‘Shh.’ His fingers stroked her cheek, finding a stray hair and brushing it away. His other hand moved gently down her arm, touching her elbow, her wrist, then down to the small of her back. They didn’t move for a moment, the space between them larger than either wanted.
And then it was gone, the gap filled as he leaned forward and kissed her. A different kiss from the last time – more intense, more passionate. The first kiss they’d shared had been perfect, but it had felt almost – pretend, as if she’d imagined the whole thing. This kiss was heated, powerful, like neither of them had ever wanted anything as much before in their lives.
‘So, am I a good enough distraction?’ Aiden asked as Charley finally pulled away.
‘The best.’
She moved forward so her forehead was resting on his. They were so close, she could feel his hot breath on her face, making her want to kiss him again. Kiss him and never stop.
Instead, he tilted her head and kissed her softly on the cheek, withdrawing slightly so he could look at her properly.
‘You’re pretty awesome, Chambers.’
‘You aren’t too shabby yourself, Cunningham.’ He gave her a sarcastic smile before grabbing her hand and pulling her up.
‘Well, since we’re up here, I might as well teach you some tricks.’
‘Tricks? What are we, circus performers?’
‘Well, we are magicians,’ he teased, leaning forward and pulling a coin out from behind her ear. ‘See.’
‘Funny. You know what I mean. Tricks are for magicians you see at holiday parks and kids’ birthday parties. I thought we were proper magicians.’ She knew mocking him would probably end badly, but instead of huffing he simply shook his head and smiled, tossing the coin back at her.
‘Okay. Spells. Better?’
Charley laughed. ‘I guess so, Merlin.’
‘Can you stop being cheeky for one minute?’
‘You don’t make it easy,’ she said, still giggling. Aiden crossed his arms, giving her a stern but playful look. ‘All right, all right. I’ll behave.’
‘Thank you.’
‘Teach me how to make a rainbow then.’ Aiden grunted, causing Charley to frown. ‘What’s so funny?’
‘Chambers, you’re still a beginner. There’s no way you can do something like that yet.’
‘Why not? Are you saying I’m not good enough?’ The doubt in his voice insulted her.
‘Not at all. I’m saying it’s a big spell and it uses a lot of energy. You have to build up to bigger spells.’
‘Aiden, I turned my house upside down the other day. I’m sure I can handle big.’
‘And look how sick it made you. Absolutely not.’
Charley sighed, but realising he wasn’t going to relent, she gave up and agreed.
‘Okay. What are you going to show me then?’
‘How to get rid of the rainbow.’
‘Why? I don’t want to get rid of it, it’s beautiful.’
‘Yes, it is. But as you said, it hasn’t been raining. People might wonder where it came from.’
‘People being your parents?’ Aiden clammed up at the mention of his mother and father.
‘No–’
‘Come on, Aiden. Normal people wouldn’t usually go about scrutinising the sky. You don’t want them to see, do you?’
Aiden let his head drop for a second, giving himself time to think. What should he tell her? How much should he give away?
‘If they found out I’d been using magic so . . . irresponsibly, as they would put it, let’s just say all hell would break loose. And that’s an understatement.’
‘Wait . . . they know you’re–’
‘Yep.’
‘Are they?’
He frowned. ‘What?’
‘Magicians.’
‘You ask too many questions, Chambers.’
‘Can you blame me?’
‘No. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to answer them all. Now, come and stand in front of me.’
Charley reluctantly did as he asked, her head now swimming with questions. Who were his parents? Did they have powers? What else were they hiding?
‘Okay. Give me your hand.’ Aiden placed her palm down on his, closing his fingers around it. ‘Empty your head.’
‘Easier said than done,’ Charley scoffed.
‘It won’t work unless you concentrate. Focus.’
Charley closed her eyes and tried to think of nothing, which seemed just about impossible. She began picturing everything and everyone: Abbie, her parents, her school, Jess, Marcus . . .
She tried to forget them all, picture black, darkness – nothingness. She imagined a dark hole, so deep it was impossible to see the bottom. It seemed to go on forever, stretching further and further away. She visualised herself standing above it, hovering over the edge. She was balanced half on land, half off, her toes sticking out over the abyss. She wobbled, then somehow managed to steady herself.
Easy, Charley, she thought, inching round the rim of the chasm. Looking up, she saw Aiden standing to her left, too far away to reach.
Aiden? What are you doing here? He didn’t answer, instead nodding and pointing to the right. She turned to see Marcus, perched on her other side.
Marcus? He waved her towards him.
Charley, come here. Take my hand. He started moving, slowly getting closer.
No. I’m not meant to. Aiden? She turned to see Aiden, swaying over the pit. He lost his balance and fell, landing on a small ledge just a few feet below.
Aiden! Her first instinct was to dive on to the ledge after him, but she was momentarily distracted as she heard the other voice yell out.
Charley, help! Marcus had also fallen, and was now clinging on to a twisted branch, his life hanging in the balance. If he fell, he would most certainly die.
Charley, don’t trust him. It was Aiden’s voice this time, but something wasn’t right.
You called me Charley . . . She was getting more confused by the second. Aiden called her Chambers. He always called her Chambers.
Charley, help me. This time, Marcus.
She didn’t know what to do. She stood between the two feeling completely helpless.
Charley, don’t be stubborn and help me. Marcus again, only not Marcus. Charley could tell: the way he looked at her, the way he spoke. She didn’t know what was happening, but she knew one thing for sure, or at least, she thought she did. Marcus was Aiden, and Aiden was Marcus.
Before she could change her mind, she quickly made her way to where Marcus was hanging.
Take my hand. He did as she asked, scrambling with his feet as she pulled him to safety. He reached the top and fell to the ground, panting as Charley checked he was okay.
Aiden was still on the ledge, which was now beginning to crumble. He looked over at her, his eyes pleading. Brown eyes. Marcus’s, not Aiden’s. Then the ledge gave way.
Aiden began to fall. When he looked back up at her, slowly plunging into the darkness, all she saw in his eyes was fear. Big, deep, blue eyes.
Aiden?
Too late, Charley. She turned to see Marcus, grinning wickedly beside her. He’s gone, and it’s your fault.
You tricked me.
She turned back to the gaping hole, looking only at blackness. Marcus had played her and she’d fallen for it. How could she not have known?
Aiden . . .
A tear rolled down her cheek, her heart breaking as the reality set in. Aiden was dead, and she was to blame.
Soft rain drops began to fall, quickly turning into larger droplets. Before she knew it, she was standing in a hail storm, icy bullets bouncing off her skin.
‘Chambers. Chambers!’
Charley opened her eyes to see the fields and houses she recognised, a dark grey cloud covering the sky.
‘What just happened?’ she asked, pulling her hood up over her head. It was pouring.
‘Well, you got rid of the rainbow . . . and the blue sky. And any sign that it was a nice day. You did it though, well done.’
‘Aiden, I don’t remember doing any of it.’
‘What do you mean, you don’t remember?’ Aiden asked, his cheeks glistening as heavy raindrops ran down his face.
‘I don’t know how I did it, any of it. I felt like I was somewhere else.’
She didn’t want to tell him about her vision, if you could call it that. Even the thought of it was so terrifying, she couldn’t bring herself to say it aloud.
‘I’m scared, Aiden. Can we get down?’
‘Slow down, Chambers. You’re okay. Talk to me.’
‘I want to get down. It’s raining, I’m soaking and,’ – she was starting to panic – ‘I just want to get down, okay?’
Aiden lifted his hand and, as he began to lower it, the rain slowed to a light drizzle. The grey clouds began to part and the sun poked through, spreading a little light back over the town.
‘Rain’s off. Now tell me what happened.’
Charley took a deep breath, trying to figure out what she was going to say. She pieced the words together in her head, but none of them seemed acceptable: I went into some weird daydream where there was a never-ending black hole; you were there; Marcus was there; you were him and he was you; he tricked me . . . I let you die.
None seemed appropriate, so being Charley, she said them anyway.
‘I drifted off into some sort of dream. I don’t know how, I was just trying to concentrate, clear my mind. I was alone at first, but then you were there, so was Marcus. I was in the middle and you both fell and I had to save you. You, Aiden, I was trying to save you. But I think Marcus was in your body, and you were in his. I’m not sure, but he tricked me and I saved him and I let you die.’
Aiden stared at her blankly, before smiling and running his hand down her arm.
‘It wasn’t real, Chambers.’
‘But it felt real. And I was awake. How do you–?’
‘You were probably just trying too hard. Honestly, don’t worry about it.’
But she was worried. Even his gentle touch and the calmness of his voice couldn’t stop that. It wasn’t until now that Charley realised how much she cared for Aiden. Despite his bossy manner and quick temper, his mysteriousness and his secretive side, she couldn’t imagine him not being there. She never wanted him not to be there.
Marcus sat at the desk in his room, frantically scribbling in his journal. Every few minutes he would curse, score out what he’d written and start again. There was a large pile of crumpled paper sitting next to his chair, quickly growing as he discarded yet another scrunched-up page.
‘You wanting supper, Marcus?’ his father called from outside the door.
‘No thanks, I’m busy.’
‘You’re always busy. You still need to eat.’
‘Later. I have to finish this.’
He heard a sigh, and then a mumbled ‘All right, son,’ before his dad stalked off down the hall.
‘Later. I have to . . .’ Before he’d finished the sentence, his hands were at his face, muffling the screams that came from his aching throat. Screams that his parents were more than used to.
Charley knocked the door several times before turning back down the path. She wanted to see Abbie so much, but she had no idea where she could be.
‘Charley, hey.’ She turned to see Abbie and her mother making their way down the street, stacks of bags in hand.
‘Hey, you need some help?’
Charley rushed up and took a bag from each of them, trying desperately to avoid the disapproving look she was getting from Carol. She hadn’t spoken to Abbie’s mum since the incident with the painting.
‘You coming in?’ Abbie asked as her mum, with difficulty, unlocked the front door.
‘If you don’t mind.’ Charley discreetly nodded towards Carol; she didn’t want to cause any problems.
‘Not at all. Right, Mum?’
‘Of course, Charley. Just make sure the pair of you leave the artwork alone.’ Charley’s cheeks quickly turned scarlet, but Abbie just laughed, ushering her friend inside.
‘How you doing, Charles? You look beat,’ Abbie said once they were safely inside her bedroom.
‘That’s your way of saying I look like crap.’
‘No it isn’t. You just look . . . peaky.’
‘Peaky?’ Charley frowned.
‘Yeah, peaky. You know–’
‘I know what peaky means. I’m not peaky. I’m—’
‘Beat?’ Charley sighed and chucked a pillow at Abbie.
‘All right, I’m beat. I have so much to tell you, I don’t really know where to start.’
‘At the beginning?’ Abbie said, ripping open a packet of Jelly Babies and throwing a handful at Charley, who – despite being incredibly clumsy – somehow managed to catch them all.
‘I’m not sure where the beginning is anymore,’ Charley replied. With a sigh, she told her friend everything that had been happening.
‘Jesus,’ Abbie murmured, shoving the last of the Jelly Babies into her mouth. ‘Your life is like something you’d see in a movie.’
Charley went on to tell her about the visit from Marcus, his strange behaviour and her confusion about how she felt towards him.
‘I think you like him,’ Abbie grinned.
‘Marcus? No way. I mean I did, well I thought I did. When we jumped off the bridge–’
‘Wait a minute. You did what?’
‘Oh, right. I never told you about that, did I?’
Abbie raised her eyebrows, picking a gummy piece of sweet from her teeth. ‘Must have slipped your mind.’
Charley quickly filled Abbie in on all the details, convincing her friend more and more that she had feelings for Marcus.
‘I swear, I don’t,’ Charley said, ‘there’s something about him.’
‘Yeah, something you like. Face it, Charles, you can’t lie to me.’
‘Yes I can. And I’m not. Anyway, it’s not Marcus I like.’
‘Of course. How are things with the wonderful Aiden Cunningham?’
Charley spent the next half hour rambling on about Aiden. She told Abbie about the hill walk, the rainbow, her vision. She explained how calm Aiden had been when she’d told him about it, and how as much as she wanted to, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen.
‘I’m sure he’s right. You’re probably just reading too much into things.’
‘Ugh, you’re as bad as him,’ Charley sighed, letting her head fall back on the bed.
They sat for a while, talking more about Charley’s chaotic life – and Abbie’s uneventful one – before Charley pushed herself up and started collecting her things.
‘I better head home. Thanks for the chat, Abbs, I needed it.’
‘Anytime. I’ll chew your ear off sometime, you can return the favour.’
‘It’s a deal.’
‘My life will have to get a tad more exciting first. No one wants to talk about school and homework, let alone hear about it.’
‘You’d be surprised,’ Charley smiled, ‘I wouldn’t say no to a bit of normality right now.’
‘You’ll figure things out. You always do.’
‘I hope so. See you tomorrow.’
Charley closed the door and made her way outside. When Abbie was quite sure she was gone, she picked up her mobile and dialled a number, pressing the phone to her ear.
‘Hey, it’s me. You told me to call you when she left.’
Aiden walked down the long corridor, stopping at the sitting room door. His mother was resting in a large, olive-green armchair, a copy of Jane Eyre i
n hand. She didn’t acknowledge him, but he didn’t expect her to.
‘You’re reading that again?’ he asked, crossing his arms and leaning against the door frame.
She didn’t answer.
He stood for a moment, waiting, and then finally turned to leave. She couldn’t say he hadn’t tried.
‘What do you think you’re playing at?’ Her tone was soft but cold. Even as a child, her voice alone had always been enough to send shivers down his spine.
‘I was coming to talk to you. Am I not allowed to speak to my own mother?’
‘You know very well what I’m talking about.’
‘And what’s that?’
Her eyes were fixed on him, her face severe. Tabitha Cunningham did not like games.
‘I know what you’re doing with that girl, Aiden.’
‘Who, Charley? I like her, Mum–’
‘I don’t care if you like her. I told you before, it needs to end. Now.’ She held his gaze for a second before looking back down to her book. ‘And don’t think I don’t know it was you who was messing about with the elements today. Another reason you need to stay away from Charlotte Chambers.’
‘It’s Charley,’ he snapped. ‘And it wasn’t her idea, it was mine. I was trying to help–’
‘Well, you can stop trying to help her. I will not keep telling you. Keep your distance and stop being so careless. Do I make myself clear?’
Her mouth stretched into a thin line, her expression so fiery that no ordinary person would dare argue. But Aiden wasn’t your average teenager. Even without magic, he was stubborn, opinionated and difficult, and above all else, he was Tabitha Cunningham’s son, and that meant it was in his blood to react.
His arms tensed, the veins protruding as he clenched his fists. Aiden was almost always in control, but right now even he felt vulnerable.
Is this how Chambers feels all the time? he wondered.
‘Yes,’ he breathed, feeling a little more confident that he could contain his powers.
‘Good,’ she said sternly, just as the front door opened. ‘Your father’s home. Stay and say hello.’
‘I’ll pass. I’ve had enough pleasant conversation to last me the night.’ His sarcasm irritated her, but before she could reply, he was gone, the sound of his distant footsteps the only indication that he’d been there at all.
Charley Chambers Page 7