’d experienced
that same taste then, as the tooth came away from the gum. She’d squealed even though it didn’t hurt. Janice kept giving her sips of water, telling her to swill it around her mouth and
swallow it. They’d sat in the yard together until the bleeding had stopped. Then she’d been taken inside, given an ice pop, a blue ice pop, and everything had been fine.
Yes! Everything had been fine! The bleeding had stopped, just like it must have done for all my other baby teeth – that must have happened. So, if it stopped then, there’s
no reason why it wouldn’t stop now.
Celia pressed the wipes onto her damaged gum. She concentrated on blocking out the voice that was telling her to run and get help. She had to know the truth once and for all. She breathed
deeply, changing the stained wipes, each time checking the amount of blood. She held her nerve until eventually it slowed down to a few specks.
Celia removed the final wipe. It was clear.
“She lied,” she whimpered like a wounded animal. But rage and relief quickly gathered force.
“The lying cow!” she howled into the air. “The crazy, lying cow!”
She lost all sense of time as she sat, confused and enraged, tears rolling down her dirty face.
How could she do this to me? Why would she do this to me? She stared at the dense woodland in front of her. Get up. Get up, Celia, and stop feeling sorry for yourself.
Don’t waste your energy on her; she’ll keep. You’ve just been given your freedom after fourteen years. What are you going to do with it?
She stood up, wiped her running nose across her sleeve and dusted off the dirt from her clothes. “Whatever’s through those trees, bring it on!” she proclaimed, striding into
the thickening undergrowth.
The atmosphere was distinctly different beyond the
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