Amber by Heather Burnside (great novels of all time .TXT) 📗

grandparents who were more formal. But there were advantages to being with them. At least they weren’t drunk all the time and she didn’t have to help around the house as much.

The one thing she didn’t like though was how they kept asking questions about her mother’s behaviour and what life was like at home. She kept her answers vague as she didn’t like to tell tales on her mother, and she warned Nathan to do the same.

At the moment, Amy was in the bedroom she was occupying, writing in a diary from her grandmother, when Nathan came to the door. She quickly shut the diary, not wanting anybody to be party to the troubled thoughts about her mother, which had spilt out onto its pages as soon as she was alone.

‘What do you want?’ she snapped, knowing it was unusual for Nathan to want to chat with her.

‘I don’t wanna look at that anyway,’ he countered. ‘I just wanted to talk to you about something.’

Amy sighed, locked the diary with the accompanying key and put it to one side, then said, ‘OK, come in then.’

Nathan walked into the room, dragging his feet, and sat down on the bed beside her. ‘I was just wondering why Grandma and Grandad keep asking things about Mum.’

‘Because they don’t get on with her. Don’t tell them anything. They might use it in a row or something.’

‘I didn’t.’

‘Why, what have they been asking you?’

‘Just about what Mum makes us to eat and whether she goes out a lot.’

‘You didn’t tell them, did you?’

‘No! I just said she made us the same sort of food as they did, and she didn’t go out that much.’

‘Good,’ said Amy, but she could tell Nathan was troubled.

‘Mum’s food isn’t as good as Grandma’s though, is it? And we don’t get as much.’

Amy shrugged but Nathan wasn’t finished.

‘I wish I’d have told them what she’s really like, then we could live here instead. I don’t like Mum anymore.’

‘Why?’

‘Because she does bad things. I wish she would have died.’

‘Nathan! You can’t say that,’ said Amy, alarmed.

‘Why not?’

‘Because… well, because she’s our mum. And you shouldn’t say bad things about your mum. Anyway, she looks after us, and it’s only because Dale left her that she does bad things so it’s his fault really.’

‘I don’t care. I still don’t like her,’ said Nathan before jumping off the bed and dashing out of the room.

*

April 1999

That afternoon, Loretta arrived to take Amy and Nathan back home. As soon as she heard her mother’s voice, Amy ran down the stairs, flinging her arms around her in an emotional greeting.

‘I’ve missed you, Mum.’

‘I know, love; I’ve missed you too. I’m sorry.’

She didn’t say what she was sorry about, but Amy didn’t wait for her to elaborate. ‘Are we going home today?’

‘Yes, later. But I need to have a word with your grandparents first.’

‘Oh, OK.’

‘Where’s Nathan?’

‘Upstairs.’

‘Can you go and get him for me please, love?’ asked Loretta.

Amy dashed upstairs, noticing that her grandparents had appeared in the hallway. She found Nathan standing at the chest of drawers conducting some sort of experiment with his toy science lab.

‘Nathan, Mum’s here.’

‘I know. I heard her.’

‘She’s come to take us home.’

Nathan looked as though he was about to say something but then changed his mind.

‘Come on. She’s waiting to see you,’ said Amy. When he carried on playing with his science lab she added, ‘You’ll be in trouble if you don’t.’

Nathan carefully put down the equipment he had been holding and followed Amy downstairs where his mother was waiting. Amy noticed that her grandparents were no longer in the hallway; they had retreated into the lounge.

‘Come here. Let me have a look at you,’ Loretta said to Nathan who slowly drew closer to her.

She flung her arms around him, but Nathan was unresponsive, his shoulders remaining slumped. Amy thought her mother either didn’t notice his reaction or she chose to disregard it as she continued to hug him and said, ‘I’ve missed you. I can’t wait to take you both home.’

‘Can I finish my experiment first?’ asked Nathan.

Loretta made light of it. ‘Trust you. Yeah, course you can. I’ve still got to have a word with your grandparents anyway before we go home.’

As soon as she released her grip, Nathan raced back up the stairs, but Amy hovered uncertainly.

‘I need to talk to them in private,’ said Loretta. ‘I’ll shout you when I’m ready to go.’

Then Loretta went through to the lounge and shut the door. But Amy didn’t follow her brother back upstairs. She was curious about the forthcoming discussion, so she stayed at the foot of the stairs, ready to dash away if the lounge door opened.

She couldn’t hear everything that was being said from where she was, but it was too risky going any nearer to the lounge door. At first, she just heard the muffled sounds of people speaking. She managed to pick out the various voices, but she couldn’t tell what they were saying.

Then her grandad raised his voice. She still couldn’t tell everything he was saying but she did identify the words ‘bloody’ and ‘social services’.

Her mother shouted back, and this time Amy could hear every word. ‘Don’t you dare report me or you’ll never bloody see them again.’

She didn’t hear her grandad’s response, but she heard her mother say something about the fact that things were going to be different. As she spoke her words became louder, but it was because she was getting nearer not because she was still shouting.

Amy fled up the stairs, afraid of being caught eavesdropping and she wasn’t there long before her mother called for her and Nathan to come down again. Amy went into Nathan’s room to make sure he had heard, and they went back down the stairs together.

‘Come on, we’re going. Say goodbye to your grandparents,’ said Loretta, stony-faced. ‘And don’t forget to thank them,’ she added as an afterthought.

Amy went over to say goodbye to her grandparents. She hugged her grandad