He let it fall so that it landed gently in his hand, the orb slowly beginning to fill with a black mist.
‘You’re . . . you’re a magician,’ Charley stuttered, ‘like me?’
‘Sure am.’
Charley looked at the light bulb and she could no longer see inside it. Its centre was completely black, the smoke taking over its small shape. Slowly, it began to swell, and then with a loud crack, it burst, the smoke slithering away like a snake, through the air and out the window, into the cool night.
‘What was that?’ she asked, rushing to the window to see the thing that had just escaped. She was too late though, it was gone.
‘Nothing,’ he shrugged, ‘just smoke.’
‘That was amazing,’ she said, turning back to look out the window. ‘I’ve never seen Aiden do anything like that bef . . .’ She managed to stop herself, but it was too late. ‘I mean . . . I’ve never seen, eh, he’s not. Oh, God.’
‘It’s all right, Charley, I already know about Aiden.’
‘Wh . . . what?’ she stuttered.
‘I can tell. Besides, he’s so protective. I kind of guessed that whatever it was involved both of you.’
‘So, you already knew?’ she asked, bewildered. ‘How long . . . I mean, when did you–?’
‘I had an idea, although you confirmed it for me today.’
‘Does Aiden know you’re a magician?’
‘Not as far as I’m aware.’
At that moment, Marcus wanted to ask Charley not to mention it to Aiden – any of it. But he knew he couldn’t ask her to hide it from him. It would look too suspicious.
‘So what happened?’ Marcus asked, changing the subject.
‘I really don’t want to talk about it.’
‘I know. Doesn’t mean I’m not gonna ask.’
Charley sighed. ‘He lied to me.’ Marcus didn’t need to ask to whom she was referring. ‘So did Abbie. They were together, in fact they’re with each other as we speak, and they both lied about it.’
‘Maybe there’s a reasonable explanation,’ Marcus said, shrugging his shoulders.
Charley raised her eyebrows.
‘Or, maybe not.’
‘I don’t know, maybe nothing’s going on. But why could they not just tell me they were together? Why’d they have to go sneaking around behind my back? And then there’s all this stuff with my sister, Jess. I really just wanted someone to talk to.’
Marcus suddenly seemed very interested.
‘Your sister, what’s going on there?’
‘Oh, I don’t know. She’s been acting so strange recently. And now she keeps blacking out and having fits. And half the time, when I’m near her, I feel like I’m going to throw up. Or I do throw up. It’s all a bit crazy at the moment.’
‘Yes, it definitely sounds it,’ Marcus said, scratching his cheek with his pinkie. ‘Listen, Charley, I hate to do this, but I have something I forgot to do. Think we can finish this another time?’
‘Oh, okay. I guess so.’ She tried, but she didn’t hide her disappointment well. Did nobody want to spend time with her? ‘I’ll see myself out.’
‘Don’t be silly, I’ll walk you to the–’
‘Honestly,’ she said, cutting him off, ‘it’s fine. Go do your thing. We’ll catch up later.’
She hurried down the hallway, blinking frantically to keep the tears at bay. She didn’t want to cry, but at the same time she did. She wanted to cry, and shout and scream.
She walked out the front door and closed it behind her, a lot harder than she meant to. At the same time, as Marcus sat where she’d left him, the junk on his desk began to shake. The books in his bookcase came loose and several fell to the floor.
Marcus sat, chin resting on his closed fist, and smiled. ‘Gotcha,’ he said.
Dorcas Blightly sat at her kitchen table, a lukewarm cup of coffee in one hand, a black marker pen in the other. In front of her was a large photo album, crammed full of pictures of her two grandchildren, going right back to when they were toddlers. As she turned the pages, she sighed – a deep, heavy sigh. Dorcas had known the time would come sooner or later, but now – why so soon?
She picked up a small, white handkerchief and coughed into it, closing her eyes as a searing pain made its way across her chest. She placed the handkerchief back down on the table; it was now crimson, splattered with deep, red blood.
She turned yet another page to find a more recent picture of Charley and Jess, sitting side by side on a park bench. It couldn’t have been more than six months old. Dorcas stared at the picture for a while, frightened to look away. How was it possible that she was only just seeing this now?
‘So, this is when it started,’ she breathed.
She took the lid from the marker and began to blacken out one of the girls’ faces. Once she was finished, she put her head in her hands and did something she hadn’t done for a long time. She wept – she wept for one grandchild’s safety, and for the other grandchild’s fate.
Charley walked towards her registration class, anxious at the thought of seeing Abbie. They’d been best friends for so long, and this was the first time Abbie had ever lied to her. Changing her mind, she turned back, hurrying down to the nearest toilet and locking herself in a cubicle once she’d made sure she was alone. There was graffiti scrawled across the toilet door: doodles, hearts with initials penned inside, the odd obscenity here and there.
She let out a half laugh, half sigh when she spotted Aiden’s name at the bottom of the cubicle wall.
LUCY AND AIDEN FOREVER
‘Take him,’ Charley grunted, not that she really meant it.
‘Excuse me?’
Charley stopped at the sound of the woman’s voice. It was deep, sultry – not the voice you’d expect to hear coming from a teenager. But where had it come from? She’d checked all the stalls and she hadn’t heard anyone else come in.
‘Hello?’ she said, but no one answered this time. She unlocked the door and pulled it towards her, peeking out to see the main door to the toilets closing. ‘Wait . . .’
Charley ran towards the exit and heaved the door open, running out into the corridor.
‘Where did you go?’ she said breathlessly, turning around in circles but still not seeing anyone. She did see something on the floor though, only a few feet away. She walked over to where it lay and bent down to pick it up, the light reflecting off its shiny surface as she turned it over in her hand.
It was a tiny silver locket on a chain so thin, Charley was scared she might break it. She looked closer. There was something engraved on the surface – a letter, perhaps? A symbol? But it was so faded and scratched that she couldn’t make it out. All that was visible was a border of roses around the rim of the locket. She tried to open it, but as hard as she tried to prise the two sides apart, it stuck tight.
She was in two minds whether or not to take it to lost property and tell them where she’d found it, or to simply slip it into her pocket and try herself to find its mysterious owner.
‘Chambers . . .’
She shut her eyes tightly when she heard the voice, cursing herself for leaving the toilet. She’d gone in there to be alone. She could’ve had that . . . but now she was going to have to face him.
‘What do you want?’ she said without turning around.
‘You.’
‘Tough.’
‘Talk to me, please. Stop shutting me out.’
‘Me . . . shut you out?’ Charley’s jaw nearly dropped. ‘That’s rich.’
‘You haven’t given me a chance to explain. I’m not fooling around behind your back. Do you really think that’s who I am?’
‘It doesn’t matter, Aiden. You don’t have to be fooling around behind my back, with my best friend of all people. The fact that you were out with her, the fact that you lied to me about it – yo
u both did. That’s enough.’
‘I was lying to you for your own good. I wasn’t trying to hurt you. That’s exactly what I was trying to avoid.’
A tear rolled down Charley’s cheek and she quickly wiped it away. She wasn’t sure if Aiden had noticed or not, but if he did he said nothing. He took a step forward, then stopped when he saw her flinch.
‘I’ll go if you want. I’m not trying to cause a fight and the last thing I want to do is upset you. But you need to talk to me at some point.’
He gave her a smile, though she could tell it wasn’t genuine. This one was weak and sad.
At least it’s a smile, right?
Wrong.
Charley would have rather seen no smile at all than that one. She wanted him to shout, to get angry and tell her she was being stupid. She wanted him to pull her close, hold her and give her no choice but to kiss him.
But this . . . this was the worst thing in the world. She couldn’t bear seeing him sad.
‘Aiden, wait. Don’t go.’
He didn’t move.
‘I’ll talk to you. I’ll let you explain. But you need to tell me everything.’
‘I will.’
‘And you won’t leave anything out?’
‘I won’t.’
‘Okay.’
The bell for first period had already gone and the corridors were once again empty, giving Aiden and Charley the privacy they needed.
They sat under one of the stairwells, backs to the wall in case anyone did decide to walk by, not that it was likely.
‘What’s with the locket?’ Aiden asked when he noticed Charley playing with the dainty chain.
‘I found it,’ she said blankly, shoving the trinket into her pocket. ‘We’re here to talk about you.’
‘I know.’
‘So . . . talk.’
Aiden didn’t say anything for a moment. He looked at her and then looked away, unsure how to begin.
‘Your gran’s sick.’
Straight to the point, then.
‘What do you mean she’s sick?’ Charley asked impatiently.
‘I think she’s dying, Chambers.’
Charley cleared her throat and after a few seconds said, in a voice too calm for what she’d just been told, ‘Wait a minute, how do you know this?’
‘I heard my parents talking about it.’
‘And how do they know?’
‘I don’t know.’
Charley stared into space for a moment, unsure of what to say.
‘Why were your parents discussing my family? My gran? Why would they–’
‘I don’t know, Chambers.’
‘Do you know anything?’ she spat harshly, regretting it a few seconds later. Her vision went cloudy, her eyes filling with tears, and she turned away so he wouldn’t see her cry.
Aiden wanted to do nothing more than comfort her, but he knew better. Charley was fiercely independent, and he had to let her deal with things in her own way.
‘I know this is hard,’ he said, ‘but it’s not all bad.’
‘You just told me my gran may be dying. What’s good about that?’
‘Well, I don’t think it’s from ill health or old age, put it that way,’ he said, causing Charley to turn her head ever so slightly so she could see him. Her eyes were red and bloodshot and there were several strands of hair stuck to her damp cheeks.
‘What are you talking about?’ she sniffed.
‘Magic.’
‘What?’
‘Is your gran . . . does she have powers? Have you ever seen her do anything that–’
‘No, never,’ Charley interrupted. ‘She isn’t a magician, Aiden.’
‘That you know of.’
‘I’d be able to tell.’
‘Of course you would. Just like you could tell with me?’
Just like you could tell with Marcus?
‘Stop it,’ she said, unintentionally out loud.
‘Stop what?’
‘Nothing, never mind. You’re right. Maybe she is and she just hasn’t told me.’
‘I’m not saying she is or she isn’t. I don’t necessarily mean that she has powers. But I do think magic’s involved somehow.’
‘Why? What makes you think that? And is this why you were with Abbie last night?’
‘Yes.’
‘What were you doing that you needed her help with? What is she, the sorcerer’s apprentice?’
Aiden couldn’t help but laugh, stopping quickly when he noticed Charley didn’t share his amusement.
‘I wanted her help finding out about Dorcas. Where she grew up, who she was friends with, where she’d worked. I needed to see her medical records, her–’
‘Her medical records – how did you manage that?’
‘Abbie and I went to the surgery last night.’
‘You broke into the medical centre?’
‘No, I let myself in.’
Charley frowned and said, ‘Why do you have a key for the surgery?’
‘I don’t need a key, Chambers. Perks of being a magician. Anyway, that doesn’t matter. What’s important is that I was right. There’s nothing in her records that shows her to have ill health.’
‘Maybe she’s just not been to see them. She doesn’t like doctors.’
‘She was there a week ago for a check-up.’
‘And?’
‘Fit as a fiddle.’
‘So why do you think she’s sick then?’ Charley pressed, bemused.
‘Because my parents said so, I told you.’
‘And that automatically makes it true?’
‘They’re rarely wrong.’
Charley’s head was beginning to spin. When she’d woken up that morning, the worst thing on her mind was that her boyfriend had lied to her and was sneaking about with her best friend. Now, said boyfriend was telling her that her only remaining grandparent might be dying due to some sort of unknown wizardry.
‘So how is it not all bad?’ Charley asked sadly.
‘Well, if I’m right and it does come down to magic, then it can most likely be stopped.’
‘What do you mean? We can save her?’
‘Yes, I would say so. If she’s sick because of magic then there’s almost definitely a way to cure her.’
‘Does my family know?’
‘I don’t think so, no. You’ll need to ask your gran yourself, although be prepared not to hear the truth. People involved with magic tend to lie a lot.’
‘I’m beginning to realise that.’
‘You should speak to Abbie as well. She’s been up worrying all night.’
‘How do you know?’ Charley asked accusingly.
Aiden grinned. ‘Because she sent me a message saying–’ He took out his phone and held it in front of Charley. ‘How is she? I haven’t slept, I’ve been up all night worrying.’
‘Oh . . . right.’ Charley looked away sheepishly. She’d always had a suspicious nature, but deep down she knew she could trust Aiden. Maybe part of her just didn’t want to.
‘What you thinking, Chambers?’
‘Why didn’t you ask me? Why did you go to Abbie?’
‘I didn’t want to hurt you. I thought she’d be able to help . . . I knew this wouldn’t be easy for you to take in.’
Charley sighed and got to her feet. ‘It would have hurt less if you’d told me in the first place,’ she said, before walking towards reception and out the door.
Aiden didn’t follow her. Instead, he picked up his bag and slid out from under the stairs. Heaving himself up off the ground, he climbed the two flights of stairs to the chemistry department and walked towards his class. All the pupils were outside, working on the computers. Marcus was there, standing at the end of the table, unzipping his coat
and laughing with a pretty redhead called Bethan Pugh.
Mrs Murrell, their chemistry teacher, came out and crossed her arms, frowning as she watched the two teenagers teasing one another.
‘Marcus, you stroll into my class late and then refuse to do as you’re told. If you’re not in a seat with a computer on in the next two minutes, you can come by at lunch instead.’ She walked back into the classroom without spotting Aiden, and Marcus began to laugh, sending rude gestures in the teacher’s direction.
Aiden walked as casually as he could towards the table.
‘There’s my boy,’ Cameron shouted from his chair in the corner. ‘Where you been, mate?’
‘All right, Ai–’ Marcus tried to say politely, but Aiden cut him short with a swift punch to the face.
‘What the hell . . .?’
‘Did you see that?’
‘He punched his lights out!’
Everyone went wild. Kids were climbing out of their seats, punching the air as they all began to shout, ‘Fight, fight, fight,’ over and over again.
Aiden bent down and pulled Marcus up by the collar. ‘Stay away from her,’ he said, quietly yet in such a sinister manner that anyone but Marcus would have at least been a little bit intimidated.
Marcus laughed, running his tongue along his bottom lip. He could taste blood.
‘I’m serious,’ Aiden snarled, pulling the collar harder.
‘When are you anything else?’ Marcus smiled slyly. ‘It’s hard to keep away from her though, when she keeps coming round to see me.’
Aiden wasn’t sure what Marcus meant, but he didn’t react.
‘She didn’t tell you, did she? Of course, you were too busy with her friend, weren’t you? No wonder she ended up back at mine.’
Aiden punched him again, just as Mrs Murrell came rushing out of the classroom.
‘What on earth is going on? Aiden, get off him this instant!’
Marcus turned his head to the side and spat, his saliva now tinted red as his mouth began to fill with blood.
‘You’ll never guess what she told me,’ Marcus continued, searching Aiden’s eyes for any hint of emotion. He might have been on top of him, beating the crap out of him, but despite that, Aiden’s face was deadpan. ‘Imagine my surprise when Charley finally admitted what she was. It was only a matter of time, of course, but for her to come to me – now that did catch me off guard.’
Charley Chambers Page 11