by Leah Cook
“You cook too?” I smiled at him, desperately wanting to kiss him. I hadn’t seen my father for a couple of days so I went over to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He mumbled something at me but I saw red creeping up his neck and knew I’d made him happy by going to him and not to Scott first.
I wasn’t about to let them see the effect that Scott and I had on each other when we touched. I’m sure he’d be thrown out with the threat of a shotgun if my father even got the slightest inkling.
Dinner went by easily. Scott had already won over my mother by helping her in the garden, although now I wondered why she needed the help in the first place. I had so many questions about what she could do but knew that now wasn’t the time.
After dinner we all went into the lounge room to watch a movie, my parents sat in their recliners and left the couch for us. I sat down first and Scott unabashedly sat right next to me, put his arm around me and pulled me towards him so that my back was up against his chest. I waited for a reaction from my father and when he laughed at the TV I relaxed and leant my head on Scott’s shoulder.
I felt happy. Even with all the weird things that had gone on in the last few weeks. At this moment, here in my parents lounge I was happy.
When the credits rolled I realised that I hadn’t watched any of it. Scott had been gently rubbing my neck and my shoulder and I was too connected with that to focus on the movie.
My father cleared his throat and excused himself for bed, giving me a gentle kiss on my forehead and holding an outstretched hand for Scott to shake.
My mother had a small smile on her face as she watched him leave the room. “Well I guess I’ll head off to bed too. Thanks for helping with dinner Scott. We’ll have to have you over more.”
“You know your mouth has been hanging open for the last few minutes don’t you?” Scott said once my mother had left the room, putting his finger under my chin to close it.
“It’s like they’ve both had personality transplants! How can they be so different with me here?” I turned to face him on the couch. “They would never have let my ex over like this and they certainly wouldn’t have let you stay after they had gone to bed!”
“Are you complaining?” He nuzzled into my neck and kissed a trail from my ear to my collar bone, I shivered in response. “But as much as I’d love to make you shiver a little more tonight, I’m going to go so I don’t out stay my welcome. I want your parents to like me remember?”
“But we’re finally alone!” I hated the whiny sound that accompanied my voice. It wasn’t like me at all, so I made an effort to sound less needy. “But I understand.” I unwrapped myself from his arms and stood up. “I’ll walk you out then, shall I?”
We kissed against his car for a few minutes; I could feel his arousal against my own and nearly forgot that we were outside.
“Scott.” I murmured as his tongue licked the small dip between my collar bones making my knees weak, I had to lean against him to hold myself up.
“I know, I know!” He sighed and pulled me up by my shoulders so I could find my feet again. “I just have trouble keeping myself away from you. You’re going to be my undoing Ruby De Grey.”
“And you mine I think too.” I smiled at him and took a step back, giving him enough space to open his car door. “Thanks for coming over.”
Scott wound down his window and leaned on the edge. “It was nice to be part of a family, even if it was just a few hours.”
My eyes welled with tears that I didn’t let him see, I couldn’t even imagine what he went through without any parents to guide him through life. Despite the strictness of my own parents, at least they were there if I needed them. I knew he had Mikayla but I was starting to wonder if she was such a great influence on him.
An hour later I was tucked up in bed with an ever growing Phoenix breathing in my face. I smiled and thought that hopefully things would soon settle down. And maybe…just maybe all the puzzle pieces would fall into place.
CHAPTER 12
Sunday I decided to test out my water skills away from the house, I left my phone at the house and took Phoenix with me, telling my parents I was going for a walk. We walked around the lake until I found a spot that couldn’t be seen from the road. I let Phoenix off his lead and he went to the water and put a foot it. Immediately he jumped back and barked at the water, then ran back to me. I gave him a reassuring pat and told him to go for it. He ran at the water and jumped full pelt into the lake.
I laughed and came to the edge of the water and sat down watching Phoenix swimming happily in the reeds.
I took a deep breath, filling my lungs and then blew it out slowly to relax myself and crossed my legs. I stared at the water, watching it ripple at the edge of the lake, the water was so clear and calming.
For a while nothing happened, and I dropped my concentration when Phoenix bounded back to the shore and shook off the water from his coat in front of me. I laughed and played with him for a few minutes.
“I wonder…” I said to myself and reached for Phoenix. I calmed him and patted him until he lent his head on my legs and snuggled in. I held my hands above him and concentrated on the water that still clung to his fur. I stared at him, holding my hands still and trying to will the heat through my body. Within a few minutes I felt it running through me faster than it had before. I concentrated on the water droplets, silently willing the heat in my hands to move them.
I felt the pulse burst within me and watched almost in slow motion as the water repelled off him. Concentrating, I held the water between him and my hands, and then tried flicking them towards the lake. A few drops landed noisily in the lake, rippling the calm surface. I repeated the action until all the water I’d pulled from his fur was back in the lake. After a minute, he was fluffy and dry and sound asleep.
I gently picked him up and put him on the grass next to me once again focusing my concentration on the lake. I didn’t want to lose the feeling of control that I had in my fingers. I leant forward and held my hands above the water about thirty centimetres and then waved them slightly left. Nothing happened. I tried again feeling the heat pulsing in my hands and watched as the water moved slightly to the left. I smiled, and moved my concentration to the right, and watched as it moved to the right in a larger wave. Lowering my hands I relaxed and felt the now familiar pulse fade from my body. I noticed that it never felt like it was gone completely, it was always waiting on the edge of my mind.
I sat back feeling slightly drained but happy that I’d managed to figure something out by myself. Although I still didn’t really know what ‘this’ was yet. Easing myself down, I laid back in the grass with my hands behind my head and wondered what else I could do.
I opened my eyes and realised I’d nodded off, sitting up I realised that Phoenix wasn’t where he had been sleeping.
“Phoenix!” I stood up, cupping my hands around my mouth calling him loudly. “PHOENIX!”
I heard a quiet bark, and spun towards the lake, he was out in the middle, trying to swim towards me. I could see that he was struggling and kept going under. Kicking my shoes off I ran into the water and started swimming towards him.
“It’s okay, Phoenix!” I called as I swam. I couldn’t hear him barking anymore. I stopped to get my bearings treading water for a few seconds. I had always had trouble swimming in a straight line. I watched as he fought to stay above the water. I started swimming, keeping my eyes on him so I would be able to see if he went under.
I almost reached him when he went under, his legs unable to swim anymore. I swam harder, fighting the urge to stop and catch my breath. Diving under I grabbed hold of him by the scruff of his neck and pulled, expecting to be able to heave him straight up to the surface. My lungs started to complain about the lack of oxygen. Ignoring it I pulled again, and was met with the same resistance, like someone was holding him under the water. As my lungs burned, I stared through the murky water, and knew I only had one more chance to save him. I pushed down the water with eve
rything in me, holding him tighter and heaved. I felt him release and finally dragged him to the surface. I gulped in air my lungs burning and my vision slightly blurred. I kept Phoenix’s head out of water, he didn’t have the energy to lift it himself. He wasn’t moving and his breathing was shallow.
“RUBY!” I heard a voice yelling, but couldn’t tell where it was coming from. “RUBY!”
Looking around, I saw a lone figure on the opposite side of the lake where I had been. It looked like Mikayla, but as I bobbed in the water, I couldn’t quite make them out.
I swam back towards the shore, noticing that Scott had wadded in up to his waist.
“Hey,” I said as I passed a now shaking Phoenix to him and waded the rest of the way out. I plonked down on the shore and heaved in mouthfuls of air, trying to catch my breath.
“What the hell were you doing out there?” Scott’s eyes burned with anger, not the concern I had expected.
“Just taking a swim.” I answered sarcastically, pulling Phoenix out of his arms. “What’s with the attitude?”
He seemed to study me for a minute before sitting down behind me and wrapped me in his arms. “I didn’t know what you were doing, but you were so far out…I…I was.” He swallowed. “I was scared, Ruby.”
“Did you think I was suicidal or just drowning?” I felt my anger flare, unsure of whether it was because he either thought I was an idiot who couldn’t swim or if it was because he might have thought I was suicidal.
“I didn’t really think that far ahead, Ruby.” He sighed. “I just couldn’t believe that you were all the way out there. What happened?”
“I fell asleep and Phoenix decided that he would go for a swim by himself. He would have drowned if I hadn’t have gone in after him! I couldn’t let that happen.” I desperately wanted to see if I could dry the dog off, but I wasn’t ready to let Scott in on what I had discovered. “Is Mikayla with you?”
“She was with me when I got the text from your mum to see if I knew where you were. I dropped her off outside the school and she went home from there. Why?”
“I thought I saw her over there that’s all.” I pointed across the lake. “When I was out there grabbing Phoenix.”
“I doubt it, but you never know. Let’s get him checked over by the vet, he still hasn’t quite got his bounce back has he?” Scott stood up, Phoenix tilted his head towards him and his tail wagged once feebly.
I felt bad that it hadn’t been my first thought, to get him checked, and I was annoyed that it had taken Scott so long to mention it. I stood up and cradled Phoenix in my arms, he whimpered softly.
Half an hour later we sat outside the vet surgery, having decided that he needed to stay for observation, the vet told me he would ring later and let me know if he needed to stay longer.
I put my head in my hands and cried. I’d let him down. I should have put him back on the lead or not gone to sleep, or both…just something. Not that I’d meant to but still, I was supposed to be responsible for him. I thought of how I was going to explain this one to my parents and groaned through my tears.
To his credit, Scott just put his arm around me and let me cry into the curve of his chest until I stopped. I hated how much I had cried since moving to Primfield. I hadn’t really been much of a crier before then. I pulled myself together and prepared myself for my parent’s inevitable spiel about not being ready for the responsibility of owning a dog.
“Hey, how did you know I was at the lake?” I asked Scott standing up and brushing myself off.
“Your mum, she sent a text, asking me if I knew where you were. She said you’d been gone for a while and you hadn’t taken your phone. She was just getting worried that’s all.” Scott stood up to meet me. “I figured you’d gone for a walk because you’d taken Phoenix with you. So I decided to head to the lake and that’s when I saw your shoes on the ground. The rest you know.”
“What time is it? Why was she so worried? I’d only been gone an hour or so.” I didn’t wear a watch so I relied on my phone to keep me time wise.
“Ruby, its three o’clock in the afternoon.”
“Oh my God! No wonder she was worried, you’d better take me home.” I scurried into Scott’s car, still damp from the lake.
“I sent her a text to let her know where we were when we first arrived.” Scott said as he got in and started the car.
Silently I thanked him with a small smile, I was lucky to have him. When we got to the house, I kissed his cheek and went inside, I didn’t say anything else. After I went in the house I heard him pull slowly away.
“Hi.” I said as I went to the fridge and grabbed a drink. “Can we talk about this in a minute? I’d really rather have a shower and get changed first.”
“Ruby, you’re not in trouble.” My father said from across the bench. “We were just worried. You don’t usually go for walks for that long. It wasn’t just a couple of hours, it was five hours by the time your mother got the message from Scott telling us that you were at the vets.”
I looked at him absorbing what he was saying, but still unsure where all that time had gone.
“How is he honey, Phoenix?” My mother brought her arms around me and brought me into a tight embrace. Again I fought against the tears that threatened to spill over.
“The vet said he might have taken on a lot of water into his lungs because he wasn’t breathing as well as he should have been, so he’s giving him some oxygen and is going to watch him for a while. He will let me know if he will need to stay in overnight.” I looked up and pulled out of my mother’s warm embrace. “Don’t worry, I’ll clean out my bank accounts if I have to, to pay the bill.”
My father actually smiled at that. Smiled! Who would have thought? “Ruby, we bought you the dog, we pay for his food and even if you don’t believe it, I’ve actually come to like him. I don’t expect you to pay for it, in fact, we’re proud of you for saving him.”
“You are? You do? You like him?” I stared at my father, incredulous at what he’d just shared. “But you hate dogs!”
“Ruby, I’ve seen more of you in the short time we’ve been here than I did the whole last year. I’m honoured to say that you have grown into an amazing young woman with a clear head on your shoulders. We love you and we couldn’t have asked for more.” He came around the bench and gave me a quick cuddle, ruffled my hair and left the room without another word. I was still staring after him when my mother quietly spoke.
“He’s finally seeing what he’s missed out on all these years honey. He’s trying to make it up to you.” She said softly.
I gulped down some more water and then realised I was shaking, my still damp clothes and the shock of what had happened was finally catching up with me. I headed upstairs for a hot bath and felt the tension leave me as I soaked.
The vet rang before dinner and told me that Phoenix was doing better but he still wanted to keep a close eye on him until morning. I gave him my mother’s number as I would be at school when he was going to call in the morning. I felt better knowing that he was showing improvement but I still wanted him home with me where he belonged.
Dinner was full of conversation about our lives, my mother tried to avoid talking about her garden with me, but I knew she’d have to come clean at some point. I was hoping she would fill in some more of the blanks that I hadn’t yet figured out.
I sat in the lounge and watched TV with my parents for a while before excusing myself for bed. I flipped open my laptop and jumped on Facebook. It had been a while and I wanted to see what was happening with my old friends. I tried logging in several times before realising that my account had been blocked. I sent an email off to find out what had happened and turned it off.
I didn’t read my emails, not wanting there to be anything from my self-professed friend. The other part of me was worried that there wouldn’t be something from him.
Gratefully I fell asleep almost immediately and slept until the sun shone through my open curtains in the morning.
CHAPTER 13
The next two weeks went past in a blur of assignments and homework. I spent time at the lake without Phoenix, trying to see what else I could do with water. I could now put my hands into the lake completely up to my elbow without getting wet, the water simply moving around me, out of my way. I was able to get the water to move within seconds of willing it, I could almost feel the heat pulsing the second I thought about asking it to move the water.
My mother had still refused to speak to me about her gardening ability. I’m still not even sure what to call it. She could make things grow, and I could move water, but I wanted to know how the two things connected.
I had also managed to keep my temper reigned in, not wanting to spark any more fires, falling lamp posts or knife attacks. I would need somewhere safe to try and see if I could control it. I wondered if I should confide in Scott. He had been a little off at school whenever Mikayla had been around, I figured they had probably had a fight. Mikayla had been the same, quiet yet controlled and intense. I was yet to get a straight answer from someone as to why she was so feared. Even the teachers and admin staff seemed afraid of her and I was still confused as to how they got away with not wearing the uniform. Were the school staff really that scared of her?
Phoenix had recovered quickly from our trip to the lake, when we went for walks he steered clear of the lake completely, and pulled on his lead if I tried to coax him over for a closer look. I didn’t want him to be scared of water, but I understood his hesitation. I just needed to give him some time.
Krystal’s parents had contacted me, thanking me for going to the funeral and asking if I could come over for a visit sometime. I told them I was busy with end of term exams coming up and assignments but I would go during the holidays. They didn’t give me a clue as to why they wanted to see me just that they needed to talk to me. I told Scott one night after youth group and he had asked me if I was going to go, I’d been honest and he almost seemed relieved that I wasn’t rushing over there.