Forbidden Love at Waterloo Road

Family is only skin deep: Chapter 5

I’m standing in what looks like it used to be a field, there are dead crops all around me as well as blood splodges around on the ground and a few bodies scattered around just waiting to be cleared away. I’ve heard the familiar voice of my brother shouting already, shouting out to someone of whom I don’t know, I think I heard the name Sam but I’m not certain. I walk through the dead crops and grass until I reach a camp, green tents all around, men sitting outside talking between them which is when I spot him. Kai is sat on a wrecked up stool with 5 other men, he’s laughing and smiling and I can’t help but smile too, I love seeing my brother happy it gave me hope that he will come back. The hope is short lived of course, he gets up off the stool and walks towards me almost as if he can’t see me which I realise he can’t. He’s stood right in front of me, staring at my face unknowingly of course. I smile a little and watch him as he turns back again, he’s walking back to his camp and I hear it behind me. The bang of a gun, I turn around and see another man, obviously the Taliban as he fire’s a gun, I quickly jump out the way even though I know the bullet won’t hit me and I watch as the bullet flies past me and hits my brother in the neck.

I sat up quickly as the dream ended, breathing heavily and sweating quite a lot I pushed my covers off of me and got out of bed. It was 4 o’clock so I turned my light on and ripped open the drawer on the bedside table, I’d pulled it so aggressively that it pulled all the way out and I couldn’t put it back in. “For fuck sake” I muttered under my breath before I gave up putting it back in and threw all my pants out the drawer until nothing was left apart from the scatter of letter at the bottom. I pulled one out and started reading the last letter that Kai had ever sent me saying how he was sorry to hear about Tom and about what had happened with Kyle, I’d received it a day before I found he was dead, he was probably already dead when I received it because letters normally take over a week to get to the person there for. I sobbed quietly and sat reading every single letter he had ever sent me and dad. “Kaitlin? Wakey wake- Kaitlin what’re you doing up so early?!” Maggie said when she walked into my room, I looked at my clock and it was half past 6, I’d been sat awake and reading the letters for 2 and a half hours and I didn’t even realise. “Come here” Maggie said and pulled me up off the floor, she sat me down on the bed and wrapped her arms around me “It’s his birthday today” I sobbed and Maggie rocked me a little to calm me down, his birthday had always been such a big thing, even before he’d joined the army. We’d always thrown him a massive party inviting all his friends and family, it was great but not anymore, his birthday would now always just remind me of how he wasn’t here anymore. “Hey, hey look at me” Maggie said and pulled away from me, she cupped my face and wiped my tears away with her delicate fingers. “How about we throw a little party for him? In his memory” Maggie said and I smiled a tiny bit through my tears before nodding and hugging her again in thanks, Maggie stayed with me for a couple of minutes before I got up and went for a shower. I stayed in my room once I was ready saying I wasn’t hungry which I wasn’t, after some small arguing from Maggie she left me alone and went downstairs. I heard shouts from Rhiannon and Lisa and eventually went downstairs where Maggie was just pulling both girls apart. “Maggie told us about Kai’s birthday” Rhiannon said to me when she exited the dining room and saw me, I gave a weak smile then let it disappear again as she hugged me right.

I walked with Rhiannon into the school and for the few minutes that we were together and laughing I pretty much forgot about what the day was “Hiya babe” Dynasty said when I walked over after leaving Rhiannon, Dynasty hugged me and rubbed her hand on my back, I’d told the day before about Kai’s birthday and I knew she’d try and comfort me on the day so I was expecting it. “You alright?” she asked and I nodded slightly, she knew I was lying but just hugged me again. I let my eyes glance to the steps and saw Barry sat on the bottom step, he was looking off the other way like he hadn’t noticed me before I walked away with both Dynasty and Kacey, talking about her boxing. I was proud of Kacey, she’d finally found something she enjoyed and I knew that both me and Dynasty-maybe even Barry-would support her the whole way. We eventually broke off from Kacey and I went into form with Dynasty, sitting down with Rhiannon and Imogen. Although I didn’t like Imogen all too much I was still civil to her and joined in with their conversation about the TV programme’s that had been on the previous night. “Sir?” I shouted out after he’d done the register and he looked up from what he was doing at his desk and nodded at me to continue “Do you watch Educating Yorkshire?” I asked my form tutor and looked to my friends-and Imogen-as they sat forwards to see what I was going on at “Yes, I do actually, why?” he asked and let his pen drop from his hand urging me to continue “I think they should do an Educating Greenock and do it here” I said and everyone the room laughed along with Mr Lowsley “God that’d be a show ‘n’ ‘alf” Mr Lowsley laughed and I got up from my seat, I clenched my hands into a fist as if I was holding a microphone “Kaitlin Byrne, the beautiful sixth former and daughter of previous headmaster has just come into school 5 minutes late, oh what will Simon Lowsley do to her today? Maybe another detention or even a clip round the ear will do it” I said in a mocking tone as if I was the overhead narrator from the show as everyone in the class burst out laughing again, we ended up spending the whole of form period talking about Educating Yorkshire and what it’d be like if it came here “Right off you go ya ‘orrible lot, don’t cause too much trouble” Mr Lowsley shouted to us all as he held the door open and I walked with Dynasty to Science where we eventually told to wait outside by sickbag. I was sat on the stairs with my curly haired friend when I saw her glance over at Kevin, I could tell she was broken up by the break up so I put my arms around her shoulders and hugged her as Barry walked into the classroom like he was supposed to be there. “In” Barry eventually came back out and told us all to go inside as if he himself was Miss Spark, I looked at him as I walked inside and he just looked away like I wasn’t there. “Right take a seat. Today you’ll be doing a short exam” Miss Spark said, I looked at Dynasty as we sat down “You can’t just spring an exam on us!” Connor protested along with everyone else in the class but I was still watching Barry. “Hey, hey. You all need reminding who calls the shots in this class” he said, me and Dynasty looked at each other “Yeah Miss Spark, not you, Barry” I said and everyone laughed excluding Barry and Miss Spark, Barry just glared at me as he took his seat and we all eventually started our exam.