Just as the tears began to well in my eyes, Mr Edwards phone began to ring.

"Liberty? Where the hell is you...? Ok... ok... calm down... A WHAT? Right, stay where you are. I'm coming. I'm coming."

My ears listening to every word he said. He sounded worried, distressed. Already wearing his coat, he flew towards the front door.

"Nick? Nick, what is it?" Annabelle asked, her voice quivered with emotion mixed with the hint of confusion.

"It's Liberty. She's found a body."

What the...? No. Surely not. My hometown was now beginning to look like DeathCity or Murderville. I'd never seen so many people die than I had within the past few weeks. Reggie. Derek and now, who? Ethan?

Vanessa grabbed a hair band from her wrist and tied her hair up into a ponytail. "Nick, I'm coming too."

"What about Chloe?"

They both looked at me, "Libby is my best friend, and Ethan was a friend as well. I'll get my shoes."

I had a pair of boots that were in the hallway. I slipped them on and followed my best friends family into their car. I had no idea where we were going, and with Mr Edwards driving, it was down to me to get directions.

I dialled her number and put the call on speakerphone so her dad and Annabelle could hear as well. The phone rang and rang, but she answered the phone.

"C-C-C-hloe..."

"Hey Lib, what's happened? Your dad and I are on our way, but we need to know where you are?"

At that moment I knew how I needed to be. Calm. Clear. Focused. No time for silly immature Chloe, the girl who always made Libby laugh and even wet herself once or twice. She had to go. For a moment at least.

"I-I-I'm on Ro..... ouse... ane. The fi...."

The wind in the background rustled through the phone making it more and more difficult for me to hear anything. Ro ouse ane fi. To me that sounded like Roughhouse Lane, maybe the playing field.

"Do you mean Rough House Lane?" I asked, speaking as loudly and clearly as Maddison did when she got home from work after spending hours talking to deaf old people in the care home.

Another gust of wind and the phone died.

"Did you hear that? Roughhouse Lane, playing fields." I said to her dad.

He nodded and turned the car into the direction of the roughest part of the town. After a few minutes of driving, the vast array of council houses of the Roughhouse Lane Estate came into view.

I didn't know anyone who lived there and didn't want to either. To call it a dump was being polite. Roughhouse was more than a dump, it was a cesspit. Full of criminal scum and druggy, drunken benefit cheats. Not that all unemployed people were benefits cheats, some actually wanted to work, but these were not just unemployed people, these were unemployable chavs.

We passed a house, a typical 60's council house on the estate, a woman, who must have been in her very late 60's, most likely 70's leaned against the fence to her property, her tits so big they were almost over the other side of the gate. A flash of her bright orange top and filthy purple hair was all we saw as we drove by. But the language that came out of her mouth, was utterly disgusting.

"Ya f***ing load c***s!" She called out at the top of her voice and with one hand, made an obscene gesture towards the car.

What we did to deserve being called that was something I would never know, but I didn't really care. Like I said, scum filled cesspit. We turned the corner towards the empty playing fields, bright lights of police cars flashed before our eyes as they hurtled down the road.

Mr Edwards slowed the car down and parked it just in front of the railings.

"Liberty!" He called, and I could see my friend running towards him.

He wrapped his arms around her as she cried on his shoulder. Still, in my pyjamas, I climbed out of the car to comfort my friend.

"Chloe," she cried, tears streamed down her face.

I had two things I wanted to know and neither one of them my friend was going to like. "Is it him, is it Ethan?" I asked, getting question number one out of the way.

Libby shook her head, "no. No, it's not him."

Hearing her reply, I breathed a sigh of relief, but now for question number two. "Where is it?"

Libby pointed towards the swings in the distance. As the police sprinted across the playground, I could see a shape laying face down on the cold, wet grass. Whoever it was, I felt so sorry for their family. They were someone's son or daughter, who probably had brothers or sisters, a mum and a dad, people who loved them.

Seeing all this, took my mind straight back to Reggie. How could someone do that to another person? How could someone take away someone's life? It made me feel sick. Physically sick. Instead of staying with my friend and her dad while the police questioned her about finding bodz, I returned to the warmth of the car.

For the drive back we sat in silence. No one saying anything, not that anyone knew what to say. I wanted to go home, to my proper home with my mum, sisters and Bradley. Home was all I craved, but that was just another thing I'd lost.

I wanted to be with my family. I didn't want to be with Libby anymore.

"Mr Edwards?" I started, "Can you take me to my grandma's? I want to be with my Mum."

He nodded and drove the car towards my grandma's. Not having to stay with my headmaster, I breathed a sigh of relief. I needed my Mum. I needed my family. I didn't want this anymore.

Libby and Vanessa stayed in the car as Mr Edwards walked me to my grandma's front door. He knocked loudly until Maddison opened the door.

"Chloe?!" She gasped, "thought you were staying with Libby?"

"She wants her family." Spoke Mr Edwards. She'll explain everything tomorrow."

I entered the house and although it wasn't the home I wanted, grandma's was always second best. I had my sisters, my brother, my Mum and Grandma. The only thing I was unsure of, was where I was going to sleep.

"Where and I sleeping?" I asked.

"Ah, right. Mum's in grandma's room with Bradley and Lilly, grandma's in the box room. I'm going back to Indie's. I'm too pregnant to sleep on a camp bed, so you, my little sister are in the bathroom."

"Camp bed?"

Maddison nodded, but I wasn't all that bothered. I'd take the camp bed as long as I could be with my family.