Psychological Thriller
Two sisters, one broken home…
Rebellious and angry, sixteen-year-old Bekka has been seeking solace with the wrong crowd.
Meanwhile, her younger sister Liv – already plagued by feelings of failure – reaches breaking
point when she falls victim to cyber-bullying. After a suicide attempt goes wrong, a chance
encounter with the mysterious Neon seems to offer Liv all she’s been missing: escape;
freedom; the chance for a fresh start. But at what cost?
Ensconced at the heart of her new ‘family’, danger mounts as charismatic cult leader, Master,
eyes up newest recruit Liv for a special mission.
Determined to find her sister, and with the help of some unlikely allies, Bekka does
everything she can to track Liv down.
But will Liv ever escape Master’s control?
And can Bekka bring her home?
Extract from Novel
An ambulance. Outside her house.
Bekka’s heart pounds as she peers through open rear doors. Empty. Skidding on the
gravelled drive, she bursts into the hallway. ‘Mum?’
Mum emerges from the kitchen, face ghostly white, buttons on her chunky cardigan
done up all wrong.
‘Are you ill?’ Bekka asks.
Before Mum has time to answer, a man’s voice interrupts. ‘Mind out the way, duck.’ A
figure in a fluorescent jacket fills the stairwell, reversing down the stairs carrying one end of
a stretcher.
Bekka backs into the sitting room while Mum holds the front door open for the two
paramedics. On the stretcher is a small shape covered by a white blanket, a strand of blonde
hair escaping from the oxygen mask. Bekka gasps. ‘Liv?’
Mum fumbles in her cardigan pocket for a tissue. She blows her nose before snatching
up house keys from the copper pot on the shelf above the radiator.
‘What’s happened to Liv?’ asks Bekka.
‘There’s been an accident.’ Mum’s voice is funny, robotic. ‘We’re taking her to
hospital. I can’t get hold of Ewan. I need you to stay here in case he rings.’
‘But Mum…’
Mum grabs her arm. It hurts. ‘Bekka, just for once, do something without a bloody
argument.’
Biting her lip stud, she nods. She watches as one of the paramedics helps Mum up the
steps of the ambulance. Pausing to give Bekka a tight smile, Mum hugs her cardigan as she
steps inside. The paramedic secures the rear doors, then walks around to the driver’s seat. As
the ambulance speeds away, blue lights flash and the siren blazes.
Bekka pushes the front door closed and sinks onto the bottom stair. Swallowing down
bile, she rests her head on her arms. What the hell’s happened? Why wouldn’t Mum let her
go along?
As the sick feeling subsides, Bekka pulls herself up and climbs the stairs. The door to
Liv’s room is ajar, the wardrobe door wide open, soft toys that normally live on her bed
scattered across the floor. Bekka picks up Paddington Bear, clutching him to her chest.
Half an hour later, she goes back downstairs. Perhaps she’ll feel better if she eats
something. She’s slotting two slices of bread in the toaster when the landline rings.
‘Hi Bekka,’ says Ewan. ‘Is your mum there? I’ve just come off duty and realise I’ve
missed a few calls.’
‘No.’ Her voice is croaky, like she just woke up.
‘What’s the matter?’
‘I don’t know. Something’s happened. There was an ambulance. Liv’s been taken to
hospital. Mum made me stay here ’til you rang.’
‘Christ. Okay. I’ll call the hospital.’
‘Can you pick me up?’
‘No Bekka. I’ll go straight there from the station. I’ll text when I know something.’
‘But…’
Ewan’s tone brokers no nonsense. ‘Rebekah, stay home. We need to know where you
are.’
‘Okay.’
‘Good girl.’ He hangs up.
Bekka holds the phone against her ear, listening to the disconnect tone drowning out the
humming in her head.
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