Charley Chambers

by Rachel Kennedy

  ‘See, I could kill you right now if I wanted. Well, technically it wouldn’t happen straight away. It would take a while for the effects to set in, but it wouldn’t be long. By the time the nost had done its work, you’d be begging someone to kill you.’

  ‘What’s taking so long then?’ she snapped, as the nost squirmed in his hand.

  ‘I like you, Charley.’

  ‘You’ve got a funny way of showing it.’

  ‘I never said I was going to use this. I’m just showing you how easy it would be. I’m not going to kill you, Charley.’ He winked at her. ‘Not today, anyway.’

  ‘How about not ever?’ said a voice, coming from the end of the alley.

  Before Marcus could do anything, the nost vanished into thin air and he was sent hurtling backwards, crashing through the metal fence. This time he didn’t get back up, out cold from the impact.

  The figure walked up to Charley, surveying her as she sat shaking on the ground. She was dressed all in black, her short hair blowing wildly in the wind. Although they’d never met, Charley recognised her immediately.

  ‘Dru?’ she said in bewilderment.

  The redhead smirked. ‘I see you’ve met my sister.’

  Charley nodded nervously.

  ‘Good. Where’s Quinn?’

  Aiden sat on the couch, waiting impatiently for Quinn to get ready. He didn’t know where she was planning on taking him, nor did he care; all he really wanted to do was spend the evening with Charley. He knew seeing her family would be good for her though. At least, he hoped it would. So much was changing in her life, and not for the better, but he wasn’t sure how to help her, or if he even could. He was well aware that the things they were dealing with were dark, very dark, but he also knew they would find a way to stop them. There was always a way, there had to be . . .

  Quinn came strutting into the room wearing a blue-feathered coat and a sparkly pair of red high heels. Her lips were bright against her pale face and her eyes shone out like diamonds.

  ‘What are you wearing?’ Aiden asked, dumbfounded. ‘You look like a cross between something from The Wizard of Oz and The Snow Queen.’

  Quinn stuck her tongue out. She knew fine she was a little eccentric, but she’d always been that way.

  ‘What can I say, shorty? You’ll never find anyone like me.’

  Aiden raised an eyebrow. ‘Except Dru, you know? Your identical twin . . .’

  ‘Okay, you’ll never find anyone like me apart from my crabby, less talkative counterpart who has no sense of humour and dresses like some sort of leather-clad superhero wannabe. My selfish, opinionated sister who thinks it’s all right to disappear off the face of the earth without a word. You know what, Dru is nothing like me. She’s mean and cold and incredibly boorish and–’

  ‘Glad to see you’ve missed me,’ came a voice from behind her, and Quinn spun round to see Dru leaning casually on the door frame.

  ‘Dru?’ Quinn murmured, sure for a second that she was seeing things.

  ‘The one and only,’ said Dru, her face blank. ‘How you been, Quinnie?’

  Quinn didn’t say anything for a while, she just stood there staring in disbelief. She’d imagined this moment countless times, what she would say to Dru, what she would do. But now nothing seemed enough. She didn’t know whether to hug Dru or hit her.

  ‘I don’t think I ever expected to find you,’ Quinn whispered.

  ‘Technically, you didn’t find me, I found you.’

  ‘How did you know I was here?’

  ‘Well, Newford was my next stop. Guessed you might have paid Aiden a visit.’ She looked behind Quinn, cocking her head slightly and smiling. ‘Long time, cousin.’

  ‘Hello, Dru,’ Aiden nodded, folding his arms. ‘What took you so long?’

  ‘This and that. Made it in the end, didn’t I?’

  ‘I thought you didn’t want to be found,’ Quinn said, still struggling to find the right words. ‘You just left . . . no letter, no goodbye . . .’

  ‘You know how it is, Quinn.’

  ‘Do I? Because right now I’m finding it hard to understand. You pack up and leave without a word and I’m supposed to just accept that? The day before you left you were practically suicidal. Then suddenly you’re gone and it’s all meant to be okay? I’m meant to just go on with my life as normal?’

  There was an awkwardness in the air.

  ‘I wasn’t going to do anything, Quinn. You know I never would.’

  ‘Because you can’t, because I’m in the way. Let’s face it, if you had the choice, you wouldn’t be here. You hate being stuck here. You hate this world.’ Quinn paused, a tear rolling down her cheek. ‘And you hate me more for keeping you in it.’

  Dru straightened herself and walked towards Quinn, placing her hands on her sister’s shoulders. ‘I could never hate you.’

  Quinn’s lip trembled and Dru pulled her close, holding her as she wept. Aiden was silent, but the look he gave Dru said it all. He loved both his cousins, but he couldn’t bear to see Quinn hurting.

  ‘Are you here for good?’ he eventually asked Dru, and Quinn looked up, her eyes hopeful. The thought of Dru leaving again hadn’t crossed her mind until now.

  ‘I’m not going anywhere.’

  ‘Good,’ said Aiden, his expression softening a little. ‘I think we need you here.’

  ‘Yeah, I think you do. Since when did we casually brawl with demons in the middle of the street? A little tacky, is it not?’

  ‘What are you talking about?’ Aiden frowned.

  ‘Demon boy: brown hair, so high,’ she said, holding her hand above her head. ‘Bashing your little girlfriend to bits, so he was.’

  ‘Charley . . .’ Aiden said frantically. ‘What happened? Is she all right?’

  ‘She’ll live,’ Dru shrugged.

  ‘Did he hurt her?’

  ‘I think that’s fair to say. She gave about as good as she got though. Not really sure what I interrupted; he was either about to kiss her or kill her.’

  Aiden’s eyes grew dark and before he could stop himself, the windows smashed, glass flying everywhere.

  ‘That wasn’t very clever,’ Dru sighed.

  ‘Where is he?’

  ‘Who? Demon boy? He was still unconscious last I saw him.’

  ‘I’ll kill him.’

  ‘No, you won’t.’ The three of them looked towards the door to see Charley standing there.

  ‘Chambers,’ Aiden said, rushing to her side. ‘What the hell did he do to you?’

  ‘He didn’t hurt me,’ she said, limping to the couch. ‘Well, not much.’

  ‘Little twit had a nost in his hand,’ Dru muttered. ‘Glad I got there when I did.’

  ‘You saved Charley?’ Aiden said in surprise.

  Charley winced as she sat down. ‘I didn’t need saving.’

  ‘You can’t be serious, Chambers. Look at you.’

  ‘I gave a fair few whacks back,’ she protested. ‘Marcus just seems to get up a lot easier than most do.’

  ‘He won’t be getting back up when I’m done with him.’

  ‘Aiden, please. I don’t want you getting hurt.’

  Aiden’s face fell. He couldn’t stand the thought of Charley pitying him. ‘I won’t, Chambers. I’ve been doing this for a lot longer than you have.’

  ‘Your girlfriend’s right,’ Dru said sharply. ‘This Marcus kid can conjure up nosts on the spot. I’ve never heard of anyone who can do that. You can’t compete with him.’

  ‘I don’t need to be able to summon nosts to beat him. Thanks for your opinion though.’

  ‘Maybe not, but is rushing in there, all guns blazing really the best idea? You’re smarter than that, Aiden.’

  Aiden sighed and sat down, letting Charley rest her head on his shoulder. She looked exhausted.

  ‘Take it you n
ever made it to dinner then?’ he asked, kissing her forehead.

  ‘Nope. Guess I should thank Marcus for that one,’ she smiled, but she could tell Aiden didn’t share her amusement. ‘He wasn’t going to hurt me.’

  ‘How can you say that?’

  Charley looked down at her clothes. Her jeans were ripped and she was covered in dirt from falling on the road.

  ‘It’s only a few bumps and scrapes. I promise you, Aiden, I don’t know how I know, but Marcus had no intention of using that nost. I don’t think I was really in danger.’

  ‘Do you have feelings for him?’ Aiden asked suddenly, and Charley pulled back in horror.

  ‘What? No, of course not. How can you ask me that?’

  ‘I don’t know, Chambers. I’m sorry. But he’s dangerous – you know it, I know it, even bloody Dru knows it, yet you seem to think you’re somehow safe with him, even after tonight. Call me crazy, but I can’t wrap my head around it.’

  ‘Do you two want a moment alone?’ Quinn asked.

  ‘We don’t need time alone,’ said Charley angrily. ‘Aiden can say whatever he wants right here. You honestly think I feel that way about him? He’s a demon!’

  ‘A demon that apparently wouldn’t hurt you.’

  ‘It’s you, Aiden.’

  ‘What’s me?’ he said, his voice growing hoarse.

  ‘Everything. It’s always been you. You’re the one I want. Not Marcus. It’s not him I care about. It’s not him I think about. It’s always you.’

  Dru rolled her eyes at Charley’s mushy, sentimental speech, and Quinn clapped her hands like an excited child.

  ‘How romantic!’ she cooed, gently patting her sister’s arm. ‘Isn’t it just lovely?’

  ‘Give me strength,’ Dru muttered, stalking out the room before she could hear another word.

  The alarm clock sang out, rousing Marcus from his sleep. He hit the clock with his pillow, knocking it from the bedside table so that it landed with a bang on the floor.

  ‘Marcus, get up,’ his mother called as she passed his bedroom door.

  Marcus sighed. He didn’t want to get up. He didn’t want to go out. He didn’t particularly want to stay in bed either. He just didn’t want to do anything.

  Resigned, Marcus made his way to the bathroom, closing the door before switching the shower on. He turned the nozzle to high and climbed in, wincing at first as the scalding water landed on his back. It immediately turned red, the searing hot water burning his skin the way it always did, and he let out a sigh of relief.

  ‘Marcus!’ his mother called from outside. He groaned in frustration.

  ‘What is it?’

  ‘Door.’

  ‘Can’t it wait?’ he sighed. Why did everyone insist on coming round the second he’d stepped into the shower?

  ‘No,’ came his mother’s brusque reply. ‘It can’t wait. Door, now.’

  Marcus grabbed a towel and stormed out of the bathroom.

  ‘Be nice,’ she said as he passed the kitchen, but the only response she got was a resentful glare. ‘Really,’ she muttered to Garth once Marcus had stomped away, ‘that boy makes me want to scream sometimes.’

  Garth gave her a blank look. Marcus had been making him want to scream for years.

  When he finally reached the door, Marcus pulled it so hard that it felt like it might come off its hinges, leaving Jess gaping on the front step.

  ‘You okay?’ she said quietly, already regretting her decision to stop by.

  ‘Jess, what are you doing here?’ She looked towards the ground. ‘I mean . . . sorry. Is something wrong?’

  ‘No, everything’s fine. Well, as fine as fine can be. I was just passing and, well, I thought I’d say hi.’

  ‘At eight o’clock on a Sunday morning?’ Marcus raised his eyebrows.

  ‘Eh, yeah, I know it’s early.’

  ‘How did you know where I lived?’

  ‘I . . . I didn’t. Someone mentioned it in school and–’

  Marcus could tell Jess was struggling to come up with a reasonable explanation. She was just like Charley in so many ways: restless, skittish, a little bit awkward – yet so different in many others. Marcus thought back to when it was Charley standing on his doorstep, babbling the same way Jess was now. He remembered the way he’d teased her, the way she’d smiled, the way her eyes had shone as she looked at him. He couldn’t bear to look into Jess’s eyes though.

  ‘You wanna come in?’ Marcus asked, saving her from further embarrassment. She squinted and gestured to his towel.

  ‘Are you sure? You look a little busy.’

  ‘You’re not the first Chambers to come to the door when I’m nearly starkers,’ Marcus smiled, but then frowned slightly. ‘Pretend I never said that.’

  ‘You mean Charley?’

  ‘Well I certainly don’t mean your father.’ Marcus thought he was being funny, but Jess’s face fell.

  ‘Forget it,’ she said, shaking her head as she took off down the path.

  ‘Jess, wait, I was only joking.’

  ‘Doesn’t matter, Marcus. Forget I even came by.’

  Marcus closed the door once she’d finally disappeared out of sight, almost banging into his mother as he turned around.

  ‘What?’ he muttered as she looked at him disapprovingly.

  ‘You handled that well, didn’t you?’

  ‘Oh, for God’s sake. Just leave it, Mum,’ he said, marching towards the bathroom in the hope of finishing his shower in peace. Before he could reach the door, he was thrown back down the hall, landing at his mother’s feet.

  ‘I’m getting tired of this, Marcus.’ She walked back over to the kitchen, stopping at the door. ‘And don’t ever speak to me like that again.’

  Aiden woke up as the bright autumn sun poured in his window, suggesting that it was probably later than he’d planned to get up. Charley’s arm was draped across him, her head wedged perfectly between his chin and his shoulder. Aiden glanced down at her and smiled. Her mouth was open slightly and she was snoring through her nose.

  ‘Chambers,’ he whispered, nudging her gently. ‘Wake up.’

  ‘Hmm,’ she mumbled, moving slightly, but she didn’t open her eyes.

  Aiden had wanted to get up before his parents, early enough to get Charley out the door before they realised she’d stayed over. His father would disapprove, that was certain, but his mother would be furious.

  ‘Chambers,’ he said again, pulling his arm out from under her so she had no choice but to move.

  ‘I don’t want to wake up,’ she whispered, smiling as she inhaled the duvet’s musky scent.

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Because, if I wake up, the dream will end.’

  Aiden raised an eyebrow. ‘And what are you dreaming about?’

  ‘I just stayed over at my boyfriend’s house for the first time. He held me all night, kissed me . . . you know the drill.’

  ‘Sounds like a good dream,’ he smiled.

  ‘It is.’

  ‘Not a dream, baby.’

  Charley opened her eyes and grinned. ‘I know. Still doesn’t mean I want it to end.’

  ‘I don’t want it to either, trust me. But today’s going to be interesting enough as it is, without my mother finding out you spent the night.’

  Today was also the day they were going to tell Fergus and Tabitha about Dru’s arrival, a revelation that none of them were keen to deliver.

  ‘Will she be mad?’ Charley asked, pulling him back in for one last hug.

  ‘She won’t be happy, let’s put it that way. It might be me crashing at your house tonight.’

  ‘I wish you could.’

  Charley had sent her mum a text, apologising for missing dinner and saying that she was staying at Lucy’s house, to which her mum had replied, ‘Who?’

  Abbie was Charley’s only real friend and
her mother was well aware of this, but she had no other option; she couldn’t very well have said she was with Abbie, camping out at the hospital for the night.

  ‘What time is it?’ Charley asked, looking around Aiden’s room for a clock.

  Before he could answer, he heard the thump of footsteps, followed by his mother’s shrill voice.

  ‘Aiden, get downstairs, now. Your father and I would like a word,’ – there was a short pause, and then – ‘about Druanna.’ They heard the sound of footsteps again and then she was gone.

  ‘Time for the fun to begin. Buckle up, Chambers, this won’t be pretty.’

  ‘I’m coming too?’ Charley asked in horror. The thought of facing Tabitha was terrifying; she’d rather be locked in a room with Marcus at full strength than have to look Tabitha in the eye after spending the night with her son.

  ‘Unless you wanna climb out that window. Probably break both your legs though.’

  ‘But you said–’

  ‘I know what I said, Chambers, but we’ve gone and blown it now. She’s going to find out you stayed.’

  ‘Window it is,’ Charley said, hauling herself out of bed. She was still fully clothed, so all she had to do was fling on her jacket and shoes and she was ready to run for the hills.

  ‘And how will you get down?’

  ‘Easy,’ Charley smiled. ‘I am a magician after all.’

  ‘Nuh uh,’ Aiden answered, shaking his head. ‘Mum will know you’re here the second you use magic. She’ll be livid. It’s better this way. At least we aren’t lying.’ Aiden half-smiled.

  ‘I’m really not doing much to get into your mum’s good books, am I?’

  ‘Come on,’ he said, offering her his hand. ‘Let’s go endure my mother’s wrath together. Maybe we’ll get off lightly and she’ll spend most of the time yelling at Dru.’

  ‘Not likely,’ Charley mumbled as they walked out the door.

  ‘You called?’ Aiden said sarcastically as they reached the others, who were waiting in the living room.

  ‘Yes, Aiden, I called. Please do explain why . . . wait a minute, what is Charlotte doing here?’

  Charley gulped, her eyes widening, and quickly said, ‘I haven’t been here long. I just dropped by to pick up my purse. I left it here last night.’