The Puppet Master Page 11
He made his way to Jamie’s house, his heart was pounding, mirroring the eagerness he felt. As soon as he walked in the house, Jamie grabbed him, slapped him on the back and said, “Alright, mate.” That acceptance filled a hole in his life that Adam hadn’t realised could be filled. He sat with Jamie; the guys around him, having greeted him, went back to their discussion about which of the girls in their year they would ‘do’. Someone mentioned Elle and in his desperation to contribute, he told them that he’d gone out with her. He winced inwardly, it wasn’t really the guy he wanted to be, a liar. He was immediately pounded with questions about how far they’d gone. He brushed them off.
“I don’t kiss and tell, guys,” he said, sounding so much more confident than he was. They laughed and then the conversation moved on. Adam could see, though, that when some of them looked at him throughout the night, it was with a sort of respect and curiosity. Even Anthony – the team captain – told him that he thought Adam had potential. It was the best night of his life. He’d wished his uncle were there so he could show him how wrong he was, that friends aren’t fickle and that there are good people out there.
A couple of weeks later, they were playing a home game against another of the local schools. Adam felt so proud to be playing, the reputation of his team was legendary, and they were known as being the best. Each member of the team was given automatic respect just for being part of it. They had trained every minute of the day and Adam was beginning to feel part of something, like he belonged. He’d told his uncle all about it and was irritated that his uncle hadn’t been as enthusiastic as he wanted him to be. But all thoughts of that slipped from his mind as the ball came towards him. He tackled it from the opposing team and was dribbling it up the pitch when the players in front of him had stopped to watch something. Adam heard a commotion of voices behind him and turned around. He fell to his knees and dread coiled around his stomach. No. Please no. His father was stumbling and lurching around the pitch. He was yelling Adam’s name and going up to each of the lads to see if it was him.
“Stop hiding, boy!” Adam wanted to run away. The coach went up to his dad and tried to usher him off the field. To his horror, his dad swung and punched the coach in the face and the force of his swing sent him tumbling to the floor. Adam couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. If he didn’t acknowledge it, it wasn’t happening.
The guy he’d just tackled the ball off, spoke to Adam. “I wonder whose dad that is. That guy is going to be humiliated. What a dick, eh?” He ignored the boy and continued to stare as his dad shouted his name pitifully from the floor. More teachers and adults who had been watching the game had come onto the pitch. They went to the coach and helped him up. Anthony walked over to Adam’s father. Then he looked over to Adam and motioned him to come over. With the heaviest feet, Adam walked over, trying to ignore the stares from everyone. He looked down at his father and never in his life had ever wished him dead as much as he did then.
Anthony and Adam managed to get his dad into the school. He was probably going to be arrested, so they weren’t sure what to do with him. They sat him on one of the benches in the changing room, where he curled up like a child and began to snore. Each sound he made incensed Adam further. His whole body was shaking. Anthony broke the silence.
“He do this a lot?”
“He used to, this is the first time in a while.”
“Right.” He shifted and looked at Adam, studying him. “Look, man, you’re a good player and a nice lad. But I can’t have this sort of thing happening on my team. You’re off the team. Sorry.” To his credit, he did genuinely look sorry. The pity in his eyes was obvious. And that was that. Adam didn’t even try and change his mind and Anthony walked off. He was so ashamed. He stared down at his pathetic excuse for a father and hoped that they would lock him up and throw away the key.
The door to the changing rooms burst open and his uncle flew in. What was he doing here? thought Adam. He couldn’t have got here so quickly. “I’m so sorry, Adam. I tried to stop him. He was there one minute and then he had gone. I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”
“They kicked me off the team.” His voice was relatively calm, considering the explosion of emotions that he was experiencing inside. A strange look, a bit like satisfaction, passed through his uncle’s eyes, but then it was gone so quickly, replaced by a fury that matched Adam’s. He must have imagined it.
“No! What dickheads! Do you want me to have a word?” But Adam knew there was nothing he could do. Reputation was everything around here. And his was in the trash can.
Chapter Seventeen
Billie
A couple of months after her birthday, Billie and Eric were walking through the fields around the village. It was one of Billie’s favourite things to do. This time, Eric was teaching her where to go to collect conkers and how to get them. They were standing in front of a magnificent green-leaved tree, it had clusters of lovely white flowers and its branches were so far-reaching, making a sort of dome shape. It looked impossible that its gnarly brown trunk should be able to support it. All around the tree, on the floor, there were green balls, like green golf balls, but with small, delicate spikes covering them. “This is a horse chestnut tree, and inside this green casing are the conkers.” He picked one up in his hands and broke it apart to reveal the richly coloured conker inside. “They only start to fall to the ground between September and October so we are in perfect time. Did you know that they originate from Turkey?”
Billie snorted. “No, Mr History Man. You do realise that you aren’t a teacher and that stuff is boring?” He chucked his conker at her half-heartedly.
“Less of the cheek.” She chuckled and began to gather up the conkers.
After a while, she sat on the ground, her large pile of conkers between her legs.
“Are we really going to use these as a game? They look like they would hurt if we are going to start throwing them at each other.” He half smiled at her.
“Just wait until we get back home.” He walked towards her and then sat right next to her. He stared at her for a long time and she wriggled under his scrutiny. He reached out and lightly grazed his finger down the side of her face, but instead of stopping like usual he carried on, down her neck. Down her T-shirt, until his finger lingered on her breast. His finger turned into a hand and he gently cupped her breast. Billie’s heart was banging in her chest and she went cold all over. What was going on? This isn’t supposed to happen. Why was he touching her there? Her fear must have shown on her face. He lowered his hand away from her and spoke to her quietly.
“Don’t look so scared, I would never hurt you. I love you. Your mum and gran would not let you spend time with me if I was going to hurt you. They know you are here and they are fine with it. So you should be too.” He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close to him. “I love you, sweet girl. You are my special girl, remember? Nothing is wrong.” He looked sincere, but she still felt conflicted.
Why was he doing this? More importantly, what was she supposed to do about it? She felt she should tell someone. Just so she could be sure. But wouldn’t that mean she would not be allowed to spend any more time with him? Would her gran leave him and come back to live with them? But she didn’t want to be the reason that happened. She didn’t want to lose Eric in her life. School was so hard and her parents never gave her half the attention that Eric and her gran did. Could she really lose that? She felt like crying. She hated the feeling she had had when he touched her like that, she felt sick.
They got up off the ground and Eric threw a conker gently at her. “Got you,” he smirked. She threw one back, unenthusiastically. But before she knew it she was shrieking and running for cover behind the large trunk of the tree, peeking out only to quickly hide again as the whizzing sound of a conker flew past her. All the confusion and terror she felt before vanished as she was absorbed in a game of miniature dodge ball. She laughed and threw conkers without looking in what she hoped was the right direction. She heard
a small whack and a groan from Eric and giggled with delight. Her spirits lifted but in the back of her mind, she was still wondering whether what happened earlier was right.
A little later, Billie was helping her gran to do the washing-up after dinner when she finally plucked up the courage to talk about what happened in the conker field. Her heart was hammering in her chest and she was sure her gran could hear it.
“Grandma, when I went to the field with Eric, he… he… erm…” she stuttered, not wanting to finish the sentence. She lowered her voice to barely a whisper and finished, “He touched me here.” Billie motioned to her breasts. “And I… I’m not sure… if that’s right. I mean, he basically said you said it was okay. But… but I just keep thinking it’s not right.” She was bright red in her face, she could feel the heat spreading across her cheeks. She looked at the plate she was drying, desperately waiting for the reply from her gran, telling her what to do.
Her gran had stopped washing the pots, her hands in the water but not moving. She was quiet for a very long time. It felt like hours had gone past before she started to wash the pots again. She didn’t look at Billie, but her voice was strong and firm.
“Don’t be so ridiculous, Billie, it’s wrong to tell such lies. Eric would never do something like that to you. You are a silly little girl, he is a grown man. Don’t you understand how awful it is for you to tell such nasty lies? After everything that Eric has done for you, you turn around and make accusations like this. You must be mistaken. I don’t want to hear you utter anything like this again.” She was quiet for a minute and then she said in a softer voice, “You’re lucky it was me you said this to, if you’d said this to anyone else they would send you away. They would think that there was something wrong with you.” She paused, her eyes softened with her tone. “Now, sweetie, I understand that you’ve made a mistake. So I won’t say anything but you must swear to never ever say anything like this again, okay? I don’t want my favourite granddaughter to be sent away.”
Chapter Eighteen
Adam
Adam felt so awkward. His uncle had said on the phone that he needed a favour. The next minute he had walked through the door half dragging a young girl with him. They took her straight up to the box room upstairs, luckily the single bed in there was always made – never used. After they had got her settled, his uncle explained what he needed. His friend’s daughter was a druggie, and she’d been beaten up by her dealer because she couldn’t pay. Mark had called Eric to the hospital to help him as he didn’t want his wife to see her like this, and the hospital had discharged her. Uncle Eric didn’t have enough room at his house with Sylvia so he had driven her down here.
Before he left, his uncle made Adam swear not to tell anyone that she was there and if anyone called asking for him, to say that he’d not seen anybody today. Adam didn’t understand, but he couldn’t ignore the fear and worry in his uncle’s blue eyes. Normally so confident and bright, it was strange to see him so vulnerable. Adam noticed the red bruising around his uncle’s knuckles. Noticing his stare, his uncle quickly explained that he’d punched the dealers to help the girl escape. Adam’s first thought was that his uncle was very brave. But later he would wonder how his uncle had been called to the hospital to help when he’d been the one to save her.
Adam sat on the wooden kitchen chair watching over the girl. He was worried she might need to go back to the hospital so he had decided to sit with her for a while. He fiddled with the phone in his hands as he guiltily studied the girl. It felt wrong to be staring at her when she didn’t even know where she was. Her blonde hair fanned out on the pillow. That was where the angelic look ended as her face was covered in a patchwork of bruises in varying shades of red. It looked so painful, no wonder she had barely been conscious when she’d arrived. Underneath the bruises he thought she might be pretty, she was younger than him. He doubted that she was more than sixteen. Suddenly, the girl jerked upright. It was as if she’d been thrown into consciousness. Her breathing was ragged and her head whipped around taking in the room. Searching for anything familiar. Her tawny brown eyes focused on him.
“Who are you?” fear laced her voice. Adam didn’t really know what to say.
“I’m Adam, you’re at my home. Until you get better. My uncle Eric brought you.”
“Please help me,” she whispered. Her eyes pleading with him. “Don’t let him hurt me.”
Adam felt compelled to comfort her so he placed a gentle hand on her arm. She winced just as he realised he’d touched one of the many bruises littering her body.
“He can’t hurt you. You’re safe in my house. We will protect you.”
“You don’t understand.” She shook her head in frustration, it must have cost her as she lay back down on the bed. She looked so weak and fragile. Adam was about to ask her what she meant when his uncle walked in the room.
“Is she awake? I heard voices.” Adam looked at the girl, who appeared to have gone back to sleep.
“She was.” His uncle looked at him sharply.
“Tell me exactly what she said, word for word.”
“She was just scared. Asked me to not let him hurt her. Whoever ‘him’ is.”
An emotion crossed over his uncle’s face, but it was too quick for him recognise.
“Probably her dealer.” He turned to leave. “Let me know if she wakes up again. Do not speak to her!”
Chapter Nineteen
2007
Billie
Billie was sitting in the front seat blasting Britney Spears from the car stereo. She was looking at the album trying to decide which track she wanted next, actively ignoring the groaning coming from the back. Holly had been sat in the back moaning about the music since they had set off. Billie was feeling very smug that she was allowed to sit in the front and Holly was stuck in the back with Gran. Eric had never taken to Holly the way he had with Billie. It was refreshing that for once she was the favourite. Holly was witty and very quick with her jokes and sarcasm in a way that people loved, she was also very slim and pretty. A stark contrast to Billie and her ‘puppy fat’.
Billie exercised her power of being in the front by putting on every song that Holly hated and turning in her seat to smirk at her and check she was enjoying the view from the back. They were on their way to a caravan park in Scotland. Their parents were having a well-deserved break – in their opinion. Billie was so excited; Eric and Gran would actually do things with them on this trip. Their parents were much too strict and didn’t like to do too much with them.
They finally arrived at the campsite and the holiday officially began. They went for a walk around the campsite; there was a small amusements park in the centre of the site. Billie headed straight for the dance machine. Her pockets were loaded with pound coins that Eric had happily handed over to her. She put her money in and began the arrow-choreographed dance that was scrolling up the screen. She had one of these at home – granted not as big or good as this one – but with the same songs and instructions. She happily darted her feet between the four arrows, occasionally jumping quickly to keep up and switch her feet around. The song ended and she was given a grade A by the computer in the game. She smiled broadly and spun round to the applause behind her. Eric stood close to the machine, a big smile on his face. He looked so proud of her. It was just a game but she loved how he took an interest in even the small things that she did. He was always there, supporting her and encouraging her. She would watch when they spoke and she could see that he was listening to every word that she said. When she was at home, her mother was always busy and Billie was convinced that she only listened to every other word. It had gotten to the stage that Billie had started to call her mother ‘Megan’, to try and get her attention.
Holly was in the car seat of a racing game and Billie began putting her hands in front of her eyes so that she couldn’t see where she was driving the car. Holly’s angry protests were ignored by Eric, and Billie relished having the upper hand with her sister. Being so
cute and little, Holly was always able to get Billie in trouble so she was going to savour these moments. When they had spent all their money, they headed back to the caravan to get ready to go out to dinner.
Billie was at the kitchen table, rooting through her bag to get a change of clothes. Eric came over to her and picked out a top she had brought. “You should wear this, you look beautiful in this.” Billie blushed uncomfortably and was grateful that Holly and Gran were in the bathroom washing Holly’s hair because she didn’t know how to get the conditioner out. Since the day with the conkers, Eric had acted like nothing had happened and he hadn’t done anything else to her. She felt sorry for telling her gran about it as it had been nearly six months and nothing had happened. Maybe her gran was right. She had made a mistake. It was too confusing to think about so she put it to the back of her mind. She was overreacting; there was nothing to worry about.
The bed in the caravan slept four. During the day, it was the dining table and sofa, but it transformed into a large bed that they could all sleep in. Billie woke up to find Holly’s arm wrapped around her head and it was the lack of air that had woken her up. She tried to move but found that Holly’s leg was flung over both her legs trapping her underneath. Billie huffed. For a little person, she certainly had a strong grip and very heavy limbs. With some not so gentle nudging, she was able to push Holly back enough to flip over onto her side.