The Girl Who Fell Out of the Ocean (The Ghostly Saga Book 1) -Editing

The Lake Part 13

Authors Note: This is the first draft and is raw at the moment - when I have completed all Parts I will start the editing process. (All critiques welcome) 

Lavinia quietly turned her key in the front door it was 7.00 am and the upstairs of the house was just beginning to stir. She quickly pulled her hair from her ponytail and made a quick attempt to make it look ruffled like bedhead. She pulled off her shoes and threw them to one side and turned on the kettle just as George was walking down the stairs with his tired face on, she quickly handed him tea and sat down. 

He was soon followed by Anna, Andy and then Sam who all headed straight for caffeine, one thing about the Gregory's Lavinia mused they were predictable. Lavinia sat quietly at the table hoping that no one heard her early morning flit to Charlie's. All seemed to be going well, silence and morning peace filled the air until she heard her own voice rise from her throat, her mouth betraying her own intentions.

"I'm visiting Andy and Sam in Chichester," said Lavinia.

Both Sam and Andy nearly spilled their tea and George just gaped at her. 

"I knew it!" Cried Anna

"I knew you would finally see sense," said Anna flinging her arms around Lavinia who didn't move, she was so shocked by what had just left her lips that she was sure she was frozen to the spot. She had meant to sit Anna down tell her calming, rationally not spring it on her like this. But then, she mused to herself part of her was trying to convince herself to actually go... be normal. 

"You sure about this?" Said George with frown.

Lavinia just nodded because a nod was all she could manage.

She swiftly put down her tea and ran upstairs thankful that her legs moved at all, leaving her family silent and stunned in the kitchen.

When Lavinia was in her bedroom with her door closed and surrounded by her drawings she felt a little calmer. She focused on her picture of the lake that hung above her bed she walked away from the door and towards her desk where her notepad seemed to be waiting for her. She had to get the words out, and if she couldn't tell Charlie in person she would tell him on the page.

Charlie,

The day which I find so hard to talk about is a happy one it was the last day in my life that I felt truly at peace, after that day everything changed forever and there was no going back, not for any of us.

Jimmy thundered into Marxby Manor, I don't know why we let him do it, well yes I do, we wanted to release Fay from the vice-like grip of her tutor and he had the ability to get everyone to do what he wanted, he was just so damn lovable. 

We all followed him into the silent house like a herd of lemmings, all be it rather heavy footed, giggling, lemmings. Jimmy burst into the study where Fay looked suitably depressed and the old tutor witch whose name now escapes me frowned at him with displeasure.

"I don't think this is really the time do you, My Lord?"

We all stood giggling like idiots in the hallway still slightly afraid of our old tutor and governess.

"I think it's a perfect time, come on Little Bit," he said with a wink.

Jimmy held out his hand to Fay which she took excitedly and we all ran from the building feeling like the most hard of criminals. I gazed back at Marxby Manor as we ran across the bright green lush grass and over the hill and just as the house was to be out of sight I caught a glimpse of my father laughing  from his study window, he was happy that his children and their friends had found a moment of freedom and that they had found that moment together at least, that's what I told myself he believed.