Love (Book One)

Chapter 1

MATHEW:

I lay there, looking up at the black void that's meant to be my ceiling. I rolled over and the broken springs dug into my back. The sound that had kept me awake half the night came drifting over from the bed on the other side of the dark, damp room. I put my pillow over my head once more in a failed attempt to keep out the noise. I clutched my pillow in annoyance and sat up. I pulled my arm back and lunged it forward. The pillow hit William in the face and he groaned while forcing his eyelids open. I smiled in relief and rolled back over facing the wall. Bad mistake. I was thrown out of bed and punched in the face. My lip started to bleed as I was kicked in the stomach. I regained myself and grabbed Will and smashed him against the wall. Once. Twice.

"STOP!" Will's voice sounded miles away.

I let go, feeling Will fall to the floor and tuck up in a tiny ball at my feet. I shake my head, guilty but too angry to care. That was when I heard a car pull up in the drive...

WILLIAM:

I lifted my throbbing head to see Matt lunge towards the window and yank open the curtains. Much to my annoyance the tears came streaming down my face at their own will.

"Why did you hurt me!" I snap at Matt without thinking.

Matt turned round and the beaming smile that was on his face disappeared in an instant and he rushed over to me, grabbing the spare sheet. I looked at him bewildered. He started mopping my brow with the sheet and only when he put it down did I see it was caked with bright red blood. My pupils enlarged but I closed them and rocked back and forth in a tight ball. I felt Matt's arms wrap around me and I let him rock me like a cradled baby.

"I'm really sorry Will," whispered Matt's soft voice in my ear.

I sink deeper into his hold and whisper back,

"I'm sorry I was snoring."

Matt laughed quietly and held me tighter. Then the knock on the door came and Matt jumped up and ran out of the room. I knew immediately who the knock belonged too. Dad...

MATHEW:

I shot across the landing like a bullet and had to grab the rickety banister to slow myself before I hit the wall. I took the steps two at a time, my eyes focused on the door at all times. I heard mum rouse from her alcohol induced dreams and jumped over the last four steps almost falling flat on my face. I stumbled forward crashing into the door. I grabbed the handle and flung it open. My face lit up and my cheeks started to hurt from smiling so much. For there in the doorway stood dad. He stepped into the hallway and ruffled my hair but my happiness had gone completely. I felt hollow and too upset to cry. I took in everything about my dad, like I did every time he came home. I looked at his khaki cap, slanted to left like always. I looked at his tired but happy eyes. My eyes travelled to his khaki uniform and all his glinting medals with straps of green, red, purple and blue. Finally my head dropped down and I stared at his black, dusty shoes. My gaze stayed there until I heard mum's drunk footsteps coming through the kitchen and I darted up the stairs. I sat on the landing, my back against the wall. I put my head in my hands and sighed loudly. My head was lifted by the sound of a door opening. Charlotte walked towards me, her face tear stained and her hair a mess.

"Hey Lottie," I say gently.

Lottie looked at me and I saw what was wrong. I wrapped my arms around her and made soothing noises. I asked her what her nightmare was about and she looked shocked I knew she had had one. She told me and I scooped her little body up and carried her to my room. She fell asleep in my arms and I placed her on the spare bed.

"Is he staying?" Will's voice called out from across the room.

I shook my head and clambered into bed. I faced the wall and tried not to react when Will came and sat at the end of my bed. He held out something for me and I sat up to take a look. It was my notebook and favourite pen. I took them and looked at the page. On it were to words that made my eyes sting with the threat of tears. I reapeted the words over and over in my head and said them out loud not so anyone would hear but to make sure that I would remember the words forever.

"Dear Kate."