Charley Chambers

by Rachel Kennedy

  ‘You’re right,’ Tabitha sighed. ‘Ingrid, my mother, was good friends with your gran. Thick as thieves, she used to tell me, practically inseparable. I can’t remember where she said they’d met, just that they’d been friends for a long time. Charley, your grandmother was also a magician, as was my mother.’

  ‘What?’ Charley gasped. ‘She never said anything. I asked her but . . .’

  ‘When my mother was in her late twenties, she fell pregnant with me. My father upped and left the moment he found out but apparently Dorcas was thrilled for her. I was born and, although I don’t really remember your gran, not at that age anyway, she doted on me. She was the closest thing to an aunt that I had.’

  ‘I thought you said Grandpa died in a car crash?’ Aiden frowned.

  ‘I did. It was better than telling you the real reason.’

  ‘You mean the truth?’ he snapped.

  Tabitha took a deep breath and Fergus got up, crossing the room to sit beside her.

  ‘It’s not important. When I was one, my mother got very sick. She wasn’t able to look after me properly but Dorcas helped out a lot; she did just about everything for me. One day when I was playing there was an accident.’

  ‘What kind of accident?’ Charley queried.

  ‘I was just learning to walk. My mother was meant to be watching me, but she’d fallen asleep in her chair. I managed to get out of the room and wandered over to the stairs. Mother said she heard me falling but she couldn’t get out of her chair. It was Dorcas who found me at the bottom of the stairs. I wasn’t conscious and barely breathing.

  ‘My mother knew I was going to die, there was no way I could have survived the fall, so she begged Dorcas to do something. She would have done it herself, but she wasn’t strong enough.’

  ‘Strong enough to do what?’ asked Aiden.

  ‘Help me. Dorcas had to do a healing spell to save me. Apparently she refused at first, said it wasn’t right, we weren’t allowed to do magic like that. But my mother begged her. She pleaded with Dorcas and by the sounds of it, she more or less bullied her into it.’

  ‘So my gran saved you?’ Charley asked. ‘She did the spell?’

  ‘Yes, she did the spell. She saved my life.’

  ‘And what happened?’

  ‘She was stripped of her powers, as she knew she would be. Dorcas had warned my mother but she wouldn’t listen. They never spoke again after that. Your mum was born two years later, Charley. She had no powers.’

  ‘Should she have? Had powers, I mean.’

  ‘Not necessarily, but most likely she would have been born a magician, yes. It’s not written in stone but it usually passes down the line.’

  ‘So what happened to me?’ said Charley hesitantly. ‘Why was I born with magic? And why wasn’t Jess?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ Tabby sighed, ‘I guess the spell sent things a little out of kilter.’

  ‘Is that why you’ve always hated me?’

  ‘I don’t hate you, Charley. I just thought it best we keep our two families apart. But I promise you, I had nothing to do with your grandmother’s death. She was once like a mother to me. I will always be grateful for what she did.’

  Aiden stirred, his brain running wild. ‘So you’re saying we can heal people? We can save people’s lives? I thought–’

  ‘No, Aiden, we can’t. Not unless you want to lose your powers for good.’

  ‘Only demons can do that,’ Charley murmured.

  Tabitha looked sullen. ‘Do what?

  ‘Heal people. They don’t lose their powers.’

  Tabby shook her head. ‘Demons can’t heal people.’

  ‘But–’

  ‘They can kill people, yes, and they’re very good at it. But they cannot heal people without dire consequences.’

  Charley looked at Aiden, her face full of fear.

  ‘But . . . how did Marcus cure Jess then?’

  ‘What are you talking about?’ Tabitha asked crossly. ‘I hope you’re not associating with that Gillespie boy, Aiden. Of all the stupid things you could do–’

  ‘No, Mum. I told you before, we thought Marcus might have had something to do with Dorcas dying, that’s all. How did you know he was a demon anyway?’ he asked, wondering why he hadn’t thought of that at the time. ‘You said you knew who he was . . .’

  ‘Of course I know who he is. Marcus and his parents lived here years ago, but they moved away after their daughter was born.’

  ‘Bud?’ said Charley.

  Aiden looked at her in confusion. ‘Who?’

  ‘Marcus’s sister. She died a couple of years ago.’

  ‘Apparently there was a warlock after them,’ Fergus intervened, ‘someone Judith had wronged in the past. After the baby was born they fled with the kids. We didn’t hear another thing of them until they showed up back in town.’

  ‘Are they demons?’ Charley asked. ‘His parents?’

  Tabby sighed, as if this was obvious. ‘Yes, they’re demons.’

  Dru gulped, her skin prickling with goosebumps, pins and needles in her hands and feet. Her chest began to ache and for once she felt cold, an icy feeling creeping through her. ‘Are we taking about Judith Gillespie?’ she asked, her voice shaking as she whispered the words.

  ‘Yes,’ Charley nodded.

  ‘As in Judith Gillespie, the most powerful demon to ever walk the planet?’

  Tabitha scowled. ‘I wouldn’t quite go that far.’

  ‘Oh, she is,’ Dru confirmed. ‘She’s here? She lives in Newford?’

  ‘What’s going on, Dru?’ Aiden asked. He’d never seen her look scared before, but for once she looked petrified, like a rabbit caught in headlights.

  ‘I . . . I haven’t been completely straight with you,’ she admitted timidly. ‘When I was away, Quinn,’ – Dru turned to her sister – ‘I was . . .’ A lump caught in her throat and for a moment she couldn’t seem to speak.

  ‘Dru, what’s going on?’ Fergus asked.

  ‘Well, when I left home I was . . . I wasn’t feeling great. You know how I was, Quinn.’

  Quinn nodded, her face falling as she thought back to her sister’s depression.

  ‘I just couldn’t get a grip of this world, Uncle Fergus. I hated everything about it. So I went to look for a shaman. I needed someone who was powerful enough to perform a de-linking spell.’

  Quinn looked at her in horror, the betrayal she felt cutting deep. ‘A de-linking spell? So you could . . . oh my God.’

  ‘I know, Quinnie, I’m sorry. I just couldn’t stand feeling like that anymore. I was empty. There was nothing there but misery and grief. I hated the world for creating me, and I hated everyone in it for being too blind to see how I felt. I know how selfish it sounds.’

  ‘Grief for what?’ Quinn sniffed, a tear running down her cheek. ‘What were you grieving?’

  Dru laughed, beginning to well up herself. ‘I don’t even know. How stupid is that? I just felt so alone. It was like I’d lost part of myself. Even when I was surrounded with people, I felt isolated. I just wanted it to stop. I’m so sorry,’ she cried, her words so quiet they were hard to hear.

  Quinn got up and went to her sister, wrapping her arms around Dru’s shoulders. ‘It’s okay. I’m here now. You don’t ever have to be alone again.’

  No one wanted to break up the girls’ heartwarming moment, but eventually Tabitha cleared her throat and said, ‘Druanna dear, I don’t mean to push you but can you tell us what happened? How does this involve the Gillespies?’

  Dru wiped her cheeks with her sleeve, black pools forming under her eyes from where her mascara had run.

  ‘It took me a while to find anyone who could help. I read about a shaman in Tokyo who was meant to be able to do that sort of thing, but it ended up just being a myth. I tried everything after that, but everyone I went to either wasn’t powerful enough or refused to help me. I was almost ready to give up.’

  ‘So what happened?’

  ‘A witch I met, when
I came back to England, told me about a demon who could do spells you couldn’t imagine, things no magician could ever dream of doing.’

  ‘Judith,’ Charley said. Dru nodded.

  ‘Turns out I didn’t need to go far.’

  Tabitha looked concerned. ‘Druanna, when was this?’

  ‘A few months ago. She was staying in Oakshore at the time, must have moved here shortly after. Hettie, the witch I met, told me where I could find her. I went to her house. She told me to leave but said she’d meet me later that night, alone. She stuck to her word. I told her what I wanted . . . what I needed her to do for me.’

  ‘Well, she obviously didn’t do it,’ said Quinn. ‘Either that or you backed out. Because as far as I can see, we’re still very much a part of each other.’

  Dru couldn’t look at Quinn, the guilt she felt so enormous she thought it might crush her. ‘She refused to do it. She said being forced to stay alive would cause me much more pain than dying, and that there was nothing she liked more than to see a magician in pain. She left after that and I never saw her again.’

  ‘That’s why she recognised me,’ Quinn mumbled, ‘the day we went round to see Marcus. She said I looked familiar. It wasn’t me she’d met, it was you.’

  ‘What happened after that?’ Aiden asked, squeezing Charley’s hand tightly.

  ‘I moved around for a bit and then I went home. I went back for Quinn.’ She looked at her sister. ‘You weren’t there though.’

  Quinn shrugged. ‘I was looking for you.’

  Fergus shook his head in exasperation. ‘And your father doesn’t mind? That the two of you keep running off without explanation?’

  ‘Our parents gave up worrying about us a long time ago, when they realised it did them no good,’ Dru replied to her uncle, although she didn’t take her eyes off Quinn. ‘I’m so sorry, Quinnie. I guess I just needed some time alone, time to reflect on things. Some lame attempt at finding myself.’

  ‘And did you?’ Quinn looked expectantly at Dru, her eyes wide with anticipation. She’d never seen her sister look so terrified. Gone was the hard exterior, the front she was so used to. Dru simply looked lost.

  ‘No, but I found you,’ she smiled. ‘Going to Judith may not have been wise, but it made things clearer. It made me realise that with you by my side, Quinnie, I am someone. I grew up resenting the fact that I was tied to you instead of appreciating it. I told you before, it made me look at things differently.’

  Tabitha looked at Fergus. She seemed to have aged dramatically in the last half hour.

  ‘I think we should all get some rest,’ she finally said, and Fergus nodded in agreement. ‘We’ll discuss this further tomorrow.’

  Aiden walked Charley to the door while Quinn took Dru upstairs; the pair of them had a lot to discuss.

  Aiden pulled Charley close to him and she grabbed him in a vice-like grip.

  ‘You don’t need to say goodbye yet,’ he smiled warmly, ‘I am going to walk you home, you know.’

  Charley didn’t let go. ‘It’s not that. I don’t want to be alone tonight.’

  Aiden ran his hand down her back, sighing and letting his chin rest on her head. ‘She’ll know if you stay here, Chambers,’ he said sadly.

  ‘I know. My mum will know, too, if I don’t show up home.’

  Aiden was quiet for a moment, before saying, ‘You got a chair in your room?’ Charley nodded. ‘All right, I’ll come back over later. Chairs make excellent locks,’ he grinned.

  Charley smiled back, reaching up to kiss him.

  ‘Come on,’ he said, grabbing his jacket, ‘I’ll walk you home.’

  Linda wasn’t very happy when her eldest daughter arrived back. Charley apologised profusely, saying how bad she felt about rushing off but that she’d had a good reason. Of course when Linda asked what it was, Charley couldn’t think of anything to say, so she ended up telling her that Abbie had called from the hospital and asked to see her. Eventually Linda had nodded, told Charley not to worry about it and headed off to bed, saying she needed an early night after the day’s events.

  Nick didn’t say much either. He kissed his daughter on the head and smiled kindly at her, but he couldn’t think of a decent conversation starter. Charley understood; her father had never been very good at those sorts of things. Instead, she went upstairs, had a shower and got ready for bed. She was just pulling on her pyjamas – or rather, her strap top and sweats – when there was a quiet tap at the window. She ran over and opened it, letting a breathless Aiden climb inside.

  ‘Did you use magic to get up here?’ she asked, kissing his cold cheek.

  ‘Nope, just climbed up the drainpipe,’ he smirked. ‘Sometimes we boys like to do things the old-fashioned way.’

  Charley smiled. ‘I’m glad you’re here.’

  ‘Me too,’ he whispered. ‘Are your parents away to bed?’

  ‘Mum is. Dad’s still downstairs. Don’t worry, I put the chair against the door.’ She pointed over to where the chair was tilted, the back of it wedged firmly under the door handle.

  ‘What about Jess?’ he asked.

  ‘She’s in bed, too. She was already asleep when I got back, think she must have needed an early night.’

  ‘Not surprising. And how are you doing? No more sickness?’

  ‘No. I did feel a bit dizzy when I got out the shower. It passed.’

  ‘I’m glad. Come on, let’s get some sleep.’

  They climbed into Charley’s bed, Aiden pulling the lilac covers up to his chin.

  ‘It’s really my colour,’ he grinned.

  ‘Shut up, you goof. Just hug me.’

  And that’s what he did.

  Charley woke before her alarm clock, the thought of her mum catching them at the back of her mind. She turned to face Aiden, his eyes still closed and his arm still draped over her.

  ‘I’m not sleeping,’ he murmured, before she could say anything. He opened his eyes and smiled at her. ‘Morning, beautiful.’

  Charley’s stomach tightened. ‘Morning,’ she replied.

  She didn’t want to get up. She didn’t want to leave Aiden, although she knew she’d see him again in a couple of hours. It just wasn’t the same, being with him in public. She wanted him all to herself.

  ‘You’d better go,’ she said reluctantly.

  ‘I know. What you want me to do, shimmy down the drainpipe?’

  ‘As much as I’d love to see you, eh, shimmying down the side of my wall, you can probably use the front door.’

  ‘Won’t your parents see?’

  ‘My dad will be away already and I just heard Mum go into the bathroom. She’ll be going for a shower, so you’ll have plenty of time.’

  ‘All right,’ he whispered, kissing her again before getting up and heading towards the door. Charley grabbed a cardigan and followed him.

  Poking her head out into the hall, she motioned for Aiden to follow, knowing it was safe when she heard the water running in the bathroom. They tiptoed downstairs and Charley quietly opened the front door.

  ‘See you at school?’ he asked once he was outside, the sun reflecting off his sandy-blonde hair. Even when he’d just woken up, Aiden looked gorgeous.

  ‘You’re going to school? Don’t you think we should be dealing with more important things? We’ve got so much to find out, so much to do . . .’

  ‘And how much can we really do right now? Besides, Marcus will probably be there. We can pester him again about the nost, maybe find out a bit more about his mother. Small steps, Chambers.’

  Charley froze at the mention of Marcus, his name sending shivers down her spine. She didn’t want to pester him. She didn’t want to see him. And she certainly didn’t want Aiden anywhere near him.

  ‘Sure,’ she shrugged, ‘see you at school.’

  She closed the door and ran a hand through her hair. She’d gone from cloud nine to rock bottom in less than
a minute.

  ‘Does Mum know he stayed the night?’ she heard a voice say, and she looked up to see Jess standing at the top of the stairs.

  ‘He didn’t stay. He just popped by to say hello.’

  ‘At ten to seven?’ Jess raised her eyebrows.

  ‘He was out for a walk. So what if it’s early, you saying you can’t drop by to see someone in the morning now?’

  Jess thought back to her visiting Marcus, showing up at eight o’clock on a Sunday.

  ‘Whatever,’ she grumbled. ‘Like I care anyway.’

  Charley’s trepidation became a reality as she made her way towards the school. She could already see Marcus leaning against one of the pillars wearing a pair of jeans and his duffle coat, his schoolbag lying next to him on the ground. Charley scowled. If she tried coming to school in jeans, she’d no doubt get sent home to change.

  She swallowed, her mouth dry, and continued walking, determined not to let him bother her.

  So what if he’d kissed her? It’s not like she’d enjoyed it. It’s not like she’d felt anything apart from sheer disgust, repulsion at the ridiculous notion that she would ever feel that way for him.

  ‘I felt nothing,’ she said to herself.

  Liar.

  ‘Go away,’ she snapped.

  Can’t. You did feel something, don’t deny it.

  ‘No I didn’t.’

  Tell the truth. Your heart was on fire.

  ‘My heart was not on fire.’

  Well, something was.

  ‘Leave me alone,’ she growled, just as a hand came down on her shoulder.

  ‘Who you talking to?’ Aiden asked, out of breath from running. His cheeks were a bright rosy colour after being exposed to the cold autumn wind.

  ‘Would you believe me if I said the voices in my head?’

  ‘I’ve heard stranger things than that these past few days.’ He kissed her gently and took her hand as they walked towards the doors; towards Marcus.