Post by Sophie on Dec 18, 2007 18:39:32 GMT
Zara Carmichael stood outside the door of flat 57, turning her key in the lock. Checking over her shoulder, she entered her home and wiped her shoes on the doormat. Anna, Zara’s younger sister, was sitting on the sofa, staring at a nature programme on the television.
“Do you want a drink, Ann?” Zara asked, lowering the carrier bag she had been holding onto the floor. Anna shook her head. She hadn’t spoken a word since the accident, and Zara knew the chances of getting a decent answer was next to zero. The psychologist said it was due to trauma, but Zara wasn’t so sure.
“Fine, I’m going to unpack this lot. Shout if you change your mind.” Zara turned and walked out of the living room, taking the shopping with her.
The programme had finished, but Anna left the television running. The news was on next, and she wanted to see it. Zara disapproved, thinking it would hinder Anna’s recovery to see images and hear details of the explosion, but Anna felt like it was her duty to watch it. Sure enough, the incident was the second article mentioned.
“Another man has died following the bombing at Shepton Mall, south London, bringing the total to 16. Gregory Alder, 20, died in Shepton Hospital earlier this morning.” Images flashed across the screen as the newsreader’s monotonous voice echoed around the room. Anna’s pulse raced. Gregory had been in Anna’s class at school. They’d even dated for a while.
“Anna?” Anna looked up, teary-eyed, to see Zara standing over her. She tried to form a response, but no sound escaped Anna’s mouth. Instead, she just sobbed, clinging to her sister, who murmured soothing words into Anna’s ear. That was how they stayed, until their mother and younger brother returned home an hour later.
Jonathan Carmichael scrunched his muddy Charlton Athletic shirt into a ball and kicked it down the hallway towards the kitchen.
“Goal!” he screeched, skidding onto his bare knees and gaining two carpet burns in the process.
“Jonny, please,” his mother Alison sighed. “I’ve enough to worry about without you acting the fool every hour of the day.” She was deliberately referring to Anna’s ordeal and muteness, Jonathan knew, and he nodded a reluctant agreement.
“I’m going out with Dave, Alex and the others later,” he added as he threw the shirt into the washing machine.
“I’m doing dinner for 7.30, Jon,” his mother instructed. Then, quieter, continued, “It’ll give me time to spend alone with the girls.”
“So,” Alison smiled, entering the living room where both her daughters were curled up on the sofa, “Had a good day?”
“Was alright,” Zara muttered. She wasn’t in the mood for a conversation with her mother.
“Anna?” Alison asked. “What did you do?” Deliberately, she had asked a question that could not be answered with a simple nod or shake of the head, but instead of the spoken answer her mother had hoped for, Anna just shrugged, and pointed to the television.
“Was anything interesting on?” Alison pressed. Anna shook her head. Zara, meanwhile, was over at the window, looking out onto the car park in which Jonathan was playing football with 5 other boys.
“Jonny’s just scored a goal, Ann,” Zara announced, heading towards the front door. “I need some air. You coming?”
Anna nodded as she stood up and followed her sister. The wind blew through their brown hair as they stood on the balcony. Only one floor up, they had a great view of the car park.
“He’s playing well, isn’t he?” Zara commented. Anna nodded.
Zara bent down to tie up her shoelace, leaving Anna the only spectator. At that moment, a car sped onto the tarmac, towards the boys’ football match.
“Jonny!” Anna screamed. Jonathan dived out of the way just in time, scraping his elbow but escaping the rapidly moving vehicle.
“Anna!” Zara looked up from the floor. “You spoke!” Standing up, she ran down to the car park, closely followed by Anna
“So?” she asked as they arrived at the bottom of the stairs. “I’ve talked before.”
“But not since the accident, though.” Now her sister was talking again, Zara was determined to make the most of it. “So why were you silent?”
“I couldn’t speak,” Anna admitted tearfully, leaning over to help Jonathan up. “I saw the bomb about to go off, I went to shout out but no sound came out. Nothing has, until now. I killed those people.”
“No you didn’t,” Jonathan insisted. “Anyway, you saved my life. That’s got to count for something.”
“Maybe it does,” Anna smiled. “You’re my little brother, and you’re alive because of me. I may have not been able to save those other people, but I’ve saved you."