Page 96 of House of Bass

“Thank you for that non answer.”

He rolls his eyes and stretches out his hand for me to hold, considering I have no choice but to entertain his whims, I latch mine with his and he pulls me close as we move.

Once we enter inside the building, all my fears dissipate.

It is a hospital. I think.

There are beds littered around and what I assume to be nurses tottering up and down. Lest to say, I am even more confused than when we arrived. Looking into one of the rooms we walk by are some kids who look to be in their early teens huddled together with an older man speaking to them.

A middle aged woman who has a phone dangling her hand at reception rises up as soon as we come into view. “Mr Thorne, you’re a little early this month.”

“Apologies, I wanted to show someone around,” he says. I rounded the corner showing my face, giving a smile and a wave. “I would have called but it was a little last minute. Is she awake?”

Who is she ? What would she be doing in a hospital? Many questions plague my mind.

“No problem at all.” The way she says it makes it seem like it is in fact a problem. “She's in a group session at the minute but they’re wrapping up soon. Won’t be long now, let me take you.” The lady whose name badge says, Sue, comes round and starts walking and we follow right behind. Up a flight of stairs, then rounding the corner as we stop in front of another room. Arden thanks her and then she promptly leaves.

Clutching Arden’s hands, I peek into the room to see it is another group of kids, these look a little older though, I’m guessing late teens. Arden points to a blonde girl who sits there sullen, her head rests on her legs that she has her arms folded around. Is that…

“Dad put Livia in here when she tried to commit suicide,” he softly says. My head whips to him in shock, my face falling immediately. “I found her bleeding against her bathroom floor, wrists sliced open.”

All of a sudden it clicks, “This is what you were arguing with him about in September. There’s no Swiss boarding school.” That was what she had heard from MJ.

He nods, “He put a lot of money into this place so it doesn't get out.” His body stiffens as he speaks, his eyebrow ticks in anger as he continues, “He never shows up to check on her. I hate him. For me but especially for her. You know Livia was nine when mum died, what she remembers of her is fracturing and she holds on to the pieces she can recollect but they are fading away. She took her death just as hard as I did but I think she hates her for dying because she left us alone with him. She hates this place. A free spirit like hers, these walls feel like a cage.”

“Can’t you release her?” I ask gently, watching him as he watches her, my head rests on the wall.

“He’s the only one allowed to. She’s a minor and he’s her legal guardian. No two ways around it.” He looks at me and gives me a sad smile, “But I’m working on it, she’ll be out of here soon. No matter what I have to do.”

A mixture of sadness and determination mars his face and before I can ask what he means, we see the gaggle of teens pack up and head in our direction.

“Dick!” Olivia’s whole face transforms into a bright smile, a complete contrast to earlier.

“I told you to stop calling me that.”

“Nope,” she replies with a huge grin.

He ruffles her hair then they hug in a way that corroborates everything he’d just said before, you can tell she means the world to him and vice versa. He’ll die before he lets anything happen to her and I love him for it.

Olivia doesn't notice me at first, her whole attention is on her brother. Once her closed eyes open and her attention turns to me, there’s a switch in her demeanour. The air runs a little cold and her eyes narrow to slits.

She pulls back from the hug, “Annabel. You’re here.”

“Hi, Liv. I wasn't sure you'd remember me.” Between boarding school and Arden and I falling out, I haven’t really seen her a lot. It had mostly been in very brief passing at social functions. Truthfully, I did everything possible to disengage from Arden’s life as much as possible.

“How could I forget the bitch who broke my brother’s heart?” My face falls as the sugary sweet smile that paints her lips is the picture of dishonesty.

“Livia, stop it.” Richard steps in, interlocking my hands with his and her eyes close in on the action. She looks at him with betrayal in her eyes.

“But–”

“I said no.” A look from him and she starts pouting, it’d be cute if I wasn't the victim of her vitriol. “Let’s go to your room, I want to spend some time with you.”

She glares at me once more before forcefully linking her arms with Arden and leading him away as I trail behind.

We sat for an hour in the room, talking. Well, they talked. I sat in the corner of the room as Olivia gave me a hard glare that implied that I should stay away. At the entrance, before we came in she stopped me to mention how she had a voodoo doll with my name on it and to be careful. I am starting to think perhaps there is some validity to her being here.

They are currently in a game of chess, Olivia’s winning (he’s letting her) then the door opens to a black guy with a clipboard in his hand writing something down, leaning against the door. “Hey, pretty girl. You haven't nominated a sport for group activity yet.”