The Nightmare Had Just Begun

[hann18]

Chapter 1

Sixteen year old Mariah Sugden had never looked back. She was running, faster than she had in her whole life. Mariah hadn't slowed down until she reached the safety of Main Street, she knew there would be people around.

Mariah had hurried into the cafe. Everyone was looking at her, wondering why she was all worn out. Mariah didn't know any of the people there, she hadn't had a chance to meet the people in the village. They probably knew her dad. Mariah ordered a cup of tea and a slice of cake, then she sat down in the corner and thought about everything.

Her dad, Grayson Sinclair was the reason she was running. This past year a lot had happened in her life. Grayson had killed her mum and tried to make it look like a suicide, her friend was abducted, she had ran away to London, had a very short life as a dancer, was in a car crash organised by her dad, been dumped in a home and terrorised by an evil woman.

Then the other week, her and Grayson were arguing by a cliff edge, he had grabbed her, Mariah tried to pull away and he fell back off the cliff. She thought he died, she saw him fall down.

This seemed very true, until Mariah went to collect her diary she had left back at Mill Cottage. Once there Mariah grabbed her diary, then decided she wanted a drink. Then she heard a voice. A voice she knew she would never hear again. When Mariah turned she saw him, Grayson. He stood there looking right at her.

Mariah thought she was imagining it, she blinked, but he was still there. Mariah didn't believe in ghosts, so she threw the glass of water at him. The clear liquid went all over his dark suit. He was real all right. Mariah screamed and panicked. Mariah ran out of the house with her diary in hand.

Mariah was then snapped out of her thoughts by a voice.

"Hey," the voice said

Mariah looked up. It was the cafe owner Viv Hope, she looked fed up.

"Thats a cup of tea and a slice of cake, that will be £2.99"

Mariah went in her wallet and grabbed some coins. She dropped them on the table. Viv picked them up and put them in her pocket. She still stood there, making Mariah feel all confused.

"Haven't seen you around here before"

"I don't come in here much, does it matter"

"I was just saying, no need to be like that"

Mariah nodded her head and looked down on the table. She knew she would have to go soon, the cafe was getting empty, it was getting later on in the day. She was looking forward to making the long trek to Home Farm, with not much light.

Mariah looked up, she saw Viv go through a door behind the counter to a room that looked like a shop. Mariah got up to leave, then when she was about to pass she heard a familiar voice speaking to Viv.

"Oh no," she muttered, ducking down hoping she wouldn't be seen.

[maryg]

great when you doing more, nice to see a un chas/Carl story for once,

Although £2.99 for tea and cake in 16 years will be rather cheep ;D

[hann18]

Thanks for reading and reviewing. I'll try and update later on today.

[eppsy]

That is a great start to the sequel you are going to do Hann18. It is superb.

£2.99, even I could afford that

Please post more soon. x

[hann18]

Chapter 2

Mariah was listening to what was being said. She couldn't make out much, they were talking too quietly. Mariah decided to head out of the cafe and to Home Farm, she had to tell everyone what was going on.

Mariah ran and hid by a bush. Grayson's car wasn't in sight, Mariah thought he must be walking. After five minutes of waiting, she saw him walk out of the shop.

Grayson wasn't walking home, he had a new car. It wasn't a Range Rover but a sliver Porsche Cayenne. Mariah saw him get in and drive in the direction of Mill Cottage.

Mariah waited until the car was well on its way. Mariah virtually ran all the way to Home Farm.

First person she bumped into was Gabby. She noticed Mariah was out of breath.

"Mariah, whats up, you look exhausted"

Mariah shook her head, trying to let the words come out of her mouth. She coughed first. Gabby noticed, sat her down in the kitchen and gave her a glass of water.

"Here you go, now take a drink and then when you have the energy, tell me"

Gabby sat down opposite her. Mariah took the glass and downed the drink in one.

"Wow,"

"Gabby, you'll never guess what happened"

"What?"

"Its my dad, I've just seen him, at Mill Cottage"

Gabby couldn't believe she was hearing this.

"Mariah, I think you must be seeing things, your dad is dead"

Mariah was getting annoyed.

"You think I would make this up, I'm telling you I saw him."

"Wait a sec, what were you doing there anyway"

"I left my diary, I couldn't just leave it, look when I came downstairs I needed a drink, so I headed to the kitchen. When I was at the sink getting some water, I heard him. Look Gabby, I thought I was hearing things at first but then I turned around and there he was just staring at me."

Gabby was skeptical.

"So what did you say to him?"

"Well, I screamed like there was no tomorrow. I threw the water at him and got the hell out of there. Then I ran to the cafe, look why don't you believe me"

"Well maybe because I and everyone else saw him go over the edge, come on nobody could have survived that"

They were interrupted by Matthew.

"Whats going on here then"

Mariah was eager to speak.

"Its my dad, he's not dead"

[eppsy]

Woow. Great update Hann18, please post more soon. x

[missking]

great update

[hann18]

Chapter 3

Matthew King wasn't quite sure he knew what Mariah was saying.

"You what"

"My dad is alive, why doesn't anyone believe me, I saw him in Mill Cottage, he spoke to me"

Matthew was annoyed.

"Mariah we all saw your dad fall over the cliff edge"

Then Jimmy came into the room, he had been listening at the door. He interrupted.

"Or did we"

"Oh stay out of this Jim, Larry's dead and thats final"

Matthew stormed out of the room, Gabby followed close behind.

Jimmy and Mariah were left in the kitchen. Jimmy sat down opposite Mariah.

"Look, Mariah, maybe you were mistaken in seeing your dad"

"I wasn't, come on look, he spoke to me, I turned around and there he was, he was real alright"

Jimmy knew Mariah wasn't going to change her mind. He thought of an idea.

"Why don't I drive you down to Mill Cottage, then we can both take a look"

Mariah nodded. "Alright then"

-----------------------------------------

Jimmy and Mariah had arrived at Mill Cottage.

"Well whats going on here then"

Mariah jumped out of Jimmy's car. Two men were putting for sale signs up at Mill Cottage. Something wasn't right.

Mariah ran up to one of them.

"Whats going on, have you seen my dad"

The man thought Mariah was nuts.

"What are you on love, I'm just doin my job, putting this sign up"

Mariah looked at Jimmy for help.

"Do you know a Grayson Sinclair"

The man thought Jimmy was crazy as Mariah.

"No, I don't, now will you let me do my job"

Jimmy sighed and went back to Mariah.

"Look I know you think you saw your dad, but he's not here, his car isn't anywhere. He was the only one in this village with a red Range Rover"

Mariah corrected Jimmy. "He's not driving that anymore, he has one of those Porsche 4WDs"

"Well theres no sign of one of those here, look Mariah, your dad is gone. I'm sorry"

Mariah got back into Jimmy's car. Mariah knew something wasn't right, she knew Grayson was up to something, this was one of his games. Mariah knew he was still alive. As Jimmy was driving to Home Farm, Mariah spoke as they passed Viv's shop.

"Stop the car"

Jimmy was confused. "What"

"Stop here, I know someone who can back me up"

Jimmy stopped the car. "Who"

"That woman who runs the cafe and shop, I saw her talking to him earlier on, he was in the shop"

Jimmy got out of the car and followed Mariah in the shop.

Bob greeted them.

"Hello Jimmy, who's your friend"

"This is Mariah Sugden, Katie Sugden's daughter"

Bob looked surprised. "I haven't seen you in here before, I'm Bob, now what can I get you both"

Jimmy spoke up. "Is Viv around here"

Bob nodded. "I'll just go get her"

Soon Viv appeared.

"Jimmy, what can I do for you"

Then Mariah interrupted. "Earlier on that man who came into the shop,"

"Oh its you again, I thought you were new around here"

"I am, I'm Katie Sugden's daughter"

Viv nodded. "I see, so what were you saying about a man"

"Well you remember him, don't you, he came in the shop after I paid you in the cafe"

Viv looked confused. "I'm sorry, I don't think I had a customer in here this afternoon"

Mariah was so annoyed. "You must remember him, he speaks with a posh accent, always wears jeans, striped shirt and black coat."

Viv still didn't know. "I don't remember anyone like that today or for a while"

Then Jimmy decided to speak up. "She is talking about Grayson Sinclair, he's her dad"

Viv was surprised. "Grayson Sinclair is your dad, he kept you quiet didn't he, look I haven't seen that man for weeks, I'm sorry"

Mariah turned away, she couldn't believe Viv knew nothing about it.

"Thanks Viv," Jimmy said going after Mariah.

Viv went back to the cafe, annoyed that they didn't buy anything.

[eppsy]

Ooo ... Is it all in Mariah's imagination?

I'm gripped already.

Great update.

Please post more soon. x

[footy]

great story please update

[missking]

great update

[hann18]

Chapter 4

Ever since Mariah had returned to Home Farm that early evening, she said nothing to anyone. None of them believed her about Grayson. She wasn't imagining it, she knew he was still out there. Why wouldn't any of them believe her.

Mariah took a cigarette and lit up, she could do with a smoke. She was feeling moody. Everything was quiet, she decided to walk around the landing out of the room.

There was not a sound.

"Strange," she said to herself.

Mariah thought nothing of it and went in her room. She switched on her fibre optic lamp and turned off the lights in the room. It gave the room a different effect and took her mind off Grayson.

The room was dead quiet. Then she heard something, like a dustbin being knocked over. It took Mariah out of her peace and quiet.

Mariah jumped up and took a look outside.

There was nothing in sight, it was pitch black out there. The only bit of light was the glow on the yard, that was coming from one of the rooms downstairs.

Mariah knew something had been knocked over she saw the bin lying flat.

Then she sat back down and tried to forget about it, but had no luck. Mariah jumped up and put her trainers on. Mariah made her way downstairs to the kitchen. She spoke up.

"Jimmy, Gabby"

There was no answer

"Carl, Matthew"

Like before Mariah had no reply. She thought it was strange that none of them were around. She wondered where they could be.

Mariah grabbed the keys to the back door that were placed neatly on the kitchen table. They made a dangly noise as she held them.

Mariah put the keys in the lock and turned them causing the door to unlock. She carefully opened the door and stepped outside. She remembered to take the keys out of the lock.

The light available was very dim. She was starting to think if it was a good idea after all coming out here in the night all alone. As Mariah walked further into the yard, a sound of the door shutting made her jump.

Mariah jumped and quickly spun around. The front door had closed. She had no idea how. The house was empty. It wasn't a windy night and the door wasn't loose, so it couldn't have closed all by itself.

Mariah ran to the door and tried to open it, but it was locked. Mariah started to worry but then remembered she had the key.

Mariah started to worry a bit less, now she knew she could get back in alright She decided to continue her search of the yard.

Mariah ran to where the bin was, she hadn't imagined it. Mariah put the bin back upright. She couldn't see much, it was too dim.

She decided to turn back towards the door and head back inside. Mariah walked to the door. As she approached it, a weird feeling came over her. She felt she wasn't alone, like someone was just behind her.

Suddenly a cold shiver ran down Mariah's spine, she was really nervous. Her hands were all sweating. Mariah didn't turn around, she was too scared to.

Mariah grabbed the keys and tried to locate the right one. She took the one she was sure of being the right one and jammed it in the lock, it wouldn't turn.

Mariah was in panic mode, she knew whoever it was, was just behind her and ready to grab her. Mariah tried another key but it was no use.

"DAMN," she said really loudly.

Then she started to scream and shout, and bang on the door.

"HELP, LET ME IN, OPEN THE DOOR," she screamed while pounding her fist against the wood.

There was no luck. Then she tried another key.

The lock clicked and Mariah opened the door, running through and slamming the door. Something got caught in the door in the process, a hand had slipped through. Lucky for Mariah she had slammed the door shut at the right moment and caught the hand there, it slipped away. Mariah made sure the door was securely locked.

Then Jimmy and Carl entered the room and noticed Mariah's state.

"Whats going on"

Mariah was shaking all over

"Mariah, you alright?" Carl asked

Mariah was still in shock

"Get her some water, Carl, I think she needs it"

Carl went to the tap and poured the liquid into a mug and handed it to Mariah.

Mariah sipped the water and put the mug on the table.

Jimmy and Carl both sat down with her

"Whats happened, come on, you can tell us"

Mariah began to speak.

"He's...out...there"

The two brothers were confused

"Who was out there, you're going to have to speak in English for us"

"My dad, I know he was, he knocked the bin over,"

Jimmy and Carl were both confused

"Bin?"

"I heard it fall...so...I...took a look....outside...someone slammed the door...and....locked me....out"

They both looked at each other in confusion

"Mariah your dad is gone, we all saw him fall, it was probably just kids messing about"

Mariah was getting frustrated.

"You still think its all in my mind, I know it was him, he's playing mind games, he's like that, look it was real alright I caught his fingers in the door"

Mariah drank more water. Jimmy decided to speak.

"Mariah, look I know it must be hard for you losing your dad and I know that kind of loss effects people in different ways, trust me it wasn't your dad out there"

Mariah stood up in anger.

"YOU STILL DON'T BELIEVE ME"

Mariah stormed out of the room, bumping Gabby as she went past.

[missking]

great update

[footy]

great update

[eppsy]

Great Update.

More soon please. x

[hann18]

Chapter 5

Lately things had been very strange. Mariah knew her dad was still alive and he was following her about, playing games with her mind. The other night she had gone outside and wasn't alone. She had just got back in the house in time. The problem was nobody believed her, they said it was all in her mind.

Mariah had been looking at a college in Leeds, the one she had been interested in before. Mariah had spoken to the lecturers there and they would be happy to let her sign on to a dance course.

When she was on the way back to Home Farm, the weather had turned. When she had left earlier that day, the weather was nice and sunny, with only a few clouds in sight. However it wasn't the same right now. It had clouded over quite a bit and the wind had come up. The weather was changing rapidly and she felt an odd drop of rain on her hand.

The walk from the bus stop seemed a lot longer today. Mariah wasn't sure why. The only sound she heard was the trees rustling in the wind. Mariah decided to walk faster, there was nobody in sight.

As she walked down the road she felt another presence, like she was being followed. Mariah decided to turn around, there was nobody there. As she walked further on the feeling got stronger. Right now Mariah was getting worried, she turned again but there was nobody.

Mariah decided to run. Suddenly she tripped over and fell. Her heel got caught in something. Mariah was on the floor now, she looked around her. The rain was falling rapidly and heavy. Something was happening or going to. It was the impression that Mariah got.

She carefully got up and continued her journey to Home Farm, looking a mess. After another ten minutes of walking Home Farm was in sight. Mariah breathed a sigh of relief, she was never so pleased in her life to see it.

--------------------------------------

As Mariah approached the driveway, she spotted two police cars and an ambulance.

"What the hell"

Mariah ran through, there were police everywhere. One of them tried to block her coming through.

"Oh I'm sorry madam you can't come through here"

Mariah decided to speak

"Whats going on, I live here"

The policeman's expression changed.

"Oh, look, I think you best come with me"

The policeman took Mariah to one side, by the stairs.

"Earlier on today," the policeman began, but lost Mariah's attention when she saw something.

"OH MY GOD," Mariah shouted. She saw a man and a woman carrying out a body.

"Please calm, down, I need to tell you this"

Mariah sat down. The policeman continued.

"Earlier on today, four bodies were found in this house, the house keeper Ms Ladderbanks had found them and dialled 999 right away."

Mariah was in shock.

"Bodies...earlier on?"

"They have been identified as Matthew King, Carl King, Jimmy King and Gabby Thomas"

Mariah jumped up and broke down.

"THEY'RE DEAD. OH MY GOD"

The policeman tried to calm her down.

"I'm sorry, we don't know the cause of the death, but we've ruled out natural causes"

"You mean they were murdered?"

The policeman nodded. "It looks that way, look I know this is going to be difficult right now, but we're going to need to take care of you"

Mariah couldn't care about her. She had lost people who were her friends, right now she felt alone.

"Are you alright"

Mariah nodded.

"My colleague has just told me you are Mariah Sugden, is that correct"

"Yeah, thats me"

The policeman was writing stuff down.

"And your date of birth?"

"1st August 2008"

"So you're 16 then"

Mariah nodded again.

"Look I need to call social services, get a place for you to stay"

The policeman went to make a phone call. Another policeman sat with Mariah, to make sure she was alright, then ten minutes later the first policeman came back.

"I've just called social services, they're on there way over here"

Mariah wasn't bothered, she had lost virtually everyone now, she just sat on the stairs and daydreamed. She didn't notice the other bodies being taken out.

--------------------------------

A bit later on a woman arrived.

"Hello, you must be Mariah, I'm Liz Dingle, a social worker," the woman spoke in a friendly voice.

"Hi," was all that Mariah said.

The social worker sat down.

"I'm sorry about what happened Mariah, I'm here to help"

Mariah said nothing, she just looked to the floor. The social worker could see it was going to take a while.

"You're 16 then, I'd never have guessed, you look older for your age, so are you in college or got a job?"

"I want to go to college in Leeds, go on a dance course"

"Wow, that sounds great, are you going to enrol?"

"Well I went to the college earlier, they said it wasn't a problem, but I come home to find all of this going on"

Mariah started to cry again. The social worker put her arm around her.

"Mariah, don't cry, look you're not alone, do you have anyone we can contact?"

Mariah shook her head. She couldn't tell Tish, she didn't want her worrying about her. Mariah also didn't mention her dad, the social worker would just think she was mad.

"Oh I'm sorry, look I have a place where you can stay"

Mariah's head popped up right away.

"No, its fine, I can get a bedsit,"

The social worker laughed.

"I know you wanna be on your own, right, but you won't make it. You won't be able to cope. you can come with me, there are plenty of people who would love to look after you"

Mariah didn't like the sound of it, but what could she do.

-----------------------------

The social worker began to lead to out to her car. Mariah stopped.

"Wait, all my things, clothes and stuff, I need them"

The social worker nodded. "You just wait there, I'll check if it is alright"

The social worker went inside, minutes later she came back.

"Mariah, you can get your things, I spoke to a policeman and he said it was fine, the crime scene is downstairs"

Mariah ran back into the house and to her room. She packed all of her things and went back to the social worker. She put her bag into the boot and they drove off.

--------------------------------------

The social worker drove Mariah to a big house. Mariah remembered of her ordeal at Oakwell Hall, she was dreading to think what this place would be like.

The house looked like one of those stately homes. It didn't look so intimidating as Oakwell did.

Mariah got out and walked to the front door with the social worker. The doorbell was rung.

A woman in her mid 30s answered, she smiled.

"You must be Mariah, come on in"

The woman at the door seemed friendly, she shut the door behind them.

"I'm Kerry Sparks, I'm responsible for all of the young people here, you're 16 right, Mariah?"

Mariah nodded.

"Great, all of the people here are around the same age as you, I'm sure you'll get on with people."

Kerry showed them both around the place. The social worker had been here before but stayed with Mariah so she would have a familiar face.

The house was massive. There was a TV room, games room, large dining room, reading room, a large garden at the rear and a huge conservatory. On the next floor was all the bedrooms and bathrooms.

Mariah seemed to get used to the place. It was now time for the social worker to leave.

"Mariah, I have to go now, I might see you around, you take care"

Mariah nodded and waved her off, the social worker had left.

Kerry spoke. "Come on, I'll show you to your room"

Kerry led Mariah up the stairs onto the next floor, along the corridor was a room. It was painted bright purple. had a bed, wardrobe, desk and sink. The view looked out over the rear of the house.

"This is your room Mariah, do you like it"

"Yeah, its cool"

"Excellent, now Mariah, I need to speak with you"

Kerry sat down on the bed next to Mariah.

"Tomorrow, there is going to be a foster parent coming over, is that okay?"

Mariah didn't know what to say. "Thats fine"

"Great, now you can move about the house anyway you like, all the rooms are free to enter, dinner is at 6 in the dining room, so I'll see you then."

Kerry left the room, leaving Mariah all alone, wondering about what would happen tomorrow.

[missking]

great update

[eppsy]

Beauty Update. Great Stuff.

Please post more soon. x

[hann18]

Chapter 6

Mariah wasn't hungry that evening, so she skipped dinner. Kerry was worried and made sure she was alright.

"You alright Mariah?"

Mariah lied. "Yeah, i'm fine, just don't feel hungry right now"

Kerry dropped the subject. "Well if you say so, maybe you will want something later on," Kerry left Mariah in the games room.

The games room kept Mariah occupied for a long time. All afternoon and evening she had been playing on the Pacman machine that was there, she was glued to the screen and she didn't notice the other people coming into the room.

There was two people in the room with her, then all of a sudden the power went off. Mariah jumped the room was dark. Somebody screamed out loud. Then Kerry ran in with a torch.

"Don't panic its just a power cut, theres a generator being sorted out right now,"

In no time at all the power came back. A girl was crying in the corner she looked about ten. Kerry ran to her.

"Its alright Amy, the power is back on, look"

The other person in the room was a boy he looked about 14. He went up to Mariah.

"Haven't seen you around here before, you're new then"

Mariah didn't like his attitude

"I might be, you got a problem with that"

The boy shook his head.

"Good," Mariah said going back to her room and taking an early night.

----------------------------

The next day Mariah woke up and got dressed. When she got to the bottom of the stairs Kerry was there.

"Morning Mariah, great to see you, did you remember that there is a foster parent coming here soon"

Mariah forgot. Kerry noticed.

"Oh not to worry, you can wait in the games room if you like and I'll come and get you when they arrive"

Mariah went to the games room and played on the pinball machine. She was having fun playing and was interrupted by Kerry.

"Mariah, they have arrived, come with me"

Mariah followed Kerry to the lounge. All the others were in there sitting in quietness.

Mariah sat at the back of the room.

Then Kerry returned with a man, he looked in his forties, had brown hair and wore a suit.

"Everyone this is Mark, he's a foster parent.

Mark stood there for a while looking at everyone and then left the room with Kerry.

---------------------------------------------

"Please take a seat," Kerry said in her office.

Mark sat down.

"So, have you decided yet?"

Mark nodded. "I have,"

"Great, who?"

Mark told Kerry.

"Oh her, well if you are sure, if you would just wait here"

Kerry made her way back to the lounge

-------------------------------

Kerry went up to Mariah.

"Mariah, can you come with me, I need to have a chat with you"

Mariah got up and followed Kerry to outside her office.

"I have good news for you Mariah, a place has been found for you to live,"

"What, I can't be adopted"

"Not adopted Mariah, a foster parent has been found for you"

"Who?"

"Well you know that man I introduced to you all, Mark?"

Mariah nodded.

"Well thats who you will be staying with"

Mariah didn't like what Kerry was saying. Kerry seemed to understand.

"Mariah, I understand how you feel, this has happened to me, around your age. I hated the idea, but I felt fine after. Just give it a go Mariah, you will be fine"

Mariah spoke. "Alright then"

Kerry smiled. "Excellent," she took Mariah into her office.

---------------------------

Mark was waiting in the office. Then he saw Kerry and Mariah walk in.

"Mariah, take a seat"

Mark then spoke. "Hello, you must be Mariah I'm Mark," he held out his hand for her to shake but Mariah just sat there and ignored him.

"Oh cheer up Mariah," Kerry said.

"I'm just filling out your papers Mariah, this isn't permanent"

Mariah looked up, she was happy to hear that, but she didn't show it.

"Now, if you could just sign here Mark," Kerry handed the papers over with a pen. Mark signed the paper.

"Excellent, now Mariah everything is sorted, you're all set to go"

Mariah was shocked. "Whoa, is that it, I thought it would take longer"

Kerry laughed. "No, once the paperwork is sorted its pretty quick, so everyone is happy"

Mariah didn't know what to say.

"Well, we should be going then, thankyou Kerry," Mark said shaking Kerry's hand.

"Oh its fine, not a problem at all, Mariah you take care,"

Mariah was really nervous, she didn't know who this man was, to her he was a complete stranger. Mariah went to Kerry and gave her a big hug.

"Mariah whats all this, you should be going, you know you're the first person here who hasn't run out of the door as soon as they can"

"Oh"

Then Mark interrupted them.

"Mariah, we best be going, come on you're going to love where you're staying"

Mariah followed Mark outside. Then Mariah stopped dead. She had flashbacks at what she saw.

Mariah had to stop herself from fainting from what she just saw.

[footy]

great please update

[missking]

great update

[hann18]

Chapter 7

"Mariah, whats wrong," Mark asked worried.

Mariah was short of breath. She had just seen something she thought she would never see. Mark went over to Mariah and held on to her, she looked like she was going to faint.

Mariah pointed at the car. That was the reason she was all worked up. Mark's car was a red Range Rover. The registration number was identical to Grayson's.

"Your...car...it...can't....be," was all that Mariah managed to say. Mark realised Mariah was pointing to his car.

"What my car, whats wrong"

"Where did...you...get it....when?"

"Just last week, why?"

Mariah ignored his question.

"Grayson...Sinclair...did you get it...from him?"

Mark had no idea what she was on about.

"Mariah I have no idea who Grayson Sinclair is, but I didn't buy it from him, it was a used car dealer in Leeds"

Mariah was all confused, she felt like a right idiot.

"Look, I'm just all messed up right now, forget what I said"

Mark still wondered what Mariah was on about, he opened the car door. Mariah reluctantly got in the back. Then Mark drove out of the grounds of the home.

Mariah felt really uneasy in this car. She felt all cold and a shiver ran down her spine.

Mark was talking to her, but Mariah was caught up in a flashback.

"LET ME OUT OF HERE"

"Now princess, you know its for your own good"

"I HATE YOU"

The car pulled off the motorway into the services. Grayson stopped the car in the car park. He leaned towards her and pulled out a syringe out of his pocket.

Mariah was scared stiff.

"Now then princess, this won't hurt a bit"

Grayson grabbed Mariah's arm, and dug the needle into her skin.

Mariah screamed in pain, some blood appeared. Mariah tried to get up but she was powerless. She felt all numb and fell back in her seat. She was paralyzed.

Grayson grabbed a tissue and cleared the blood off Mariah's arm. Then he drove back onto the motorway.

"Mariah"

"Mariah"

"Mariah"

Mariah snapped out of her flashback. Mark was talking to her. She hadn't realised the car was stopped.

"Are you alright, you seemed far away"

Mariah lied. "I'm fine, honest, just having one of my daydreams"

"Well, here we are, this will be your home for the near future"

Mariah climbed out of the car and looked at the place that she would be staying.

The house was medium sized. Not too big and not too small. It was a cottage. It had two floors and a large garden outside.

Mariah followed Mark into the house. The interiors were a lot different from Mill Cottage, to her relief.

The walls were painted in light neutral colours and there wasn't a sight of green anywhere. On the bottom floor was a living room, study, dining room and kitchen. A door led to a garden at the rear.

Upstairs were four bedrooms and a bathroom. Mariah was shown to her room. The room was a lot nicer than at Mill Cottage. It was slightly bigger and the view overlooked a large field.

Mariah began to unpack her things. Things might get better, she thought.

[missking]

great update

[eppsy]

Great Updates more soon please. x

[footy]

great story please update

[hann18]

Chapter 8

A month had passed since Mariah had moved into Mark's house. Everything seemed to be going well. Mark seemed like a nice man. In a matter of days Mariah had met Mark's long term girlfriend Cassie.

Cassie was a decent person, she was always friendly to Mariah and showed no reason to be disliked. Mariah had also enrolled on the dance course in Leeds, the course was the one that Mariah had always wanted to do.

Mariah was getting on well in college. She had made friends with a girl two years older than her. Her name was Maxine and she had recognised Mariah immediately, from her short lived fame. Mariah really didn't want to talk about that time in her life, it made her sad and angry at Grayson.

------------------------------------

One day Mariah returned home to find a policewoman in the house.

"Hello, you must be Mariah Sugden, right?"

Mariah was thinking the worst, when she saw Mark and Cassie appear.

"Its alright Mariah, this police officer has some news"

Mariah sat down on the sofa and listened to the policewoman.

"Its about your friends, the Kings and Gabby Thomas"

Mariah was eager to hear what was being said.

"The results from the post-mortem have come through. I'm sorry Mariah, it was murder with a suicide. The evidence suggests that Carl King murdered his brothers and Gabby, then committed suicide"

Mariah choked on her water she was drinking.

"What, thats impossible, Carl wouldn't do that"

"Mariah, I know what you must be thinking"

"Officer, there is no way Carl is a murderer, so how was he supposed to have killed them?"

"It was a shooting, I'm sorry"

Mariah jumped up. She didn't believe this for a start.

"Look, I have had enough here, thanks for coming over officer, but I know the post mortem is wrong, Carl wasn't a murderer and thats final"

Mariah ran upstairs to her room. She knew there was more to it and she was determined to get to the bottom of it.

[eppsy]

Cool. Great update. More soon please.

[hann18]

Chapter 9

A week had passed since the policewoman had visited to tell Mariah the news about the incident at Home Farm. Cassie was reading the newspaper at the kitchen table.

"Mariah, listen, think you might want to hear this"

"What is it Cass?"

"Its about the Kings, here, read this"

Cassie handed Mariah the newspaper. Mariah began to read the paragraph that was printed.

The funeral of Matthew, Jimmy and Carl King and Gabby Thomas will be held on Thursday at the village church, Emmerdale, 11am

Mariah put down the paper. Today was Wednesday which meant the funeral would be tomorrow.

"Mariah, you alright?"

"I'm fine, look, I'm going to the funeral tomorrow"

"Of course, would you like me to take you?"

Mariah shook her head. "No, thankyou, Its best I go alone"

Cassie nodded. "As you wish, but if you change your mind, you know where to ask"

"Thanks," said Mariah going to her room.

---------------------------

Before Mariah knew it, Thursday had arrived. Mariah had her outfit ready. Black skirt, boots and jacket with a white shirt. Mariah got dressed and went downstairs. Mark and Cassie were having breakfast.

"Good morning, would you like some tea," Mark asked

"No thanks, I think I'll go to the bus now, rather get there early than late"

Mark and Cassie understood.

"Of course, are you sure you don't want one of us to take you?"

"I'm sure, I'll see you later," Mariah said leaving the house and walking uphill towards the bus stop.

It was a five minute wait for the bus, the journey took about 40 minutes. The weather was a bit drizzly and on the chilly side.

Mariah walked to the church, cars were parked by the roadside and people were gathering outside, some were walking inside.

At the entrance stood a man and woman. Mariah knew they were Ashley and Laurel. Mariah walked up to them.

"I'm sorry about Gabby, she was a great friend to me"

They both looked sad, but glad Mariah had came.

"You must be Mariah, Gabby spoke a lot about you," Ashley spoke and shook her hand.

"You can sit with us in the church Mariah, you were quite close to Gabby," Laurel said starting to walk in. Mariah walked with her and sat down the front. Ashley stayed outside.

As time went on the church started to fill up. Mariah remembered the funeral wasn't just for Gabby, but also the King's. Mariah wept all through the funeral, these people who had died were close to Mariah.

As the service ended, the burial began. The King's were buried next to their son Max, and father Tom. All of the King's who were buried in the cemetary all met an untimely demise. Gabby was buried in a different area.

Mariah thought she had better head off. Laurel came up to her.

"Mariah, are you heading off home?"

Mariah nodded.

"Why don't you come with us to the wake, we'd be happy if you did and you would be welcome"

Mariah thought and spoke. "Alright then, I'd be glad to"

-------------------------------------

The wake was held in the local pub - The Woolpack. Everyone was talking to each other. Mariah stood by the bar and got herself an orange juice.

Most of the village were in the pub. Mariah recognised Viv and Bob. They had their two children Cathy and Heath with them.

Mariah also met the Dingles. There was Zak, Lisa, Shadrach, Belle, Debbie, Eli, Sam, Gennie, Chas and Samson.

Chas seemed to want to know Mariah better.

"Haven't seen you around here"

"I used to live here with my dad, Grayson Sinclair. Then I ran away. Its a long story"

Chas seemed interested.

"Hang on, are you Katie Sugden's daughter"

"Well I was, my dad had her killed"

"The scheming toerag"

"I know, he's twisted. I ran away to London, then he found me and had me in a car crash"

Chas looked horrified. "Why?"

"He wanted to control my life. I was going to be a dancer, on tour with Christina Aguilera. So he had me in a car crash, so I would be badly injured. Theres more to it. He dumped me in this horrible old house with a crazy woman and then he drugged me"

"I knew he was trouble, I tried to tell your mum to get away from him she didn't listen though. Haven't seen him for a while"

"Well, it all ended badly. He fell off a cliff edge, but I don't think he died. I've seen him, he's playing games with me"

"Wow, look if I see him, I'm going to give him a piece of my mind"

Mariah laughed, then looked at the time.

"Oh look, I have to go, it was nice meeting you"

"Oh, are you sure, oh well, hey it was nice seeing you too. Will you be coming back"

"I don't know, but I might, guess I'll see you," Mariah walked away and went to speak to Ashley and Laurel. They were sitting in the corner of the pub.

"I best be off now, thanks," Mariah said.

"Oh thats no problem at all, thanks Mariah for coming. It was nice to see you, we're just sorry meeting you for the first time was at this kind of occasion," Ashley said.

"Thanks Mariah, you take care," said Laurel

"I will, bye now," Mariah said walking out of the pub.

[missking]

great update

[eppsy]

Great Update Once Again. More soon please. x