Deadly to Love by Mia Hoddell Page A

room.
    “You got everything you want?” She asked as she pulled a few bag straps of her own over her shoulder.
    “I think so. Well I hope so anyway. How about you?” I began to head towards the door, remembering my camera just before I exited the room.
    “Just about, let’s go,” she said.
    I hurried to pack my camera and all the relevant leads in my overflowing bag. “OK I’m ready, where are we going?”
    We both rushed down the stairs. I could tell Mum was trying to hold it together and she seemed to have taken control back, which I was grateful for as I didn’t know where I would go after getting her out of the house. I knew she was worrying about Dad, but I couldn’t let myself think about him until I was alone. I would have crumbled if I had let myself think about it then and I needed to stay strong for Mum.
    “I phoned my sister after I rang the fire brigade and she agreed we could stay over at hers until this mess is sorted. I’ve left a voice mail for your dad too.”
    She kept talking all the way to the car and it was obvious she was just babbling to keep herself occupied. The only problem though, was that her talking was bringing Dad to the front of my thoughts once again.
    We had just finished loading our bags into the car when the wailing sirens of the fire engine blasted down our drive.
    Suddenly the back garden was a flurry of activity as men in fluorescent suits rushed to try and control the flames. I remained detached from them all, just witnessing from the car. It took some time but the firefighters were slowly pushing the flames back and keeping them away from the house, however they were refusing to die.
    I noticed that Mum was talking to a man who I suspected to be in charge, she was pointing frantically towards the wood and what looked like pleading with him about something.
    The only explanation I came up with was that she was begging the men to go into the forest to look for Dad, but by the look on his face, and the size of the flames it was evident it wasn’t going to happen. I saw my mum’s shoulders heave in a reluctant defeat as she headed towards me and the car.
    “We should go, the fireman said there’s nothing more we can do and the men can’t search the woods until the fire is under control,” she murmured. I had already figured out what she said but I nodded anyway, getting into the passenger seat as she walked to the driver’s side.
    “I gave him my number and he said he would ring to update us or if they found anything.” She sighed.
    My tactic of trying to suppress all the thoughts was wearing thin and as I looked back at the blazing orange glow I didn’t hold out much hope for finding my dad alive.

CHAPTER EIGHT
     
    We arrived at my aunt’s later that night. We only had the bags we were able to carry and as we stood at the old wooden door on the open porch I couldn’t help but feel that I wasn’t going to be happy there as I was already missing my home.
    My aunt opened the door to us, immediately embracing us into a hug while cooing nonsense about everything being okay. It sounded like she was talking to a four year old, not her forty-two year old sister and her seventeen year old niece.
    “We’re holding it together thanks Jen. I think we both just want a lie down, we’re shattered,” Mum said as she pried herself from her sister’s grasp.
    Jen showed us to our rooms and thankfully she had no children so I was able to have a room to myself. As she shut the door I collapsed on my bed, heaving a sigh that turned into a sob I didn’t even know was building in my throat. Rolling over to muffle my cries in the annoyingly pink pillow I allowed the emotions I had been repressing to wash over me. They came in a flood and soon I was shaking from the silent sobs as I thought of my dad, the house we might have lost and how everything might have changed.
    I wasn’t sure how long I spent crying in the dark before I fell asleep but when I was awoken by my phone ringing