Charley Chambers

by Rachel Kennedy

  ‘Oh, dear Lord,’ Charley sighed.

  ‘What’s wrong, beautiful? You jealous?’

  ‘As if.’

  ‘God, you lot are no fun,’ Marcus said, heaving himself out of bed and wandering over to where Quinn was. He stood in front of her, his brown eyes searching her steel-grey ones.

  ‘What are you staring at?’ she scoffed.

  Marcus cleared his throat. ‘I need a top. The drawers

  . . . you’re in the way.’

  Quinn felt her cheeks grow hot, and for once there was a flush of colour to them.

  ‘Could have just said so,’ she snapped, stepping out the way.

  ‘I thought I just did.’

  Marcus fished about in his drawer for a T-shirt while the other three stood awkwardly waiting for him. Well, Charley and Aiden stood awkwardly; Quinn began prancing around the room, taking a peek at anything interesting he had lying about.

  ‘You looking for something?’ Marcus asked, watching Quinn with interest as she examined his curtains.

  ‘Just looking for clues,’ she shrugged.

  ‘Clues?’

  ‘Quinn, shut up, will you?’ Aiden grunted.

  ‘Well, if you look behind them, you’ll find a big, shiny see-through thing called a window,’ Marcus mocked her. ‘What do you guys want?’

  ‘Answers,’ said Charley. ‘We want answers.’

  ‘Haven’t we done this already?’

  ‘Yeah, but we’re doing it again.’

  ‘Gosh, it’s my lucky day,’ Marcus said, exasperated.

  ‘Did you have anything to do with Abbie’s accident?’

  ‘What? No, of course not.’

  ‘And why should I trust you?’ Charley asked, folding her arms. ‘Why should I believe a word you say?’

  ‘I’m not asking you to believe me. I’m saying I wasn’t involved. I didn’t know anything about it until I heard at school . . .’

  ‘What about Chambers?’ Aiden asked, his jaw-line hardening. ‘You been messing with her?’

  ‘She hasn’t given me the chance to mess with her,’ Marcus grinned.

  ‘This is serious. I’m dreaming about people trying to kill me, Marcus. Beating me to a pulp, threatening me in my sleep.’

  ‘We all have wacky dreams sometimes, gorgeous. Doesn’t mean I’m screwing with you. Although I wouldn’t say no . . .’ Marcus winked in an attempt to charm her, but she merely choked at his proposal.

  ‘Well, someone is, seeing as I woke up black and blue with a dislocated shoulder.’

  ‘You’re hurt?’ Marcus suddenly seemed concerned.

  Aiden glowered at him. ‘Why would you care?’

  ‘I’m not a monster, Aiden, despite what you might tell her. I do care, you know.’

  ‘Save it,’ Charley said firmly. ‘Did you have anything to do with it or not?’

  ‘Not guilty, love.’

  ‘And the nost? Are you going to tell me who it was for yet?’

  He sat down on the chair next to his desk and said, ‘No one you need to concern yourself with.’

  ‘Quinn, take Chambers home,’ Aiden said, the tone of his voice matching his stony expression, ‘I wanna have a chat with Marcus . . . alone.’

  ‘It’s pointless,’ Charley shook her head. ‘We’ve heard all we’re going to hear.’

  ‘We have, yeah. I plan on getting a little more out of him when you–’

  ‘He isn’t going to tell you anything,’ Charley said, turning on him. ‘If he was going to talk, he’d be more likely to talk to me than you.’

  ‘She’s right you know,’ Marcus smirked, putting his feet up on the desk. ‘I’d rather have a heated conversation with her over you any day. No offence, mate, you’re just not my type.’

  ‘Chambers, he’ll just–’

  ‘Let’s go, Aiden.’

  Aiden stood for a moment, his own frustration building, not just at Marcus, but at Charley as well.

  ‘Fine,’ he snarled, before storming out, Quinn in close pursuit.

  ‘I’ll get you outside,’ she shouted from the hallway, not wanting to let Aiden get too far ahead. She knew what her cousin was like; she knew his character, she knew his nature. Describing Aiden as hot-headed would be putting it mildly.

  Charley waited a few seconds before turning to go as well, but Marcus jumped up when he saw her leaving, grabbing her arm as she reached the door.

  ‘Charley, wait . . . I know you think I’m a lowlife but that’s not how it is. That’s not me. I just talk big . . . I’m not really that guy.’

  Charley looked into his eyes, searching for the kindness she’d seen the first time she looked into them.

  ‘No, Marcus, you’re right. You’re not that guy. You’re not a guy at all. You’re a demon. A filthy, disgusting, murderous demon. A complete waste of time and space.’

  ‘Chambers . . .’

  ‘Don’t you dare call me that.’

  His eyes crinkled at the corners, the glint slowly fading away. The cocky, arrogant boy from a few minutes before was replaced by someone confused and insecure – someone in pain.

  Charley pulled her arm from his grasp and walked out the door.

  Charley sat at the breakfast table, her mother on one side and Jess on the other. Her father was sitting at the end of the table, pouring himself some coffee.

  No one had said anything for almost seven minutes, Charley had been counting. All she could hear was the loud crunching noise of Jess eating her Coco Pops, which was driving her insane.

  ‘Is anyone going to tell us what’s going on?’ Charley eventually said. Linda put her spoon down and looked towards Nick. ‘Come on, Mum. Something’s obviously wrong. Dad hasn’t had breakfast with us on a school day for years.’

  Nick’s face fell at his daughter’s words, and he realised that what she’d said was true. He knew he wasn’t around as much as he should be, but he always managed to somehow push it to the back of his mind.

  ‘It’s your gran,’ Linda said softly, and Charley’s eyes widened.

  ‘What about her? Is she all right?’

  She’d meant to go back and check on Dorcas, or at least tell her mother what had happened, but with the dream and the vision, it had completely slipped her mind.

  ‘I don’t want you girls to panic, but she’s been taken into hospital. She’s okay, but–’

  ‘Hospital?’ Charley cried. ‘Why?’

  ‘A couple of days ago her house was broken into. She said she didn’t want to bother us, so she kept it to herself. Daft woman . . .’

  ‘A break-in?’ said Charley, puzzled. ‘How do you know? I mean . . . was she there at the time?’

  ‘Apparently so, yes. She said the doors were both locked, but they smashed the kitchen window, ransacked the place, and then left her there, traumatised. There are some sick people around, girls, let me tell you.’

  Charley and Jess looked at each other. ‘So you’re saying it was the burglars who smashed the window? That’s what gran said?’

  ‘Yes, Charley. Why?’

  ‘Just asking.’

  Nick cleared his throat. ‘I know this must be a shock for you both, but your gran’s going to be fine. It’s the best place for her. They can get her back on her feet and she’ll be home in no time.’

  Shows what you know, Charley thought.

  ‘I need to see her.’

  ‘I’ll take you after school, dear,’ Linda smiled, although her eyes seemed tired. She looked stressed and her skin was grey.

  ‘No, I want to go now. Mum, I have to.’

  ‘Charley–’

  ‘Let her go,’ Nick said calmly, squeezing his wife’s hand. ‘In fact, I’ll take you myself, darling. How does that sound?’

  ‘Really?’ Charley frowned. ‘You don’t have anywhere
more important to be?’

  ‘No, sweetheart, I don’t.’

  Charley nodded. ‘Yeah, okay then.’

  ‘You can go as well, Jess. Your dad will drop you both off at school once you’ve been to the hospital.’

  Jess shrugged her shoulders. ‘Nah, I’m good.’

  ‘I’m sorry?’ Linda said.

  ‘I said I’m good. As in, no thanks, I don’t want to go.’

  ‘Jessica . . .’

  ‘Leave her, Linda. It’s a lot for the girls to take in. Maybe Jess needs some time–’

  ‘I don’t need time. I don’t need anything. I just don’t want to go and see Gran.’ She got up from the table and swung her bag over her shoulder. ‘I’m going to school.’ With that, she walked out the front door.

  Dorcas lay in the hospital bed, her back aching every time she moved. Her chest felt tight and she was finding it hard to catch her breath, although whenever the doctors did their rounds they said she was doing just fine.

  She hadn’t wanted to go into the hospital; she knew it wouldn’t do any good. But she also knew she didn’t have a choice. Linda was going to start realising soon that her mother’s health was deteriorating quickly.

  Not that being in the hospital helped her much, as the doctors were still saying that apart from the injuries caused by the fall, there were no underlying problems. There was no reasonable explanation for the pain she was experiencing. How would she explain all of this without involving her daughter in a world she’d tried so hard to protect her from?

  Maybe it was better she knew – after all, with Charley being what she was, Linda was going to have her hands full, unless Charley decided to keep the truth from her altogether.

  Dorcas didn’t know what was best anymore. She was too tired.

  ‘You want me to give you a minute?’ Nick asked Charley when they arrived outside Dorcas’s room.

  ‘Is that all right?’

  ‘Of course, darling, take as long as you need. I’ll go in and see her when you visit Abbie.’

  ‘Okay,’ Charley whispered, kissing Nick on the cheek. ‘Thanks, Dad.’

  ‘You’re welcome, sweetheart.’

  As Charley went to grip the door knob, she let out a shriek as her hand made contact with the steel handle. It was red hot, her skin sticking to it as she tried to loosen her grip.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ Nick yelled, rushing to his daughter’s side.

  ‘The handle!’ Charley screamed. ‘It’s burning me and I can’t let go.’

  Nick grabbed his daughter’s arm and pulled her away from the door, both of them tumbling on to the ground. Charley looked at her hand, blisters already beginning to form all over her palm.

  Nick rushed back over to the door and, using his foot, he kicked it down. Charley raced over as well, dashing into the room before her father could stop her.

  ‘Charley, wait!’ he cried, but it was too late. Charley ran in to find Dorcas thrashing about in her bed, deep purple veins bulging from her forehead. Machines were beeping all over the place and Dorcas was ripping the needles from her hands, screaming as her skin started burning her from the inside out.

  ‘Gran!’ Charley shrieked. ‘We need help in here, something’s wrong!’

  A doctor came into the room, followed by a student nurse. He tried to usher a frantic Charley out of the way, but with no success. It was Nick who finally managed to get Charley to stand back, her knees going weak as he held her up.

  Another doctor raced in, followed by another, and another. Soon, the room was packed full, with Charley and her dad in the corner, almost invisible.

  A tear rolled down Charley’s cheek.

  Eventually the machines stopped beeping. Dorcas stopped screaming. Everybody stopped rushing and everything began moving in slow motion.

  ‘She’s gone,’ the first doctor said. ‘Calling it . . . time of death, nine twenty-two.’

  Charley went numb.

  ‘I’m afraid there was nothing we could do,’ he said to Nick. ‘I’m very sorry.’

  ‘What . . . what happened?’ Nick stammered.

  ‘We’re not sure.’

  ‘The door . . .’

  ‘Probably just a dodgy hinge.’ The doctor glanced over his shoulder. ‘Could I ask you to take a seat in one of our family rooms for a moment? I’ll have someone bring you some tea and we can–’

  ‘Tea . . .’ Charley whispered. ‘Gran wanted some tea.’

  She started walking towards the door, her eyes wide.

  ‘Charley? Honey, we need to–’

  ‘Later, Dad. Gran wants me to make her some tea.’

  ‘Charley?’

  Nick followed her out into the waiting area and gently put his hand on her shoulder.

  ‘Honey, I am so sorry you had to see that. I need to call your mother. Let’s take a seat for a moment and then we’ll . . . well, we’ll deal with this.’

  ‘Don’t worry, Dad. I won’t be long.’

  ‘Charley, where are you going?’

  ‘I told you. I’m going to make Gran some tea.’

  ‘Princess, stop saying that. We need to stay here for a while so we can–’

  ‘She needs to see me, Dad. I have to go.’

  ‘Charley . . .’

  ‘You don’t understand. She needs to talk to me.’

  ‘Who does?’ Nick said, louder than intended. He didn’t mean to shout, but Charley wasn’t making any sense.

  ‘Gran . . .’

  ‘Charley, your gran is . . . she’s gone.’

  ‘She’s waiting for me. I won’t be long.’ Charley began meandering down the corridor again, Nick watching in confusion.

  Marcus sat hunched over his desk, a pencil gripped firmly in hand. He was sketching a young woman with beautiful, deep eyes that he’d portrayed perfectly. Her lips were pursed and her hair was swept back, a single strand left loose. He knew the sketch didn’t do her justice, it never could, yet he felt a sense of achievement when he looked at it, some success at capturing her beauty on a single page.

  There was a knock at his door and he quickly covered the drawing.

  ‘Hello, dear,’ his mother said as he let her into his room. ‘You aren’t dressed for school.’

  ‘Bad night,’ he muttered.

  ‘So I heard.’

  Judith sat on the end of his bed, waiting for him to speak. He didn’t.

  ‘We need to talk,’ she said calmly.

  ‘About?’

  ‘I’m not sure about things anymore, Marcus.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  Judith sighed. ‘I think you’re becoming a liability.’

  ‘What? No, I’m not.’

  ‘You’re obsessed.’

  Marcus glared at her, his eyes dark. ‘We all need a little bit of obsession in our lives.’

  ‘Darling, I’m afraid you may end up being more of a hindrance than a help.’

  ‘Oh, come on!’ he yelled. ‘It was only a dream, they’re all just dreams. They don’t mean anything . . .’

  ‘Marcus–’

  ‘She was my sister, Mum. You can’t expect me not to think about her.’

  ‘I wasn’t talking about your sister.’

  Judith got up and walked over to the writing desk, shifting the papers aside to reveal the drawing. She held it up with two bony fingers and raised her eyebrows at him.

  ‘You said she wasn’t going to be a problem.’

  ‘She isn’t. She won’t be.’

  ‘Marcus, what has this girl got over you? You know how important it is that we do everything right from here on out. If you’re having doubts then you need to tell me now.’

  ‘Doubts?’ he snarled. ‘How can you ask that? You know how much this means to me. Trust me, Charley Chambers won’t be a problem. I’ll take
her out myself if I have to.’

  Judith smiled and casually dropped the sketch into the waste-paper basket by her feet.

  ‘Good boy.’ She walked towards him and bent down, kissing him gently on the cheek.

  ‘Oh, and Marcus . . .’ she said as she was leaving.

  ‘What?’

  ‘The dog wants out. If you aren’t going to school then you can take her for a walk.’

  ‘Why do I have to–?’

  ‘Because she’s yours,’ Judith said sternly.

  ‘Actually, she’s Bud’s.’

  ‘Was Bud’s. And until things return to normal, she’s your responsibility.’

  ‘Fine,’ he muttered testily, wishing she would hurry up and go away.

  ‘Thank you.’

  Marcus wandered over to the bin and took the drawing back out. He looked at it for a second, then carefully folded it in half, placing it in a drawer with several others, all different, yet still incredibly similar. All of them drawings of Charley.

  Charley ambled up the path, stopping once she reached the door. She’d walked from the hospital to her gran’s house without a jacket and her hands were red-raw from the bitter wind. She could barely feel them though. She couldn’t feel anything apart from a dull throb in her head, making it hard to concentrate.

  ‘Tea,’ she murmured before turning the handle – it was unlocked. Shouldn’t it have been locked . . .?

  She made her way inside, stopping once she was in the centre of the living room.

  ‘I came to make you tea, Gran. That’s what you wanted, isn’t it?’

  The room was colder than the air outside, and Charley’s hair began to blow, as if there was some sort of wind.

  ‘Cha . . .’

  She could hear something, but it was too far away to make out.

  ‘Can you hear . . . ?’

  ‘Hello?’ Charley said. ‘Is someone there?’

  ‘Charley . . .’

  ‘Gran, is that you?’

  ‘Yes, Cha . . . I’m here. Can . . . hear me?’

  The voice was broken and Charley could only make out the odd word.

  ‘Gran? I don’t know what you’re saying. Where are you?’

  ‘Danger, Charley. You need to . . . help . . .’