Reunion: Coming Home

By Ildiko Schuler

Reunion follows the story of Isabel, a young girl who is trapped in a cycle of emotional abuse at the hands of her father and brother. Seeing a school competition as her only way of escaping from them and her bullying classmates, Isabel prepares for it in secret. But on the day of the competition, she suffers a fall and loses consciousness, awaking in a strange and mysterious world where she must face her deepest fears and the past before she can escape to something better.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ildiko Schuler
• Release date: Feb 28, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201161637

Book preview

Chapter 1

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The morning clock rang loudly on the night table. Isabel Bennett jumped out from her dressing room and slammed the clock. Ha! I won!

As she turned to the window, she adjusted her white shirt with a huge rainbow on it. Her gaze turned to the rising sun. She was as happy as nervous. Monday morning at last! I’ve been waiting for this day for such a long time, she thought. She turned left and adjusted the bedding. She took her brown teddy bear in her hands. Wish me luck! She gave a kiss to the bear and let him sit on her pillow. Walking around the bed, she turned around to her desk and tided up on it. She looked in her schoolbag if everything was in. She took her entry card tight in her hand.

If I win the competition, I can change schools and finally be able to study in peace. Isabel closed her bag and brought it to the door; then she went to the bathroom. She refreshed her face with water, wiped with the towel, then combed her long brown hair. I won’t have to worry about my classmates any longer. They hate girls who get good grades even more than they hate lessons. The lower a girl’s grades, the more popular she is. They’re forever giving me clouts on the head and Chinese burns for being a swot – only when they catch me on my own, of course. But enough is enough! As Isabel finished combing her hair, she went back to her dressing room to take her favorite Lila jacket with a white furry inside. Coming out, she stopped by the wall mirror, between the dressing room and bathroom. The wall around the mirror was full of pictures from around the world. A picture caught her eye. She found this picture years ago in a magazine, in a reportage about Reunion. She touched the pictures shortly and smiled. If I win the competition – and I’ve practiced so hard, I really should win it – everything will change in the new school!

She walked to her school bag, ready to leave her room, and went to the kitchen to make a sandwich when suddenly, a strange, uncomfortable feeling came over her. There’s something fishy here, she thought, with a toss of her head. My alarm woke me at six on the dot, yet the clock shows twenty past seven already. Unless…Oh, I should have known! That’s why Jacob was in my room. He reset my alarm, so I’d be late. If only I knew why my brother is so beastly to me! But I’m not going to get into a state. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. If I skip breakfast and don’t make a sandwich, I can still catch the last but one school bus.

Meanwhile, she had shut the door of her room and was on the way to the kitchen to pick up a couple of apples at least. In the corridor, she heard strange snuffling sounds coming from the direction of the living room. The closer she got, the louder the snuffling became. As she entered the living room, an unpleasant smell hit her nose. She was about to pass the sofa when a loud snort frightened her out of her wits – so much so that she gave a sudden scream. The scream woke her father, who’d been asleep on the sofa, and he started shouting, not knowing what on earth was going on. Once they’d recognized each other, the din subsided.

Why are you screaming? Isabel’s father asked sleepily.

You scared me. Why aren’t you sleeping in your bed?

Don’t nag! I’ve got a headache, grumbled Mr. Bennett. We worked late.

Of course, she replied in disbelief.

That’s quite enough from you, Isabel! Don’t push your luck unless you want to be punished, yelled her father in a sudden fit of anger. Anyway, aren’t you going to miss the bus? I’m not going to take you. You can use your own two feet! he grumbled and marched off to make himself some coffee.

I’m not going to miss the bus! Isa retorted. I can’t be late today because… But she suddenly stopped.

What’s happening today?

Nothing, nothing, she lied under her breath. But you’re right. I must get a move on, so I don’t miss it. Bye! she said, trying to drop the subject and get out of the house as quickly as possible. But her father called her back.

Isabel! You’re not going anywhere until you’ve told me what’s happening today, demanded Mr. Bennett.

We’ve got a biology test, she replied in a faltering voice, then continued in a whisper, and it’s the day of the competition…

Isabel! I told you to forget about competitions of any kind. I forbid you, once and for all. If you’re living under my roof, you’ll do as I tell you, he snapped, hissing with rage.

But why don’t you let me take part, dad? If I win… Isabel tried to reason with him, but her father cut her short.

You won’t win! You’ll never win! shouted Mr. Bennett.

After a few moments of silence, he continued quietly, bitterly, They’ll never let you win. They just keep on promising. Don’t you understand? It’s for your own good. Those people just want to use you. That’s why I won’t let you. Of course, if I get to know that you’ve entered and taken part behind my back, I’ll forbid you to go to school for two months, and you won’t be allowed to study at home either. I hope I’ve made myself clear.

Yes, dad, quite clear, replied Isabel quietly.

So, now that we’ve agreed on that, come and give your loving father a hug, said Mr. Bennett, holding out his arms.

Isabel started reluctantly towards her father. Only the thought that the sooner she could get this over with, the sooner she’d be out of the house made her move a bit faster. While she was thinking about this, she had reached her father, so she gave him a hug. Relieved, he stroked her hair.

You know I only want what’s best for you?

Yes, dad.

And you know who’d do anything for you?

Yes, dad. You, dad, answered Isabel mechanically.

And you know who loves you best of all?

Yes, dad. You, dad.

And who do you love best of all?

You, dad, she replied softly.

Alright, then. Off you go! Leave me in peace before you manage to give me a real headache.

He pushed her away and immersed himself in coffee-making. So much so that he didn’t even hear her say goodbye.

***

Outside at last! Isabel thought to herself. "I can’t believe I got away. I honestly thought he’d stop me going to school, like last time. Thank God Jacob left home earlier. If he’d been here, I bet he’d have persuaded dad to make me stay at home. Never mind. The main thing is that I’m on my way now. Ten minutes to the bus stop. If I run, I’ll have time to get my breath back before the bus comes.

Her train of thought was interrupted by the strange swaying movement of the flowers beside the pavement. She stopped for a moment to take a thorough look at what was happening. Suddenly, a ferret standing on its hind legs appeared among the flowers.

It’s you, Hero! she exclaimed happily. What are you doing here? Come on, let’s hurry, or else we’ll miss the bus. It’s a very important day today! This is the day when everything will change.

The ferret climbed swiftly up to Isa’s neck. Before taking up his accustomed place, he clung to her shoulder, poking her face with his nose.

I can’t understand why the very mention of it makes dad angry. And why is he so sure I won’t win. It’s odd.

In the meantime, Hero had slipped into Isabel’s hood. That was his place if they went together anywhere. Or in her school bag – his secret hiding place. Hero wasn’t popular in school, and he wasn’t tolerated at home either. In school, whenever they got the chance, her schoolmates always told on her, saying the swot had brought her rat into school. There was a lot of screaming one time. Even the boys jumped up on the table; they were so frightened of Hero. They didn’t even know what he was. That’s why the ferret became a rat. So, after that, for reasons of hygiene, as the headmaster put it, Hero was banished from school. At home – though after a lot of grumbling, Isa’s father had very nearly accepted him – Jacob was mean enough to set a trap for Hero. And the evidence against Hero was so strong that Isabel protested the ferret’s innocence to no avail, her father believed Jacob. In the end, Mr. Bennett and his son laid secret traps not just in the house, but in a thirty-feet range of the house to catch Hero. That was why the ferret only appeared when he could be certain that Isa was alone and outside the gate.

Isabel looked at her watch. There was hardly time now for them to catch the bus. Alarmed, she set off at such a pace that it was quite a struggle for Hero to remain in the hood. The bus stop was a ten-minute walk from Isabel’s house, down an unpaved track that ran beside the forest. As she ran, she kept her eyes on the forest.

Abruptly, Hero jumped out of her hood at her shoulder, but so that she almost fell on her nose. She snapped scared after Hero, then she hugged him tightly.

What’s happened, Hero? Have you seen something?

But Hero just stood tensely on her shoulder. Looking forward on the route. Isabel tried to catch sight of what Hero could’ve seen, but she saw nothing special. She stroked Hero.

Is everything okay? From the path, she caught sight of the Forest and smiled. Do you remember when we met for the first time here in the Forest? I can’t be grateful enough to the boy as they hunted me to this forest on that day. Anyway, we wouldn’t meet never, would we? Do you remember how much fun we have had?

Hero poked her face with his nose again. Isabel still stroked him. Come on, Hero. We have to go. Hero cuddled in her neck, but he was still nervous.

It’s all right. Now we will just walk along.

She was still musing on the day as they first met when she’d reached the corner of the forest from where the stop was visible. She stopped dead.

"Oh, no, not Jacob! What on earth is he doing