The late evening moon cast its cool brightness across the castle grounds, the glowing sphere visible in the black sky. Stars sparkled above, as Charlotte opened the front door. Bethany followed, the sharp sound of her stiletto boots against the cold stone courtyard echoed in the silence.

Charlotte carefully closed the door behind them and quickly followed her sister around the back of the castle where the cars were kept. Bethany's pace quickened into a slow jog, and she approached the old stone garage. The garage at Castle Stone would have been home to old carts and pretty carriages in the past, was now where the family's cars were housed. It was a sizable building made of local stone, its roof was old and missing a few tiles, that let the water in when it rained. Heavy stoic wooden beams, the same ones added when the garage was built, held the high ceiling up. It was the sort of place people could imagine being turned into a luxury barn conversion and was certainly big enough.

Holding a set of car keys in her hand, she carefully opened the garage door. Charlotte watched from outside as Bethany stepped inside. As not to cause any alarm, the girl turned on the torch on her phone instead of twitching on the light.

Inside the building was cold, and as the girl breathed, the mist of her breath became visible. She shivered and pulled her small denim jacket closer around her slender body. The sound of her boots echoed in the darkness with every step she took.

"I thought we were getting a taxi?" Charlotte questioned.

Dad's brand new BMW sat inside the garage, covered by a huge white cloth to protect it from dust and dirt. Bethany ran her hand across the bonnet.  "Taxis are for losers, Sis. Do you know how much it will cost to get anywhere from here? Why pay when you can drive?"

Charlotte sighed, "and how many driving lessons have you had?"

"More than you! So there!" Bethany made her way around the vast space. And her younger sister watched from outside as she made her way across the space towards their older sister Bella's little run-around.

Her name was Minty, the car, that was. Its pretty greenish paint sparkled in the light of the torch. It was only a small run around, really just something to get Bella to university and back. Charlotte remembered the day their grandfather Gino took Bella to look at a few cars. Vehicles had always been a hobby of his, and since he was unable to drive due to ill health, he loved to take his favourite granddaughter around to different car showrooms to test drive some of the latest, and fastest models. Bella didn't think for one minute that he would buy her one, but he did. And for her eighteenth birthday the previous year, Bella Greyson finally became the owner of a brand new city car. Sadly, grandad's health took a sudden turn for the worst, so he never really got a chance to see her drive it.

It broke Bella's heart to know that he spent all the money that was left over from selling his house to fund his care, to buy the girl a car. Minty was more than just a car. It was Bella's connection to Grandad and painted in his favourite colour, bluey-green, the colour of his eyes.

Bethany paused for a moment, she reached across and in one split second, yanked the cover off their sister's car.

"N, n, n, no! No Bethie, you can't! Please don't do it."

Bethany rolled her eyes, "come on, Nan, lighten up. Let's have some fun!"

"I'm not Nana! I just don't want you to do something stupid."

Bethany pressed the button on the key fob and they heard the door unlock. She pulled open the door and climbed inside the driver's compartment. She put the key in the ignition and turned it.

"Fine then, I won't call you Nana, Mrs Chicken! No, or are you coming, or do you have to go to bingo or play cards with the rest of the old ladies?"

Charlotte felt as if she were stuck between a rock and a hard place. She'd come so far, she couldn't head for home. She climbed into the front passenger seat and closed the door behind her. Bethany gradually started the car, and Charlotte sat next to her, as she began to drive it out of the garage. The speed dial showed twenty miles an hour, as the girls moved down the long driveway and away from the castle and onto the dark, narrow country lanes.

The second they left the castle ground Bethany's foot slammed against the accelerator. Trees lined the road, their tall and mighty stature, passed in a blur, a dark, earthy colour mixed with murky blur. An awful feeling crept up Charlotte's throat, and into her mouth, but a single gulp was enough to send it straight back down. Her head began to feel as light as air, and a cold sweat coated her forehead.

"Beth! Slow down!"

Bright headlights flashed before their eyes. Bethany gripped the steering wheel tighter. The wheels screeched against the tarmac, and the car swerved quickly, as a second car passed them at a normal speed.

"Showdown Beth, you'll get us both killed!"

"Relax sis, I know what I'm doing."

Safe was being at home, a cup of hot chocolate in her hands and the tv on with her family around her. Maybe a cat on her knee, and a dog asleep on the rug, by the roar of the open fire. The last thing Charlotte felt at that moment was safe. She felt sick to her stomach, her sister didn't feel like her sister anymore. What happened to fun, Bethany? Where was she? To Charlotte, it felt as if the person in the driver's seat was an alien to her, someone she didn't recognise. Not now. It took all of her strength not to grab the wheel herself and force this person to stop driving or at least slow down.

And then it did, Bethany gradually took her foot off the pedal and the car began to slow to a more normal speed. Finally, Charlotte could breathe. For the rest of the journey into the city, she sat in peace, and watched the picturesque countryside fade away, to reveal the buildings of the city.

Fresh streaks of rain pounded against the car windows, the spray of puddle water coated the pavements and the girls drove through the city. They passed the closed shops and department stores, all shut up safely for the night. A handful of homeless people, and the odd drink or two, hurried around the streets, desperate for some sort of shelter from the weather. The car turned down a small alleyway, and a brightly glowing sign from a bar ahead beamed light into the darkness. The words Club C.R.A.S.H, in line lime green neon lights hung above the door.  A trail of young people and older teenagers headed in the same direction. Heavy beats of loud music echoed around them, as Bethany slowed the car to a halt.

"Come on sis," she said, "let's go paaaartaaaay!"

Charlotte's eyes widened, no way were either of them old enough to go to such a place. She sighed, and carefully moved out of the car. Charlotte closed the door behind her and the two sisters linked arms and headed towards the club. The line leading to the door grew by the minute as the girls waited to be allowed it. Charlotte looked at Bethany and couldn't help but wonder why she wasn't freezing to death dressed like that.

Slowly the line moved further towards the open double doors. Two huge burly men wearing leather jackets checked everyone's identification to make sure they were all old enough to be there. Charlotte gulped. She wasn't even sixteen, not for another few weeks, and with the age of entry being eighteen, the girl decided it was time to head home.

"Oh," she said, with just a hint of disappointment, "looks like we're too young, Bethie. Dad's got some wine at home, and I swear I saw a great-looking pizza..."

Bethany stood her ground, her hand outstretched and in the face of her younger sister.
"No! No way! I want vodka, not wine. Wines for wimps and pizza is for morons! I want fun, and I want a drink and I'm not going anywhere until I've had both." She paused for a moment and looked around.

A young man, roughly her age, caught her eye. He stood with a group of other men, sipping from a can of beer.

Bethany waved her fingers in his direction, and the guy winked back. She leaned closer to Charlotte, "and maybe some of him on the side as well..."

"ID, ladies?" A gruff voice snapped them both out of their conversation. A man stood like an ogre, his huge hands resting on his hips, as he waited for Bethany and Charlotte to hand over their identification.

"Bethany Greyson, I'm eighteen." Bethany reached inside her small red handbag, and after a second or two, produced a credit card-sized item which contained a recent passport-sized photograph.

Charlotte's eyes widened, as she caught a glimpse of the date of birth, first October two thousand and two. The girls were sisters quite close in age, Bethany's birthday may have been on the first of October, but two-thousand and five it certainly was not.

If Charlotte thought things were bad, the situation quickly took another shocking turn. As the bouncer checked Bethany's documents, his attention soon turned to Charlotte's. As if what she'd done wasn't illegal enough, Bethany went back into her bag and retrieved another card. This time the name written in bold, Charlotte Olivia Greyson, date of birth eighteenth of April two thousand and four, a whole three years more than it was.

Charlotte's voice dropped to a whisper, "Bethany..."

Bethany's hand, all warm and clammy, grabbed her sister's wrist. The music pumped as loud as it could, its heavy beats echoed through Charlotte's mind and coated her thoughts in dull, deep pain. With a sharp tug, Bethany pulled her into the dark.

It was her first time in a club, she'd already been there no longer than five minutes and within that short amount of time, her mind ached. That entrance hall was full of people crammed in like sardines in a can. An overpowering smell of body odour and perfume, chewing gum, and alcohol clung to the atmosphere. Charlotte's heart rate quickened, as it began to slam inside her chest. She turned towards the door and pulled her coat from the hanger. The constant thump of the music began to mess with her mind. This would be a migraine, for definite, and that was something Charlotte was desperate to avoid. All her thoughts tried to focus on getting the hell out of there. But no! Bethany had other ideas, and after they'd removed their coats, she pulled her through into the main club area.

The second the double doors opened, Charlotte felt sick to her stomach. The bar was full to bursting point, with people as far as the eye could see. Most swarmed around the dance floor, their arms and legs like octopus tentacles, in every direction known to man. A couple to her right, got a little too friendly with each other for comfort, as one's tongue was shoved down the other's throat. Charlotte looked away quickly, but as she wandered through a sea of people to find a table, suddenly she couldn't see Bethany. Where was she? She moved at a quicker pace, through more hot and sweaty bodies, and within what felt like a few minutes, managed to see an empty table. In the corner, she could see two large fluorescent sofas much bigger than the ones they had at Castle Stone.

She placed her bag down on the table and took a seat. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of Bethany. Her slightly older sister stood at the bar, her breasts almost spilt out of her skimpy top as she leaned forward, chatting to a rather smarmy-looking chap. Every so often, she'd glance over. Charlotte sat alone, and instead of drinking, she checked her socials. She had a few messages from her friends back in Cambridgeshire. Maria's parents had finally brought her a new pony and there was some chat about Lucie Andrews. She'd been sent away to an all-girls boarding school miles away from everyone.

Bethany's fingers twirled around her shoulder-length auburn hair, her eyelids batted in the direction of the man she was chatting to. Now and again she'd rest her hand on his arm. Charlotte watched, she sighed and rolled her eyes. She couldn't understand why Bethany insisted they attend the club and then abandon her the second they arrived. After a few minutes of watching her sister flirt for England, Charlotte had enough. She grabbed her bag and decided to move.

"Hello, darlin',"

Charlotte looked up to see a much older man about to sit in the seat opposite her. Even in the darkness of the club, she could tell he must have been at least late forties, or early fifties. His dark hair was combed to the side and contained as much hair gel as possible, so much so that Charlotte began to wonder if there were any left in Boots! He moved closer, his large pot belly almost touching the table and he staggered towards her. She reached for her bag. His hand lunged forward. His sizable fingers snaked around her petite wrists. Quickly she whipped her hand away.

"Who's a pretty girl then? What's your name?"

Sweat dripped from his greasy forehead. The smell of stale beer clung to his breath.

Before the man could get another chance at her, she reached into her bag. It looked no bigger than a key fob, but with one swift movement, Charlotte pulled out the pin. A horrible shrill noise echoed through the room. The man covered his ears with his hands and quickly backed away.
"Come near me again," she said, "and you'll get more than this! My dad's a Chief Constable, you know!"

That did it. With a grin across her face, she watched as he scurried off and retreated into the vast sea of faces. But that was it this time. She grabbed her bag and hurried to leave. She headed to the bar where Bethany waited, still flirting with the barman. She tapped her sister on the shoulder and Bethany turned to see her. All it took was a single blink and Charlotte's mascara started to run. Black tears dropped from her eyes. Her hands trembled like fallen leaves.
"Come on, Bethie, we're leaving."

The barman's eyes stared down at her, "and who are you?"

"Charlotte, Bethany's sister."

"Oh, Hank, I'm so sorry, I've never seen this girl before in my life."

"I'm sorry, wee lassie, I think you've got the wrong girl. This is Imelda Bogson."

Charlotte narrowed her eyes in Bethany's direction and shook her head.

"Err, no it's not. It's Bethany Elizabeth Greyson. I don't know how old you think Imelda is, but trust me, pal, she's sixteen."

His dark brown eyes looked down at the girls, Bethany giggled and looked up at him. He stared at Charlotte.

"And how old are you?" He asked.

"Oops, I'm only fifteen!"

The man puffed out his chest so much so the greyish hairs were visible through the buttons. With his back straight he walked through to where the girls were and grabbed them both by the upper arm.

Bethany's legs kicked out and her arms thrashed, "you can't do this! I'm twenty-one! Come on, you can't do this!" His hands gripped her flesh, as he paraded them through the crowds of people.

"Excuse me," he said, "little girls coming through."

Charlotte walked in front, the club was the last place she wanted to be. Being there made her feel dirty, like a piece of meat tossed to wolves. It was no place for a teenage girl. No place for her. The man pulled Bethany past the crowds and shoved her through an open door.

"Here!" He threw her bag in their direction, "no I don't wanna see either of you here again. Do you understand me?" The barman leant forward, and spoke to a burly man that waited nearby, "make sure these twits leave my club and go play with their Barbies."

A huge bouncer stood his back against the door into the club.

"You heard Gordo," he said, "time you two were going, I think. It was way past your bedtime!"

With a single hand, he pushed open the door to the car park, and both girls were sent out. It slammed shut behind them as they started to walk away.

"Now look at what you've done!" Bethany began to shout, "this was the best night of my life and just like you always do, you've completely and utterly spoiled it! Seriously mum and dad should have just stopped doing it after they had me!"

That was it, no way was Charlotte going to stand there and take it.

"Why do you think I want to leave?" She started, "Because you dragged me here against my will and then spent the entire night just chatting to some creep. You let me on my sis, you left me to be approached by some pervert! He could have kidnapped me, raped me, and I don't think you would have given a shit if he had!"

Bethany reached forward, "come on Char, if this club doesn't want our custom, I'm sure we can find someone that will. Get your phone out, let's find somewhere better."

"No! No, I don't want to go to another skanky club."

Bethany rummaged around inside her handbag and quickly pulled out a set of car keys. She walked forward and opened the door to their older sister's car. She slid into the driver's seat and turned on the exhaust.

"Come on then baby sis, I'll take you home and then I'll go to a club. I don't want to look at your miserable mug all night."

Charlotte pulled open the car door and sat in the passenger's seat. Bethany started the car.

The drive was horrible, and Charlotte couldn't help but feel awkward. The further her sister drove, the more the girl wondered whether or not Bethany had been drinking. They hadn't been driving long when the speed the car travelled at gradually began to increase. Charlotte watched as the dial inched from thirty to forty and then hovered near fifty. Its tires screeched across the tarmac, and the smell of the burning running drifted through the open window. The blinding headlights of an oncoming car shone through the window. Bethany grabbed the steering wheel and turned to avoid the vehicle. She twisted it left, then right. But something felt wrong.

All they could see were the branches of trees that lined the road before it was too late. An enormous bang echoed through the car as it drove headfirst into a tree.

Bella Greyson's pride and joy, the little runaround her late grandfather helped her to buy, ploughed through the trees. Its front end crushed with the force of impact thrusting several feet of wooden spikes through the window, just missing its driver by an inch. The windshield cracked and broke, showering the interiors and the two girls with a deathly covering of glass. In the silence of the night, its metal body gave the final cry of a wounded beast and it inched closer to the bank. A slip of a wheel, and that would be it, no more Charlotte, and no more Bethany.

After that, all was silent for a while.