She got in her car and drove. Her parents rang several times, worried; why was she driving up to theirs so late, at such short notice? It wasn’t until she turned up on their doorstep that she finally broke and started sobbing.
Taylor’s sobbing jolted Dylan awake. He was dazed for a few seconds, not quite sure where he was. Remembering, he bolted upstairs and into Taylor’s room. Dylan ungracefully crashing through the door startled Taylor awake and into a sitting position. She looked at him through watery eyes, not trusting that he was real. She could still hear the sirens of the ambulance and smell the frost on her parents’ doorstep.
Dylan crossed the room in two strides and sat next to her on the bed, wrapping her in a tight hug.
‘Shhh, it’s OK,’ he soothed, rocking her slightly. ‘You’re OK.’ Taylor sobbed into his shoulder. Why couldn’t Daniella just leave her alone? It wasn’t common for her to have nightmares like this, but they were almost guaranteed on the nights where Daniella had made contact. Her acidic words irritating the wounds Taylor still had, stopping them healing.
In the end, both Taylor and Dylan slept downstairs on the two perpendicular sofas, with the side table lights casting an orange glow around the room.
CHAPTER NINE
Forest Fun
Taylor got up before her alarm that Sunday; it was still dark outside as she went downstairs and put the kettle on. She hadn’t slept properly the previous two nights, and she hoped that the fresh air and spending time with other people would help her let go of the stress and pain keeping her awake. For their trip to the forest, she had dug out her old work boots, which had been buried in one of the boxes in the spare room. She had also bought a nice warm coat; waterproof but with a soft lining. On the same shopping trip she had bought the niece and nephew a ball to kick around and a magnifying glass in case they came across any creepy crawlies.
She wasn’t due to get to Paige’s until noon. She ended up pacing around the house, eventually deciding to dust the mantelpiece and the bookshelves, and anything else she came across. The birds all woke up with the sun and began their chorus. She was mainly surrounded by other buildings, so she imagined her serenaders were all pigeons, but she appreciated it all the same. Sunlight slowly filled the room as time went on, until the clear blue sky looked radiant.
At eleven a.m. she couldn’t find anything else to keep herself busy, so she made her way out the door. Her car obediently rumbled into life and as she pulled out of the drive, she was immediately transported back to the day before, when she and Dylan had taken a taxi to collect her car from the car park. She remembered feeling like she was made of glass and every pothole or bump in the road might make her shatter. She shook her head, trying to dispel those thoughts.
Paige’s house was not what Taylor had expected. It was a large, family-sized dwelling with a sundial and bird bath in the front garden. The bird bath was frozen over, and there were no leaves on the trees and bushes surrounding the lawn, but Taylor could imagine that in the warmer months it was a little green haven for the thirsty birds. She stepped out the car and looked for signs of life in the house, double-checking the text on her phone for the address, and the metal number on the red front door. It was definitely the right house. Before approaching the door, Taylor made a detour via the bird bath to remove the thin layer of ice, topping up the remaining water from the bottle she had brought with her for the hike. Just then, the curtain twitched and two sets of young eyes stared out at her from just above the windowsill. Taylor gave them a little wave, causing them to quickly disappear, and went to the front door. Paige opened it before Taylor had even had a chance to knock, startling her.
‘Hi!’ Paige said before seemingly registering Taylor’s slightly shocked expression. ‘Sorry, the kids saw you through the window and got all excited. I don’t know where they are now though,’ she continued unnecessarily loudly, as she led Taylor into the living room, ‘they must be hiding.’
Taylor could see two sets of little feet sticking out from under the curtains on the French doors.
‘Oh, we’ll have to find them!’ she said knowingly. ‘Where could they be hiding?’
One of the curtains let out a poorly muffled giggle, as the two women slowly walked over to them.
‘I mean, maybe they just upped and left?’ Paige pondered out loud. ‘Maybe they snuck out the door when I let you in?’
‘Maybe,’ Taylor said as she carefully placed one hand on the curtain on the right. Paige did the same on the left, and mouthed a countdown.
‘One!’ she shouted, and they both ripped the curtains back to reveal two giggling children: a boy with dirty blond hair in a dinosaur T-shirt and a younger brunette girl wearing an over-sized red jumper.
‘Taylor, this is Cayden and Susie, my elder brother’s children. Guys, this is my friend Taylor.’
‘Hi, nice to meet you!’ Taylor said, crouching down in front of the little girl and holding out her hand. Susie half-hid behind her brother in response.
‘I’m Cayden,’ he stated, boldly shaking her offered hand. ‘I’m seven.’
‘Wow, a whole seven?’
‘Yup’ he said proudly, sticking his tiny chest out. ‘I had a birthday last week.’
‘And how old are you, Susie?’ Taylor asked gently.
‘Susie’s five,’ Cayden answered. ‘I can name different types of dinosaurs, they are -’
‘OK, let’s let Taylor settle in first before we lecture her on dinosaurs,’ Paige said, steering Taylor towards the sofa. ‘Want a cup of coffee before we go?’
‘Yes, please,’ Taylor said.
‘Can you guys keep her company while I go make us a drink?’
‘Sure!’ Cayden shouted, plonking himself down next to her on the sofa. Susie still hadn’t moved.
Cayden began rattling off thousands of different facts about dinosaurs. Taylor tried to ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ in all the right places, but if she was honest, it was hard to keep up. Susie just watched them for a while, before joining them on the sofa. She carefully looked Taylor over, before crossing her legs in just the same way - right over left - and folding her hands in her lap just like Taylor had. Taylor smiled at her, and she looked away.
Paige came back in with a coffee for Taylor, water for the kids, and tea for herself. The living room felt cosy with the autumn sun beaming through the window, and Cayden’s happy nattering filling the room. Taylor tried to uphold her part in the conversation, but it was hard to get a word in. Paige smiled at her attempts.
‘That’s brilliant, Cayden. But don’t forget your drink,’ Paige said, nodding towards his cup. His first sips of water were the first time the room had been quiet since Taylor had arrived.
‘How was your weekend so far?’ Paige asked.
‘Oh, fine,’ Taylor lied. ‘I took Dylan to do some shopping yesterday, but that’s about it. You?’
‘My brother dropped these two off on Friday evening, so it’s been... busy.’
‘Haha, I can imagine!’
Susie got up off the sofa to get her cup of water, and took it over to where a pile of toys lay sprawled in the corner, as if the toy box had been upended. She found all of the cars and started lining them up in size order, quietly singing away to herself as she did so. Cayden took a big breath as if about to start another speech, when Paige jumped in to stop him.
‘Cayden, can you go and find your boots please? And Susie’s too. I can’t remember where I left them.’
‘OK!’ he said, jumping off the sofa and starting the search.
Paige whispered to Taylor, ‘I know it makes me a bad person, but I hid one of his boots. Should keep him busy for a while.’
Taylor had just taken a sip of her coffee and nearly spurted it out everywhere as she tried to hold back a laugh.
‘That’s mean!’ she said jokingly.
‘I know. But he’s always so proud of himself when he finds them.’
The forest trail was slick with mud; the recent rains had saturated the soil an
d the kids were having great fun sliding all over the place. The grown ups gingerly walked on the edges of the path, trying not to end up embarrassing themselves by face-planting the mud. Trees lined either side of the path, bolt upright like soldiers standing at attention. There were pine cones dotted around here and there, and each time Susie found one she would happily trot over to her aunt and deposit it in a bag. This was clearly a regular activity as Paige had come prepared for it. The higher they got up the trail, the redder everyone’s cheeks got, until they looked like painted Russian dolls who couldn’t stop smiling. The fresh air whipped around them, bringing with it the aroma of the pines. Alongside the squelch of mud under their feet, they could hear a variety of birds chirping, calling out to one another from their perches, high up in the sky.
‘How often do these guys come to stay?’ Taylor asked.
‘Most school holidays. Their parents both work and it just makes sense when my time off teaching coincides with their half terms.’
‘Do you not have work to do over reading week?’
‘Yes, I try and get some of it done when they go to bed.’
‘Auntie Paige, look!’ Cayden shouted from about twenty metres further up the trail.
‘What have you found?’ she shouted back, speeding up her walk. She then said quietly to Taylor, ‘If it’s a dead animal or something, we might need to prevent him “investigating” it.’
‘Look!’ he said, pointing at the leaf of a small bush he was stood almost in the middle of. Only the top of his torso and head were visible, the rest of him had been swallowed up by the plant. He was pointing at a dark brown beetle that almost looked like a mini leaf in itself. It had spindly, orangey-red legs and Taylor could see why he had stopped to admire it.
‘Here,’ Taylor said, rooting around in her pocket, ‘You can use this to have better look!’ She handed him the magnifying glass and his face lit up as he snatched it out of her hand.
‘Cayden, what do we say?’ Paige said sternly.
‘Thank you!’ he said without looking away from the bug, whose face was now amplified through the magnifying glass.
Paige leaned in and whispered to Taylor, ‘A magnifying glass? Why didn’t I think of that! Do you just carry one on you or something?’
‘No, I bought it when I was out shopping the other day. I thought it might be useful for young explorers.’
Paige smiled gratefully at Taylor. ‘It’s brilliant, thank you.’
As they approached the crest of the hill, the clouds that had been hovering cleared, allowing the autumn light to bathe the area in a warm glow. Paige found a felled tree trunk and sat down, placing her rucksack on her lap. The kids were both playing a few metres away; Cayden was looking for more bugs to analyse with his new magnifying glass, and Susie was happily playing with some of the twigs and stones that littered the floor, creating patterns in the mud.
‘Kids! Food!’ Paige yelled, and they both stopped what they were doing and came running. Susie stood in front of Paige, bouncing up and down on her tiptoes and flapping her hands in excitement. Cayden started lecturing them all on the different bugs he had seen, and how he was going to look them all up on the internet when they got home. Taylor was surprised when after handing the kids their lunch boxes, Paige pulled out another one and handed it to her. She hesitatingly took it, looking confusedly at Paige.
‘You don’t like sandwiches?’ Paige asked, worried.
Taylor smiled and shook her head as her cheeks turned faintly more pink, before thanking Paige and sitting down next to her. She quickly looked away to where the line of the tree tops dipped below the crest of the hill, and over to the city beyond. From here the roads almost looked like veins branching out, carrying the oxygen the city needed to thrive. The buildings standing to attention either side were a barrier to protect the vital routes from the people and the nature that was watching, waiting. In comparison, the forest had criss-crossing paths of various sizes and inclines, with no real rules or boundaries restricting where you could go. Here the oxygen flowed freely, with people and nature synchronised and existing in harmony.
Taylor took a bite out of the jam sandwich Paige had made her and let the sweetness spread around her tongue. The fruity taste reminded her of her grandmother’s baking. Warm thoughts of baked delights fresh from the oven filled her up as she sat on the windswept hilltop. The children’s laughter penetrated her memories and she realised Paige had been staring at her again. The secret agent hadn’t looked away quickly enough this time, and her own cheeks turned crimson, knowing she had been caught. Paige quickly busied herself with the rucksack again, this time pulling out two silver thermos flasks, and handing one to Taylor.
‘Don’t worry, it’s coffee,’ Paige said with a smile. Taylor took the flask, which had colourful tape wrapped around it to distinguish it from its twin. She set her lunchbox down beside her, before unscrewing the top of the thermos, pouring herself some of the warm liquid, and taking a sip.
‘For someone that doesn’t drink it, you make a damn good coffee.’
‘My parents both drink copious amounts of coffee. I mastered the skill at a young age,’ Paige responded, laughing.
‘Remind me to thank them if I ever meet them,’ Taylor laughed, before blushing once more. If Paige noticed, she didn’t make it obvious. Instead, she carried on watching the children play with a wistful look on her face, smiling the entire time.
Eventually Paige got to her feet, offering a hand to Taylor who was struggling to stand up; all the climbing she had suddenly started doing combined with the hike this morning meant her legs were no longer her friend. She took the offered hand and felt immediate warmth flood through her body as if she had been wrapped in a warm blanket. Taylor pulled herself to her feet, and held on to Paige’s hand for a couple of seconds longer than necessary. They began walking again and the kids ran after them, with Cayden chatting away and Susie happily singing to herself.
When they started their decent Paige made the children hold her hands. Susie kept trying to pull away, but Paige wouldn’t let her go.
‘I’m sorry, Susie, but I don’t want to risk you falling. I fell here when I was running the other week and I got baddies all over my arm and face, and it really hurt. I don’t want you to get hurt. Do you understand?’
Susie nodded and stopped pulling on Paige’s arm.
‘Is that how you hurt yourself?’ Taylor asked.
‘Huh?’ Paige replied.
‘When I first met you your arm was bandaged and your face was all messed up.’
‘Oh, right. Yes. I was out running that morning and a rabbit startled me and I slipped.’
‘A rabbit?’ Taylor said, laughing.
‘What’s so funny?’ Paige said with a slightly hurt tone in her voice.
‘I’m sorry, it’s just... when I first saw you in the coffee shop I gave you this whole back story about being a mysterious MI5 agent’ Taylor said, trying to stifle her laughter long enough to get her words out. She took a deep breath and tried again, ‘A secret service agent who hurt herself on a dangerous mission, and it turns out instead that your injuries were due to... due to a cute little bunny rabbit.’
‘Haha, yeah, can see how that would be funny.’ Paige chuckled.
‘Sorry. I’m not laughing at the fact you got hurt,’ Taylor said, going a bit red and looking sheepish.
‘I know, it’s OK.’ Paige’s arm moved in a way that suggested she was trying to reach out to Taylor, but she was still holding tightly on to Cayden’s hand and so all she ended up doing was nearly pulling him over.
‘Careful now!’ Taylor said, catching his other arm. The four of them walked down the slope together, holding hands and laughing like a human daisy chain. Once they were on the flat, Paige simultaneously let go of both the children’s hands and shouted, ‘Race you!’, pretending to sprint off towards a lamppost further ahead. She let both the children go in front of her, and when it became clear Susie was falling behind, she scooped her up
and ran with her, so that all three of them reached the lamppost at the same time.
‘It’s a draw!’ Taylor declared, trailing behind.
‘Well done, you two!’ Paige said, ruffling the children’s hair.
Taylor looked on at the trio and smiled, thinking she had completely underestimated Paige. She had assumed that she would have been just as awkward with the kids as she seemed to be with everyone else. Instead, she watched as Susie took Paige’s hand, gently running a gloved thumb up and down it, and as Cayden bounced around them, never letting them out of his sight. This hidden side to Paige only made the jitters in Taylor’s stomach increase. Taylor’s cheeks went red again and she tried to push those thoughts out of her mind, not wanting to make the seedlings of affection obvious.
It was starting to get dark as the four adventurers got back to the house. Taylor started to make her excuses to leave, assuming she would be in the way of bedtime routines, but Susie surprised her by grabbing her hand and leading her inside the house. Paige made them all hot chocolate and put the fire on. She let the kids pick out a film to watch while she went upstairs, returning with a massive pile of blankets in her arms, which she dumped directly on top of the children, making them giggle. Susie sat next to Taylor on the sofa and, sucking her thumb, tucked herself into the nook of Taylor’s arm. They didn’t even make it to halfway through the movie before Susie fell asleep. Cayden kept himself awake by talking almost all the way through, spouting off any tangential facts he knew about whatever was happening in the film at the time. Taylor looked over at Paige every now and again; she was just staring at the television and not saying a word. Her eyes had glazed over a little, as if her mind had gone in to sleep mode like a computer. The fire crackled away in the corner, occasionally letting off a loud pop that would rouse Paige a little. She would adjust her position or pull the blanket a little tighter around Cayden, before drifting back off into her slightly dazed state. Taylor let the heat of the fire wash over her as if she was sinking into a warm bath, and she felt her eyelids getting heavier.
The Face of It Page 9