by R A Browell
Abbie eventually pulled away from Charlie, both of them were flushed and smiling.
‘I’m absolutely drained!’ Abbie exclaimed.
‘I’m not surprised!’ added Lucy under her breath.
‘No not from that!’ Abbie giggled. ‘No, I’ve had a really busy week at school. All these rehersals. Getting ready for our assessment, we’ve been studying the arts and domestic violence, it’s extremely powerful stuff but quite dark and it’s got to be perfect before the assessors come in. If you like, you can come and see the performance in a couple of weeks’ time.’
Lily felt Charlie tense as his thoughts popped into her consciousness once again. He glanced at her as she concentrated hard and quickly frequenced away from him. ‘James?’ she called in the silence of their own private chatroom, ‘I’m sorry I couldn’t help it… Is he alright?’
‘I think so,’ James looked up from his magazine briefly and glanced at Charlie as he followed Abbie to the counter.
‘It’s not exactly a great theme, domestic violence is it? A sanguin and a human? He knows he’s playing with fire, it’s dangerous for both of them and she has no idea. I think it’s getting to him…’
Lily paused. ‘Do you think my mum ever hurt my dad?’ she asked. ‘Do you think we can ever get it together with people who aren’t like us?’
‘I don’t know, Lil,’ James sighed. ‘You’re asking me about something I know nothing about. Your dad’s still around so maybe they were okay. Maybe she hurt him a little but he survived? You’re here, so it obviously worked for them. You should ask him. Hari seems to think that maybe it’s easier when the bloke is human.’
‘What do you mean?’
James paused. ‘Maybe it’s easier for girls not to lose it. You know,’ he replied awkwardly. ‘Sometimes it’s difficult to keep what we are under control. We’re strong Lil, in every way. If we get too carried away... All I’m saying is that Charlie knows Abbie could get hurt if he goes too far and he risks exposing us all if he loses control.’
‘So why doesn’t he just leave her alone? Stop going out with her?’ frequenced Lily.
‘It’s not that simple. He really likes her. I mean he’s attractive to any girl - I guess we all are, after all that’s part of what we are, and we all know Charlie likes the attention of pretty girls, but she’s the first one he’s felt really strongly about. Just wait until it happens to you. It can’t be easy.’ His voice trailed off and Lily blushed. ‘Anyway,’ he continued, ‘we’ve all got an obligation to watch each other’s back but that definitely doesn’t involve eavesdropping,’ he said firmly. He looked up from his magazine and started talking about the chemistry exam with Joolee.
‘Thanks,’ she frequenced back. ‘Thanks for being so straight. Maybe having a house full of sisters has its compensations! You remind me of my dad; I think you’d make a good doctor.’
‘Maybe!’ he replied silently. ‘Assuming I get the grades and can keep off the drink!’
Charlie was quiet as he returned to the table. He caught Lily’s eye then edged himself next to Hari and turned his attention to the three human girls who were now chatting animatedly about the school ball. He smiled to himself. Here were three human girls; completely defenceless and totally unaware of the dangers that just happened to be raging around them in the quintessential busy little Georgian tea shop!
*
Andrew smiled as Lily kissed him quickly and stepped out of the car.
‘Have a great time Sweetheart, you look amazing, I’ll collect you at midnight. Don’t forget to take that old coat off, will you Cinderella?’
Lily rolled her eyes. ‘Bye Dad,’ she said and closed the door.
He watched as she turned and walked down the road towards the school entrance. He waited, but she didn’t look back and his thoughts carried him back to the first time he’d met Maggs; tall and beautiful and how he’d assumed she’d never give him a second look but she had and now here he was, with a beautiful sanguin daughter. Lily was only five years away from where he and Maggs had been when they’d first met and he wished she were here now, to see how their daughter was turning out. He suddenly felt old. He missed Maggs more than he let himself believe.
Outside Hallington High, the street was buzzing as the students arrived at the school gates. The girls looked like a myriad of colourful butterflies as they emerged from cars and taxis; the boys like beetles tall, stiff and starched, with black suits and bow ties that had obviously taken them hours to fasten properly. The school gates were delicately lit; decorated with tiny tree lights that lent a fairy-tale feel to the place as Hallington High was transformed for the night from an old stone building with dark secrets and distant memories into a place of romance with the promise of bright exciting futures.
Lily caught sight of Hari walking through the main door carrying a large heavy suit bag.
‘You smell nice,’ she whispered from behind, ‘but why aren’t you dressed yet? And what on earth have you got in there?’ she asked poking the black zipped case. ‘Are you moving in?’
He turned and smiled at her.
‘Don’t. You wouldn’t believe the day I’ve had!’ he complained as they walked comfortably together into the candle-filled corridor. ‘I’ve only just finished getting the gear sorted out. James and Charlie managed to leave about an hour ago so I’m hoping they’re going to get back in time and Mum’s just dropped this stuff off for me.’ He patted the heavy suit bag, hung over his shoulders.
‘You look nice,’ he smiled, staring at her blonde hair, piled high on top of her head and the delicate crystals, painstakingly threaded by Abbie, which twinkled in the flickering candlelight. ‘Older somehow. Are those glued in?’ he asked reaching out. Lily thumped him. ‘Ouch! Well, I hope you’ve got something dazzling on under that old coat,’ he said, pulling a face. ‘It’s truly awful, it makes you look like some kind of shaggy grey wolf! Speaking of which,’ he lowered his voice, ‘you’re looking paler than usual and your eyes are definitely dark. Have you fed recently?’
‘Hari!’ Lily sighed. ‘Can’t you just be nice, pay me a compliment and forget about us being different? Just for tonight! I’m probably looking particularly pale because I’m totally terrified about this gig! You know we haven’t practised enough.’
‘Well,’ he sighed, shrugging his shoulders, ‘if you don’t want to come hunting with us.’
Lily’s eyes lit up. ‘Hunting? Really?’ she whispered excitedly. ‘Are you planning something? When? Where?’
She gazed into his face, unaware that a group of girls from his year group were looking across enviously at them. Hari saw them out of the corner of his eye and grinned mischievously as he leant down low, so that his mouth brushed softly against Lily’s ear.
‘Stop it! That tickles!’ she whispered.
‘That’ll give them something to gossip about,’ he grinned, his eyes following the Year 11’s all the way down the corridor.
‘Except that now everyone’ll think that you’re totally hitting on me!’
‘That’s alright,’ he chuckled, ‘anything to put them off the trail,’ he added, enjoying the safe, gentle banter.
‘You realise that now we’re going to have to have a very public break-up?’ she grinned.
‘So, what’s this were you saying about hunting?’
‘Public break-up?’ repeated Hari, looking confused as he nodded to a group of boys from his year group.
‘Hari! The hunting?’ Lily repeated impatiently.
He turned his attention back to her. ‘Mareena’s going to need to feed soon,’ he replied in a hushed voice. ‘Shasa reckons she’ll be okay for another few weeks, but we thought that the move from full cream to skimmed might be too drastic for her to handle in one go, so we’re considering a trip to sunny Spain in a couple of weeks, to help her adapt gradually, whilst we get some lovely warm sunshine and a tan!’
‘Adapt gradually?’ asked Lily.
‘It also just so happens that the Spanish wolf
population is holding nice and steady and that it’s not actually illegal to hunt them there.’
‘Illegal? I don’t understand.’
‘It’s the only way Mum will let us go for something that big and carnivorous. She was pretty furious about the Cranmere Beast - she thinks we should be more aware of conservation. Can you believe it?’ he groaned. ‘My mother lives in a house filled with bloodsuckers and she’s worried about preserving the planet! She doesn’t know it yet, but she’s getting a Greenpeace subscription for Christmas after giving me all this grief!’
‘Saving the planet seems pretty cool to me!’ grinned Lily, ‘After all, isn’t that on our list of things to do this summer! So, tell me about Spain?’
‘Not much to tell really. We figured a trip into the mountains maybe, somewhere in the North. Nice and quiet. Rural. The idea is that we’ll hire a villa, with a pool, far away from civilisation for a couple of weeks.’
‘And you’re inviting me,’ said Lily excitedly, ‘to go with you on holiday and hunting for a whole fortnight?’
‘Do you think your dad would trust us after last time?’ he asked beaming like a Cheshire cat, his white teeth shining against his flawless brown skin. The two of them made a magnificent couple.
‘I don’t know,’ groaned Lily, biting her lip, ‘he’s been a bit clingy recently. I think he just wants to go up to the beach house this summer and then I promised I’d go and stay with London Lucy in Geneva, unless… Maybe I could go there during the Christmas break.’ Lily was starting to plan how she could convince Andrew to let her go to Spain.
‘You can’t blame him for not wanting you out of his sight, but maybe he’d fancy a little continental holiday to sunny Espanola himself? Maybe my Mum should ask him!’ he added, looking back towards the door to where Andrew had just dropped her off.
‘Hari Pradesh are you trying to fix your mum up with my dad?’ she asked, staring at him, wide eyed as she nudged him hard in the ribs with her elbow. ‘Just because you live somewhere that looks like it’s out of a Jane Austen novel, doesn’t mean that you have to become one of her main characters, Mr Woodhouse! I’m sure our parents can manage perfectly well without us interfering. ‘Anyway’ she added dismissively, ‘I don’t think he’s that bothered about women.’
Hari raised his eyebrows.
‘Not that! It’s just that he’s a busy man,’ she explained.
‘Look, Lil, we can talk about this later. Here’s the girl’s cloakroom, hurry up and get rid of the wolf skin – we’re on in half an hour. I’ll get Abbie and meet you backstage and don’t worry, we’re going to have a fantastic night!’ Hari added as he reached down and kissed Lily lightly on the cheek. She turned to go through the door, thinking about the holiday and what he’d said, and smiled.
‘Well I suppose you never know,’ she thought to herself. ‘Stranger things have happened and Rani’s really nice, but I wonder what dad’s friend, Rachel Cookson, would make of it!’ Lily’s dad had been out with Rachel Cookson, a sheep farming neighbour, a couple of times. It was clear her Dad was quickly becoming a favourite with the ladies!
*
‘Wow, looking at you!’ James whistled. He looked Lily over proudly as he leaned down and kissed her on each cheek. ‘You look fab. You both do.’
Abbie giggled and Charlie glanced up from tuning his guitar as the girls joined the band on the stage.
‘You both look awesome!’ he said, pulling his eyes away from them as he twisted the tuning keys and craned his neck to listen to the noises that were coming out of the amp. ‘I’m sorry, I’ve just got to get this done, it doesn’t sound right and we’re on in five minutes!’ he explained as he continued tuning.
He stole another quick glance at both girls. Abbie had been very generous. Lily looked stunning in the borrowed dress, much curvier than in her usual jeans and t-shirt, but thankfully much less obvious than in a Seleni number. She and Abbie stood behind the curtain waiting for the gig to begin.
‘Don’t worry,’ said Abbie, as she leaned across and took hold of Lily’s shaking hand. She squeezed it gently. ‘You look fantastic in that dress! You’ll be fine – you sounded amazing this afternoon in rehearsal.’ She looked Lily over to make sure everything was in order. ‘Didn’t you want to wear one of the necklaces I put in the bag?’ she asked, ‘I think they’d cover up that scar better.’ Abbie leaned across to get a better look. ‘It looks like a butterfly, what is it, some kind of birthmark? Don’t you think something bigger than that stone thing might work better?’ She spoke kindly. ‘I’ll tell you what, you can have mine. Let’s swap.’ She reached to unfasten the chain around Lily’s neck but before she knew it, James was hurrying Abbie onto the centre stage.
‘No time for last minute adjustments, ladies,’ he whispered catching Abbie’s hand and pulling her away from Lily. ‘Positions please, we’re on in two!’ he added, glancing across at Charlie and Hari. They were watching the two girls closely; fingers on their guitars; ready.
‘Does it look that obvious? It’s this dress, isn’t it? I knew I should have worn something different!’ Lily frequenced, in panic. ‘Everyone’s going to see the scar, I can’t do this!’ she whimpered. ‘I just can’t!’
‘Lily,’ James frequenced as he sat behind his drums, ‘you look great and you sound awesome, you’ll be fab!’
‘He’s right Lil, you’re a vamp. You look fabulous, you sound even better and no one cares about a little scar.’ Hari passed her a microphone.’ Just like they don’t care about your shaking hands! Nerves are always good, Lil. Come on let’s knock ‘em dead!’
‘As opposed to suck ‘em dry!’ frequenced Charlie.
She turned to look at him, to see his broad cheeky smile and his bright shining eyes as they met hers. Then the crowd cheered, her stomach flipped and Lily knew there was no escape as the curtain went sailing up.
*
Lily peered out into the mass of dancing bodies that were moving to the rhythm of the music.
‘Is that Ziggy?’ she frequenced. ‘No, it can’t be!’
Her eyes were scanning back and forth as she sang while the strobe lights flew over the heads of the dancers. They were coming to the end of the number and the gig and Lily was starting to relax. In fact, she’d surprised herself at just how much she’d really enjoyed the last hour and was smiling.
The next band was getting ready to follow.
‘Lily! Can you just concentrate on the song you’re singing!’ replied Hari silently. ‘We’re nearly done. We don’t want any mistakes, not now,’ he added.
‘But I’m sure I’ve just seen Ziggy in full black tie!’ she insisted, looking into the crowd. The three boys smiled but said nothing, concentrating on the big finale as they finished the last number. The audience roared and Lily felt a warm glow as she bowed, waving as she moved across the stage. She saw Lucy and Joolee at the front cheering loudly with two other year tens who Lily knew from their maths group, but no sign of the strange young alchemist who she was convinced had been there just moments earlier. Still, Lily kept scanning the audience.
‘Come on Lil, we need to get offstage, the Professor wants a word,’ said Hari directing her to the wings. The mass of bodies continued to scream for the music like some gigantic collective animal, baying for blood as a tall, grey-haired man entered the stage to a rally of loud raucous cheers.
‘Students of Hallington High, a few short words before we get on with the rest of the evening,’ said the headmaster, Professor Mendelmost Mendelson, before he proceeded to congratulate everyone for completing their studies and sitting their exams. He wished them all well for their futures, whether they were moving on to pastures new or coming back in September. ‘And remember,’ he continued, ‘some of our new starters are here with us tonight, so I hope you’ll all introduce yourselves to them and make them feel very much at home. Hallington High is a place where we hope all students, old and new, feel like they’re with family – the Hallington family!’ he concluded as all the student
s cheered loudly, stamping and clapping as he left the stage and the next band started tuning up.
Lily thought about what the headmaster had just said. It was true, her friends had become like family over the last few months and then she suddenly swung round and looked at the three boys, her eyes narrowing.
‘What’s going on?’ she asked as they walked down the stage steps. As usual Abbie was totally oblivious to their frequencing.
‘Just need to powder my nose…Good gig guys,’ smiled Abbie. ‘Don’t go far,’ she whispered, giving Charlie a lingering kiss before she floated off.
‘We don’t know what you mean!’ Hari replied as the next band struck up and Lily walked out from behind the stage door and straight into four familiar faces; a red haired vampire, a gangly alchemist, a nervous looking valetti and a handsome Farisian Protector. Lily felt her chest constrict as though she’d been caught by a boa constrictor as she looked up into Valens’ face. He was wearing one of Hari’s suits and looked simply breath-taking.
‘Lily! You were fantastic!’ cried Mareena, throwing her arms around Lily’s neck before she had chance to say anything. ‘And guess where we’re coming in September?’ she giggled excitedly.
‘Let me think?’ smiled Lily, glancing back at Valens and blushing so deeply that she started to look almost human.
‘Here!’ cried Mareena. ‘Well not Galdo, he’s come with us tonight as a thank you, but Ziggy and Valens are sorting out a replacement to the Seleni for the Kelpasians over the summer and I don’t need to go back. Rakshasa and Rani have said I can stay and then we’ll all start here together in September with our day and night lessons!’ she whispered, glancing at Ziggy. ‘I’m so excited!’ she said and gave a little squeak as she squeezed Lily even tighter.