Postby KP Presents » Fri May 31, 2013 5:51 am
We turned and looked to the doorway, four of us smiling as Bobby said “It’s Chloe, isn’t it? You were at our grandparent’s house the other day.”
Chloe smiled as she came in and sat down. The young French girl was dressed in the way we remembered seeing her last year - a blue v-necked jumper with a red and black tartan scarf around her neck, a faded blue denim skirt over a pair of black leggings, striped socks and high Doc Marten boots.
“I was, and it is a pleasure to see you all again,” she said as she looked at us. “My friend was most intrigued by the tales I told her of the children of the Holderness family and their friends, and she asked if it would be possible to meet with you before we return to the United States. As you parents are busy tonight, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity for that to happen, and with the kind help of Madame Pickering she will be here shortly.”
Patty nudged me and said “Why is she talking in such a funny way - and who is Madame Pickering?”
“She is French,” I said quietly, “and that is her accent. As to Madame Pickering, that is what she is very politely calling your mother.”
“So why doesn’t she call her Jessica or Aunt Jessie like you do?”
I rolled my eyes and said “Because...”
“Because, little one, I was brought up to be respectful and formal with people I do not know well.” Chloe said with a smile as she looked at Patty. My little cousin was wearing a pair of light blue leggings with a little daisy on the bottom of the legs on the outside, white sandals and a white sun dress. “I know you like to play their games as well, do you not?”
Patty nodded eagerly, which was just the excuse Cassie needed to pull her hands behind her back and cross her wrists, binding them tightly together with some rope that she took from a bag we had brought with us, before she wrapped some rope around her waist to fix her arms to her back.
“I can get out of this,” Patty said very confidently before she felt her fingers being taped together. “Or maybe not,” she continued as I crossed her ankles and tied them tightly together, then her legs below her knees, making sure I cinched the rope coils between her legs.
“I see you have lost none of your skill,” Chloe said as Cassie tied Patty’s arms to her side, and I folded up a small square of silk. “Open wide,” I said, and Patty nodded as I pushed the cloth in, and then covered her mouth with the special white tape, wrapping it round her head as I did so.
Aunt Jessie chose this moment to look in, saying “Playing robbers again,” as she saw Patty sitting there. “I see you have come across this before, Miss Badelaine.”
“Please, call me Chloe,” our friend said with a smile, “And yes, I have seen the girls play these games before. Be assured I will make sure no harm comes to them.”
Aunt Jessie nodded as the bell rang. “I’ll see who that is,” she said as Alicia motioned with her finger to Suzie. “Yes,” she said with an innocent and trusting face, with the biggest of grins plastered over it.
“You’re next,” Alicia said as she stood up, walked to the bag and pulled out a length of rope. Suzie was wearing a pair of green shorts and a Hello Kitty grey t-shirt, so she took a pair of socks from the bag and pulled them over her hands, then crossed her wrists behind her back as Colin came in.
He smiled when he looked at me, and I felt my cheeks getting redder as he said “Hey girls - I’ve got some news for you.”
“Hey Colin,” Alicia said as she lashed her cousin’s crossed wrists tightly together, and then looked at Chloe. “So how come you’re visiting here with Anne, Chloe.”
“Ah - I had to return home for a week, and Anne offered to accompany me, as did Sara and her boyfriend. She mentioned that her family had some connection with this beautiful town, and I had the pleasure of meeting Lady Holderness last year, so we arranged to visit before heading for home.”
“Did you hear what happened last Saturday Grandma and the others,” Suzie said as she stood there, allowing Alicia to bind her arms tightly to her sides with a longer length of rope.
“I did, and I am very sorry,” Chloe said, and for just a moment I thought there was a flash of sadness in her eyes. It must have been my imagination, though, as she turned and said “I do not believe I have had the pleasure?”
“Oh sorry,” Bobby said as he stood up. “Chloe, this is Colin Hampton. Colin’s dad heads up the detectives at the local police station.”
“Ah,” Chloe said as she shook Colin’s hand, “It is a great pleasure to see you. I have not met your father, but I have heard many good things about him.”
Colin looked at Chloe as she shook his hand. “Thanks,” he said, “He’s not saying much about what happened this week, but apparently he spent most of Tuesday in the Chief Constable’s office, and he’s getting promoted.”
“Well, say congratulations for me,” Alicia said as she sat Suzie down and tied her ankles together, Patty poking me in the sides with her body as she sidled over to me.
“Patty,” I muttered under my breath as I looked at Suzie and Alicia, “Don’t do that or I’ll make sure you can’t move.”
“Prmsss prmsss” she muttered under her breath, so I said to Cassie “Bring me a dining chair, will you?” She ran off and brought one in, while I picked up Patty and placed her on the seat, before wrapping some rope around her waist to hold her against the chair.
“Hey Bobby,” Cassie said as I was tying the rope off, “What would happen if I was to try and come over and tickle you?”
“You could try,” Bobby said as he looked at my sister, “but I guarantee you would not get very far.”
I smiled to myself, and I could see Colin had seen me smiling, as Cassie got up and walked slowly over, her long white tiered skirt rustling as the hem went round her white sock covered ankles. Bobby was quicker, jumping up and hand gagging her as he held her with his arm over her white blouse.
“Ltmggufnd,” Cassie mumbled under her breath, making Chloe laugh as Bobby said to Colin “Pass me a length of rope will you?”
“Tell me,” Chloe said as Alicia wound the tape round her cousin’s head, “How are your mothers and grandmothers?”
“Sad,” Alicia said as she checked Suzie, then turned towards our French friend. “They don’t want to talk too much about what happened last Saturday - Mum doesn’t want to seem to let go of Andrew.”
“Same with the twins,” I said as I watched Bobby pull Cassie’s wrists behind her back, and I presume cross them before he started to tie them together, “and Aunt Cassie has had a really strange look in her eyes all week.”
Suzie nodded to confirm that. “She teaches Suzie’s class at school,” I said as Chloe looked at her, and I saw her nod.
“So who else is coming,” Alicia said as she walked over to join us. Bobby had started to wrap some rope around Cassie’s arms and tummy, and as I glanced over I could see him whisper something in her ear, making her giggle and blush.
Chloe had heard the giggle as well, and raised an eyebrow in response. I rubbed my hands up the sleeves of my grey top, and said “Sorry, Bobby does seem to get under Cassie’s skin.”
“Indeed,” Alicia said as she raised an eyebrow at me. Alicia was wearing a brown checked blouse and a pair of skinny jeans, with her feet in blue socks, while I had a black t-shirt and skirt on with my grey top, and a pair of light brown tights.
“It is all right,” Chloe said as Bobby stuffed a piece of cloth into Cassie’s mouth, “I understand.”
As we stood there talking, Colin walked behind me, and I let out a little sigh as I felt him pulling my wrists behind my own back. “I guess we’re all going to be tied up,” Alicia said with a sigh, “But who is going to take care of me?”
“Perhaps I can take care of that - if you will let me?”
We all turned and looked at the door, to see a tall, thin, blonde haired woman standing there. She was wearing a grey tracksuit with a pink trim, and a pink t-shirt visible under the sip of the top. A pair of trainers was on her feet, and she smiled as she said “Hi - I’m Sara. I met you the other day at Holderness Manor with Anne - it’s Alicia, isn’t it?”
“Yeah,” Alicia said with a smile. “I remember you. How are you?”
“I’m very well, thank you,” Sara said as she came in, and I saw the watch on her wrists with the glowing green dial at the same time as I felt the ropes pulling my arms into my sides.
“Do me a favour, Colin,” I said as I looked over my shoulder, “Don’t gag me just yet. I’d like to talk to Sara for a while if that’s all right.”
“Anything for you,” Colin whispered into my ear as he pulled the rope tighter and tied it off, then helped me to sit down.
“So, why don’t you introduce me to everyone, Alicia,” Sara said as she looked round the room. “I recognise your cousin, but none of the others.”
“Well, you know Suzie,” Alicia said as she turned and waved at her, Suzie nodding back as she bounced on the couch. “That’s her brother Bobby taking care of Jenny’s sister Cassie, and the little tornado trying to free herself from her chair is their cousin Patty.”
“Hlltthr,” Patty said as Bobby walked over and started to tickle her ribs, making her squeal and twist round in the chair, making Cassie giggle through the tape that had been wrapped round her mouth and swing her legs up and down, the hem of her skirt rising and falling as she did so.
“Time for you to sit down,” Colin said as he helped me to sit on the couch, while Alicia said “So why did you come to Holderness, Sara?”
“Well, my ancestors moved to America from here a long time ago, and when I got the chance to come with Chloe to visit the UK I asked if I could come here.”
“So where do you know Chloe from,” I asked as Colin put my ankles together and wrapped the rope around my tights.
“We have a mutual friend,” Chloe said with a smile, “Someone a little older than Heidi, whom I am - how do you say - dating.”
“Ooooo,” Alicia said, “I’m glad you have someone. So, Sara, do you want to do the honours for me?”
“I would be delighted to,” Sara said as I watched Alicia turn and cross her wrists behind her back, watching as she wrapped some rope around them and pull them together.
“Oh - that’s tight,” Alicia said as she watched.
“Is that a problem?”
“Not at all - I like it tight. So your family came from Holderness?”
“Originally, yes - but as I say, they emigrated to America a long time ago. And you know us Americans - we always like to find out where we came from in the mother country.”
“Is this an American thing?” Alicia said as Sara tried some rope around her waist,.
“I don’t know - but then, I’m an American,” Sara said with a smile. “Comfortable?”
“Very much so,” Alicia said as she twirled round. “So why did you want to come and be with us instead of Grandma and the others?”
“Well,” Sara said as she helped Alicia sit next to me, “I was told that you had seen me around, and had asked who I was, so I felt it was better if I came over and answered your questions - well, the ones that you older ones are going to be able to ask.”
“Yeah,” I said as I looked at the gagged Suzie, Cassie and Patty, “that might be a little difficult for them. So what do you think of our town?”
“I like it,” Sara said as she sat back, “a nice, quiet little place. For some reason, I really feel at home here.”
As she knelt down and crossed Alicia’s ankles, Alicia asked “So what’s your second name?”
“It’s Sara Sidle,” Sara said without looking up while tying Alicia’s ankles together.
“What - like that character on the TV show?”
Chloe nodded and said “It is amazing, oui? Except of course Jorja Fox is smaller and has dark hair...”
I laughed at that, as Alicia said “You’re very good at this - do you play these games as well?”
“From time to time,” Sara said as she tied Alicia’s legs together.
“Grandpa said two special people were coming the other day - I think Anne was one of them, but was the man the other?”
Chloe looked at Alicia and said “You mean Brian? He is a very special man to Sara, but how do you mean special?”
“He said it about Saturday - tow special people helped out, and they were going to visit on Tuesday.”
“ah,” Sara said as she sat down, “Well, I may have been one of them. You see, I had a dream about something happening at the house, and I called the police.”
“So that’s how Dad knew to go there on Saturday,” Colin said as he looked properly at Sara for the first time. “What sort of dream was it?”
“Well,” Sara said as she looked at us, “My family has a history of having dreams that say if someone is in trouble, and doing something about it.”
“Wow,” Alicia said as she sat forward, “Can you tell us about one of them?”
Last edited by
KP Presents on Fri May 31, 2013 11:54 am, edited 1 time in total.