‘Callie, is that your name?’ the policeman asked, as she sat in the corner, embracing her knees, her blonde hair draped over her exasperated face. She nodded, looking through the strands of hair.
‘How about we have a chat?’ the man asked, an obvious impatience in his deep voice.
As the female policeman approached her, holding a hand out, Callie rose on her own, shuffling towards the seat, not wanting any contact for a reason she did not know. She lifted herself onto the chair, her feet limply hanging inches from the floor.
‘What do you remember about last night to this morning?’ he asked, his eyes flickering from hers to the tall lady standing behind her.
She took a deep breath, attempting to dissolve the dryness in her throat, ‘I don’t… I don’t remember nothing…’ she whispered, her voice trembling.
‘So you didn’t see anything? Hear anything?’ he asked, his eyes narrowing on her.
Austin’s mother sat down beside her, hearing her breaths growing shorter again. Callie turned to her, wishing it would all end…
‘It’s ok sweetheart,’ his mother whispered, wrapping her arm gently around Callie’s shoulder.
Callie turned suddenly, ‘where are my parents and Darren?’ she asked, her voice quiet, but more confident.
The policeman turned away for a minute, his expression changing to concern and guilt. Callie waited, her hands clasped together, growing tighter around each other, inside her mind she prayed, and yet she knew the reality, she just needed someone to say it…
The policeman finally gave in, turning to her, ‘They’ve gone away for a little while…’
She stood in anger, she’d faced the truth, she didn’t understand why the others around her wouldn’t. ‘Just say it…’ she said, her hands shaking, her lips pursed together.
‘With the amount of blood there… we think … they didn’t make it Callie,’ the female officer said, crouching to Callie’s level, attempting to take her hand.
Callie shrugged her off, ‘can we go now?’ she asked, turning to Austin’s mother.
She nodded, taking Callie’s hand and walking with her out the door and towards the exit. She became aware of all the police officer’s staring, sympathetic smiles as their conversations came to a harsh stop with her presence.
She crawled into the seat of the land rover, swamped by the massive seat behind her, a blank emotionless face beneath her mop of hair. She tugged at her jumper slightly, pulling it down over her shivering back. Austin’s mother checked her seatbelt then started the engine, beginning to make her way home. An awkward silence loomed as they drove home, as Callie sat, staring out the window, wondering what had happened, and what was going to happen…1
**2
‘Callie!’ Christian shouted, seeing her outside the school gate, a cigarette in one hand.
‘Hey,’ she mumbled, her recently dyed black hair hanging over her reddened eyes, another nightmare had kept her awake all night.
Christian took the cigarette from her mouth, stubbing it out on the fence, and quickly placing it in his bag.
‘What’d you do that for?’ she asked, anger in her exhausted voice.
‘Are you crazy? At the school gate? I’m not stupid, that wasn’t tobacco,’ he mumbled, stepping closer to her.
‘So? I really don’t care… I need a high right now…’ she mumbled.
‘You will be getting more than that when Mr Burkett notices.’
She huffed, exhaling into the warm air, the sun shining down on her.
‘Come on, the bell’s about to go…’ he said, taking her arm.
They both slumped up towards the main doors, shoulder bags hanging at their knees. She reached her tutor room, kicking the door open with her converses. She took the nearest seat, opposite Katrina. She clicked play on her mp3 player, and the used sounded out, drowning out the shouts and screams of all the tarts and jocks.
‘Can we speak to a Callie Ford please?’ a deep voice asked as the door creaked open.
‘Callie, those policemen want you…’ Katrina whispered, pulling her earphone out.
She turned, her eyes widening, Christian was right about the drugs as school thing, she shouldn’t have…
She stood, following the men out of the room, her head low, thinking of excuses.
3
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