WHO: Mona & Kit WHEN: October 30th, just after 3am (so technically the 31st) WHERE: The animal stables WHAT: Returning to the scene WARNINGS: death talk
It had taken a while for Mona to start to feel anything again. Her sisters had arrived at the stables to collect her, both them taking Mona in their arms and holding her tight, their loose red hair spilling together and making Mona suddenly feel like she was in a safe warm cocoon.
I want my mom, Mona thought desperately and not for the first time tonight.
But then her sisters drew away enough to help her up and Mona saw the body of the dead girl again and moaned helplessly, letting someone lead her away. They retired to Mona's shop, sitting in the upstairs section with it always seemingly like someone was watching out the windows.
Mona didn't remember much, but eventually they all went to bed in a trailer together and despite the fact that Mona thought she would never sleep again, everyone's voices faded almost immediately after she lay down.
Her dreams, when they came, were uneasy and dark.
When she woke it was dark and everyone was either asleep or not in the caravan, and Mona lay for a long time watching moonlight through one of the curtains.
Eventually she drew the covers off herself as quietly as possible and made her way outside. She didn't know where they had put her shoes when they took them off, so she went barefoot across the circus, clad in the grey tank top of her work outfit and pajama pants from Maddy.
She knew, on some level, she shouldn't be going there but she couldn't help herself. The animal stalls smelled like hay and sweat and the place where the girl had been was now empty as though she'd never been there at all.
But the stall wasn't empty; Mona didn't realise this until after she'd stepped inside, and she froze on the stop, once again unable to move. But the tall figure was familiar as her eyes adjusted and she said, "Kit?" A pause and then: "you didn't come for me."
It sounded so pathetic and small. She barely knew this guy, but tonight she felt like she needed everyone she could get to look after her. She'd never felt so unstable.