The Retreat(97)

She pointed a finger at Lily. ‘This house is mine. And your parents stole it.’

Carys stood up and loomed over Lily, raising a hand. Lily pressed her back against the wall, closing her eyes. But nothing happened, and when she opened them again, Carys was smiling.

‘I liked your family, Lily. I liked listening to them through the walls. Especially you. I lay in the space by your bedroom, learned the song that you and your mum sang together.’

She sang it now, the song Lily had learned at school, in a surprisingly tuneful, sweet voice that made her sound like a little girl.

Un, dau, tri.

Mam yn dal y pry . . .

‘I went into the house when you were all out. I liked to stand in the kitchen, imagining myself sharing a pot of tea with your mum. I sat at the dining table, wondering what it would be like to eat dinner with you all. I went into your room and cuddled your toys, pretending we were best friends.’ Her smile grew broader. ‘That part of my dream came true.’

‘We’re not best friends,’ Lily dared to whisper. She thought about her old best friend, Megan, and her head felt hot.

Carys didn’t seem to hear her. ‘I was so sad when your dad didn’t come home that day, after I brought you here.’

‘But you weren’t sad about my mum?’

Immediately, from the expression on the woman’s face, Lily knew Carys had said something she didn’t mean to say.

‘My mum? Is she still alive?’

But Carys didn’t answer. ‘That’s enough for now.’

She stood up and left the room, slamming the door behind her. Lily beat on it with her fists. ‘Please. Is my mum alive? Where is she?’

But there was no reply.



Last night, a few days after Carys had cut Lily’s hand and pressed it against Little Cat, Carys came into the room with a strange expression on her face.

‘I saw your mum,’ she said.

Lily jumped up. ‘What? When?’

‘A bad lady tried to hurt her . . . She’s much older now but I knew her. I knew who she was! I never forget a face, Lily.’ She giggled and Lily wondered if she’d been drinking again. Her eyes were shining with excitement.

‘Who are you talking about?’ Lily asked.

‘Her! The girl with red hair! Her name is Heledd. The daughter of the bad lady who tried to give me to the Widow. She tried to hurt your mummy, Lily.’

Lily fought back tears. Her mum was alive and nearby. But before she could form a question, Carys started to ramble on.

‘It was so funny. She thought I was the Widow. Imagine that! Because I was wearing my new red coat, the one I took from that crazy lady, the one who believes in spirits.’

Lily had no idea what Carys was talking about.

‘And you know what? I remembered what you said – about how Heledd’s parents had tried to kill me, and suddenly, suddenly I was angry. Angry like I’ve never been before.’ She stood up and began to pace around the tiny room, with crazy eyes, waving her arms around and clenching her fists.

‘I told her she should confess. That she should tell the world what her mother and father had done. Confess all their sins! And if she didn’t, I would kill her.’ She cackled, just like Bloody Mary in Megan’s video game. ‘She believed me. I told her to confess everything.’

Without warning, all the life seemed to leave Carys, like an untied balloon, and she flopped onto the mattress.

‘Maybe I shouldn’t have done it. Maybe it will lead them to me, to us. But I couldn’t stop myself. I thought about her, living her life up there, watching movies and TV and playing games, and I thought about my life down here, living like a mole. I could have killed her, Lily. I should have killed her.’

She rambled on for another minute, making less and less sense.

Finally, Lily said, ‘But my mum? Is she okay?’

Carys nodded. ‘Oh yes. I saved her.’

Lily couldn’t hold back any longer. She jumped up and shouted, ‘Mummy! Mum! I’m here!’

Carys watched her. ‘She won’t hear you. I told you. No sound escapes this place.’

‘Mummy!’

Carys grabbed hold of her and raised a hand again. ‘Shut up!

Lily didn’t want to cry, but she couldn’t stop herself. ‘Please. Please let me go back and be with her. I don’t want to be here any more.’ She collapsed on the bed, sobbing.

‘Shut up! Stop that, now!’ Carys screamed at her, her face as red as blood. ‘I told you, you’re mine now. And if anyone tries to take you, I’ll kill them. I’ll kill you.’

Carys stood by the door.

‘I should never have spoken to Heledd, never told her to confess. They’re going to start looking for me again.’ She scratched at her arms. ‘I need to hide you somewhere better.’

‘Why not just let me go?’

‘No! Shut up! We’re going to leave here, tonight, when it’s dark. We’ll go somewhere new. Somewhere they’ll never find us. So we can be together, you and me, forever.’





Chapter 47

‘What did you see?’ Julia demanded.

‘Hold on.’

I crouched by the door again and put my eye to the keyhole. It was so hard to see. But then the person on the mattress shifted, turning over and giving me a good look at her light brown hair. She was small too.