After Eden ae-1

by Helen Douglas

  ‘Why don’t you make an exception?’ he said. ‘You can’t deny that this smells good.’

  ‘I don’t want to feast on the misery of another being.’

  ‘You don’t know how to enjoy yourself,’ said Travis. ‘That’s your problem.’

  I grabbed a cereal bowl and a box of muesli and plonked myself down at the table.

  ‘So tell us all about it,’ said Miranda. ‘Was it wonderful?’

  ‘It was a lovely evening,’ I said as I splashed milk into the bowl.

  ‘Did you take lots of photos?’

  ‘I didn’t take my phone, but Megan’s mum took some before we left her place and Connor took loads. I’ll get copies.’

  Miranda served up two steaming plates of bacon, eggs, sausage, mushroom and fried bread. The smell of hot grease made me feel queasy.

  ‘Did your boyfriend leave last night?’ asked Travis. ‘He was due to leave after the ball, wasn’t he?’

  ‘Yes, he left,’ I said. ‘But he isn’t – wasn’t – my boyfriend.’

  Miranda and Travis smiled at each other over the table.

  ‘You said you were in love with him.’ Travis dipped the end of a sausage into the runny yolk of his egg.

  I groaned to myself. It was one thing to confess to being in love when it was dark and I was still a little drunk. It was quite another to talk about it now in front of Miranda and Travis. Especially when I was doing everything I could to not think about him.

  ‘Yes, I did. But that didn’t make him my boyfriend. We were just friends.’

  Travis looked at me. I had the vague recollection of telling him that I had no plans to stay in touch with Ryan. That must have sounded weird.

  ‘We can keep in touch via email,’ I said. ‘But I doubt we will. You know what they say: out of sight, out of mind.’

  Miranda laughed. ‘You have no heart.’

  ‘What are your plans today, Eden?’ asked Travis.

  ‘I’ll probably meet my friends at the beach. It looks like a hot one.’

  ‘There’s a storm coming in later,’ he said. ‘Late afternoon according to the forecast.’

  ‘We’ll probably spend a couple of hours at the beach and if it gets cold we’ll go to the arcade or somewhere like that.’

  ‘Who’s going to be there?’ he asked.

  ‘Why do you care?’

  Miranda glared at me. ‘Don’t be rude.’

  ‘Just making conversation,’ said Travis.

  ‘Connor and Megan and probably Amy and Matt.’

  ‘Do you want a lift into Perran?’ asked Travis. ‘I need to pop home this morning.’

  ‘No thanks. I probably won’t go in until later.’ I pretended to be interested in Miranda’s fashion magazine and hoped they’d just leave me alone.

  With some trepidation, I dialled Connor’s mobile. I knew he would still be cross with me, but Ryan was right. We’d been friends for too long for him to hate me for ever. It went straight to voicemail. He was probably still sleeping. While I’d gone to the farmhouse with Ryan, they had probably partied into the early hours. I would have to wait a couple of hours before I got to talk to anybody.

  ‘Hey, Connor, it’s me,’ I said to his mailbox. ‘Call me when you wake up. Please.’

  I threw the phone on my bed and looked around my room. Miranda hadn’t picked up the Sunday papers yet so there was no crossword to do. But I could play Scrabble against the computer or do a jigsaw or read a book.

  I went down to the living room and chose a jigsaw from the games box. I cleared the coffee table and began to sort through the box looking for corner pieces and edges. I heard Travis slam the front door and then the deep growl of his car engine rumbling to life. In the kitchen I could hear the crashing of plates as Miranda washed up the breakfast dishes.

  At ten o’clock Miranda popped her head round the door to tell me she was going to Marks & Spencer.

  ‘Do you want to come along?’ she asked. ‘We could get elevenses.’

  I shook my head. ‘I’ll just stay here. I’ll go to the beach later.’

  Miranda shuffled around with her jacket and keys in the hall and then I heard the door slam.

  Silence.

  Our house in Penpol Cove was only a half mile from the sea, but it was just far enough inland not to be plagued with the shriek of seagulls. The only cars that ever drove past our house were our neighbours on their way to work on weekday mornings and on their way home on weekday afternoons. I hadn’t realised how quiet the days could be in Penpol Cove. Outside, just the hum of a distant lawnmower. Inside, just the quiet, rhythmic ticking of the clock.

  I tried Connor again. Straight to voicemail. Surely he was awake by now. I left another message asking him to call.

  I looked back at my half-completed jigsaw and with a sweep of my arm, flung the pieces to the floor. Why the hell was I doing a jigsaw?

  Until Ryan came along, my life had been timid, like a mouse scurrying amid the long grass. I’d hidden safely in the quiet routines of school and home, filling the empty hours with jigsaws and chess and crossword puzzles. My dreams had been small – studying A levels at the local college, learning to drive – and my expectations low. Falling in love had changed everything. The ground had been torn up from under my feet and I felt like I had been grabbed from the sanctuary of a summer lawn and hurled into the jungle. My old life seemed like a whisper in the face of a roar.

  I couldn’t live my old life any more. I picked up the pieces and shoved them back in the box.

  I called Connor’s house phone. Mrs Penrose picked up.

  ‘Hello, Eden, did you have a lovely time at the ball?’ She didn’t give me a chance to answer. ‘What time did you get home? Connor rolled in around three in the morning.’

  ‘I was home just after midnight.’

  ‘Very sensible. I’m just taking the phone up to him now. Connor?’ I heard her knock on his door. ‘It’s Eden.’

  I heard Connor grunt something at his mother. ‘What?’

  ‘Hey, Connor. I tried you on your mobile but I guess the battery’s dead.’

  ‘Hmm.’

  ‘Look, I’m sorry about last night. I don’t know why I behaved that way.’

  ‘Whatever.’

  ‘So, what’s the plan? Are we going to the beach?’

  ‘I dunno.’

  ‘Shall I come to yours? We can decide when I get there.’

  Connor said nothing for a few seconds. I could hear him breathing down the phone.

  ‘Connor?’

  ‘Look, Eden. I’m busy today. I’ll call you later in the week, OK?’

  ‘Connor,’ I began, but he’d already hung up.

  So he hadn’t forgiven me yet. I knew he’d be mad with me, but I’d expected him to give me the chance to explain. I called Megan.

  ‘Hi, Eden,’ she said wearily.

  ‘Did I wake you up?’

  ‘No, I’ve been awake for a while.’

  I lay back on the living room carpet. ‘Did you have a good time last night?’

  ‘Brilliant. The best night of my life.’

  I shut my eyes. At least Megan wasn’t holding a grudge. ‘I’m so glad. Look, I’m sorry about my meltdown last night.’

  ‘You were really strange,’ said Megan.

  ‘Too much vodka combined with a mixture of excitement and sadness,’ I said. ‘It’s well known to cause bizarre behaviour in susceptible individuals.’

  ‘I didn’t know you were drinking.’

  ‘Oh, yeah. I had quite a bit. I think I must have made a fool of myself.’

  ‘To be honest, I was worried that you didn’t like me and Connor hooking up. I thought perhaps it might be an issue?’

  ‘It’s not remotely an issue,’ I said. ‘I think it’s great the two of you got together.’

  ‘What time did Ryan leave?’

  ‘Midnight. They wanted to take advantage of the empty roads.’

  ‘Are they flying out of Heathrow?’

  �
�I think so.’

  ‘Has he called you today?’

  ‘No. We’re not going to stay in touch. Neither of us believes in long-distance relationships. They never work out.’

  ‘Really? Why? The world is getting smaller all the time, Eden.’

  ‘This is for the best.’

  She sighed. ‘You’re probably right. You were never more than friends, were you?’

  ‘No,’ I said. There was no point in telling her we had kissed. She would probably try to persuade me that we must keep in touch.

  ‘I’d better go,’ said Megan. ‘I’ll call you tomorrow, OK?’

  ‘Don’t you want to do anything today?’

  ‘Well, the thing is,’ she said. ‘I’m kind of spending the day with Connor.’

  ‘Right. I see,’ I said. ‘I’ll call you tomorrow.’

  I hit the end call button. So this was the way things were going to be now that Megan and Connor were a couple. I didn’t think I could stand it. Not only was Ryan gone, but I was stuck in a silent house on my own while my best friends hung out together without me.

  Dusk was still several hours away, but the sky was already darkening. The wind blew wildly and the sun was obscured behind the low, glowering storm clouds gathering in the west. I pulled my hoodie over my dress, slipped the key to my car and the key to the farmhouse in my pocket, and headed down the lane.

  I’d hoped being with Connor and Megan would help take my mind off Ryan; with neither of them available, Ryan was all I could think about. His name was like a charm. Ryan. Two syllables, like a heartbeat. Orion. Three syllables, like ‘I love you.’

  I paused at the entrance to the farmhouse. I’d promised myself I wouldn’t come down here yet, but I needed to link with Ryan in some way. This was the only place I knew for sure he would visit, the only place where we might be separated, not by space, but just by time. I wanted to sit under our apple tree and feel him nearby, in the future.

  My sandals crunched over the gravel. The lawn was still neatly cut. The silver car was parked in the driveway. Maybe I would give myself a driving lesson later. I walked across the lawn to the apple tree and sat beside it. We had planted it well. Although its trunk bent in the wind, it was going nowhere. I hugged myself. It was too cold to enjoy sitting outside.

  It was strange, unlocking the door to the farmhouse and just going inside. Walking into the kitchen, I could still smell the coffee from the night before. The table and chair were just as I’d left them. The floor had been swept clean. I opened the cupboard where they kept the mugs. All of them were still there, stacked higgledy-piggledy on top of each other. I’m not sure what I expected. When Ryan said they’d cleaned out the farmhouse, I’d assumed they’d have got rid of everything. I checked the fridge. It had been cleaned out and turned off, but there were a few bottles of beer left inside.

  I went across to the living room. All the books that had been on the bookshelf were gone. So was the television. The coffee table and the sofa remained. I tried the light switch. Nothing. So they’d had the electricity disconnected.

  I ran up the stairs and into the bathroom. A small pile of towels was still neatly stacked inside and a half-used bar of soap sat by the basin. I checked the tap. Water flowed. It seemed they’d cleared out most of the furnishings and thrown away most of their personal stuff, but a few pieces remained behind.

  I went into Ryan’s bedroom. The bed had been stripped and the bedding was neatly folded at the foot of the bed. There was nothing of his in the room. No sketch pad or book or dirty mug. No trace of him whatsoever. I was just about to head back downstairs when I heard a car approaching. I looked out of the window and saw a black car pulling into the drive. It hadn’t occurred to me that anyone else would visit the farmhouse. But it made perfect sense. The house was empty. Presumably, Ben would have arranged for it to be sold. My heart ached at the thought of another family moving in. Of not being able to visit our apple tree. How long would I have? Days? Weeks? Months?

  I didn’t like the thought of an estate agent or solicitor finding me inside the house. The problem was, the back door just led into the back garden. There was no way back on to the lane without coming round to the front and heading down the driveway. There was nothing for it: I would have to face them.

  I headed back down the stairs and up to the front door. A man was facing away from me. He was bent over, pulling hard at something in the ground. Our apple tree. Why anyone would wish to destroy a tree was completely mystifying. But what was even more confusing was the person pulling it out of the ground. Because even though he had his back to me, I could tell immediately who it was: Travis.

  I was just on the verge of running outside and yelling at him, when I stopped. Something wasn’t right. I backed away from the door and gently pushed it to. My blood had turned to ice. I went back into the kitchen and stood near the window. He tossed the sapling on to the ground and continued digging. If he went any deeper, he would find our time capsule. The tree and the time capsule were the only permanent reminders of me and Ryan, the only mark we had left on the Earth.

  And that was when I realised what was happening.

  Travis pulled the time capsule out of the ground and tossed it on to the lawn next to the tree. He dropped the shovel and wiped his forehead with his sleeve. He turned to face the house. His face was pink from exertion and mud was smeared across his arms. I stepped back from the window.

  I wasn’t sure if he had seen me or not. I’d only been there for about a second and it was much harder to see in through a window than out. I could run to the car, but he would probably intercept me on the way. Run out of the back door. That could work, but there was nowhere to hide. Hide in one of the rooms upstairs. But then if he found me, I’d be trapped. I had to face him.

  I went to the front door and opened it. Travis was standing right in front of me.

  ‘Hey, Travis!’ I said, as though there was nothing that could have pleased me more than to bump into Travis at the farmhouse. ‘Did Miranda send you here to fetch me?’

  ‘We need to talk,’ he said.

  ‘Can we talk at home? I was just leaving.’

  Travis put one hand in the small of my back and pushed me gently, but firmly, inside.

  ‘What’s going on, Travis?’ I asked, trying to keep the fear out of my voice.

  ‘I’m cleaning up your mess.’

  ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’

  ‘I think you do.’

  ‘Who are you?’ I whispered.

  ‘I’m sure you’ve worked that out by now. He told you everything else. He must have told you about the clean-up agents.’

  I swallowed. Travis was Miranda’s boyfriend. They’d been together for months. He was a part of the family. When Ryan had mentioned cleaners, I’d imagined some sort of arch-villain from a James Bond movie. Not Travis.

  ‘We need to do some damage limitation,’ he said, steering me into the living room. ‘We can start with this.’

  He held a piece of paper in front of my face. My letter to Ryan. I grabbed for it, but Travis held it out of reach.

  ‘Imagine if somebody else had found this. By the time you read this, I will be long dead. Although my life will be over, only a day or two will have passed for you. It’s strange to think of you out there, still young and pretty when I am dead and gone.’

  ‘Stop!’ I said, my face burning.

  Travis flicked open his lighter and held the flame to the end of the letter. I watched the paper char and then burn. He dropped the paper in the fire grate.

  ‘How did you know about that?’

  ‘I didn’t till I dug it up. I had to check, to make sure the two of you hadn’t done something stupid. I can’t believe he let you put that in there.’

  ‘He didn’t know about it.’

  ‘Sit down, Eden,’ said Travis, gesturing towards the sofa.

  ‘I’d prefer to stand.’

  ‘Don’t worry. I’m not going to hurt you.’

&n
bsp; I couldn’t imagine Travis hurting me. We’d shared so many meals together; we’d flaked out on the sofa with Miranda. He’d given me lifts into town. Maybe he wouldn’t hurt me. Perhaps he would trust me with their secrets, as Ben, Cassie and Ryan had chosen to do. Perhaps not.

  I sat down. ‘How did you know?’

  ‘That you knew?’

  I nodded.

  ‘It’s my job to know these things. But truthfully, you made it easy. You started asking questions about time travel around the same time you became friendly with Orion Westland. It was obvious you had sussed him out. And then, the other night, of all the stars in the night sky, you chose Algol. You wouldn’t know this, but Algol is still considered to be a binary star system in 2012. It’s not until 2045 that a third star was confirmed.’

  ‘Are you going to kill me?’

  He laughed. ‘I’m not going to hurt you. Like I said, we need to talk. I need to know just how much Westland told you. Wait here. I’ll get us a drink.’

  He left the room. I could make a run for it. Try to get to the car. But I wouldn’t have much time and he might cut me off at the front door. I decided to stay put and wait for a better opportunity. Travis didn’t know I had learnt to drive and he didn’t know I had the car key with me. I needed to sit tight and hope that he didn’t do something before I had the chance to put my plan into action.

  ‘They haven’t left much behind, have they?’ said Travis, coming back into the living room. ‘Very inconsiderate. But they left some beer.’

  He twisted the tops off the bottles. ‘Where’s Connor?’ His voice was soft, kind, unthreatening. He pushed one of the bottles into my hand.

  I put it on the coffee table.

  ‘I forgot,’ said Travis with a smirk. ‘You don’t drink. Perhaps you should start. You look like you need to relax.’

  ‘What do you want?’

  ‘To talk.’ He took a long swig from his bottle. ‘Where’s Connor?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ I said. ‘We had an argument last night. He’s not speaking to me.’

  ‘What did you argue about?’

  ‘I broke his telescope.’

  Travis chortled. ‘Nice. Pass me your phone.’