They Just Don't Know

Daniel, Hope, Hannah and Sarah charged to Lucy's hospital bed - narrowly avoiding a collision - they surrounded her, each desperately short for breath. Lucy did not seem happy to see them. Everyone was crying, except Lucy. Everyone had questions. What had happened? But they could get nothing out of her so they had to settle for secondary sources. The police had found Lucy completely naked, curled up on the forest floor. The hospital checked her out and found nothing physically wrong with her. She was just incredibly dirty until they allowed her to wash. Everyone kept asking her about the attacker. But she would just shake and remain mute. But when Hope mentioned a man she snapped up a bit.

"No man."

"Don't worry darling we won't let him hurt you." Lucy shook her head firmly.

"There was...no man." Each word seemed to take her an enormous amount of effort. Shock maybe? Hope was confused.

"There was...no man." Each word seemed to take her an enormous amount of effort. Shock maybe? Hope was confused.

"A woman or perhaps a gang? Teenagers?" Lucy shook her head. She was certainly in shock but physically okay and by late afternoon she just kept repeating "home" in a small doleful voice. In the end it was decided that she could go home and the interview would be saved for tomorrow. Perhaps a sense of security and a night's sleep would help her to recover.

Once they were home, the mood was extremely tense as they all orbited around Lucy whilst trying to be discreet about it. Hope made Lucy her favourite meal. She didn't eat any of it. Never once did she relax her shoulders and she kept looking around the house and sniffing everything.

Sarah and Hannah went up to Lucy's room with her and sat down on the end of her bed.

"Lucy you know we're here for you if you need to talk about..." Sarah took a deep breath "Jessica". Tears started spilling down Lucy's small round face. The girls both encased her in a large hug and rocked her gently.

"She wasn't supposed to follow me." Sarah and Hannah both stiffened ready to finally hear what had happened. "I left the tent- I just had to- I wasn't tired and I just needed to walk, to move...to breath." Lucy pulled away, brushing away her tears roughly with the palm of her hand. "I didn't know that she followed me."

Sarah kissed her softly on the cheek.

"It wasn't your fault Lucy." She spoke firmly not continuing until she had Lucy looking her in the eye. "Do you know what happened to Jessica?" Lucy nodded trembling with fear.

"She was attacked by an animal." Hannah exchanged a surprised look with Sarah. This was England - what kind of animal killed a robust teenage girl?

"What kind of animal?"

"I don't know. It hurt me and then it killed her. I ran away." This didn't make sense.

"But... it didn't hurt you."Lucy wasn't injured.

"It hurt my clothes." Lucy saw that Hannah was about to ask another question. She leapt off the bed - completely furious. "You don't believe me fine! It's the truth! I ran faster than Jess and that's why she's dead!" Daniel and Hope rushed into the room having heard the shouting.

"What's going on?"

"An animal attacked me and Jess in the woods!"

Her story shifted. She went into the woods alone because she wanted the loo. Jessica followed and after some talking Jessica dared her strip off and dance in the woods. She did. Then an animal, a big animal, came upon them. They ran but Jessica was too slow. Lucy kept running until she got too tired and then completely lost, she'd just laid down on the ground.

There was no more mention of the animal hurting her. She could offer almost no description of the animal. Her previous desire to just go for a walk was again never repeated. Hannah and Sarah didn't say anything to each other about this. Hannah rubbed her temples in frustration, the idea that Lucy was lying was just too horrible. Lucy was no angel but surely she wouldn't lie about something as important as this...

The report came back. Jessica had indeed been killed by an animal. It had practically ripped her apart. That was a relief (in a weird way). Still Hannah watched Lucy closer over the next couple of days. The girl kept having mood swings. One minute she was day dreaming languidly for hours on end (very un-Lucy-like), the next she was really upset and then suddenly furious. She woke up early, she read a lot more and paid attention to the news.

Hannah decided to talk to Daniel about it. She went to his room one evening and found him listening to the radio.

"Can I come in?"

"Sure Hannah what's wrong?" He put down his book and gave her his full attention.

"I'm worried about Lucy."

"Aren't we all?" He looked very tired as he said that, far more worn out then Hannah had ever seen him. Hannah struggled within herself, trying to form together the right words. Looking at her uncle's careworn face she began to deliberate whether it was right to confide in him her suspicions. It would only make him more worried. On the other hand if Lucy was lying than something serious was going on.

Just then, Lucy came into the room behind her and sat down on the bed - her gaze staying on her cousin. Her expression was stony. Then she looked away, releasing Hannah from her intense glare. Instead she looked at a bag in the corner of the room.

"Are you leaving again, dad?"

"Yes, I have to go back to London. The theatre needs me - but you'll be fine without me."

Lucy didn't say anything. Her expression was still cold.

"Hannah?" She kept staring at the bag.

"Yes?" Hannah replied nervously.

"Did your mum never tell you who your dad was?"

The turn in the conversation surprised her.

"Never."

"Never even a hint?"

Before Hannah could reply Daniel interjected.

"How about you two help me pack, I always forget something." He pulled the bag into the centre of the room and opened his wardrobe. Lucy rose swiftly off the bed and moved to the wardrobe. She took one of the shirts off the hanger and sniffed at it.

"Smells of cheap ladies perfume," her voice was completely devoid of emotion. Daniel froze.

His expression was enough.

Lucy left the room quick as a flash and they heard the bang as she slammed her door shut behind her. Daniel couldn't meet Hannah's eyes.

Moving in a haze Hannah left the room, ran down the stairs, grabbed her keys and a jacket and left through the back door.

Hannah's mind spiralled in confusion. Daniel had shirts that smelt of other women!? Suddenly all the excuses, the trips to London because as a writer he needed to stay and view the progression of rehearsals, all seemed really flimsy. Why had they never all moved to London? Why did he always leave the rest of them behind?

Hannah stormed down the street, her feet walking by themselves without guidance. What was she going to do? Or was she going to do nothing? Hannah thought about the two important people who didn't know, Hope and Sarah, and how much happier they were not knowing.