I Did Something Stupid... (#Wattys2015)

~ Chapter one ~

     

     There I was. It was the day of my last, and most important, A level exam. Everything rested on the next two hours and I was nervous to say the least. Swirling my spoon around my nearly untouched cereal I tried to focus on the voice on the radio, not the taunting ones in my head.

     "You need to have something to eat otherwise you'll be hungry," my mother told me. She was doing her I'm not going to tell you off, I'm just going to use my disapproving voice to guilt you into doing what I want.

     "I'm too nervous,' I decided, taking my bowl to the sink to be washed up, 'I'm just going to go now, I can't wait any longer."

     "Ok," she smiled sympathetically.

She understood how important the grades from that exam were. In fact she was the one that wanted me to study law at university – not my choice of subject but hey, mother knows best right?

     "Have you got everything?" I nodded and she pulled me into a hug, "I'm really proud of you Livvi and your Dad would be too."

Biting my lip I supressed any emotion that would cause me to break down and run into my room, refusing to attend the exam. It was a rare occasion that my father was mentioned. Everything was very secretive when it came to my parents past, including my father's death. All I knew was that they used to complete heists for money. They were sort of like partners in crime I guess and, as their children, we were their sidekicks. Until one night thirteen years ago when someone betrayed them. They were so close, so close to gaining millions of pounds. It was the largest operation they had ever cooperated in. Little did they know that it would have the largest consequence. Now my father had been shot by the police and my brother has been missing since that night. But, like I said, it's just one big secret.

Slinging my bag over my shoulder I smiled reassuringly, 'I'll be fine.'

     "Good luck!" she called as I shut the front door.

The time was ticking away the time until the exam. This anticipation was not helped by my realisation that I had forgotten my calculator – it was a maths calculator exam. Being forgetful of such seemingly unimportant things was in my nature, however now I cursed my lack of memory.

As I approached the house, once again, I heard my mother's voice. Of course this by itself was not out of the ordinary; however the voice seemed to be talking to another. Like I said before, everything about us was highly reticent. Another consequence of this was our constant moving. It was explained to me that we had to keep moving because otherwise the police may find us. After thirteen years you would think that she would be less paranoid, but now moving house seemed mandatory. Therefore to hear my mother talking on the phone was somewhat strange.

I knew enough not to interrupt the conversation. Instead I silently unlocked the front door and crept through the hallway and into the kitchen. My mother was facing away from me, still washing up. She had the phone resting on her shoulder, pressed to one ear, and was talking in a rushed, slightly frantic voice.

     "He can't come," she told whoever was listening; "she doesn't know anything. I didn't tell her because she doesn't need to know! Well you're just going to have to try and find him."

It was then that I spotted the letter laying, open, on the table. Unusually, it was addressed to me. Reaching forwards I lifted it off the table and quickly read the words.

Livvi,

What can I say? There are a thousand and one things I want to tell you right now but I'm forced to be brief. We need to meet Livvi, and soon because otherwise we may never get the chance. It's now or never Livvi so meet me in your local park at quarter past nine this monday, I will find you from there. I know that the delivery of this message may be interrupted so just memorize its contents and remember what I told you.