Broken

by Marianne Curley

  Anger spikes through me at the injustice going on here. ‘Swear it,’ I enunciate clearly, noticing a slight reddish haze around the edges of my vision. I blink to clear it, but it doesn’t go away. ‘Swear it, Michael.’

  ‘Swear it?’ he repeats, his head cocked slightly to the side.

  ‘Yes. Make your promise real. Swear on your High King. I’ll be your witness.’

  Looking stunned, Michael stares back in silence for a long moment. Then his face softens. He lays a hand on my head and says quietly but with conviction, ‘I swear on the High King of Avena, that I will do all that is within my power to return Prince Nathaneal to his betrothed, known on Earth as Ebony Hawkins.’

  ‘Thank you, Michael.’

  He nods, then slips into the Porsche beside Nathaneal with a small smile on his face.

  The windows are too dark to see through, so Jordan and I just watch the cavalcade leave. When the last car’s tail lights disappear from sight, I turn my face into Jordan’s chest and sob.

  5

  Ebony

  Jordan talks me into going to school to sit the English exam. ‘I’ll bring you straight home afterwards,’ he says, ‘unless . . .’

  He figures keeping me busy is the best plan. In most circumstances he would be right, but there’s nothing normal about this situation. Nathaneal hasn’t gone home to visit family, or taken a holiday.

  He’s been arrested by angels.

  And I have no idea how Avena’s judicial system works. Nathaneal’s explanations so far haven’t covered that sort of thing. And I can’t exactly Google it!

  OK, realistically, of course I can handle Nathaneal’s absence for a week. I’ll miss him, but I’ll focus on my schoolwork and take one day at a time.

  But what if things don’t go well for him? What if something happens to keep him there, and I never see him again? I can’t seem to shake this thought from my head and it’s scaring me to death.

  ‘Hey.’ Jordan tightens his arms round me as we stand looking down the now-silent driveway. ‘It’s going to be OK. I’m here, right?’

  I nod, wipe my tears and take a deep breath. There’s nothing productive in dwelling on stuff I can’t change. After my house burned down, when I lost everything I owned, and couldn’t find my parents, I forced myself to keep moving. After a while I realised I could function even with a heavy heart.

  I go upstairs to my room, shower quickly and head to the garage. By now we’re really late for school. We’ll miss first period for sure. At least Jordan is ready and waiting behind the wheel. He sees me and tosses the notes he was reading into the back seat.

  Inside Nathaneal’s car his scent is everywhere. I close my eyes and inhale deeply. I feel him around me and it reminds me of how much he believes in me – loves me.

  I know then I’ll be OK.

  Jordan starts the engine and lets it purr softly. ‘Ready?’

  I open my eyes and look straight at him. ‘I’m ready.’

  While reversing out he says, ‘The exam today might help keep your mind off what just happened.’

  ‘Maybe, but I doubt it.’

  ‘Those two hours of intense concentration might help you forget – you know – that he left you.’

  I raise my eyebrows at him. ‘Left me?’

  ‘I didn’t mean it like that.’

  ‘Then what do you mean, Jordan?’

  He shrugs. ‘Forget it. Just let me know if you want to leave after the exam, OK?’

  ‘Sure. Thanks.’ We arrive at the gates. I depress the remote control and we turn into Monastery Lane. ‘It was just so unexpected.’

  ‘A freaking shock, that’s what it was.’

  ‘If I had only known . . . Jordan, what if they find him guilty?’

  He gives me a harsh look. ‘Don’t say that. Thane did nothing wrong.’

  ‘We know that, but on Avena they call what he did treason.’

  ‘What did you say?’ Taking his eyes off the lane to stare at me with his mouth open, he inadvertently veers on to the shoulder. Gravel spins up at the rear. For the next few seconds Jordan concentrates on climbing back on to the firm road surface. ‘Did Thane tell you they charged him with treason?’

  I nod, not trusting my voice.

  ‘Man, I didn’t realise it was that serious. Treason?’

  ‘His special power is Avena’s secret weapon, one that was supposed to be saved for a more serious conflict. They’re accusing him of putting his personal feelings before the realm.’

  ‘But Prince Luca came close to taking you away forever. Don’t they care about that?’

  ‘Revealing his secret power has grave implications for Avena, and for peace everywhere, apparently. Nathaneal’s action has disturbed quite a lot of voting court members.’

  ‘Shit.’ Jordan runs his fingers through his hair. ‘I heard Jezelle say it could start a war, but I didn’t think she was serious.’

  ‘She said that?’

  He nods. ‘Do you remember how dead set against it she was? I just thought she was jealous of you.’

  ‘It seems there was more to it.’

  ‘Yeah, but . . . Ebony, she’s still hot for him.’

  ‘I know.’

  He smiles grimly at me. ‘There’s nothing you can do from here.’

  ‘I suppose not.’

  ‘It must suck.’

  I glance at him. ‘What?’

  ‘Knowing Jezelle’s with him, supporting him where you can’t, maybe even making her move while you’re in another world.’

  I swing my head round and stare.

  Grimacing and lifting his shoulders, he says sheepishly, ‘Not helping?’

  ‘Not helping.’

  We travel down Mountain Way in silence after that. It seems to take too long to get to school even though Jordan speeds all the way into the last vacant car-parking spot on the hill. His phone beeps and he checks the message. ‘Danny wants to know where we are. He says we have, like, two minutes before they lock the doors.’

  We run to the auditorium and find Mrs Jessop closing the entrance door. She shakes her head as she marks off our names, then makes Jordan wait while she walks me to my allocated desk.

  All of Year Eleven is sitting in alphabetical order in rows that cover half the floor space. They fiddle with their pencils while they wait, until they spot the latecomers, then all eyes zoom first to me, then to Jordan at the door. Whispers quickly turn into a soft roar that follows me until Mr Crawford, standing out front, tells everyone to be quiet.

  As usual my seat is in the row directly in front of Amber. Her warm smile is a welcome sight. She looks up, expecting me to smile back, but my attempt is pathetic and she mouths, ‘What happened?’

  Mr Crawford lays an exam booklet face down in front of me. When he walks away, I lean back in my chair, so glad that I’ve been keeping Amber informed on everything. ‘Nathaniel had to return to Avena for a week.’

  ‘Why?’ she whispers back.

  Mr Crawford spins round with his pen pointing at us. ‘No talking, girls, or I’ll separate you.’

  ‘Tell you after,’ I mouth the words.

  A tap on my shoulder a few seconds later makes me jump, but it’s just Jordan following Mrs Jessop to his front-row seat. He gives me a wink as he passes and the connection we share, the bond Nathaneal says we will always have between us, hums stronger than ever.

  Two hours and ten minutes later Mr Crawford calls for pens down. Buzzing voices instantly fill the auditorium. Keen for details of Nathaneal’s abrupt departure, Amber drags me to the front desk to hand in our papers. On our way outside we pass Jordan frowning at his cover sheet while holding a pencil above it. ‘Hey, moron,’ she says, teasing him with the sarcasm she seems to store up just for him. ‘Are you just getting started? Got news for you, time’s up.’

  He scrawls his Student Number in the appropriate boxes and smirks at her, then whispers to me, ‘Meet you outside.’

  But when he joins us outside his mind appears to be elsew
here, his eyes flickering through the crowds of other students filtering out.

  At first I think he’s watching for his best friend Danny, who’s been hanging around with us at lunchtimes lately, but when Danny arrives, joking about the exam being a ‘piece of cake’, Jordan continues to look around.

  ‘Obviously, you smashed it, Danny,’ Amber remarks dryly.

  Sophie joins us then and, having heard Danny’s cocky remark, adds her own cheeky comment: ‘He should! He could easily do a higher level. He’s just too lazy to do the extra work!’

  A few strands of Sophie’s silky blonde hair fall loose, so she pulls all her hair free, ruffles her fingers through it to spring the curls back up, and then re-ties it as our school rules dictate.

  Sophie’s not trying to be glamorous or sexy. She just is. No matter how she dresses or does her make-up, Sophie is just one of those girls who have that ‘something’ that makes heads turn everywhere she goes.

  Apparently, even Jordan’s! How have I not seen this before?

  Since Sophie joined us out here, Jordan’s eyes seem to have stopped wandering. They’re glued to her! But then, so are Danny’s. And, looking around, a few other guys are watching her too.

  Seriously, though, a girlfriend is exactly what Jordan needs. I’ve never tried my hand at matchmaking before, but if Sophie likes Jordan as much as he seems taken by her, who knows?

  Finding out will be my first step.

  ‘What are you grinning about?’ Amber asks. ‘I didn’t think the exam was easy.’

  Everyone glances at me and I shrug. ‘I’m just relieved.’

  She doesn’t believe me, but I’m telling the truth – I’m relieved that I’ve stumbled on to something that has the propensity to ease tensions at home. I’m bubbling inside with anticipation. If my little scheme works, Nathaneal will be thrilled too. When he returns, we might all be able to live under the same roof without the weighty blanket of guilt hanging over us.

  ‘Oh, man!’ Danny exclaims. ‘When you two didn’t show up we thought you were ditching the paper.’ He includes Sophie with a quick look at her. ‘Dudes, you gave us a scare.’

  Sophie points at Danny. ‘You thought they were ditching. I thought something happened on the road.’ She looks at Jordan. ‘Did you get my texts? I sent two from my phone and two from Danny’s.’

  She cares enough to send four messages. She is interested. So how can I make this happen for them? They would make a great couple. Aesthetically, they’d be a knockout together with their matching blue eyes, especially if Jordan keeps training. He’s starting to look seriously ripped.

  But why hasn’t he acted on this before now?

  The answer sits uncomfortably on my shoulders.

  Sophie says, ‘I have to go to my locker.’

  Beside her, Danny groans. ‘Again? What did you forget this time?’

  She shakes her head at him, pretending to be annoyed, then looks directly at Jordan. ‘Come with me?’

  Jordan shoots me a glance, reluctant to leave in case I want to take up his earlier offer to go home. But I don’t want to go anywhere if there’s a possibility Sophie might try to hook up with him. ‘Go!’ Scaling down the enthusiasm a little, I add, ‘I mean, I’m OK. Really. I’m just going to hang around with Amber and Danny until our next class.’

  I watch them leave together with a heart full of hope.

  6

  Jordan

  When Sophie asks me to go to her locker with her, I grab the chance because ever since I left the auditorium I’m seeing Skinner everywhere, fleeting images of him walking behind a group of students, or slipping suspiciously round a corner. Once, he stands still and stares at me from across the courtyard, hands in his pockets, a smug look on his face, and then suddenly, like a puff of smoke, he’s gone.

  If he’s trying to get my attention, he’s doing a great job. He’s making me paranoid. But what is he doing here?

  I take a good look around before I follow Sophie into B Block, where all the seniors’ lockers run along both side walls with four horizontal stand-alone rows at the end. Sophie’s locker is one of these, in the last line against the end wall.

  Looking over my shoulder a couple of times, I wait while she grabs a book from inside. ‘Hold this for me?’ she asks, plonking the book in my hands as she locks up.

  When she takes it back, our fingers accidentally touch. Her hand is as cold as ice. She takes a deep breath and exhales with a sigh, her eyes flitting away nervously.

  I’m so conscious of Skinner suddenly appearing that I’m not taking in how agitated Sophie is getting. When it dawns on me, my first thought is she’s gonna ask me out. Well, she’s got my attention now.

  ‘Hey,’ she says, ‘are you listening to me?’

  ‘Yeah, of course I’m listening. Keep going.’ I nod to encourage her.

  ‘I’m trying to tell you something, but it’s . . .’ She stops and frowns. ‘You look distracted.’

  I zero in on her eyes. They’re blue. Really nice. Man, she is so hot. ‘Sorry. I’m here now. Go on.’

  ‘OK. Well, I know how close you and Danny are and I don’t want this thing I have to tell you to wreck your friendship.’

  ‘Whatever it is, it can’t be that bad. Just tell me.’

  Her eyes flicker to the ceiling as if she’s asking for help from the heavens before she spills her guts. ‘You’ve been really busy lately,’ she says, like she’s stating an indisputable mathematical fact, ‘and, um . . .’

  Her voice drops so low suddenly that I struggle to hear her.

  ‘. . . it just happened.’

  A tingle starts up at the top of my spine. By the time she tells me everything that just happened the tingle is in overdrive, and I have a sour taste in my mouth.

  ‘Say something,’ she pleads.

  ‘Like what?’

  ‘Jordan, I’m so –’

  As soon as I spot the pity tears, I back up quickly and plaster a smile to my face. ‘Nothing’s gonna change, if that’s what you’re worried about.’

  ‘Really?’ she sniffs, bringing her mega smile out.

  ‘Of course, Sophie. I’m happy for you. Really.’ The buzzer rings through the corridor ending the morning break and, even though my next class is a free period I’m supposed to take in the library, the buzzer gives me the excuse I need to leave. ‘I gotta go. But I’ll see you later, OK?’

  I run through the corridor without glancing back, not sure where I wanna go next, but it should be somewhere Ebony can reach me in case she decides to leave, so probably the library.

  But the moment I step out of B Block, Skinner is waiting and motioning with his head to follow him. This is all I need after Sophie’s insightful revelation.

  About twenty metres past the new Drama Block extension, there is an old white building made from cement blocks. This eyesore used to be the original school toilets, but today it looks a lot more like an abandoned convict prison. Since the school opened two new facilities about fifty years ago, the local council condemned the structure, fixing steel grid gates to both male and female openings. These entrances are both tightly secured with solid brass padlocks.

  Skinner produces a key, unlocks the female entrance and walks in.

  I stand outside and stare at him. Even though it’s fifty years since the last kid peed in there, it still reeks of urine and, well, other stuff.

  Right now, with pre-lunch classes underway, there’s no one around, not even the usual bunch of Year Seven boys that congregate at the back sometimes for a smoke.

  Skinner sits on a timber bench inside, stretching his legs out and crossing his ankles. ‘Come in.’

  ‘It stinks.’

  ‘You’ll get used to it.’

  ‘I don’t think so. I’m not coming here again.’

  He gets up and stands right in front of my face. He gives me a condescending smirk, like he’s privy to information so secret and important I could die from not knowing what it is. ‘Is that how you greet your best f
riend?’

  ‘No, but you’re not my best friend. You’re no friend at all. Not any more.’

  He swings an arm round my shoulder. I don’t see it coming and I flinch and try to get away. But his grip is solid, like he’s been working out at the gym. He hauls me inside where it’s grey and cold and damp. ‘That’s why I’m here,’ he says.

  ‘Huh?’

  ‘To clarify the status of our renewed friendship.’ His face is too close. It feels wrong on every level. I stretch my neck as far away as I can. ‘We’re going to hang out again, just like we used to.’

  ‘Like when we were eleven?’ He can’t be serious.

  ‘Exactly, dude.’

  He releases me and I stumble backwards in my rush to put space between us. My back hits a stained cement wall. I’m not sure in the dim light whether the stain is a shadow or mould or something else.

  ‘Too much has happened since then, Adam. We can’t go back.’

  He’s in my face again, forehead to forehead, eyeball to eyeball, nose to nose. He moves fast, and with aggression. ‘You’ll do what I say, all right, Jordy-boy?’

  I try to shove him. ‘It’s not all right. And don’t call me that.’

  He pouts like I hurt his feelings.

  ‘What are you doing here?’ I ask.

  He steps back, laughing. ‘You’re touchy this morning. Did my ex not give you the good news you were hoping to hear?’

  I don’t say a word. He laughs. ‘Just relax, dude, I’m not here to hurt you.’

  ‘No? So why are you bugging me at school where anyone can see you?’

  He swirls his hands in the air. ‘Take a look around. This is where we’re going to hold our official meetings.’

  ‘What are you talking about?’

  He pokes his finger in my chest, his face turning serious. ‘My employer is adamant I keep my eye on you to ensure you’re sticking to the terms of your arrangement with him. So when Principal Eckard reinstates me into Year Eleven tomorrow, we’re going to be friends again, meeting down here in our matching free periods two or three times a week for an update.’