Sleep Peacefully (22 page)

Suddenly,
the smug look on Lola’s face vanishes and is replaced by a look of utter
terror. Her eyes grow wide and I know instantly that she’s seen Jess in me,
just as I had in the reflection in the hall mirror. She releases her grip and I
use the chance to pull myself back up to the top of the stairs. I fall heavily
against the wall, frantically trying to think of what to do next.

Lola
is still at the top of the stairs, transfixed on the empty space where I had
just been, frozen with fear. I take the opportunity to make a move, and use my
good leg to kick out as hard as I can. It hits the back of Lola’s legs with a
mighty blow. Her knees give way, and she tumbles forward. She falls down the
wooden stairway, hitting the edge of nearly every step all the way to the
bottom, where her body falls with a loud thud and then lies there, still.

I
snatch Josh from his bed and run down the stairs as fast as I can. I pause
briefly at the bottom, where Lola lies unconscious. Her legs are at a strange
angle, but I can see she’s still breathing. I step past her and grab my car
keys and phone before bursting through the door. Once safely in the car and on
the road, I call an ambulance, giving them my own address, and then I call the
police. I head to the nearest hospital, saying a silent prayer to thank my
sister for what she has just done.

I
lift my chin, tilting my head towards the heat of the afternoon sun, then pull
my sunglasses down over my eyes to lessen the intense glare of its rays, which
bounce off the lake in front of me. I shift my chair on the wooden porch of the
lake house so that I have a better view out over the tranquil waters.

It's
been almost four years since the night I found out the truth about Jess’s
death. Since then a lot has changed. After Lola was treated at the hospital for
a broken leg and a fractured pelvis, the police had stepped in and she was
arrested. She hadn’t tried to deny anything. At long last, I think her
conscience eventually caught up with her and she admitted to not only the crime
she had committed towards me that night, but my sister’s murder the year
previous.

She
is currently in prison, and although we believe the sentence she is serving is
relatively short for the crimes she committed, the time will be more than
enough to make her pay for what she did. Something tells me that her conscience
had already given her a life sentence, the moment she pushed Jess from that
cliff top.

Lola
was forced to tell Ryan that Liam is not his son. Ryan was completely
heartbroken, as I had expected he would be. He wants nothing more to do with
Lola and hasn’t since she went into prison. He has now come to terms with what
Lola did, and also the lies she told about Liam’s paternity. However, his love
for Liam hasn’t faltered, and he continues on with his life as the most amazing
single father any young boy could wish for.

Adam
turned out to be a much more decent man than I ever imagined, by deciding that
it was best that Liam stay with Ryan, after all. Although Adam is his
biological father, it was clear to see at the moment the two men met that Ryan
was, and always will be, his real dad.

Adam
is now back in Australia, but Ryan sends him regular photos and updates on how
Liam is doing. The last I heard, Adam was due to be married. I’m pleased that
he eventually found happiness, and I know Jess would be, too.

I
often wonder if maybe one day Ryan will tell Liam about his real dad. But that
is his decision to make, and I have no doubt that Adam will stand by whatever
he decides, when the time is right.

I
pick up my glass of fresh lemonade from the porch floor and take a sip.
Condensation from the glass runs down from its rim and over my hand. I raise it
to my lips and take a sip, grateful for its tangy flavour that provides cooling
relief on such a hot day.

Mum
appears near me and pulls up a seat next to my own. Settling down, she smiles
at me, then rests her head back and closes her eyes under the warmth of the sun.
I hear laughing in the distance and look out into the shallows of the lake
where Josh, Liam and Dan are splashing around.

After
what happened to myself and Lola that night, it didn’t take me long to forgive
Dan. In the grand scheme of things, the secrets that he kept from me are no
longer important. I had kept secrets from him also, and know I shouldn’t have.
At the end of the day, I love him too much to let the past come between us.

Matt
and Ryan are perched on the jetty with their legs hanging over the sides, each
sipping on a bottle of beer. They are as close as ever, and have been a
tremendous amount of support to each other over the last few years. I’m hoping
that they can both now start looking towards their futures. After what they
have been through, they deserve to be happy.

Barny,
the dog, comes bounding up the steps of the porch towards where I sit, holding
a red ball in his mouth, closely followed by my daughter, running after him playfully.
I stop her and scoop her into my arms, planting a kiss on her hair and holding
her close. She giggles, her long blond hair shimmering in the sunlight and her
deep hazel eyes full of mischief. Sometimes, when she smiles, I’m sure I can
detect a small freckle starting to emerge on the tip of her lip. She releases
herself from my grip and runs off with Barny, laughing as she goes, until she
reaches the jetty, where Ryan catches her and swings her up into his arms and
onto his shoulders. We named her Jessica.

No
amount of wishing will ever bring Jess back. As with most who lose someone
close, life goes on and a new, slightly distorted form of reality continues in
place of the old life you leave behind. I think of her still, every day, and
will miss her forever, but her spirit lives on.

When
I stop and glance around and take a close look, she is everywhere. She’s in the
hearts of my family and in the memories that we all hold. Here at the lake
house, she is in the brush of the wind, the sway of the trees and the ripples
on the water. I will be forever grateful that she guided me to what I needed to
know, and led me to the truth. Without the knowledge that she shared with me, I
would never have rested, not really.

I
let the warmth of the sun sink into my skin, and relax further into my seat as
I close my eyes. I feel myself drifting off, as the sounds of my family in the
distance grows further away. But I have no need to worry, not anymore. I
haven’t had any more dreams or visions since that last night when I saw Jess in
the lake house.

I
had known then that was the last time I was ever going to see her. I now know
that she has moved on to another world, the place that she is supposed to be.
Maybe it’s her own form of heaven, possibly a place like Milton Point where she
walks along the shoreline, her bare toes sinking into the soft, warm sand,
looking out over an endless glistening sea. I feel a smile curl at the corners
of my lips, before I drift off completely. I let go of the last particles that
link me to reality, welcoming the dreams I am about to enter, and feel safe in
the knowledge that Jess and I can both now sleep peacefully.

Acknowledgements

First
of all, I’d like to thank my fiancé for allowing me the time to do something I
have only ever dreamed of before now. Without you giving me both the time and
support throughout, this would have been impossible. I’d like to thank my best
friend for pestering me to complete this eventually, and her continued interest
in the story. Finally, I’d like to thank my family; those select few who I
chose to tell, anyway. Thank you for the encouragement and faith. I’ve always
been a dreamer, and I’m glad that for once in my life I decided to follow a
dream through to the end.

About the author

NC Marshall was born and raised in the North East of
England, where she still lives with her fiancé.

As a keen reader, she has always wanted to write a
novel of her own and has held a dream of doing so since she was young. She
enjoys travelling, and likes to get inspiration for her writing from the
various places that she has been lucky enough to visit.

The idea behind her debut novel, Sleep Peacefully,
came to her in the early hours one morning. The vision she had for the story
was so strong that she had to get out of bed and start to write down her
thoughts, resulting in the final copy of the book being published a little while
later. NC Marshall is currently working on a second novel, so watch this space!

Thank you so much for reading this book. If you have
enjoyed Sleep Peacefully, it would be great if you could spare a few minutes to
leave a short review on Amazon. Reviews play a major part in a books visibility
and overall success:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00WRBVYL4

Also, feel free to connect with NC Marshall online.
She would love to hear from you:

Facebook page:
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Email: [email protected]