Finding You – Chapter One

I’m sure most of you will have seen that my latest book is now available for pre-order! Finding You will be out on 1st March 2021 and will also be available as a paperback.

This book is very different from anything I’ve previously written but I think it suits me more. I hope you’ll all agree.

To celebrate I thought I would share Chapter One with you.

If you like it then pre-order your copy now…

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08VJKFTYD 

US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08VJKFTYD

CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B08VJKFTYD 

AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B08VJKFTYD 

Chapter One 

Laura Harper 

1st November 2020 

The wind howled in the distance and Laura Harper pulled her sleeping bag tighter to ward off the icy gale. Only that morning the newspaper heading had warned that London was expecting a storm. The wind was bitter, and the cold stung her face as she tried to pull her woollen hat down to shield herself. Huddled in the doorway, Laura looked across the street to the flats above some shops. The warm glow of lights spilled out onto the dark street. Inside, Laura could see a living room. Perhaps there was a couple inside, huddled up on the sofa drinking hot chocolate and arguing about what series to watch next. Tears formed in Laura’s eyes as she thought about how that should be her on this cold November night. It should have been her curled up on the sofa with Sean’s arms around her. Instead, here she was lying on a cardboard box in a doorway. She had a second hand sleeping bag wrapped around her, desperately trying to keep the cold at bay and Sean… Sean was missing and presumed dead. 

Laura felt herself trembling. She was unsure whether it was because of the cold, or her fear of being alone at night, in the midst of a terrible storm. A rumble of thunder filled her ears, and she jumped as her heart hammered in her chest. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. It didn’t work. Instead, Laura undid her sleeping bag and shoved it into her backpack, which held her life’s possessions. She couldn’t stay here, she was too jumpy to stay in one place tonight. Laura could never stay in one place for too long, she was worried about being found. Who knew what they would do to her? 

As the wind howled and the rain pelted down, Laura continued to walk through the backstreets of London. She passed many heaps of blankets with other homeless people huddled underneath them. By now, some of them would have consumed enough alcohol to have fallen into a state of unconsciousness. Sometimes, Laura wished she could do the same, but she knew it was too dangerous. She had to always be alert. As she passed under a bridge, Laura took a moment to stand and shelter from the rain. She was absolutely soaked. In the distance she could see Big Ben towering above the dark streets, she could just about make out the time. It was almost 2am. She would need to find somewhere to sleep soon. Before she knew it, rush hour would be upon her and she would have to find somewhere to hide herself until the crowds retreated. Once the morning rush hour ended, she could go in search of something to quell the hunger that was already gnawing away at her insides. 

Laura made her way towards the underground and settled on making a bed for herself down one of the tunnels. There were a few other homeless people sleeping there, and so she felt somewhat safe. They might try to steal something from her, but that was the least of Laura’s worries. Hopefully, these people would not try to kill her. With her sleeping bag wrapped around her again, Laura pushed her wet blonde hair back from her face. She was still cold and wet, but she would soon dry off with the luxury of a roof above her head. 

As her eyes drifted shut, Laura thought about her friends and family back home. She hoped they were safe in their homes, not thinking about her. If her family or friends discovered where she was, then they would try to bring her home and Laura couldn’t let them do that. While she was in London, living on the streets, everyone back at home in Manchester was safe. It was too risky for her to be around the people she loved. People were looking for her – dangerous people – and to an extent Laura was looking for them. She needed answers. She needed to know where Sean was and whether he was still alive. Over a year had passed since Laura had last seen Sean, but she had to keep searching for him and for answers. It was only within the last few months that Laura began living on the streets, until then she had been staying in hostels. 

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29th August 2020 

Laura glanced down at the last few notes that she had hidden in her backpack. She could only afford a few more nights at a hostel and then she would be penniless. Before leaving Manchester, Laura had visited an ATM and withdrawn the maximum amount. The money had lasted her longer than she had expected, thanks to the cheap prices of the London hostels she had been staying in. Many of them were in the rough outskirts of London, but since losing Sean Laura had become fearless. She had suffered the worst pain imaginable, losing her beloved. Nobody could inflict more pain than that. 

“Bathroom’s free, Claire!” A young blonde woman called as she walked into the communal bedroom. Laura’s head shot up at the sound of her false name. She’d been going around under the name of Claire since the day she had left home. She couldn’t risk anyone finding out her actual name or else it might get back to the wrong people and then they would know where she was. 

“Thanks.” She smiled back. The girl was a backpacker from Australia and they had been sharing a room for the last week. Their room held up to ten people, however only the two of them had stayed for more than one night, everyone else had moved on quickly. That suited Laura. Over the months Laura had got to know lots of travellers as they came and went from the various hostels – it had kept the loneliness at bay. However, nothing could stop the nightmares. 

“I’ll see you downstairs for breakfast,” her new friend called after her as she took her towel to the bathroom. 

After a rather cold shower in a communal bathroom that had questionable levels of cleanliness, Laura emerged. She put her jogging bottoms and jumper back on. Over the months Laura’s clothes were stolen or lost, as she never stayed in one place for too long. Laura tried to take her belongings wherever she went during the daytime, however sometimes it was impossible. She had visited various libraries and community centres trying to find information. However, all the news reports just listed Sean as missing. They hadn’t even mentioned the suspicious circumstances. Laura knew that someone, somewhere, was trying to cover something up. She just hadn’t discovered what that something was. 

The breakfast room was almost empty by the time Laura entered. Her roommate was sitting at a table with a few people that Laura didn’t recognise. Keeping her head down, Laura wandered over to the buffet table – which was a glorified trestle table with a few boxes of cereal on it – and poured herself some cornflakes and milk. Unable to think of an excuse, Laura took a seat with the other occupants and said a quick hello. She still kept her head lowered. Although she looked nothing like the Laura Harper that once lived in Manchester, she didn’t want to take any unnecessary risks. The table continued their conversation about sightseeing whilst Laura’s attention roamed the room. Laura’s eyes fixated on the television on the wall behind her roommate’s head. Her heart rate quickened as she recognised the picture being shown. It was Sean. Laura had seen the picture countless times, it was his official police portrait that hung in their hallway. A lump formed in her throat at the thought of their flat and the last memories she had inside those walls.

Laura strained her ears but the television’s sound was muted, however somebody had switched the subtitles on, so Laura squinted her eyes to read them. Her breakfast churned in her stomach as she realised they were appealing for witnesses for both her and Sean. However, the worse was yet to come. The screen flashed back to the news presenter who announced that Sean was presumed dead, however there had been some significant sightings of Laura. Laura took a deep breath to stifle the scream that was building within her – she had to get out of here and run. She couldn’t risk being caught and being returned to her family, they would be in grave danger if she were. 

Without saying a word, Laura slammed her spoon down and ran to get her backpack. It was time she made the streets her home, she could fade into the shadows of London, whilst she tried to find the truth about what happened to Sean. 

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