The Apartment - K. L. Slater Page 0,8

just my imagination getting the better of me. I don’t want that paranoia back again . . .

‘What’s wrong?’ Skye runs over to me, concerned. ‘Who are you looking for?’

‘Nothing, I just thought I saw someone I knew,’ I say, not wanting to worry her. My legs feel a bit shaky but I know a sure-fire way to distract her. ‘Come on . . . race you to the top!’

‘Yay, I’m the winner!’ she announces when we get up to the palace gates. ‘Stand there and I’ll take your photograph, Skye,’ I call.

A passer-by overhears and the lady kindly offers to take our photograph together. We stand beaming in front of the palace gates.

‘If you look carefully, you might see Prince George waving from the window.’ The lady winks at her as she hands me my phone back.

I have to drag Skye over to the grass after that or I think she’d stand there all day.

I take the sandwiches and crisps out of my bag. We wolf them down, the cheese-and-tomato filling tasting so much better in the fresh air, the way it always seems to do with an impromptu picnic.

My heart squeezes with pure joy. The dark shadow of what happened to Lewis has hovered above us for so long, I thought it had sapped the very life spirit out of us. There have been times anxiety has taken hold and I’ve honestly wondered if the light will ever fully come back into our lives.

Today, it feels as if it’s shining upon us again.

The relentless ache inside that I’ve lived with since my childhood of endless foster homes, of being less than, of not belonging, may never be fully healed, but spending time with my daughter always acts as a soothing balm. I never wanted her to know what that ache feels like, but since Lewis has been gone, I think she has experienced it.

Here in the park, though, she seems happy.

‘Come on!’ I laugh as I stuff the picnic wrappings back inside my bag before standing up and reaching for her hand. ‘Let’s go grab an ice cream before we walk to the Tube station.’

Skye grabs my fingers and we start to walk towards the small gathering of people at the van.

I feel a prickle at the back of my neck, that kind of inexplicable feeling that someone is watching. As we shuffle up the queue another place, I turn around and scan the faces behind me and beyond.

No one is taking any notice of us, of course. It’s just that destructive part of myself that likes to pop up to spook me when it can’t accept things are going right for once.

5

A week later while we wait for removals, to my shame, I allow Skye to play back-to-back Candy Crush on my phone. Just this once, while I squeeze the last few bits into boxes.

Despite the excitement about moving to Adder House, she’s been a bit clingy and tearful this morning.

‘I’m so sad to leave my bedroom, Mummy,’ she sniffed, and I know all the other lovely memories we’ve shared here with Lewis are probably on her mind. I know I’ve been thinking about them, too.

Our friends, Brenna and Viv, have come over to help out, and an hour later, we follow the loaded removals lorry to Adder House in Brenna’s SUV.

The lorry rumbles up outside Adder House, and Brenna parks on the double yellow lines behind it. Dr Marsden appears at the front door before I can ring the bell.

‘Freya, Skye, welcome to your new home.’ He smiles when we climb the entrance steps.

I turn to my left to introduce the others.

‘Dr Marsden, meet Brenna and Viv, our friends. They’ve very kindly given up their Saturday to help us move in.’

Dr Marsden smiles and performs a little bow. ‘Very pleased to meet you, ladies. It’s very kind of you to accompany Freya, but I’m happy to help out upstairs if you need to get yourselves off.’

‘Oh no, we’re staying to help!’ Viv splutters. ‘I’ve been dying to see this place for ages.’

I avert my eyes as we troop into the foyer. It’s just the kind of comment that might be perceived as inappropriate in a place like this. Not for the first time, I question if I’ll find myself out of my depth here at Adder House with all its perceived airs and graces.

‘I see.’ A thin smile settles over Dr Marsden’s face. ‘Freya, in that case, I’ll leave you to it. The door to your