[Wordsmiff]

CHAPTER 16

Gemma lay naked on her bed for a while. She thought her parents had come home but it must have been a dream. She thought the police had arrived but that too was a dream – a dream within a dream.

That meant that James must still be locked up in the shed.

She clambered off the bed and looked round for her phone. It was nowhere to be seen. After realising that it must still be downstairs, she walked out to the bathroom and splashed water over her face.

She had the taste of vomit in her mouth, so she cupped her hand under the running water and took a few slurps of it.

After that, she went back into the bedroom, put on her dress again and then went to check on Tiff and Jess.

Both of her sisters were there, sitting on the bottom bunk, reading. Rebecca must have allowed Tiff to leave.

As she closed the door of her sisters’ bedroom, Gemma remembered how, in her dream, both Tiff and Jess were sitting on the bed reading, just like they were now. She began to wonder if it was actually a dream or if it was a premonition.

She shook the thoughts out of her head and went downstairs to the lounge.

Rebecca and Amelia were sitting on the sofa, eating toast and watching TV.

Rebecca looked up as Gemma walked in. “How’s things?” she said.

Gemma looked round the room. Was the rape a dream too? Did those men really exist?

“Where’s...?” she left it hanging.

“Adam and Rick?” Rebecca filled in the gap. “They’ve gone. It’s just you and us again.”

So they really did exist, Gemma thought, I really did get raped. She sat down on the sfa next to Amelia.

“Who said you could sit down?” Rebecca said, spitting out a bit of chewed-up toast with the words.

It’s still happening, Gemma considered. She stood up. “I’ve called the police,” she said, “They’ll be here soon, so you should...”

“How did you call them?” Rebecca asked, “Which phone did you use?”

“My mobile,” Gemma said, with a look of confidence on her face.

Rebecca picked up a phone from the side of the sofa. “This one, you mean?”

Shit, Gemma thought, she had it all the time. So much for the dream being a premonition.

“Don’t ever lie to me again.” Rebecca stood up and slapped Gemma across the face. “Take off your dress.”

Gemma put her hand to her face; her cheek burned. She slowly unbuttoned the dress and slipped it off, allowing it to fall to the floor.

Rebecca studied Gemma’s body. “Did they both fuck you?”

“Yes,” Gemma said, quietly. “Yes.”

“Good,” Rebecca said. She sat down again. “Now we’re going to play a little game.”