RED
By
Jacqueline Kirk
RED
Jacqueline Kirk
Published by Jacqueline Kirk at Smashwords
Copyright 2010 Jacqueline Kirk
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CHAPTER ONE
The land was bathed in the light of the moon, washing everything in shades of silver and black. Light and shadows. Shadows and light. These were the nights I loved the most with a cloudless sky and only a slight breeze to stir all those delicious scents that only the night bring.
Looking down at the ground where I stood, I wriggled my toes to feel the grass tickling the undersides making me shiver in delight. With a final survey of the field and woods I sprang down the hill, all four legs working in perfect synchronicity to propel me at a speed no human could match. This was what I loved – the physical exertion of my entire body in order to simply run.
It might sound strange to most humans, except perhaps track athletes, but I loved to run. I loved the sensation of speed I could attain and the way the countryside just whizzed past when I was at my fastest.
I had to slow a bit when I reached the trees – even my eyesight wasn’t so great in the near complete darkness of the woods. I could still admire the way the moonlight made a silver dappled pattern through the leaves even at the pace I was at.
I almost laughed at the way the animals would freeze and fall silent when I went past as if I could never know they were there. Their frightened little heartbeats were like drums to my sensitive ears and not to mention their smell.
It wasn’t long before I left the woods and was back in the fields. I ran for as long as I could, until my sides were heaving and my tongue hung out the side of my mouth as I panted heavily. After a short time my breathing slowed and at a more leisurely pace I made my way back to where I had left my clothes and trainers.
After changing, I slipped into the little alleyway that came out into the street just behind our house and quickly slipped in the back door that had been left unlocked when I’d sneaked out. I was hoping to slip back into bed undetected but as usual Marty was there waiting for me in my room.
‘Mum won’t be pleased if she finds out, Sarah,’ she announced as soon as I had closed the door.
I sighed and sat down beside her on the bed so I could take my trainers off. ‘She won’t find out if you don’t tell her! And besides, you probably made more noise sneaking in here than I did coming from outside.’
Marty grinned, ‘True! So, enjoy your run?’
That is what I loved about Marty, she was perpetually cheerful. Nothing got her down, or at least not for long, and she always found the good in everyone no matter how obnoxious the person. Traits I myself was lacking in. But when it came to Marty no one could be miserable around her – I liked to call her an infectious disease but Marty only laughed at that.
‘Yes, I did enjoy my run. The night is so beautiful when the moon is full, I just can’t help myself!’
Marty laughed, covering the sound with her hand, ‘If I didn’t know better, I would say you were a romantic!’
I punched her on the shoulder in mock annoyance and Marty punched me back. The moon was shining in through the window and Marty turned to look with a thoughtful expression on her face then turned to me with a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth.
‘You know, it’s bad enough us girls have to put up with our monthly ”curse” as the old biddies like to call it, but you got a double whammy with a werewolf curse every full moon too!’ She shook her head in mock sympathy and sighed, ‘God, it must be a bitch to be you!’
Marty watched me out of the corner of her eye and smirked at her own joke. I rolled my eyes and grabbed a pillow from behind me and whacked Marty with it until she ran out of the room giggling.
I laughed to myself at Marty’s unquestioning acceptance of my ‘curse’ as a lot of people would see it. I didn’t. I loved who I was, of what I could do, but it did come with a price and sometimes it was hard to accept. But what choice did I have? Besides, despite what was shown on films and written in books, werewolves are not victims of a whimsical moon. True, a full moon is overwhelmingly tempting but not in the way commonly thought. It doesn’t bring about our change by simply looking at it. What it does is fill weres with an indescribable joy; a passion for life that is so overwhelming the only thing to do is embrace it.
Looking at my clock I groaned inwardly as I saw the time was four a.m. and I had to get up in three hours. I stripped off and lay on top of the covers, too warm to lie under them. I fell asleep almost instantly, at least I assumed so but it felt like no time at all before my alarm was buzzing beside me and with a sigh I gave it a thump to shut it up.
Rolling on to my back I stared at the ceiling and listened to the early morning stirrings of the house. I could hear Marty’s alarm still going and then a muffled curse followed by a loud thud as it was chucked on the floor. Rachel was already in the shower just like she always was at this time while mum and dad were already down stairs in the kitchen.
I could hear mum singing along with the radio as she pottered about in the kitchen preparing breakfast for everyone. She had a sweet voice and I enjoyed listening to her sing, something she did frequently as Marty had inherited her innate cheerfulness from her mother. Dad was probably sitting at the table eating his toast and reading the paper before we came down.
I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood up, stretching all the kinks out before grabbing my pyjamas that I hadn’t bothered putting on before I went to sleep. I was still pulling the bottoms up when I ventured out into the hall and down the stairs, something that annoyed Rachel immensely. She was never caught in any immodest behaviour as she put it. I was always perfectly happy wandering about the house in my underwear but Rachel complained so much mum had to finally ask me to cover up.
You wouldn’t think she was such a prude to look at her. She always wore the latest fashions and short skirts seemed to be her favourite piece of clothing – or pelmets as dad called them – but she would never be caught in any kind of state of undress, not even in her own home. It was a weird dichotomy I could never figure out. It was okay to wear clothes that left you looking half naked but there was no way anyone could see her in her underwear? Weird. That’s all there is to it.
I got to the bottom of the stairs and turned into the kitchen surprising dad with a kiss on the top of his head. I smiled when he jumped slightly and winked at mum who laughed merrily.
‘She got you again, Rod,’ she said, ‘It’s amazing how she can still do that, the height she is!’
Dad folded up his paper and leant over to ruffle my hair as I sat down beside him, Laughing when I tutted and smoothed my hair in mock annoyance. ‘She’s always going to be a little girl to me, no matter how tall she gets,’ he said then looked at me in such a sappy way I couldn’t help grinning.
That’s what I loved about my parents; they were responsible enough to look after their family well but also didn’t mind being extremely silly at times or making jokes at their own expense. It’s why I couldn’t understand why Rachel seemed to have had her sense of humour removed.
I was eating my breakfast when Rachel came down looking perfect in a little summer dress she had just bought. Her hair was hanging loose which didn’t happen very often but I always thought it made her look younger than her nineteen years and at her prettiest. I would have loved the beautiful blonde shade instead of my dark auburn.
She also gave dad a kiss on the top of his head, something we all did and had always done since we were tall enough. I’m surprised the man didn’t have a big dent worn into his skull. For all my grumbling about Rachel, she did love her family and dad especially. She was even at the local university studying for a degree in law so she could be a lawyer like him. I tended to phase out when they started their law talk and Marty usually did her Homer Simpson groan to make her feelings quite clear on the subject. Although I would never admit it to her face, I really did love Rachel. She was responsible and serious most of the time but I remember when we were growing up she was the one who would always take the blame for one of me and Marty’s latest escapades. Plus every now and then she could be just as silly as the rest of us. Mum says she’s finding her was as an adult but I’m not sure it needs to be that hard.
Rachel took one look at the large cooked breakfast I was tucking into and screwed up her face. ‘How can you eat that?’ she asked, ‘Do you realise how much fat is in all that?’
I looked at her and ate loudly with my mouth open, making exaggerated chomping noises while letting some of the food fall back on to the plate.
‘You are such a brat!’ Rachel retorted as she went to the fridge to take out her usual meal of yoghurt followed by a large mug of coffee.
I grinned at dad and continued eating my breakfast in a more mannerly fashion while mum sat down at the table with her own breakfast, Rachel standing by the sink. It was all quiet while we ate until heavy footsteps on the stairs announced Marty’s arrival.
‘Morning already!’ she cried as she stumbled to the table and flung herself into a chair.
I laughed at her early morning ritual that happened every weekday morning without fail. I could always get by on very little sleep if need be but Marty had to have about ten hours before she could function properly – according to her anyway.
‘Martha! Don’t slump over the table! You’d think the way you’re carrying on that you had been up all night!’ Mum said to her then looked sharply at Marty then me.
I tried to keep my face neutral but mum seemed to have this knack of knowing when something was up. It didn’t help that Marty was now looking guilty and trying to hide it by jumping up and noisily getting herself a mug of coffee.
‘You went out last night, didn’t you?’ she asked me.
I looked at dad who was watching me with a slight frown; at Rachel who had turned her back and was looking out the window and then to mum who was frowning just like dad. I nodded slightly.
‘Sarah!’ Mum sighed in annoyance, ‘we told you not to go out! It’s too dangerous during the summer months, someone could have seen you!’
‘I was careful!’ I tried to reassure her, ‘I made sure I stayed on Uncle Pete’s land!’
‘That’s not the point! You should …’
‘Penny,’ Dad interrupted her, ‘I think Sarah is sensible enough to be careful. Let’s not get too agitated.’
Mum sighed and rubbed her temple like she always did when she was really worried. ‘I know,’ she said quietly, ‘but with …’ she bit her lip and went to the sink where Rachel still stood sipping her coffee and started to run water into the basin.
‘But with what?’ I asked her, confused. Then looked to dad when I got no response.
Dad just smiled and patted my hand, ‘Your mother just means that with these clear summer nights it would be easy for someone to spot a large animal running over the fields!’
I nodded and smiled to let him know I understood but I didn’t really. I was positive that wasn’t what mum was going to say but I didn’t say any more as mum was obviously a bit upset by it. I looked at Marty who just shrugged and carried on making toast for herself.
‘Okay, I’ll be more careful in future. It’s just hard sometimes, you know?’ I told them.
Dad patted my hand again and with that I got up to head to the bathroom for a shower still trying to understand what had mum so worried.
I was standing in my bedroom wrapped in a towel when Marty came in and sat down on my bed still eating a slice of toast.
‘Don’t you get crumbs on my bed!’ I warned her.
She rolled her eyes and popped the last of it into her mouth, which didn’t stop her talking.
‘What was that downstairs?’ she asked, ‘Why was Mum so upset?’
I shrugged not wanting to say anything but it didn’t deter Marty from continuing her line of questioning despite my telling her I really didn’t know anything.
Sighing, she stood up and said, ‘Maybe it’s nothing. Just the usual overreacting mother thing kicking in!’ She grinned and went to her own room to get changed, leaving me in peace to do the same.
It never took me long to get dressed in the morning, after all we had to wear a uniform so there was no thinking to be done there at all which is why it was surprising when it took Marty so long.
She always had her shower the night before so she didn’t have to get up so early but she still seemed to always be running late. I simply had a quick shower, dried my hair, put my uniform on, applied a little make-up and brushed my hair and I was good to go. Marty on the other hand had to have her hair sitting perfectly, her make-up immaculately applied and her uniform completely crease-free. She preferred the trousers just as I did but where I favoured boots she always wore little pointy-toed shoes with tiny heels.
Finally, with a shouted goodbye to our parents we were out the door and walking along the street to the bus stop, Marty fussing with her hair the entire time.
‘Will you leave it alone!’ I finally told her in exasperation.
Marty continued to pat and smooth the twist of hair behind her head while muttering under her breath. I firmly pulled her hands down and she scowled at me, which on her only looked kind of cute.
‘It’s okay for you!’ she almost wailed, ‘your hair has got that nice curl in it but mine is just straight! It just hangs like a ..a …’ She fell silent as the bus stop came into view and she leant closer to me. ‘How do I look? Is my make-up smudged? What about my hair?’
A little confused at her sudden intensity, I reassured her that she looked fine before turning my attention to the group at the bus stop to see if I could out the cause of her self-consciousness. As far as I could tell it was just the usual crowd, some first years that lived two streets away, a couple of girls that pointedly ignored us and my two friends Mark and Lily.
I adored Lily. She was a skinny little Goth girl who had the dirtiest laugh I had ever heard and who could run like the wind. It was the running that had made us friends in the first place. All through primary we were always chosen for the sprint races for sports day and despite the fact I always won she was never resentful. That’s how we formed a firm friendship that didn’t change at all even when she went through all her image changes until she settled on the gothic.
Then there was Mark. He was tall, broad and handsome, everything a girl could want - and I loved him like a brother. It always amazed me when groups of girls would whisper and giggle as they walked past him, casting puppy dog looks his way. He, of course, remained oblivious to it all. He was friendly to everyone in equal measure and was popular with everyone despite hanging out with two oddballs like Lily and me.
As we reached the bus stop the sneaking suspicion that had been forming crystallised into clarity when Marty flushed as soon as Mark turned to us and said ‘hi’. I groaned inwardly at this. Even though Marty didn’t hang about with me at school she did spend a lot of time in our company and the thought of her liking Mark was a little disconcerting. I shrugged it off when she started chatting like usual and we piled onto the bus laughing and joking all the way to school.
Marty left us when we got to school to go and join her own friends while me, Lily and Mark all loitered around outside so we could avoid most of the crowds. This was our little ritual every morning. Wait outside the front doors until it was time to go inside and that way we could put off entering the school until the very last minute.
‘Done your homework for old Jacobson then?’ Lily asked.
I nodded while Mark swore loudly. Lily rolled her eyes and punched him on the shoulder in exasperation. ‘Why do you always forget? Honestly, if she didn’t fancy you I’m sure you would get into big trouble!’
Mark made gagging noises while I laughed at his reaction. We had no idea if it was true or not but we liked to joke about how he always got away without doing his Biology homework for Miss Jacobson. We jokingly assumed it was because, old spinster that she was, she must have a crush on his manly good looks.
I felt a prickling feeling on the back of my neck I always got when someone was watching me and turned to see the janitor watching us from across the school yard. Apparently he was busily emptying one of the bins but I knew he had been staring and shivered slightly at the weirdness.
“Talking of crushes,” Lily laughed, “I think Ill Bill has one on you Sarah! We’ve noticed he stares at you a lot. Haven’t we Mark?”
Mark nodded sadly. “I’m afraid it’s true Red. The guy that chucks sawdust on the vomit has a crush on you! How can you resist?”
“Surprisingly easily, thanks!” I said with a smile.
‘Hey, Newlands!’ a voice shouted out, ‘How about hanging out with the men for a change!’
We looked around to see our most annoying classmate making his way up the steps to the front doors. James Ingles was a very smart, very annoying person who believed in his superiority over everyone else and always seemed to take pleasure in annoying Mark for some reason.
‘He has to find some first!’ Lily shouted back.
James’ face darkened at her implied insult but those around him laughed, which only made him worse and he started back down the stairs but was suddenly stopped short when someone got in his way.
I almost laughed aloud when his expression suddenly changed from one of anger to one of, not quite fear, but definitely apprehension. It was Richard Bailey who had stepped in front of him as he had been going up the stairs while James had turned to go down. I couldn’t blame him really. Richard was one of Mark’s rugby friends and was large even for a seventeen-year-old and even though he had a friendly personality, if crossed he was truly intimidating and it was this unpredictability that made people wary.
My good humour vanished when Richard turned his head slightly and looked directly at me, the green of his eyes seemed to glow a little and I could feel my mouth drop open in astonishment. The next moment I scowled as he smirked at me and continued on up the steps without even a glance at James.
‘What was that all about?’ Lily asked me quietly so Mark couldn’t hear.
‘What?’ I asked, fearing she might have seen his eyes too.
‘With Richard?’ she continued, ‘Why the sudden interest in you?’
I shrugged in answer, as confused about the whole thing than she was. The more I thought about it, the more I realised it must have just been a trick of the light that made his eyes like that. Any further conversation was interrupted as the bell for class went and we reluctantly trooped up the steps and through the doors.
CHAPTER TWO
The morning passed in a whir of droning voices and scribbled notes until with great relief I heard the lunch bell ring. I was a good student and normally paid attention in class but today my mind couldn’t seem to focus on the subject at hand. It was Richard that was distracting me and not in a good way. I could feel him watching me from his seat on the other side of the room and when we changed classes he seemed to make a point of talking to Mark but all the while he was continually throwing glances my way. Even Lily had noticed and commented on it so I knew I wasn’t being paranoid.
We wandered out the front doors and out the school gates along with the other kids intent on visiting the shops on the brief hour we had for our lunch. I noticed Richard standing to the side of the gates leaning against the pillar and seemingly uninterested in the flow of people that was going past him until we got close.
‘Hey Mark,’ he said without even looking up, ‘Me and some friends are meeting up at Franco’s tonight – want to come?’
I looked at Mark while he thought for a moment, ‘Haven’t we got training tonight?’
Richard moved off the pillar to stand in front of us with a friendly smile on his lips, ‘Didn’t you hear? Thompson has cancelled it tonight, some kind of family emergency apparently. So, you coming?’ He turned his head to look at Lily and me, his eyes lingering on me a little longer than necessary and I could suddenly feel my temper flaring. ‘Your friends are welcome too.’
‘How about it guys?’ Mark asked us, ‘You up for it?’
I looked directly at Richard and said politely, ‘No, sorry. I already have plans.’
His friendly smile grew slightly wider and I knew he was laughing at me but I kept myself under control although I could feel my temper rising and I resisted the urge to snarl at him.
‘You have plans with me,’ Lily was saying, ‘and I think we could change them and go along with Mark. Don’t you?’
She turned large innocent eyes on me and I could have strangled her with her own silver chains but I forced a fake smile and nodded in agreement. Richard was talking to Mark, giving him the details while I glared at Lily who was trying to smother a laugh behind her hand.
As soon as he had gone I punched Lily on the arm, ‘Why did you do that? I don’t want to go!’
‘Ow!’ Lily retorted, holding her arm, ‘There’s no need for violence! Besides, we weren’t doing much tonight and this will be fun!’
‘Fun? He’s been creeping me out all morning!’ I cried as we walked along the street.
Mark laughed at my hysterics and patted me on the back, ‘Sorry, Red! He’s got a rather … how can I put it – focused personality and once he has an interest in something he’s hard to shake.’ He thought for a moment and his smile disappeared. ‘Mind you, I’ve never known him to take an interest in a girl before!’
‘Oh, lucky me!’ I muttered.
We continued on, getting something to eat and then wandering along the high street, window shopping and laughing at some of the clothes in the high class boutique store that always had what we thought extortionate prices for crap clothes. Out of the three of us Mark was the most fashionable and even he didn’t make much effort so it didn’t say much for Lily and me.
Once back in school the afternoon just seemed to fly by and Richard had stopped looking at me to the point of ignoring me. Something I was okay with.
Mark left us at the school gates as he had to go to his Dad’s work to help out for a while, leaving me and Lily to get the bus along with Marty who was not her usual bouncy self.
‘What’s up brat?’ I asked her amiably, flinging my arm over her shoulder.
‘Hey, what’s with the brat? You’re the same age as me!’ she griped but still smiled. ‘It’s nothing really, it’s just stupid maths! I hate it, I can’t do it and now we have a mock exam to do!’
I hugged her in sympathy. Marty was smart in every other area and was usually in the highest classes, all except for maths, which just seemed to elude her entirely. It was something that gave her a great deal of stress and I tried to help her as best I could but to be honest I wasn’t that great with mathematics either.
“I could help you tonight, if you want?” I offered, “Do a little studying with you.”
Before Marty could answer though, Lily spoke, “Can’t do it tonight remember? We’re meeting up at Franco’s!”
I hadn’t forgotten and Lily knew it as her smug grin told me but before I could say anything to her Marty started grilling me about what we were doing tonight and who we were seeing.
So the bus ride home was spent telling Marty all about how Richard Bailey was being all creepy and how he had somehow managed to get us to meet up with him tonight. Of course, Marty loved all this and wanted every detail right down to how many times he actually looked at me. What I found creepy she found romantic!
The house was quiet when we got in and a quick search found mum in her studio, a large canvas in front of her with as yet nothing on it. She merely stood in front of it in her usual paint splattered t-shirt and jeans completely still, just staring at the canvas with an intense focus.
Recognising that look as one that meant she was trying to figure out what this canvas was going to be, and could stand there for hours if she had to, we quietly closed the door again and went to raid the fridge.
Marty made herself a coffee while I made myself a ham salad sandwich with a cold sausage roll and a packet of crisps along with the large mug of tea that I much preferred over the acrid smelling coffee.
Looking at the food I was tucking into Marty just shook her head. “It’s not fair,” she complained, “you eat absolutely tons of food and yet you’re still like a stick. I look at food and it sticks to my bum!”
Laughing at the image that conjured up I replied, “Marty, you’re not going to go on about how fat you are again are you? This self-delusion is a real pain you know.”
“What self-delusion!” she exclaimed, “Look at the size of this arse! It hardly fits through the door! I’ll have to turn sideways just to get out the house soon!”
I laughed loudly and she made an exaggerated pout, pretending to be in the huff but then she faced me with an eager look on her face and I couldn’t help groaning inwardly at what I knew she was about to ask.
“So,” she began, “what are you going to wear tonight?”
“I’ll wear what I always wear. This isn’t anything special! It’s just friends meeting up with other friends, that’s all! Or I should say, friend of a friend!”
“That’s all! Do you know how many girls would kill just to get noticed by Richard Bailey? And now he’s interested in you!” she practically gushed.
“Who say he’s interested?” I cried, “He obviously wants to meet Mark’s friends, that’s all.”
“That’s all she says again!” Marty said to the room in general, “Only the hunkiest bloke in school is interested in her but it’s nothing really! Just a mere annoyance!”
I shook my head and continued eating while Marty watched me, drumming her fingers lightly on the table. I could see she was thinking about something and was trying to figure out the best way to get me to do it.
“I have a nice dress you could borrow,” she suggested lightly.
“No!” I said emphatically.
Sighing, she tried again. “How about a nice top then? To go with your jeans?”
I knew I was going to regret this but asked anyway, “What kind of top?”
She grinned happily and grabbed my wrist to pull me upstairs and only stopped when I demanded to take my food with me. Once in her room she pulled out one top after another until a pile began to form on the floor.
I continued to eat slowly while I commented on each item, usually something disparaging about frothy girly clothes. I could see she was getting annoyed and I tried not to show my amusement at this but she continued until almost every top she owned was dumped on the floor.
“Okay,” she finally said, holding her hands up in front of her, “I didn’t want to show you this one, I was keeping it for your birthday next month but here goes.” She reached into the very corner of her wardrobe and pulled out something but held it behind her back as she turned to me. “I know you’re not into clothes as such but I saw this online and I just thought it would look perfect on you.”
With a warning look I couldn’t help smiling at she held up the item in question in front of her and waited for my reaction. I loved it but I didn’t want to spoil my fun so I kept my face straight as I made a show of studying it.
It had a subtle tie-dye effect in a dark green with blue-green tones too. The sleeves were long but belled out at the cuff with a pointy bit going down over the hand. I couldn’t keep my face serious any longer and I smiled at her.
“It’s lovely, Marty!” I told her, taking it from her and holding it up to myself.
Marty clapped her hands in delight and steered me towards the mirror so I could see how it looked.
“See? She told me, “It’s perfect for you and the colour is just right!” I felt a hand stroking my hair, “Now, about your hair?”
“Oh no!” I cried, stepping away from her, “You’re not touching my hair! I thank you for the top, it’s beautiful, but the hair is going too far!”
“Oh come on!” Marty pleaded, “You never do anything with it! Let me put it up, just this once!”
“No!” I said loudly, “it would look like I was trying if all of a sudden I was wearing new clothes and putting my hair up!”
This gave Marty pause and she thought for a moment, “You’re right. We can’t let him know you’re interested! Play it cool, that’s the key!”
I spluttered a moment and then said indignantly, “I’m not interested in him!”
“Yeah, yeah,” she said waving away my protests, “We can discuss that later, for now we better get dinner on as it looks like Mum is going to be distracted for a while.”
I followed her out of the bedroom with the top still in my hands. “You’ll get me another present won’t you?” I asked her.
I laughed as I darted into my room to avoid her thrown shoe and placed the top on the bed, smoothing it out. Marty was right when she thought I was weird for a girl not liking fashion but I had ruined so many nice clothes growing up because of my ‘specialness’ as mum called it that I didn’t see the point. I much preferred comfort over fashion.
Mum had had the foresight to set out what was for dinner as she always did when she was going to be starting a new piece. She knew herself well enough to realise that she got very distracted and quite often forgot time. Half way through making the dinner there was a shout from her studio and she came bouncing into the kitchen a moment later stopping in surprise when she saw us.
“Dad will be home in ten minutes,” I told her trying not to laugh as she stood scowling at her watch. When she got into her work she forgot all about time and always seemed surprise when she realised how long she had been shut away in there.
“Don’t worry, the fish is in the steamer, rice and veg are on so it will be ready soon!” Marty told her.
Mum smiled, “What would I do without you girls? I swear Marty, you’re becoming such a good cook I should probably let you do all the cooking from now on!”
Marty smiled, pleased at the compliment then said looking slyly at me, “Of course, Sarah won’t be eating much as she’s meeting someone for pizza tonight.”
Mum’s smile faded as she looked at me in concern, “You’re seeing someone?”
“No!” I said forcefully, glaring at Marty who was hiding a smile, “It’s not like that! It’s one of Mark’s friends that has invited us all out to Franco’s tonight. There will be a group of us and I’m only going for Mark as it’s his friend!”
Mum nodded in understanding but still looked a little concerned. I understood what was bothering her. It wasn’t a case of one of her daughter’s growing up and everything that entailed, it was more a case of someone might find out my secret and I would be taken away. Both her and dad had tried to give me as normal a childhood as possible but because of me the whole family had had to limit socialising with other families. It wouldn’t have been good if one of the guests at some kid’s birthday party had grown fur, tail and teeth and went ‘woof’. My parents had never made any indication that this had been a problem but I sometimes couldn’t help feeling guilty.
I gave Marty a dark look but relented when I saw how she was looking at mum. She obviously hadn’t thought through her little joke and mum’s reaction wasn’t what she had expected leaving Marty feeling a little guilty.
With Mum there to help too the dinner wasn’t long in getting ready and the table was set and food was getting dished up when dad and Rachel got home. Then followed out usual kind of mealtime where manners were set aside and we all talked with food in our mouths, leant our elbows on the table or stretched over to reach condiments.
The rare occasions when we had eaten at someone’s else’s house I had hated the way we had to politely ask for the salt to be passed or had to finish eating what food was in our mouth’s before we could answer a question. Our way was relaxed and usually the only time we were all together. Everyone spoke about their day and mum and dad always listened as if what you had to say was important even if it was some inane detail.
After dinner was over I went back up to my room and checked my phone, I had three messages from Lily and one from Mark. Mark was just double-checking we would meet at the bus stop and Lily was checking that I was definitely going. I smiled at Lily’s messages, she knew me well enough to know I might still back out. I reassured both of them that I would get them at the bus stop and headed for the shower.
It didn’t take me long to get showered and my hair blow-dried. Marty came quietly into the room while I was sitting in front of my mirror, wrapped in a towel. She sat on the end of my bed while I put on a little eyeliner and mascara just like I always wore and I could see she was wanting to say something.
“What?” I finally asked her.
She looked at me with her innocent look and shrugged one shoulder, “What? I wasn’t going to say anything! I’m just sitting here!”
“Mmm hmm, I know you better than that Martha Gallagher!” I said in my sternest voice then I turned to look at her. “You shouldn’t have said that to Mum earlier, it worried her.”
Marty grimaced and lay backwards on the bed. “I know, I know,” she sighed, “I forget that you’re …different.” She sat back up and looked at me with a serious expression on her face. “Does that mean you can never get close to anyone? I mean, like a boyfriend? That’s just not fair!”
I smiled at her anger on my behalf and turned back to the mirror, running the brush through my hair. “I was lucky enough to be adopted by a family that loves me despite my differences and besides … I still believe there are others like me out there. I mean, I can’t be the only one right?”
This piqued Marty’s imagination as it always did and she started a long sad tale of how I was some long lost princess, kidnapped by nefarious outlaws from my true family but somehow I escaped. I laughed at her outrageous storytelling until Rachel came into see what the carry on was then promptly left when she saw us both laughing.
After we had sobered I had to check my make-up just to make sure all that laughing hadn’t made me smudge my mascara. I might not have been too eager to go out tonight but I didn’t want to look like a panda either.
I put some underwear on while Marty had her back to me, chatting about some crush her friend had on some boy. I only half-listened as I pulled my jeans on then slipped my new top over my head and smoothed it into place.
“What do you think?” I asked Marty.
She came to stand beside me in front of the mirror and smiled in pleasant surprise. “Wow, it looks better than I thought it would!”
She tugged at the hem a little and I slapped her hand lightly. She gave me a little shove then studied me with a thoughtful look on her face before smiling again.
“You know, I think your hair is better down. It makes you look windswept and interesting!”
“Windswept?” I repeated putting a hand to my hair, “Do you mean it’s a mess?”
Marty started to laugh and quickly put a smothering hand up, “No, of course not, I just meant it looked very natural the way it’s sitting tumbled over your shoulders.”
I raised an eyebrow at Marty’s choice of description but I felt mollified so I let her ramble on a bit before deciding she was starting to irritate me. Shooing her out of my room I returned to the mirror and did some minor adjustments to my clothes and hair before realising I was making a fuss over something I wasn’t wanting to do in the first place. Grabbing a pair of sandals and my mobile I went down to the living room where my purse was and made sure there was money in it and that my phone was charged.
Mum and dad were watching some home improvement programme on the television when I said goodbye, reassuring them I wouldn’t be late home. Mum still had a slightly concerned look on her face and when I was closing the door I could hear dad reassuring her that it would be fine and I couldn’t help feeling a pang of irritation. It wasn’t as if this was a date or anything, I would hate to see how worried she would get if I ever decided to do that.
Marty came racing down the stairs just as I was heading out the front door and grabbed my arm to pull me back in.
“Have a good time!” she grinned, “And remember to tell me everything when you get back. I want to hear about every look he gave you!” She said clasping her hands together and fluttering her eyelashes.
“Oh, bugger off!” I told her and slammed the door in her face.
CHAPTER THREE
I shook my head as I heard her laughing behind the door and made my way out the gate and along the street to the bus stop where Lily was already waiting. She smiled when she saw me, her mouth making a dark slash in her pale face.
“Is that a new top?” she asked looking me up and down.
“It’s a present from Marty,” I explained, “It was either this or a fancy hair do! I actually really like it!”
Lily tilted her head and studied me a moment. “It really suits you,” she said with a smile, “very subtle. Doesn’t look like you’re trying at all!”
“Not you too!” I cried in exasperation.
Lily convulsed in laughter at my dismay but sobered quickly and looked at me seriously. “You do know what is a big deal this is, don’t you?”
“Why is this a big deal?” I asked, completely baffled.
“Richard Bailey never socialises with people outside of school and rugby and he has never,” she emphasised that word, “shown any kind of interest in any of the girls the girls from school either.”
“So? I still don’t see why this is a big deal. Just because he invites mark out and lets his friends tag along doesn’t mean anything.” I told her firmly. “It probably means he’s bored with his usual group and wants some different company.”
Lily looked at me as if I was slightly mad and shook her head in disbelief.
“What?” I demanded.
Just then Mark arrived so she didn’t answer. Mark was in a buoyant mood and chatted animatedly until the bus came only pausing in his talking to pay the driver.
When we sat down in the almost empty bus I spoke before Mark could start up again. “Don’t tell me you think this is a big deal too?”
“Of course this is a big deal!” Mark exclaimed, “Richard never asks anyone to meet up with him. I’ve been playing rugby with him for over a year and I would say we’ve become pretty good friends through that but he’s always turned down everyone’s invitations to do stuff outside of school. So the fact that he’s the one that’s doing the inviting is a big deal!”
I rolled my eyes with a sigh and told them, “Maybe it’s just because he finally wants to socialise a bit more. Or simply see his friends outside of school.”
Mark thought on this for a bit then shrugged, “Maybe. Whatever the reason, let’s just enjoy ourselves, eh?”
I smiled and promised to do just that which seemed to assure him and he continued talking although I only half listened to him as I wondered what tonight what going to be like. I didn’t often meet up with people outside of Mark and Lily. I always thought it best that the less people I hung around with the better, just in case anything might happen. At school it was always fine as big crowds seemed to counter anything that might happen but it was smaller groups that made it harder to hide any kind of strange happenings.
I had learned good self-control thanks to my Uncle Pete who had taught me some good breathing techniques to counter any spark of the Change that I might have felt at the wrong moment but I never felt comfortable enough to test myself all the time.
It was much easier to stick to what I knew. Mark and Lily had been my friends since we were six years old but even so they still had no idea of what I was. I was completely comfortable in their company but it was at times of stress that I could feel the stirring inside of my other self and I found new situations somewhat stressful. The strange thing is it was because of my natural shyness that I found these situations stressful, which only exacerbated the Change.
The bus reached the high street and we got off and began walking to the far end where Franco’s pizzeria was, enjoying the quieter streets that evening brought. It wasn’t long before we reached Franco’s and as we entered I could see that Richard was already there with two others.
I had never seen the two girls that were with him but there would have been no way I could have forgotten such striking twins. Hair so blonde it was almost white hung straight to their shoulders and they both wore simple black t-shirts and jeans from what I could see from the doorway.
Richard raised a hand and waved us over. Mark led the way as we approached the table and I tried to ignore the appraising look. Richard was giving me as he watched us come over but my temper flared slightly and I scowled at him. Thankfully he turned his attention from me to Mark as we sat down in the other seats and I was appalled to find myself seated between Richard and one of his companions. Not quite sure how that had happened I looked in appeal to Lily who only smiled slightly and shrugged.
Richard introduced the two girls as his sisters Astrid and Heather, they smiled although it was rather strained and I never did catch who was Astrid and who was Heather. Mark did the same for me and Lily but more for the twins’ benefit as Richard already knew us even if we had never really spoken before.
“Red?” he asked turning to me, “Is that a reference to your hair?”
“We were only six!” I said feeling a little defensive.
He held up his hands and said, “No need to snap, I was merely asking a question.” He grinned at me and I felt a little foolish at being so uptight so I gave him a brief smile back hoping it wouldn’t encourage him to talk to me further. No such luck.
“You’ve all been friends since you were six?” he asked, looking around at all of us but directing the question to me.
Nodding, I looked at Mark hoping he would say something and bless him he took the hint. “Yeah, I just remember a skinny girl with bright red hair standing all alone in the corner of the playground.” He reached over and patted my head in mock sympathy.
“Ha ha,” I answered him, “And I remember Lily beating you up for pinching her snack!”
“Hey!” Mark said indignantly,” she was not beating me up. I just didn’t want to hit a girl!”
“So you blocked her fists with your face?” I asked him sweetly.
Richard stopped our bantering with his laughter but the mood had lightened somewhat from the awkwardness we had felt when we first sat down. We looked at the menus and the waitress took our orders, efficiently returning with napkin wrapped cutlery and our drinks.
Mark and Richard were talking about rugby so I took the opportunity to speak to Astrid and Heather while Lily listened from the other side of them. I stuck to small talk, asking them the usual questions but found it was like drawing teeth to get them to say very much.
Lily leant forward and asked, “Why haven’t we seen you at school?”
“We chose to be home schooled,” Astrid informed us.
“We don’t like crowds,” Heather added.
I looked at Lily who was obviously thinking the same as me – there was something slightly off about the twins. They seemed polite if not overly friendly but there was just something about them that made you want to keep your distance.
“Wow! Home schooled!” I said when the silence stretched a little too long, “I imagine that can be a lot of fun! You wouldn’t need to get up so early for a start.” I laughed a little but stopped when they simply looked at me.
“It’s not fun,” Astrid replied, “we work very hard.”
“We also get up very early,” Heather added.
“Oh,” I remarked, at a loss as to what I could say now.
Thankfully I didn’t have to think of something as our food came and we were involved with rearranging glasses and such to get the plates on the table. Astrid and heather were sharing a small pizza while me and Lily had opted for a bowl of Franco’s deliciously creamy mushroom ravioli. Unsurprisingly Mark had gone for a large meat laden pizza while Richard had done the same, must have been some rugby thing I surmised.
There was silence as we started eating and then Richard broke the silence, “I saw the strangest thing last night,” he began, “I was out in the car when I saw a very large dog racing across the fields just outside of town and if I didn’t know any better I would have thought it was a wolf.”
I forced myself to continue chewing the piece of pasta in my mouth but I suddenly felt cold and the blood seemed to roar in my ears. I couldn’t prove it but I knew he was talking to me and that he knew what I was. The others laughed at his story, which gave me a chance to try and compose myself, but the suddenness of it all had me off balance.
“It was probably Mandy,” Mark told him.
“Mandy?” Richard repeated and I could tell he was not the only one suddenly thrown.
“Red’s uncle has a farm just outside of town and he’s got a big Irish Wolfhound called Mandy. Isn’t that right?” Mark looked at me and frowned a little when all I did was nod.
My whole body tingled with pins and needles, which always happened when the change was threatening to come on and I struggled to control my breathing with the techniques I had learned. I didn’t hear Richard asking Mark about his pets but I did hear what he said quietly to me.
While Mark was telling them about the latest addition to his menagerie Richard casually leant across me to get the salt and when he was close he said softly so no-one else could hear. “Don’t be afraid. I really need to speak with you alone.”
It was done so quickly that I could barely register it but I did notice the frown on Lily’s face as she looked at me with concern. I quickly excused myself and went to the bathroom where I quickly soaked a paper towel with cold water and placed it on the back of my neck. I stayed leant over the sink with my eyes closed and just concentrating on my breathing until I felt under control.
I looked at myself in the mirror and noted how I looked a little flushed but not too noticeably. I ran my fingers through my hair and smoothed my top. I no longer felt scared but I was curious. Had he really seen me or was it all coincidence? But the way he had looked at me, as if he had known it had been me. And why tell me not to be afraid? What exactly did he have to tell me? The more I thought about it, the more I was certain there was more to Richard Bailey than I thought!
Leaving the bathroom I returned to the table where I smiled reassuringly at Lily and pretended to listen to Richard as he talked but I resumed eating while I opened my senses. I had learned how to dampen down my naturally superior senses just to appear like a normal human but I could open them fully when I wanted to.
I continued to eat my pasta while I breathed in the scents around me and began to pinpoint individual scents. I dismissed all the food scents and narrowed in on the boy beside me. I could smell the soap and shampoo he had recently used, the scent of his clothes but under all that there was something I couldn’t recognise. It wasn’t a bad smell but it was strange and it bothered me slightly, as if it was something I almost knew but just couldn’t quite recognise. Putting it aside as just one more thing to worry about later I forced myself to pay attention to the moment.
I looked at Mark and noticed the way he kept looking at the twins as he talked animatedly and when I looked at them curiously I could see they were not the least bit interested. They smiled when called for but their eyes showed it was only a polite interest they were taking. I couldn’t help feeling a slight dislike of them for that, while feeling sorry for Mark that he was trying to impress people that didn’t care.
Lily was laughing at whatever Mark was saying and I focused on what he was telling everyone, too late I recognised the story of my illustrious first day of high school that ended up with me, Mark and Lily in the headmaster’s office. Mark and Lily with bloody noses and me with scraped knuckles.
“This girl must have been on growth hormones or something because she was huge!” Mark was saying, “Anyway, when she started on me and Lily – I was a lot smaller back then you have to remember – Red here went crazy and jumped on her! She practically threw her against the wall and knocked out two of her teeth as well!”
Mark and Lily laughed at the memory but I couldn’t help squirming a little with embarrassment. It was one of the few times I had lost control of myself and forgotten to hold my strength back, which was unfortunate for the bully who had decided to pick on my friends. I might be a little shy when it comes to meeting people but I was extremely loyal to my friends and what hurt them I wanted to attack.
“You don’t look like you could throw someone against a wall,” Richard said to me, “but then I suppose looks can be deceiving.”
I stared at him for a moment, trying to decide if he was implying something else but he merely looked at me mildly so I just said, “I guess I’m not as delicate as I look.”
“Delicate!” Mark snorted and laughed loudly, “That’s a good one!”
I stared at him with a raised eyebrow and my arms crossed until he caught my look and tried to stop his laughter. “Red here,” he began still smiling broadly, “is the last person I would call delicate! She runs like the wind, can take me down in a tackle when we’re playing a supposedly fun games of rugby,” I grinned at him when he looked darkly at me, “and she can eat more than anyone I know.”
Richard looked at my empty plate then at me. “That wasn’t a particularly large bowl of pasta that you ate. I’ve seen Astrid and Heather eat more.”
I blushed slightly and looked in annoyance at mark before answering Richard. “I had a large dinner about a couple of hours ago.”
Richard’s eyebrows rose and his green eyes looked at me in genuine astonishment while Mark and Lily were practically bent over in laughter. I shushed them as we started getting looks from the other customers and they smothered their laughter with their hands.
“But you’re so skinny!” Richard remarked which set them off again and this time there was no way to quiet them.
I leant back in my chair and folded my arms but I couldn’t help smiling at their hilarity, Lily’s laugh the loudest of the two. Thank God she wore waterproof mascara. Even Richard couldn’t help laughing a little. Except for the twins who had that annoyingly polite smile on their lips. That smile was beginning to irritate me and I could feel my palms itching to slap it off their faces.
“Can I ask,” Richard began, “why is it you three are still hanging around together. You seem to be so different and yet you are obviously close.”