Jake sways where he stands, rooted to the spot.
‘You… you what?’
‘Dad… I killed her. It was me. I started the fire that night.’ Damien is angry- Jake won’t understand. He won’t understand what things were like. Or why they were like that. Yet here he is revealing everything. It just all comes spilling out- finally, honestly. Truth.
‘No… No.’ Jake does not want to believe it. He can’t believe it. ‘I believed you. All this time… you were the only one I believed. When you told me you had been out that night I genuinely thought you were telling me the truth. I.. Why?’
‘She.. you… After Alex came along and mum was pregnant with Kelley, I started to realise how far apart me and you were drifting. I just wanted us to be happy, without anyone else stopping us. It didn’t seem like there was any other way… I wanted it to be just you and me. Things could have been so much worse that night. They almost were.’
‘Damien.. What do you mean? How could they have been worse? You trapped your own foster mother in a room and burned her alive! How could that be worse?!’ Jake’s temper was rising now, he just could not work out why and how Damien could have gone through with this.
‘That night… I did go out. But only for a little while. I went to the cemetary, but I didn’t do any fishing. I sat there, and all these ghosts drifted past me, and I started to think… what if it was just me and you? What if there were no kids, no mum, no Leona? What if? Then, I came up with a plan, and quickly came back home. I stood in the bushes, looking through the window. I saw mum give her phone to Leona, and it gave me another idea. I hoped that Leona would come downstairs to return it, but she never did. I also hoped the kids were in there with her. But then I saw that she was asleep and I just crept in, started the fire, blocked off the exits, and ran upstairs. I actually almost got caught. You walked past me, and as you did I dashed upstairs, hoping you wouldn’t remember whether you’d seen me or not. Luckily for me it was the latter, and you believed that I had passed out on the floor.’
Jake could not believe what he was hearing- was this Damien saying he had planned to kill Leona and the kids as well? The kids? ‘Damien… are you saying that you wanted them all dead. Even Alex and Kelley? Two defenceless children??’
‘I… yes. I don’t know what happened to me that night, I felt different to how I had ever felt before. I didn’t hate them- any of them. But I was desperate not to be left out. I just.. wanted everyone else gone. I didn’t really care where, but this seemed the only way. I wanted them all gone.’
This was almost too much for Jake. ‘How could you?? They were your family!’
‘I know, and that is partly why I hated them. They were so kind to me, yet they were leaving me out of something I’d always wanted to be a part of. Ever since I went into that care home all I’d wanted was a family to call my own. The day you and mum adopted me was the happiest of my life.’
‘How could you keep something like this to yourself for all this time? It’s been months. Months, Damien. I’ve gone through hell, suspecting everyone. Leona, my father- I even began to doubt my own innocence. Do you know what that’s like? Do you?’
‘No, I don’t. But I didn’t keep it to myself. Grandad Lucas knew. I told him, the night he went up to Stoney Falls. He made me promise not to say anything- to even blame him if it came to that if it meant saving myself. I couldn’t do that, so here I am telling you.’
‘But you could kill your mum and intend to kill three other people as well, two of which were children? They’re not safe with you, Damien. Nobody is. I’m calling the Police, and telling them exactly what you’ve just told me.’
‘No- Dad. Please. Please don’t. I’m begging you. Please… I’m begging.’
‘It’s not me you should be begging. It’s the Police. And you’ll be speaking to them very soon… ‘
Please, Dad!’
‘I don’t ever want to see you again. Your mum would be ashamed, she’s better off dead than living with a foster son like you! Get out!’
