UNLOCKED: Book Seven

By Heidi Louise Williams

UNLOCKED Book Seven of the Leaf's Key Series: What happened to Leaf's Golden and her friends after they left the Whiteash Camp - the thrilling saga continues as Leaf becomes an adult and all the trouble and adventures that brings.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gem-in-Eye Productions
• Release date: Aug 18, 2021
• ISBN: 9781914996139

Book preview

BOOK SEVEN OF THE LEAF’S KEY SERIES

UNLOCKED

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WRITTEN BY HEIDI LOUISE WILLIAMS

Gem-in-Eye Publishing

All rights reserved: No part of this publication may be

transmitted or reproduced by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying

or otherwise without prior permission of the publisher.

First published 2021

Gem-in-Eye Publishing

UNLOCKED

Book Six of THE LEAF’S KEY SERIES

Text copyright © 2020 Heidi Louise Williams

Cover illustrations copyright © Heidi Louise Williams.

Leaf’s Key names, characters, and related indicia or Quikid World or

Leaf’s Key or Whiteash Key merchandise are copyright of Heidi Louise Williams.

The moral right of the author has been asserted.

A CIP catalogue record of this book is available from the British Library

ISBN 9781914996122

www.leafskey.com

All Characters and events in this book, other than those clearly in the public domain, are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, being alive or dead is purely coincidental except for Isaac and Sienna Jenkins, and Jade Horton included with the permission of Jade Horton

Any opinions expressed in the book are from researched materials or for dramatic license, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the author.

Dedicated to Rab with thanks and appreciation

for being such a great friend.

Titles in THE LEAF’S KEY SERIES:

The Whiteash Key

Guardians of the Keys

Key to the World

Closing Doors

Knowledge is the Key

Cutting Keys

Unlocked

The Key to the Future

CONTENTS

CHANGE

BLACK BALOON

DRIFTING FROM SHORE

ROUGH SEAS

ABANDON SHIP

SHEEP

THE LOFT IN NEW YORK

MURDEROUS DEFENSE

POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER

ANONYMOUS NOTES 

      11. PURGATORY

      12. ART

      13. UNIVERSALISM MEETING

      14. LE MUR

–––––––––– Chapter One ––––––––––

CHANGE

Life was moving too fast for Leaf. She was scared, and not just for herself. She was nervous about finding a job and beginning to pay her own way and maybe moving out, but also she was scared for Mum who would be alone.

Mum was scared for Leaf going off into the world, and also for herself. If Leaf was no longer in education or if she moved out, Dad would no longer pay maintenance and she would be lost, having to find a new job that would cover all the expenses. She would have to start her life from scratch at the age of forty-seven. Mum had worked since she was fifteen and had looked after Leaf alone. All her money had gone on raising Leaf, and she had no money in the bank at all. Her one saving grace was that Grammy had almost completely paid off the mortgage on the house. But there was still always going to be the bills and the property tax and other expenses. Painting book illustrations had been enough to cover her half of Leaf’s maintenance and half the bills but it would not cover everything. She was sad at the thought she would have to give up the work she loved. The thought of having to start a new career at almost fifty just made Mum want to cry. She was already feeling worn out. Mum was going through a hard time, mourning what she considered to be a premature loss of her looks. Mum felt tired and sad. She could feel her friendship and close bond with her only child had slipped away with adolescence. Instead of confiding in her, Leaf hid things from her. Leaf told her friends instead. They never hung out anymore. Leaf was now difficult to talk to, and most of the time argumentative. Leaf needed Mum less and less. Mum just seemed to be about nagging because all other parts of their relationship had dissolved. Leaf started to resent her, agreeing with her friends that they could not wait to escape. For Mum it was a great loss. She knew Leaf’s behaviour was a normal teenage phase but they had been so very close that it was like someone had ripped off two of Mum’s limbs and then said, ‘Right, now go on, and just get on with it!’Mum had to find a new reason for being.

Leaf rarely came out of her room anymore and acted like she no longer wanted Mum around. She argued if Mum asked her to do any chores. Mum felt she could not cope having to do everything alone on top of working and taking care of the animals. Mum felt rejected by Leaf, it made her feel unappreciated and angry. Leaf resented the drama. She wished Mum would just get a life and leave her alone. Mum tried to curb her anger, knew it was wrong after the fact but Leaf’s attitude seemed so selfish that it made Mum feel like exploding.

Ten minutes later, Marie would want to hug her daughter again but Leaf would verbalise that she felt resentful of Mum’s mood swings, and Mum would say, ‘You can talk!’Leaf would storm off and Mum would get depressed. It seemed an endless cycle of Mum promising herself that she would be kinder and more patient and less angry. Leaf would sit in her room thinking the same.

Leaf had told Mum that she now had plans to move out when she turned eighteen. Mum felt like there was a loud clock ticking over her head. Soon her child would be gone, never to be her child again. She would return as an adult and everything would be different. It was already different. They did not talk like they used to. In fact, they hardly talked at all. The friendship and tight bond seemed to have evaporated. Marie did not know how she lost it and she was in mourning. She knew she had little time to create wonderful last memories of Leaf’s childhood but they just were not getting along. It wasn’t helping that Mum was having an early onset menopause.

Two highly hormonal females together is not a great mix, especially if they really love each other.

–––––––––– Chapter Two ––––––––––

BLACK BALLOON

When Leaf was seventeen and a half, life became more intense. She got a job doing what she loved, and a handsome talented older boyfriend. At first everything seemed amazing and Mum was practically out of the picture, but you never know what is around the corner, and Leaf would soon realize that she still needed her mum, and that her seemingly amazing life was not so great after all.

Leaf had passed her driving test the day after her eighteenth birthday and Mum said she could have Grammy’s old Mini Cooper which had sat neglected by the lamppost.

Sally had been towed to the garage to be fitted with a new engine and have a re-spray. Her union-jack body work was too garish for Leaf, so Sally was getting a makeover, dark blue with two white stripes down Sally’s bonnet. It was costing a fortune but Mum was paying the bill for Leaf’s birthday present, and Dad had paid for her driving lessons. Leaf had to pay her own petrol, insurance and M.O.T.

      Sarah was picking Leaf up at eleven, to drive her into town to get a few last minute things for the cruise. Leaf still needed a bikini and a couple of new dresses to wear for her performances.

Leaf was lead singer in a rock band called

Black Balloon which had landed a seven day contract with lots of free perks on a cruise liner, leaving San Pedro in Los Angeles headed for the Mexican Riviera. It was a tryout contract. Hopefully it would lead to longer contracts with the very successful cruise line company, and hopefully get noticed by a record producer on holiday.

Leaf was really excited but she was also dreading it.

Before the ship left, she had planned to stay with Lilly in Orange County California for a couple of days, and then they would drive together to the docks in Los Angeles.

Lilly was one of the guitarists in the band and Leaf was immensely grateful that she was. There was often tension between the band members, mostly Medlock and Leaf.

Leaf was glad Lilly was there to have her back.

      Medlock was the second guitarist, or he played the keyboard. He was also the soundman and manger of Black Balloon. Medlock was Leaf’s good looking but controlling, twenty-four-year-old boyfriend.

She had met him after responding to his flyer advertising auditions for a lead singer in his band. She had fallen for his musical talent and his persuasiveness, but soon she more than suspected him of having a volatile temper. That was six months ago, and quite frankly things had gone from bad to worse.

Lilly Key Jumped to all the gigs and rehearsals but the other band members, Louis the drummer and Kevin the bass player, who were both Medlock’s friends since primary school, were under the impression that Lilly lived in her parents apartment in Chelsea which her parents used two or three times a year when they came to London. Really, Lilly was still living rent free in her parent’s extravagant pool house in Orange County in California.

      Before the cruise, the rest of the band members were flying into Los Angeles from London. Medlock had justified the price of their flights with the three other gigs he had booked for them in Los Angeles the following week. Before that, they would be playing a two hour gig at ten o’clock every night in the pool area located in the centre of the upper deck of the ship. They were getting three hundred dollars each for the week on the cruise, and seventy five of that went to Medlock.

      Thankfully, Leaf had the Whiteash Key to save the money on a flight but she had pocketed the money Medlock had given her for her flight because he had not paid her after their last gig. He had only handed over the flight money to her because she had told Medlock that she wanted to fly into Los Angeles two days earlier to meet up with Lilly who Leaf said was already there visiting her parents. Really she was Key Jumping to Orange County to chill out for a couple of days with Lilly at rent free extravagant pool house, about an hour drive from Los Angeles.

With Sally still at the garage, Sarah parked her little fifth-hand fiat next to the lamppost as Leaf shut the front door. Wearing her woolly pink hat, coat, scarf, and gloves, Leaf rushed up the stone path to the gate, trying not to slip on the January ice. She opened the cranky car door and got in beside her dear friend.

‘Let’s go shopping!’Sarah enthused as she started the engine and pulled out into the road. Sarah’s heating did not work and Leaf’s feet were freezing.

‘How is Duncan?  And the new flat?’Leaf asked her oldest friend, the warmth of her breath contrasting against the cold look like exhaled smoke forming parts of her words.

‘Duncan is great!  I left him painting our living room. He’s already finished the bedroom and the hall. We painted our bedroom Carmen red, and Duncan painted our bedside cabinets a very dark umber brown which looks black to me but he insists it is brown. Anyway, it looks amazing!  Duncan is a genius!  He’s so hands on.’

‘Oh yeah?’ Leaf interrupted, teasingly.

‘I mean in a practical way. Really!’She gave Leaf a friendly slap on the shoulder for her cheek.

‘He knows how to do a bit of everything, and yes, he’s good with his hands in that way too,’ Sarah smirked.

‘Okay, I don’t really want to know. I mean the boy is like my brother, so I can’t discuss those kinds of things about him. Anyway, you sound happy and that all I need to know,’ Leaf told her and slapped her back. Sarah laughed.

‘I am, Leaf, I really am!  He is so lovely, we can talk about everything. It makes me so angry to think about the way kids treated him at school. It really affected him you know.’

‘I do know. I was there!  I really wish I had got to know him back then. I feel a bit bad about it,’ Leaf told her.

‘He said you were kind to him, you weren’t cruel like the other kids. Little did they know that he would turn out tall dark handsome, loving and kind. He is so good at so many things. He’s really enthusiastic about cooking, and so I don’t have to bother when I get home tired from work. I seriously don’t know where he gets all his