Charley Chambers
Page 33
‘Cheery fellow, your dad,’ Marcus grunted, causing Charley to glare at him.
‘Marcus, how could you say such a thing?’
‘I’m sorry,’ he grimaced. ‘It’s who I am, I make jokes when things get tense.’
‘Well you should be ash–’
‘He’s all right, Chambers,’ Aiden said. ‘Leave him be.’
‘Leave him be?’
‘He didn’t mean anything by it.’
Marcus looked at Aiden, Aiden returning his gaze, and nodded at him in understanding. Finally for once, and probably only this once, the boys were on the same wavelength.
Charley sat beside Aiden and put her head on his shoulder. ‘I’m very proud of you,’ she told him with a smile. Aiden kissed her head as she let out a yawn. ‘I’m tired now,’ she whispered.
‘Sleep,’ he answered, putting his arm around her. ‘You’ve earned it.’
‘Don’t let me sleep too long.’
‘I won’t. Now close your eyes.’
Charley did. In moments she was sleeping, her jumbled thoughts making their way out of her head, her dreams making their way in.
She was in a bedroom, although not one she recognised. There were teddy bears on the bed and butterflies on the wall, stuck on messily with large pieces of sticky tape. There was a karaoke machine in the corner of the room and next to it, a large dresser, also covered with various stuffed animals. Charley squinted as her eyes focused on something. In front of the toys stood a small photo frame, holding a picture of Marcus and someone, someone she recognised . . .
‘Bud,’ Charley whispered as a little girl walked into the room.
‘Hello, Charley,’ Bud smiled, dimples forming on her cheeks.
‘What are you . . . I mean, what am I doing here?’
‘I wanted to meet you,’ Bud said, ‘before I go.’
‘Go? Where are you going?’
‘I’m leaving, Charley. I’m not needed anymore.’
‘Not needed?’ Charley queried. ‘What do you mean?’
‘I’ve done what I had to do. Everything’s okay now. Thank you, Charley.’
‘For what?’
‘For stopping my mum. I don’t think I could have coped if she’d brought me back.’
Charley looked at Bud, a brave little girl, still smiling after everything she’d been through. ‘You’re some kid,’ Charley said kindly, making Bud laugh.
‘That’s what Marcus always used to say. Take care of him, Charley. I know what he did was wrong, but he doesn’t have anyone left.’
‘I will,’ Charley promised.
‘Tell him I won’t be coming around anymore. He doesn’t need me now.’
Charley didn’t know what she was talking about, but she nodded anyway, saying, ‘I’ll tell him.’
‘Well, it was nice to meet you. I always did want a sister.’
‘I’m sorry I didn’t get the chance to know you, Bud.’
‘Me too.’ Bud smiled. ‘You better wake up now. They’re calling for you.’
Charley got up from the bed. ‘Are you going to be all right? Where will you go?’
Bud laughed, as if this was a silly question. ‘Why, heaven of course.’
She put her arms around Charley’s waist, squeezing her tightly. ‘Goodbye, Charley.’
‘See you, Bud.’
The lights began to dim and Bud slowly faded away. The room started to shake, knocking Charley back on to the bed.
‘Chambers,’ she heard someone call. ‘It’s time to get up.’
Charley opened her eyes.
‘Is everything okay?’ Aiden asked.
She looked up at him, and then towards Marcus.
‘It is now,’ she smiled.
Thank you to Clare Cain and all at Fledgling for bringing Charley to life.
To my mum for her endless support and encouragement. To my stepfather Denzil for putting up with my frequent writing-related meltdowns and pointing me in the right direction. And to my dad for his sound advice and help along the way.
To Kimberley and Megan, thanks for the wine and boosting my confidence when it was low.
To Mhairi, I’m so glad you’re coming home.
To John, my friend and aspiring writer, thank you for your faith in me.
And to Sian, my daughter and my best friend. I love you.
Charley Chambers
Rachel Kennedy
© Rachel Kennedy 2016
The author asserts the moral right to be identified
as the author of the work in accordance with the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988
All characters appearing in this work are fictitious.
Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead,
is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of Fledgling Press Ltd
Cover illustration: Rachel Kennedy/Graeme Clarke
Published by:
Fledgling Press Ltd,
www.fledglingpress.co.uk
Print ISBN 9781905916177
eBook ISBN 9781905916184