I watched him for a while. He sat, legs outstretched and swinging beneath him, on a lone swing set in the corner of the park. His hulking frame seemed out of place amongst the neon rainbow of colours painting the playground.

I scraped my fingers through the loose curls in my hair. Now I knew what he’d done, my father seemed to haunt my every move. And there he was. As a little girl, I looked up ...

The car was silent as we rolled into the streets of Hazel Ridge. The crumbling yet comforting cobble road shook me in my seat as the tires of the battered jeep drove through the town centre.

I clutched onto the sleeve of my leather jacket until my fingers ached. There was no avoiding her here. I could feel her everywhere; in the patchy, concrete sidewalks she used to play on. Once dusted with cha...

“Lulu… just please let me talk” he begged, trying desperately to catch my eye as I tried to avoid his.

There was nothing left for him to say. Nothing that could ever make me see him the same way. Sure, the cops had let him go. But that didn’t make any difference. The damage was already done. I stared down at the buckling floorboards, my gaze cold and thoughtless.

“Lulu!” He managed to clasp ont...

The porch light was dim as I wandered aimlessly down my cobbled driveway. An envelope of stars, glittering like fireflies, enclosed the cold autumn air around me. The stars seemed to blind me with a warm, comforting glow.

I slotted my key into the door, draped my coat over the banister and gently pulled off my fluffy brown boots. Slipping a loose strand of chestnut brown hair behind my ear, I ma...