from the chair at the sound of the locks being turned on the door and she picked it up with both hands. At the sight of Noelle in a green polo neck and faded jeans a surge of horror and anger coursed through her and she grabbed the chair hard and swung it at Noelle. It glanced off the side of Noelle’s head, but she caught it before Ellie was able to properly hurt her with it, caught it and threw it across the room. Ellie jumped on her then, jumped on her back, her arms around Noelle’s throat as she tried to bash her head against the wooden wall. But Noelle proved herself to be stronger than she looked and manhandled Ellie backward and against the wall where she strangled the breath out of her, strangled her to the point of light-headedness and stars and then let her fall to the floor.
“You cannot be doing things like that,” Noelle said afterward, dropping Ellie on the sofa bed upside down, locking her ankles together with a plastic tie. “We’re in this together, you and me. We have to work as a team. I do not want to have to tie you up like a criminal. I really do not. I have treats in mind for you, lots of lovely things I want to do for you, to make this nicer. And I won’t be able to give you the treats if you behave like this.”
Ellie struggled against the cuffs around her ankles, pounded her feet against the end of the bed. She roared and thrashed, and Noelle stood and watched her, her arms folded, shaking her head slowly. “Now, now, now,” she said. “This isn’t going to work. The longer you behave like this, the worse it will be and the longer you’ll be here.”
Ellie stilled at those words. So, there was an end. Noelle had an end. Her muscles softened and her breathing steadied.
“Good girl,” Noelle said. “Good girl. If you can behave like this for the rest of the day, I’ll bring you your first treat. How about that?”
Ellie nodded, tears rolling down her cheeks.
The treat was a chocolate bar. A big one. She ate it in five minutes.
Ellie thought of before; she thought of eating toast and jam, calling Hanna a cow because she’d taken the last bag of salt and vinegar crisps that Ellie had mentally put aside for herself. She thought of filling her bag with books, a packet of ready salted crisps and a banana. She thought of her dad off work with a summer cold, in his dressing gown, sticking his head down the stairs and saying, “I’ll go through that maths with you later on if you like?” And her smiling at her dad and saying, “Cool! See you later!”
She thought of leaving the house without turning back to look at it.
She thought of her house.
She cried.
38
THEN
Another night passed. It was Saturday morning and Ellie had just remembered that her period was due tomorrow.
“Good morning, dear girl,” said Noelle, quickly relocking the door behind her and standing with her hands on her hips, appraising Ellie with an unsettling smile.
Ellie jumped to her feet and Noelle backed away slightly, crossing her arms in front of her. “Now,” she said. “Now. Remember what we said yesterday. I want no trouble from you.”
“I’m not going to do anything,” Ellie said. “I just needed to tell you something. Something important. I’m going to need some towels. Or something. My period is due to start tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” Noelle narrowed her eyes.
“Yes. And I have really heavy periods. Really heavy. I’ll need loads.”
Noelle tutted and sighed as though Ellie had somehow deliberately arranged to have a heavy period while being held prisoner in her cellar. “Do you have a preferred brand?”
“No,” said Ellie, “anything will do as long as it’s extra-absorbent.”
“Fine,” she said. “I’ll bring you some. And I suppose you’ll be needing new underwear. Deodorant. That kind of thing.”
“Yes,” said Ellie. “That would be good.” And then she sat on her bed, on her hands, and she looked up at Noelle and asked, “Why am I here?”
Noelle smiled. “Well, as it happens,” she said. “I have a plan. A fabulous plan. I’m just waiting for a couple of things to slot into place.” She mimed an object slotting into place and laughed. “So, you just be patient and all will be revealed.” Her eyes twinkled as she spoke. Ellie wanted to bite her.