Charley Chambers

by Rachel Kennedy

  After a moment there was a buzz from her pocket, disrupting her thoughts and spoiling the glorious show she was displaying.

  ‘Hi,’ she said warmly when she saw Aiden’s name pop up on the screen. ‘Did you sort things out with Mum-zilla?’

  The line was quiet for a moment and then a sharp voice said, ‘No, he did not sort things with Mum-zilla.’

  ‘Tabitha,’ Charley said, her eyes widening in horror, ‘I never meant you were . . . I mean . . . I thought it was Aiden calling . . .’

  ‘Clearly.’ Tabitha’s cold tone sent shivers down Charley’s spine. ‘Charlotte, I need you at the house just now, please.’

  ‘Really? Why?’

  There was no answer. The line had already gone dead, leaving Charley wondering what Tabitha’s unexpected call had been about.

  It took her about half an hour to walk back to Aiden’s, in which time she’d imagined all of the horrible things Tabitha could possibly say to her.

  Maybe she found out that I stayed.

  ‘Oh no,’ she whispered, before giving the door a quiet knock.

  It opened almost immediately.

  ‘Come in, Charlotte,’ Tabitha said frostily, holding the door open as the youngster stepped into the hall.

  ‘If this is about–’

  ‘Take a seat,’ Tabby said, gesturing towards the living room.

  Aiden was perched on the arm of the sofa, his eyes lighting up as Charley walked into the room. Fergus was sitting in one of the chairs, sipping a large glass of whisky and reading his newspaper.

  It must have been a rough morning. Charley glanced at the tumbler gripped firmly in Fergus’s hand and then to the clock on the mantelpiece.

  ‘Aiden, will you please get your feet off my cushions,’ Tabitha snapped. Fergus glanced over the top of his newspaper but said nothing, instead pouring another large measure of whisky into his glass.

  ‘What’s this about?’ Charley said meekly, not really sure whether it was a good idea to ask that question.

  ‘This,’ – Tabby wagged her finger, pointing into the centre of the room – ‘is about the little display you just put on. I’m right in saying it was fireworks, am I not? Makes a change from thunderstorms and hurricanes.’

  Charley looked to the ground. ‘Oh, that.’

  ‘Have you any idea how foolish that was? In broad daylight, too. Was there something specific you were celebrating?’

  ‘No one was around,’ Charley mumbled, ‘and it wasn’t for long. I just wanted to blow off some steam.’

  ‘And you thought letting fireworks flicker from your fingertips was the way to do it? Where were you putting on this spectacular show? I do hope you were at least discreet.’

  ‘Chambers doesn’t do discreet,’ Aiden smirked, and both Tabitha and Charley scowled at him. ‘I’m joking . . .’

  ‘There was nobody else there, I made sure. I’m sorry, really I am. It just hasn’t been a good day.’

  ‘Why, what happened?’ Aiden asked, suddenly concerned, but Charley just shook her head.

  Before Aiden could say anything else, Quinn and Dru walked through the door, once again setting Tabitha off.

  ‘And you two,’ she said, pointing towards them as they came into the room, ‘what on earth have you been up to?’

  ‘Don’t know what you’re talking about,’ Dru said, trying not to smile. She could tell her aunt was nettled which always amused her slightly.

  ‘You know exactly what I’m talking about, young lady. I don’t know what the pair of you were up to, but whatever it was was extraordinary. How did you hide it then, hmm? A shielding spell?’

  ‘Seriously, Aunt Tabitha, I don’t know what you’re on about.’

  Tabitha’s eyes grew wild at Dru’s insolence and for once she felt like she herself might explode. She was normally so composed, but at that moment she wasn’t sure if she could contain her rage.

  ‘Do not mock me, Druanna. You are currently living under my roof. This will not be the case for much longer if you continue to insult me in such a fashion.’

  ‘Gee, calm down. You look like an angry stick insect when you get mad.’

  Quinn turned to look at Dru, a stunned expression on her face. Fergus, almost certain his wife was ready to erupt, decided to give Tabby a breather and deal with his nieces himself.

  ‘Girls, I think it might be best for you to go elsewhere for the time being. Same goes for you, Aiden. Take Charley out somewhere, go and do what normal teenagers do. That doesn’t mean you go looking for trouble though, is that clear?’

  ‘Crystal,’ Aiden said, pushing himself from the couch. ‘Let’s go,’ he smiled, grabbing Charley’s hand. Dru followed him out the door with Quinn chasing closely behind.

  ‘What did you do that for?’ Tabitha sighed as Fergus wrapped his arms around her waist. ‘They need to learn, Fergus, they need to understand that it’s not all right to just use their powers so irresponsibly.’

  ‘No harm was done,’ he said gently, kissing his wife’s long, slender neck.

  ‘But what if–’

  ‘Life is full of what-ifs, Tabby. Sometimes, you need to take a step back and let people make decisions for themselves. Keep in mind that this is all very new to Charley, she’s still learning.’

  ‘And what about your niece?’ Tabitha grunted. ‘Is she still learning?’

  ‘It’s just the way she is, Tabby. Dru’s a free spirit, they both are, to be fair. She’s only trying to do right by her sister. Give her a chance.’

  Tabitha groaned, her head spinning from the afternoon’s unwanted activity.

  ‘Next time they mess up, you can deal with it. I’ve suffered about as much reckless teenage behaviour as I can handle.’

  They looked an odd sight, the four teenagers, walking through the town together, each one as different as the next. Quinn was dressed in her purple hat and long orange coat, Dru beside her in her habitually sombre attire. Charley was still wearing her dusty old jeans from the night before, her hair unbrushed and her shirt creased, then Aiden, sauntering along, his hands inside the pockets of a black leather jacket.

  ‘So,’ Quinn asked, ‘where are we going?’

  ‘You tell me,’ Aiden replied, more interested in what Charley had been up to. ‘What happened this morning?’

  ‘Jess,’ Charley answered. ‘She had another seizure, only it was worse this time. She couldn’t breathe, she was clawing at her skin . . . I didn’t know what to do.’

  ‘Is she all right?’

  ‘She’s okay now. She’s in Newford Royal.’

  ‘God, Chambers, I’m sorry.’

  ‘I don’t know what’s happening to her. At first I thought that maybe . . . maybe she was like me.’

  ‘You think Jess is a magician?’ Aiden sounded sceptical. ‘Chambers . . .’

  ‘I thought that maybe there was a chance, yes. I don’t anymore. It’s not the same . . . what’s happening to Jess isn’t what happened to me. I know everyone’s experience is different, but Jess is too . . . too doleful, if that makes sense. It’s like there’s a black cloud constantly hanging over her head and she’s just waiting for it to rain. I don’t know what it is, but she’s not one of us.’

  ‘No, she’s not.’

  Aiden took one of Charley’s hands, his fingers curling round hers. ‘Was she still like that when you got her to the hospital?’

  ‘No, she was fine by then. Marcus . . .’ I never said Marcus was involved . . . ‘Marcus showed up. He was the one who helped her.’

  ‘And you let him in? After everything that happened last night, you still let him into your house?’

  ‘I didn’t let him in, he let himself in. He must have heard Jess crying or something. Apparently she went round to see him this morning.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘I’ve no idea. All he said was that he thought he might have upset her and he wanted to apologise. He helped her calm down and then he left, that’s it.’r />
  ‘There must be more to it than that. Why was your sister visiting the demon who crippled you in an alley last night?’

  ‘He did not cripple me,’ she spat, humiliated by his tone. Aiden didn’t mean to sound condescending, but that was how Charley heard it.

  ‘You know what I mean. And how did he manage to make whatever was happening to her stop?’

  ‘He said he used magic,’ she said, but Aiden shook his head.

  ‘It doesn’t sound right.’

  ‘Please don’t say we’re paying Marcus another visit,’ Quinn breathed.

  ‘Sounds like fun to me,’ Dru smirked, glancing discreetly at Quinn. ‘Why don’t we just kill him?’

  ‘Because he’s stronger than us,’ Aiden said rationally. Dru scoffed at the thought of an adolescent demon being stronger than herself and Quinn. ‘All right, he may not be stronger, but his magic’s darker. And he clearly knows how to use it.’

  ‘Are we missing the most obvious reason here?’ Charley asked. ‘We aren’t murderers. We don’t go around killing people to sort out our problems.’

  ‘Why?’ Dru muttered. ‘He does.’

  ‘That’s exactly why. I’d rather die right now than become like Marcus: so bitter about life. So vindictive and hateful.’

  ‘He doesn’t hate everyone,’ Dru teased, and Quinn chuckled before she could help herself, clamping a hand across her mouth to stifle the laugh. Aiden didn’t seem to hear.

  ‘Is your mum home yet?’

  ‘I don’t think so,’ Charley answered, ‘I’m not sure. Why?’

  ‘We’re going to do a bit of snooping,’ he said, and the four of them headed for Charley’s house.

  The door was locked when they arrived, and Charley let out a sigh of relief as she fished around for her key. Part of her was glad that her mum wasn’t home, but part of her was also scared. She wasn’t sure if she really wanted to find out what was wrong with Jess.

  ‘This way,’ she said quietly, and the others followed her up to Jess’s room. Everything looked as it usually did, nothing out of place.

  ‘Where do we start?’ Charley said apprehensively as Quinn began poking about in the drawers.

  ‘She got a diary?’ Dru asked.

  ‘Probably. I don’t know where she keeps it though.’

  ‘Well, let’s get looking.’

  ‘I can’t go through her diary. It’s personal.’

  Dru raised her eyebrows. ‘Do you want to find out what’s wrong with your sister?’

  No!

  ‘Yes . . .’

  ‘Right, let’s find her diary then.’

  Reluctantly, Charley started searching. She looked under the bed, in the wardrobe, raked through the sock drawer until eventually she found it, hidden in Jess’s school bag of all places.

  ‘Got it.’

  ‘Well, what you waiting for?’ Dru said eagerly. ‘Start reading.’

  Charley didn’t want to. She knew how mad she’d be if someone ever went through her diary, especially someone she trusted. It just didn’t feel right. Even so, she opened it in the middle and began flicking through the pages.

  Most were scribbled with normal things that teenagers write:

  School sucks! If I have to sit beside that tramp, Poppy, for one more day, I’m going to rip her tongue out of her thick, useless head and feed it to a crocodile.

  ‘Charming,’ Dru smirked, reading over Charley’s shoulder.

  ‘She’ll have a hard job finding a crocodile in Newford,’ said Quinn, slumping back on to Jess’s bed.

  ‘How do you know what this says?’ Charley asked, and Dru’s head shot up towards her sister.

  ‘Must be a twin thing,’ Quinn shrugged, as if it wasn’t all that important.

  ‘You can see what I’m thinking?’ Dru asked in amazement. ‘You can read my thoughts? I knew we were connected but I didn’t know you could do that.’

  ‘Neither did I. It’s never happened before.’

  ‘What am I thinking now?’

  ‘I don’t know. It wasn’t like that . . . I just . . . knew what you were reading, somehow.’

  ‘Why does this surprise you?’ Aiden asked impatiently. ‘You’ve always been able to do weird stuff like that.’

  ‘Hey, Charley, did you ever tell Dru about the vision you had of her?’

  ‘What vision?’ Dru frowned.

  ‘It wasn’t a vision,’ Charley replied, before hesitantly looking at Dru. ‘It was more like . . . a flashback.’

  ‘A flashback of what?’

  ‘Your life.’

  ‘Why would you see my life?’ Dru said, unhappy at the thought of someone poking around in her head.

  ‘I don’t know. We thought at the time you were trying to connect with us, trying to talk to Quinn somehow.’

  ‘I wasn’t doing anything,’ Dru grunted. ‘I didn’t even know who you were.’

  ‘So you did nothing that would cause Charley to see into your past, feel what you were feeling?’ Quinn asked.

  Dru was silent for a moment and then said, ‘Just keep reading.’

  Charley said no more on the subject. Instead, she skimmed the words on the page in front of her, sighing as she flicked to the back.

  My parents are so dull I could cry. If I ever have kids, I’m going to be cool. Not a stuffy old bore who does nothing but order people around.

  Charley felt a twinge of sympathy for her mum as she read Jess’s harsh words. Linda wasn’t nearly as bad as that.

  Saw Dad tonight for all of five minutes. Whoop-de-do, that’s a record.

  ‘This is pointless. It’s just her pent-up anger about how much she dislikes our family.’

  ‘You’re not done yet,’ Aiden said, coming over to stand beside Dru.

  Charley turned to the back few pages which appeared to be quite recent.

  Charley won’t leave me alone, she won’t stop pestering me. I can’t help feeling like we’re drifting apart. I love her but at the same time I feel this hatred for her, like I don’t want her to be a part of me. We’re different, we always have been, but I don’t feel connected to her anymore. It’s as though we’re from different planets. Sometimes I want to beg her not to leave me, to tell her how scared I am. Other times, I wish she’d just disappear. She’s like something sour in my mouth, something I want to spit out and crush with my shoe. And then I feel bad for even thinking that . . .

  I don’t understand. I don’t understand anything anymore.

  Charley’s eyes filled with tears and she looked away, unsure if she wanted to read any more. The way Jess had described her, the words she’d used: hate, sour, disappear. Is that really what Jess thought of her?

  ‘Want me to take over?’ Aiden asked, but Charley shook her head and turned the page.

  It happened again. It hurts so much but I can’t control it. It’s like my skin’s on fire. My body feels as though it’s going to spontaneously combust. And the screams, they were there, too. And the voices . . .

  I think I’m going mad.

  It gets so loud that I . . .

  Before Charley could read another word, it was her who was now screaming. She flung the diary away, vomiting on the floor.

  ‘Chambers!’ Aiden was immediately by her side, rubbing her back as she heaved again. ‘Quinn, get her some water.’

  ‘I . . . can’t . . . breathe,’ Charley stuttered, clutching Aiden’s arm as she began to panic. There was a sharp, buzzing sound that felt like a knife being driven into her ears and her limbs felt weak, as though she would keel over if she tried to stand.

  ‘It was that book,’ Dru said, pointing to the floor, ‘the diary. It did something to her.’

  ‘Jess,’ Aiden muttered. ‘You only get like this around Jess . . . Chambers, reading her diary . . . somehow it’s caused this.’

>   Charley couldn’t think. Jess’s bed began to shake and things began to fall, books from the bookcase, her lamp from the table, the bulb smashing as it hit the floor.

  When Quinn returned with the water the chaos had stopped. Everything was still and Charley was unconscious in Aiden’s arms.

  ‘What the hell just happened?’ Dru asked.

  Charley suddenly opened her eyes. ‘I just had another vision.’

  ‘About Jess?’

  ‘No . . . I don’t know what it was about. There was a baby . . .’

  ‘What baby?’ Dru prompted.

  ‘I’ve no idea. It was just a baby in a hospital cot.’

  ‘Well, we can take a good guess in saying it somehow involves the kid, seeing as you were reading her diary when you went all loopy.’

  Aiden picked the diary up from the floor. ‘Maybe I should read the rest?’

  Charley nodded, her head still spinning. While Quinn fetched a basin of water to clean up the mess, Aiden opened the diary and began reading aloud.

  It gets so noisy that I all I want is to make it stop, however I have to do it.

  I just want to feel normal again.

  Charley has this friend called Marcus, although I don’t think he’s actually her friend. He came round once but then left in a hurry. I think he might have done something wrong. I met him the other day after Gran died and my hands turned black. He turned them back to normal. I like Marcus. He’s different, but he’s cool. I know he likes Charley, I’ve seen the way he looks at her. She’s too blind to notice though.

  ‘See, even Jess knows he’s in to you,’ Aiden quipped.

  ‘What does she mean, her hands turned black?’ Charley frowned.

  ‘I’ve no idea. It just says her hands turned black and Marcus helped her.’

  ‘Why is Marcus always helping my sister when something goes wrong?’

  Nobody replied.

  ‘Do you guys mind if I bail for a while?’ Charley asked, smiling weakly at them. ‘I think I need a lie down after that.’