Roadkill (LiveWire)

by Daisy White

I sign up for the dare as Farlan and edit her details giving my mobile number instead. 2am on the sixteenth, which gives me a day to prepare. The final details are sent by text when you’re there. Creepy, but kind of cool. I can so see why my sister loved this. Quickly scanning Rose’s previous messages for tips, I notice she and Kelly talked about me a lot. I can’t make up my mind if that is weird, or nice.

  Kelly, the patronising cow, actually said I looked sweet in the photos Rose posted, and she would like to set me up with her cousin, who would be in the UK in the fall. Cue Rose telling her just about everything about me, bar the colour of my knickers, oh, and the fact I have two fillings. Anyway, the cousin apparently changed his mind (probably seeing pictures of me put him off), and went to India for a couple of months. That was all last year and luckily she seems to have lost interest in the little sister, and re-focused her attentions on goading Rose into more and crazier dares.

  An army of fear spiders make their icy way down my spine as I actually consider instead of being safe in bed, in less than twenty four hours time I will be battling the tides in the cold sea. I take a deep breath and ignore them.

  Ignoring my mum too, who is washing up in the kitchen looking sad, I charge out the door and head off for my haircut. The rain has stopped as suddenly as it started, bad luck for the scorched lawns, and crisp looking trees. I feel lighter suddenly, despite the dare looming tomorrow. Like a great black shadow that’s been tugging at my heels, has been cut loose. I give myself a month to sort my life out. A month to find out what really happened to my sister.

  It’s nearly seven when I finally walk home, cursing the lack of bus service and the fact I still haven’t passed my driving test. Not that I have car of course, but maybe I could borrow Garry’s…Yeah right!

  I am passing the place where last night Matt and I… “Oh my god! Are you stalking me Matt Amos?” My face is flushed, hand going instinctively to my new hair.

  He is lounging amongst the weeds, lazily smoking, tapping something on his phone. “Don’t flatter yourself. I always hang out here. Ash just left.”

  Of course he did. I’m totally wrong -footed and feel an idiot, “Right. See you around then.” Somehow I really don’t want to ask him about the lorry, and my little meeting tonight. But maybe he already knows? As Leo said, why else would he suddenly ask me out?

  “Kidding. Nice hair by the way. Ash did just leave but I was kind of hoping you might come by.”

  The air still smells fresh and earthy, after this morning’s cloudburst. I can’t help myself breaking into a goofy smile. Matt pats his coat and we sit and just talk, for ages, with none of the awkwardness I usually feel. Occasionally our bare legs touch, and once I think he’s leaning in for another kiss. Eventually I say I must go, and he pulls me back down onto the coat, laughing. Nine o clock and the summer night is closing in, warm grey clouds merging on the horizon, sun peering briefly before darkness falls. Even though it has rained the ground is dry again already, deep cracks in the clay indicating the meagre downfall hasn’t quenched the drought.

  “Hey I thought you couldn’t make it for a date tonight….” Matt cracks open a coke can and offers me first drink. I’m parched and gulp it down far too quickly, coughing and spluttering. Very glam Caz.

  “Five minutes then I really must go,” I snuggle into his arm and breath in the scents of the night. “Matt can you smell smoke?”

  I literally have time to jump to my feet before a wall of fire shoots up amongst the weeds, spurting its deadly tongue towards us like a serpent in a fairy tale, hissing and spitting. The heat is intense, scorching, and I try to shield my face, while Matt jabs at his phone, yelling at the operator to send the fire service.

  We run down the embankment towards the road, hearts racing, his sweaty hand in mine. The weeds and scrub drag at our legs, and the brambles tear a long scratch in my shoeless foot. Motorists are slowing, pointing, and already I hear the wail of sirens. Terrified I cling to Matt as we leg it across the lay-by and grind to a halt next to the slow lane. This is where it happened I think. This is where my sister died. I’ve never walked on The Road, never been closer than the embankment. The fire lurches down the slope at breakneck speed and we almost prepare to run out, just like she must have done, but the gritty surface of the lay-by stops the flames and they simmer and threaten just yards from our cowering forms, devouring weeds and litter.

  “This way!” yells Matt, tugging my hand and I run barefoot along the side of the road, stumbling in my bare feet, gasping and choking on the thick black smoke. My eyes are streaming with painful gritty tears, and I can hardly breath. The bridge looms in front, indistinct in the suffocating darkness, and blue lights flash, thank god. Two fire engines moving carefully past us, followed by a police car which road blocks the rest of the traffic, forcing it to slow and stop. I look towards the centre reservation, and almost see something lying there. A body? Then everything goes black.

  *

  “Rose?” I mumble, as a hand grips mine. I struggle to open my eyes but my lids seem to be glued shut. Bright lights and noise, and I roll over.

  Next time I wake up I am in a hospital bed, attached to a drip. Curtains are drawn around me but I can hear the rumble of conversation from a large ward. Rose, not surprisingly is nowhere to be seen. A nurse cautiously slides the curtain, clipped notes in her hand.

  “Hallo. How are you feeling?” her voice is gentle and her round face is set in beaming smile. In fact she’s round all over, and the uniform is well, a bit tight. Her pregnancy bump strains against the green fabric and I wonder if she’s going to pop right here next to me. Maybe it’s twins.

  “Crap. Like I’ve been in a fight. Everything hurts,” I trail off, disliking the whiny tone of my voice. Then I notice daylight sparkling at the windows. “What time is it?”

  “Well it was a fire rather than a fight wasn’t it? It’s twelve-thirty, and you came in last night about eleven.” She checks my notes and straps on the blood pressure cuff, deftly placing a plastic clip on my finger.

  “What’s that for?” I struggle to sit up, the needle taped in my arm stinging and pulling the drip tube, “Ouch!”

  “Calm down, it measures your Sats.” She scribbles on the clipboard, and checks her watch, “The doctor will want to double check but you should be able to go after lunch. Just need to pick up your Meds from the pharmacy. My name’s Sarah, by the way. I’ll pop back and help you get changed before you leave.”

  Sats? Meds? I am left gawping like an idiot, brain clunking slowly into gear. Matt! I didn’t ask if he was okay, and the fire….I really hope it wasn’t his ciggie that started it. I frown. Trying to remember if he was smoking while we sat together. But the strain is too much, and I crossly throw off the rough sheet and swing my legs over the edge. I need to find the loo and someone to talk to. Ouch! My left leg has a bandage from ankle to knee, and jeez that stings as well. I examine it, but there is some sort of plasticky dressing under the thin bandage. A burn? I don’t remember hurting myself, well apart from the scratches from legging it down the embankment. At least I can put weight on it, almost walk normally. Thank god, I have that dare to do, and nothing is going to stop me.

  A text bleeps on my phone:

  ‘Hey matt told me u still in hospital. U ok? If u up 2 it come to mine this pm about 8, and I’ll show u what me & R were doing re lorry thing x

  Oh yeah, and I still have to find out if Leo is right and if Ash is dealing drugs.

  Chapter Eleven

  “Do you want to go to bed love?” My mum is hovering in the kitchen, dumping my ruined clothes, and the huge plastic bag of pills I have to take to prevent infection, kill the pain, create gold. Kidding.

  I’m fiddling with my phone, wondering how to escape and meet Ash, wondering how the hell I’m going to manage to swim tonight.

  “I could get you some Ben and Jerry’s and bring up my computer so we can watch a film,” Leo’s holding my hand and I’m resisting the temptation to snatch it away.


  “I am honestly fine, and I kind of need some time by myself just to..um…sleep. I’m really tired. Maybe it’s the drugs…” It’s the best I can do, and they look like they want to say more but know they have to leave me alone.

  “I’ll make you a cup of tea, Leo. Would you like to stay to dinner? We can eat early.” Mum asks, as she heads for the fridge.

  NO! I want to scream. Just leave me alone. I have things to do, specifically LiveWire things, Ashley things, and also I need to process that weird interview with the police. A bored looking bloke came to ask me a few standard questions, while I stuttered answers, going bright red and really, really hoping Matt was not responsible for starting the fire. Then, just as I was about to leave, this woman came in, no uniform, and really cool short white blonde hair, and she muttered with the bloke, while I shifted uncomfortably and wondered if seawater was good for burns.

  “Caroline, we just got some information from the fire service, which leads us to believe the fire was started deliberately.” This woman obviously didn’t take any crap, and she dismissed the man with a quick look. Wow, power trip…

  I was puzzled, “But who would bother to set fire to a load of weeds?” Mostly though I was relieved it wasn’t Matt..I must text him and check he really is okay. Apparently he got off lightly, and was sent home after an A and E check up. My phone had a cute message saying he wanted to be with me when I woke up but they booted him out.

  “Caroline? Are you okay?” This woman had freaky intense brown eyes and very dark eyebrows.

  Dead giveaway with the blonde hair I thought, amused. Rose used to say…, “I’m fine. Sorry.”

  “Caroline I don’t want to alarm you but can you think of anyone who would do this?”

  “Me? No!”

  She stared at me, “Let me put this another way. Can you think of anyone who would want to hurt you?”

  Slam! I got it, and was totally shocked, “Somebody tried to set fire to me?” What the hell is this all about. Images of bitch Anita, and a couple of loser kids from college spun through my brain, but no way!

  “Not necessarily. It may have been just to scare you. Or your boyfriend.”

  My……I suppose he is, but we’ve only be seeing each other for two days. “So it could have been someone trying to get at Matt?”

  “The fire team discovered an accelerant - petrol. It looks like it was poured in a line between you and the street above, then lit from the end nearest the bridge. This would work like a dynamite trail, basically creating a firewall.”

  I shuddered, remembering the searing heat, the terrified half blind dash for The Road. Had there been someone else on the embankment, hidden above us in the weeds? Somebody had tried to drive us down to The Road. This was my time, the time to voice my suspicions, or maybe just the drugs based ones…….But of course I didn’t, because that would have meant linking Matt to Rose’s death, and I just can’t quite go that far.

  *

  I turn back to my desk, half sketching a rough profile of my sister in smudgy pencil as I think. Also on my desk is a scrawled note with a typically scratchy, twirly signature.

  ‘Hi Caz. It didn’t come with the post. The cleaner reckons a boy with glasses and blonde hair posted it in our letterbox. Probably your geek friend Leo. If you want it, come and get it. If not I’ll put it in the bin.’

  Anita

  I still haven’t ruled out Anita, but I really can’t find anyone who ever saw her and Rose even talk to each other. They were like total opposites, although I do remember Rose telling me about the model competition. Surely she wouldn’t hold a grudge over a stupid photo shoot…

  The sketch of Rose is rubbish so I scrunch it and aim half- heartedly for the bin. Then I sprawl on my bed, frantically tapping on Rose’s computer, trying to stop my feverish mind from linking Rose’s death and last night’s arson attack. There is no doubt in my mind (okay I’m biased) that Matt has nothing to do with this. He’s a genuine chilled out skater boy with no hidden agenda. Then who? A crazy by-passer who had no idea anyone was hiding down in the grass. Or, going back to my thoughts at the police station, were we watched? My sore face flames at the thought. Yuck, a weirdo perving from the street is totally gros.

  Lots of messages in Rose-Farlan’s LiveWire inbox. Kelly is ramping it up, and has sent a frenzy of cheery messages about tomorrow night’s swim, plus information on her next dare, which seems to involve getting lost in the mountains, or ‘hiking’ without any food, water or maps. Great. Someone called LiamFive says he’ll see me on the beach. Interesting, but luckily he doesn’t seem to have met Rose before so he won’t notice it’s not actually Rose. For a quick second I flash back to Ashley telling me he wasn’t the ‘only one’ in Rose’s life. I wonder if she actually hooked up with this mystery bloke on a dare; and how Ashley found out.

  God what a mess. Half six and I can hear Leo laughing with my mum, and force myself not to feel claustrophobic. Why did I not notice it before? He is so clingy, so ready to help that it’s bugging me. Evil cow, I tell myself firmly, shutting down the computer. Leo is totally my best friend and I need to start treating him better. Despite the fact he’s already told me he hates my hair…

  The smell of chicken soup wafts from the kitchen and they turn anxiously as I crack the door.

  “Hey you! We saved you some. It’s okay, your mum cooked it not me,” he smiles mischievously, his naughty child look.

  If I hurry I can still be at Ash’s in an hour. Just. “Great, that means it’s edible,” I grin at him, remembering past attempts in the kitchen. Leo might be strangely house proud for a teenage boy, but he’s no Gordon Ramsey. We’re all relieved and I grab a chair next to my best friend.

  I can tell they don’t want to upset me by mentioning the fire and my hair, so I clear the air for them, telling them about the police interview, and explaining Shona wanted to practice so I offered to be a model.

  “But you have gorgeous hair!” Leo tells me crossly, “Or you did. Weren’t you looking when she did it?”

  My mum is absently checking her emails on her blackberry. When she came to take me home, she slid gentle hands over my head, cupping my face. Tears were sliding down her cheeks, dripping on my bare legs. “I think it’s pretty Caroline,” she says now, sliding a page of handwritten notes onto the table.

  Surprised I glance up, but her heart- shaped face is shuttered, calmly clicking and deleting. Carefully referring to her paperwork, mum has her work face on; super intelligent scientist. But she looks exhausted and I suddenly imagine how awful it must have been when the police appeared on her doorstep. Again. She must have thought she had lost another daughter.

  “Thanks Mum. Hey I was telling Leo about Australia and he was saying it, um sounds like a great idea.” Argh! Why did I say that?

  That makes her look up, shocked, then pleased, genuinely happy. Mission accomplished.

  Later I stand in the cluttered hall with Leo.

  “So when are you seeing Matt again? Should I start planning the wedding?” he giggles like a loon, adjusting his beloved computer bag. I thump him as usual without thinking, and smile despite myself.

  Then he becomes serious, “I was so worried when I heard, Caz. I mean what idiot would do something like that? Do they think it might be linked to Matt and the drugs thing?”

  “I didn’t say anything. I’m sure they’re wrong and it’s just some loser who dropped a ciggie.” I don’t think that for a moment but I don’t want to freak him any more than he already is. His big eyes are crinkled with worry. And you didn’t want to drop Matt in it a tiny voice chimes at the back of my mind.

  “Yeah. Whatever. Ring me tomorrow won’t you?”

  “Course I will. Hey Melissa said to come over anytime in the evening.”

  “Both of us?” There is a slight edge to his voice.

  “Yeah, don’t worry I won’t let her jump you!” I am amused. “Did you even speak to her at Anita’s party?”

  He shrugs crossly, so I change t
he subject.

  “Leo, do you remember that eagle bracelet Rose had?”

  Adjusting his bag, sliding the strap over one shoulder like a little kid’s satchel Leo appears to consider my question carefully, “Of course! You bought it for her when you went to Singapore with your dad.”

  “Um…yeah,” Does he remember every tiny detail of my life? “Well, the thing is Anita has it now. She reckons someone posted it through her letterbox this morning, asking her to wear it at the party.” I study him closely.

  A motorbike roars past outside and we both jump.

  “That is just so weird! Who would do that?”

  I run a frustrated hand through my new short locks, “She thinks it was you.”

  “That’s crazy! You don’t believe her do you?” He looks sad and suddenly much older, lines creasing his forehead.

  I reach out to touch his arm, but he’s pushing out the door.

  “Just leave it Caz! I’m supposed to be your best friend but if you want to listen to some mad cow from college, go ahead.”

  “I’m sorry Leo…I..” Too late, he’s stormed off down the road, and I am left with mixed feelings. Guess it’s because normally I’m the emotional one in our relationship. Leo is always so chilled and sweet. Except now obviously.

  When he’s gone, and made it clear how pissed off he is by totally ignoring my texts, I plead exhaustion again, chickening out of the Talk part two, and cursing my cowardice. I have exactly ten hours to prepare for Rising Tide, plus there is no way of getting to see Ash, so I take a deep breath and ring him.

  “Just tell me what’s going on,” I snap, “Rose put in her diary about the lorry. Was that what I heard the other night? Is it drugs? Does Matt do it too?”

  “Hi Caz, how are you? Calm down. And I have no idea where you got the drugs thing from…..As if. I’d lose my place on the team! Look the reason I wanted to show you is because I thought you might not believe me.”

  Bang on. “So?”