A Sibling’s Perspective

In July 2005 we were all one big, happy family. Then, when Carla turned 15, everything went wrong.

Carla and I shared a bedroom so when she started getting phone calls late at night I heard everything. Because I loved her and worried about her I wanted to know who she was talking to. I even wanted to say ‘hello’ so that I knew what they sounded like. She always told me their names.
My mum became suspicious because I was tired all the time. Carla had sworn me to secrecy about the phone calls so I told mum that I had nightmares. She believed me. I hated lying to her.

After a couple of weeks the phone calls carried on late into the night. The names of the callers changed from Billy and Dixie to Sunny and Messy. I wasn’t happy but I felt that there was nothing I could do.

Carla started going out more and dressing differently. She used to wear baggy clothes but then she started dying her hair blonde, wearing loads of make-up and dressing in low-cut tops. Mum kept asking me questions. I couldn’t lie anymore so I told her everything. She fumed and went mad at Carla, but Carla denied all of it and said I was lying. I really felt like I’d let Carla down by telling on her. I was scared she’d hate me – which she did, but only for a couple of days.

Mum and Carla started arguing nearly every night. Then mum kept getting ill. It was like Carla didn’t care. It really upset me.

One day I got home from school and the police were there. I thought something really bad had happened. I discovered that Carla had run away. I hardly ate or slept till she was home. When she returned three days later I was relieved but then shortly after I found her slitting her wrists. I begged her to stop and finally she did. My mum rang an ambulance and Carla was taken to be checked over. Luckily she was OK.

About a week later Carla tried to kill herself.

When Carla was due to be discharged from hospital she didn’t want to come home. The social worker went with my mum to pick her up and Carla went mad. She was threatened with being taken into care. Mum and the social worker wanted me to talk Carla round but it was our older sister Nicki who eventually persuaded Carla to come home. I was really happy.