Death Wish (The Ceruleans: Book 1) (11 page)

Finally, I could take the quiet no longer and blurted out
the one thing stuck in my head: ‘The other week, at St Mary’s. I’m sorry… I…
I’m not sure why…’

Many people, afflicted by the infamous English need to be
polite, would have broken in by now, with a, ‘Oh really, that? Don’t worry
about it,’ or perhaps a neat deflection to another subject. Not this boy,
though. He just watched me, his head cocked to one side, waiting for me to
finish.

Embarrassed, I focused on scratching patterns into the sand.
It was a good job we were out in the dark or he’d have had reason to reflect
that my name matched the colour of my cheeks as I tried again:

‘It was rude, running off like that. It was just, the thing
with the rabbit sort of, well…’ I stopped as the image of the thrashing
creature flashed into my mind. I looked at him. ‘What
were
you doing?’

‘I told you. Calming it.’ He stared at me for several
heartbeats, then added softly, ‘Like
you
’d calm a frightened, wounded
creature, Scarlett.’

I took a ragged breath. The magpie – he couldn’t know – he
wasn’t there – he couldn’t know.

‘Scarlett…’ he began.

But that impulse I’d had in the churchyard had returned. I
moved quickly to stand. ‘I’d better head –’

‘Careful!’

I barely had time to register that I was lurching towards
the fire before he was up too and his hand on my arm was hauling me back.

‘Sorry!’ I said automatically. I tried to shake off his hand
but his grip was tight. Almost painfully tight.

‘Are you dizzy?’ he asked seriously.

‘No!’

He let go of me, but his scowl said he didn’t believe me. He
was right not to. Stupid schnapps.

‘I’ll walk you back,’ he said.

I opened my mouth to argue, then figured there was no point.
As we headed up the beach I focused on the house ahead, but with every step I
was hyper-aware of him next to me. We said nothing. I was working up to asking
him about Sienna. That was why I was here, at the party, after all. He had
known her; he’d told me that in the graveyard. But before I could work out
where to start we were on the decking at Si’s house, back in the thick of the
party, and the boy was staring into the house and then telling me, abruptly,
that he needed to leave.

‘Now?’

‘Yes,’ he said. ‘Something’s come up.’

‘Between the campfire and the house?’

He must have caught the sarcasm in my tone, but his answer
was earnest: ‘Yes.’

‘I see,’ I said, though I didn’t.

‘Scarlett…’ he began, but I cut him off.

‘You say my name, but I don’t even know yours.’

He looked surprised, like I ought to know it. ‘Jude,’ he
said. ‘My name is Jude.’

‘Hey, Jude,’ I said. ‘Oh!’

He reached over and touched a finger lightly to my lips.
‘Please,’ he said. ‘Don’t do the song. I hate it when people do the song.’

I was saved from replying that I had no intention of singing
by a commotion behind. Raised voices were audible in the kitchen, and then a
shadow fell across us from the doorway into the house. I turned to look,
conscious of Jude’s hand dropping away from my face as I did so, to see a giant
on the threshold, a giant with tousled hair and flushed cheeks and flashing
blue eyes.

It was Luke.

And he was mad as hell.

There was a long, pregnant silence as Luke looked slowly
from me to Jude. The thunderous look that had been on his face slipped into one
of confusion.

‘Scarlett? What are you doing here?’

‘Hi, Luke,’ I said. ‘I didn’t realise you were coming. I’m
here with a friend.’

Luke’s eyes snapped to Jude, and his expression tightened.
All at once, I realised how this must look to him.

‘A
girl
friend,’ I emphasised. ‘This is, um, Jude. Do
you two know each other?’

‘We do,’ said Luke in an expressionless tone.

‘Hi, Luke,’ said Jude quietly.

They faced off against each other.

‘So, Luke – what’s up?’ I asked. Man, this was awkward.

Luke broke eye contact with Jude to look at me, and as he
did so some of the tension in his rigid frame seemed to melt a little.

‘Here to catch an escapee,’ he said enigmatically. He
glanced at Jude again, then gave me a warm smile. ‘Could use a hand, actually,
if you’re willing.’

‘Sure,’ I said quickly. The prospect of Luke’s company was
pretty attractive after the intensity of the past few minutes with Jude.

Luke slipped his hand into mine. I blinked up at him,
surprised by the intimacy of the gesture, but he was already guiding me inside.
I opened my mouth to tell him I needed to pause a moment and put on my shoes –
I was still barefoot from the walk on the beach, my sandals hanging loosely
from my hand – but then thought better of it. I was keen to step away from the
atmosphere that seemed to have sprung up out on the decking.

‘Bye then,’ I said lightly to Jude.

‘Bye, Scarlett,’ said Jude, his tone anything but light.
‘I’ll see you around.’

I felt Luke stiffen, and then he was propelling me away.
Inside, we were hit by a wall of heat. The party was at fever pitch. Furniture
had been pushed back to create a dance floor on which a writhing mass of
couples danced and embraced. The volume was pushed up to maximum, and the room
smelt of beer and perfume and aftershave mixed with the salty tang of sweat.
After the cool, fresh calm of the beach, it was a bit of a shock to the system.

‘So what’s up?’ I shouted to Luke over the booming bass.

He shook his head and pointed at his ear and mouthed ‘Can’t
hear you’. I let him lead me through the living space. I was surprised to see
several people greet him as we worked our way through the scrum, and Luke
answer with nods and smiles and pats on the shoulder. I’d thought he was an
outsider from this group; that’s why I hadn’t expected to see him at the party.

Out in the hallway the volume was marginally less deafening
and I tried to query him, but he just shook his head and led me across the hall
to a door. Opening it, he pulled me inside and then dropped his handhold to
close the door behind us. The thickness of the oak made a colossal difference
to the noise level.

We were in a large home office, I saw, tastefully decorated
with white walls, a black desk and chair, and a vast cream leather sofa on the
far wall, facing the door. The sole colour in the room was provided by shelf
upon shelf of books.

Luke gestured to the sofa, and I took a seat. A dull
headache had sprung up, and I put a finger on each temple and massaged firmly.
Luke collapsed down next to me, lying back and rubbing a hand over his face.

I wanted to ask him about the surfers, about Jude. But there
was a more pressing question for now.

‘So,’ I said. ‘Who’s escaped?’ I had a terrible thought. ‘Oh
crap. It’s not Chester, is it?’

He laughed. ‘Now that
would
be a nightmare. You’re
not quite dressed for a midnight dash around the village.’

I looked down and hurriedly adjusted my top. It was hardly
what he was used to seeing me in.

He sat up and turned his body to mine, laying his arm along
the top of the sofa, tantalisingly close to the exposed skin on my back. ‘You
look… great,’ he said softly.

I met his gaze and managed a shy smile.

‘Thanks for yesterday,’ I said. ‘And sorry about my mum…’

‘You’ve nothing to apologise for. Your mum is grieving.
She’s bound to be emotional.’

I decided now wasn’t the time to explain that Mother was
always emotional.

‘We all have family… difficulties… from time to time,’ he
added. ‘Take my sister, for example, who’s executed an impressive disappearing
act this evening. Earlier, when I headed out to my six-to-midnight shift, she
was in her pyjamas on the sofa with flu, all, “Later, brov, I’ll just lie here
and feebly watch telly.” Then, when I managed to wrangle leaving the pub early
so I could check on her, what did I find? Pillows and a football and a wig in
her bed, that’s what. Damn football rolled off the bed when I touched it. Scared
the life out of me. I thought her head had fallen off!’

I couldn’t help but laugh, and a smile broke through the
gloom on his face.

‘So how did you know where to find her?’ I asked.

‘Didn’t take a genius to work it out. She’s sneaked out to
Si’s before. And she’s been on at me all week to let her come.’

Let her come.
The words struck me as odd. Who was he
to be giving permission?

He sighed. ‘Don’t get me wrong, I love her to bits, but
she’s always pushing it. She’s so headstrong and determined to make her mark.
Being a kid’s not enough for her – she’s hell-bent on growing up too fast. She
thinks she’s a woman, that she can handle herself.’

A mix of emotions ran through me – sympathy for Luke, who
was clearly worried for his sister; relief that he seemed unfazed by my own
family’s madness; appreciation for the fact that he’d shared something of his
family life with me; and a fizz of attraction running through my veins – for as
he talked, the vulnerability and concern on his face made me itch to reach out
and touch him.

Now, he was gesturing around him. ‘Just look at this place.
And she’s here. Where there’s drinking and dirty dancing and God knows what
else going on. And she’s just a kid.’

I thought of the younger teens I’d noticed out in the living
area when Cara and I had first arrived. Fifteen, I guessed, was the youngest
I’d seen. I thought back to me at fifteen, almost three years ago: gawky, geeky
and terribly naive.

‘We’d better go find her,’ I said.

Luke nodded. ‘I searched the living room, and the kitchen
already. Didn’t get a good look outside. Or in the bedrooms… Oh
God
don’t let me find her in a
bed
room…’

He sank his head into his hands and I reached over and
patted him lightly on the shoulder. ‘Hey. It’ll be all right. Did you check the
summerhouse? There were a load of people in there playing Twister last I saw.’

He looked up, hopeful. ‘She likes being in charge of the
Twister spinner…’

‘Come on then. Let’s go.’

I reached down and began putting on my sandals, but I was
quickly in an almighty tangle with the straps. ‘
Stupid
shoes! Why do
women wear these things…’

Luke slid off the sofa and knelt at my feet. He placed a
hand over mine, which was wrestling with the leather, and stilled it. ‘Here,
let me.’

Holding my ankle delicately in one hand, he slid off the
sandal, gave it a shake to realign the straps, then slid it slowly back onto my
foot. The straps glided straight into position. Resting my foot on his lap, he
fastened the buckle with a surgeon’s precision. His skin against mine was warm and
smooth.

I swallowed and managed a husky thank you.

He smiled and picked up the second sandal and set to work.

Drawing breath was becoming an effort, and I was starting to
think I might just pass out if he didn’t let go of my foot soon, but then I
didn’t want him to let go, I wanted him to come closer, closer.

He looked up at me then. His pupils were huge and he was
biting his bottom lip. Slowly, he rose on his knees until his face was level
with mine, and began to lean in…

‘… maybe in here? I’ve looked everywhere else.
Helllooooooooo…’

The door was banged open to reveal two figures standing in
the doorway: Lovely Kyle and Cara.

Cara took in me on the sofa and the dark-haired boy kneeling
before me and quickly backtracked. ‘Ooops, sorry, don’t let me interrupt,’ she
gasped, wide-eyed.

Luke turned quickly as the door edged shut. ‘Cara?’ he said.

The door opened again, just a crack, and Cara’s head
appeared. Then, swiftly, it vanished and the door began to close again.

‘Oh no you don’t!’ roared Luke, and in a flash he was on his
feet and striding to the door. He flung it open. Cara and Lovely Kyle stood
frozen in the doorway.

What the
hell
? I’d barely got to my feet when Luke
commanded ‘In!’ and, to my surprise, Cara shuffled into the room, towing Kyle
in with her.

Luke took a few steps back and said through gritted teeth,
‘Caroline Clara Cavendish, just
what
do you think you’re doing?’

‘Don’t you “Caroline Clara Cavendish” me, or I’ll “Luke
Cameron Cavendish”
you
…’

They squared off against each other, blue eyes flashing,
cheeks flushing. In a split-second realisation dawned. How had I missed the
resemblance all this time?

‘This is not about me, Cara, this is about you!’ Luke was
saying. ‘Sneaking out, coming here alone, meeting some…’ His eyes snapped to
Lovely Kyle, who was standing tall at Cara’s side. ‘
You
– who are you?’

‘Actually, I didn’t come here alone,’ snapped Cara
defiantly. ‘I came with Scarlett.’

That took the wind right out of Luke’s sails. He looked
around to see me sink back onto the sofa wearily. ‘I don’t understand. Scarlett
brought you?’

I was beyond words and simply stared at him as my aching
head worked furiously to sew together two until now entirely separate threads
from the past few weeks: Cara and Luke.

Cara rolled her eyes and gave an exasperated sigh. ‘No, I
brought Scarlett. Honestly, Luke, get with it. I told you about her, remember?
My new friend. The one I’ve been out with while you’re at work.’

Luke’s jaw dropped. ‘It’s
Scarlett
you’ve been
seeing? But I thought you said it was Kylie’s house you were at.’

Cara reached over and gave her brother a light punch on the
arm. ‘No, dummy. That’s
Kyle
. I told you about Scarlett – remember, when
you were on the treadmill doing that ten-k?’

‘Cara, you plank. I run in headphones –
headphones
.’

Luke scraped a hand through his hair and looked at me again.
He looked confused, conflicted and something else – apologetic, I thought. I
had to feel sorry for him.

I was opening my mouth to suggest we all sit down and chill
a little when Cara connected some more dots.

‘Hang on.’ She looked from her brother to me. ‘What did I
just walk in on? Luke, you dog! So
that’s
why you didn’t want me to
come. Little sis cramp your style? If you think you can just come to a party
and hook up with some random girl and then swan off you’ve a –’

‘Cara! That’s enough!’ Luke looked mortified. ‘I came to
find
you
having discovered a fake you with a DETACHABLE HEAD in your
bed! And I wasn’t hooking up. And Scarlett isn’t some random girl. She’s the
girl I’ve been teaching to surf.
As you well know!
’

Now it was Cara’s turn to look bemused. ‘Know what? Jeez,
Luke, you mentioned teaching some out-of-town girl to surf once – weeks ago.
How was I meant to know that was Scarlett!’

‘Because I told you her name!’ hissed Luke.

‘Really? Wow, I must’ve missed that. But if you will insist
on talking while I’m watching
The Originals
…’

Luke looked at the ceiling. ‘Give me
strength
!’

I slumped back onto the sofa, rubbing my temples and
wondering how a simple evening out had descended into some kind of mind-bending
he-said-she-said-but-nobody-listened unravelling.

Finally, Kyle decided to take charge. ‘Look, it seems pretty
clear to me. Scarlett is your friend, Cara, and your friend, Luke. Ergo –
everyone’s friends. So can we take things down a notch? We’re all cool.’

Luke peered at Kyle. ‘Who are you?’

‘I’m Kyle.’

‘Kyle?’

‘Cara’s boyfriend.’

‘Boyfriend!’

With that, Cara let out a ‘God you are SO embarrassing’
screech, spun on her heel and flounced from the room.

‘Don’t you dramatic-exit me, Cara! You get back here RIGHT
NOW!’

I lay my pounding head back on the sofa. What I wouldn’t
give for a super-strength painkiller tablet. Perhaps if I just closed my eyes
and wished, I’d find myself back…

*

‘… home.’

Reluctantly, I prised open one eye a crack. Murky darkness
greeted me, and my first instinct was to panic, but then I picked out the white
stone frontage of my grandparents’ cottage, illuminated by headlights. I was in
a van, I realised – Luke’s van – curled up against the passenger door window.

‘Scarlett,’ repeated Luke. ‘You’re home.’

I remembered finding Cara and then trying, but failing, to
convince Luke that a taxi home would do just fine. I remembered getting into
the van. I remembered Luke and Cara picking up where they’d left off in their
sibling squabble. I remembered feeling terribly heavy, and Cara’s shoulder
looking mighty inviting. I must have fallen asleep – how embarrassing.

I shot upright, and as I did so something slid down, off my
shoulders, and pooled in my lap. Luke’s jacket.

‘You conked out,’ Luke was explaining. ‘I dropped Cara off
first, since it was kind of on the way. Listen, are you okay? I’m sorry about
all that. I had no idea… I mean, I didn’t intend you to get stuck in the thick
of that.’

I turned to look at him. Even in the semi-darkness, the
concern on his face was evident.