Different (4 page)

"Sophie's been on the news,” Grandma Anna said, putting a plate of freshly buttered toast in front of Jay. “What was that blue light everyone's talking about? You never mentioned it last night."

Jay shrugged. “I don't know what it was. It was like one of those lights at the disco. You know the blue light that makes white seem to glow in the dark. It was covering her."

"Well, whatever it was, it seems to have done her good,” Granddad said, gesturing at Jay with his toast. “They say she's well enough to leave hospital today.” He grinned. “I bet the doctors wish they could find it and bottle it."

Jay's mobile rang. It was Mary and she sounded upset.

"Can you meet me later?” She asked. “I need to talk to someone."

"What's the matter?” Jay lowered her voice so her grandparent's wouldn't hear.

"I can't tell you over the phone. Can you meet me at Aunty Pauline's cafe at eleven?"

"I think so. Hang on a minute and I'll check.” She turned to her grandmother. “Is it ok if I meet Mary this morning?"

Anna nodded. “Yes, ok. I'll send you a text when your granddad and I've finished shopping, just in case you need a lift home."

"Hi, Mary,” Jay said into the phone. “Yes it's ok. I'll see you there."

Mary was waiting for her in the cafe, and while Aunty Pauline was making them a drink, Mary slid an envelope over the table. It was addressed simply to, ‘Mary'.

Jay picked it up, opening it, she stared at the printed out photograph inside. It must have been taken in the girl's changing room at school last night, Jay realised. On the photo, Mary, who was only wearing her thong, was bending forward and looking up and smiling, unconsciously showing her boobs to perfection. Written on the back of the photo was a message.

"Unless you want copies of this spread all around the school and put onto the school website, meet me at seven tonight outside the Miner's Arms.”

It wasn't signed but Jay knew it had to be either Alex or Carl.

"The dirty bastards,” she said, returning the photograph to the envelope and giving it back to Mary. “What are you going to do?"

"What do you think?” Mary asked. “I can't tell my dad or anyone, can I? I'd have to show them this.” She tapped the envelope and stuffed it into her coat pocket out of sight. “I'm just going to have to do what he says, aren't I?"

Jay studied her friend carefully before saying what was on her mind. “It's either Alex or Carl, and you know what they'll want, it's blackmail, Mary."

"Yes, I know, but I don't want pictures of me wearing nothing but a thong floating around all over the place. Actually, I won't mind too much if it's Alex. He's quite good looking and I quite fancy him.” She shrugged. “Anyway we're eighteen now, two years past the age of consent, and we're going to have to do it sometime."

"But what if it's Carl?"

Mary grimaced. “Then I'll try not to be sick until after he's finished."

"But you sounded really upset when you rang."

"I was but then I got thinking about it. I've never had a proper boyfriend. I don't go to discos or parties. School, home and the chapel, that's my life, Jay. I've never even been pissed. I quite like the idea of having sex, I want to find out if it's as good as everyone makes out."

Jay was surprised by Mary's outburst, but understood where she was coming from, because she'd been having the same kind of feelings herself. She'd never really made out with a boy in her life let alone slept with one. Sometimes, when she listened to some of the other girls laughing about what they'd been up to over the weekend; Jay too had started to think that perhaps she was missing out by not having sex.

"But you still believe sex should be something special, and saved for your wedding night. That's why we joined the Silver Ring group isn't it, because we both believe that?"

"Jay, I haven't said I
will
have sex, it all depends ... Anyway about tonight; will you cover for me? I'll tell my dad I'm going out with you and may stop over."

"Okay,” Jay said. “I only hope you know what you're doing."

"Me too,” Mary said. “Look David's arrived, he's not bad looking, so why don't you ask him for a date?"

"You know I fancy him, but I couldn't just ask him to go out with me."

"Why not? Perhaps he's too scared to make the first move,” Mary said. “Or do you like being single?"

Jay looked towards David who was standing by the counter; he turned and smiled at her. Trying not to think what she would do if he turned her down; she stood up and went over to him.

"David, Mary can't come to the cinema with me tonight and I was wondering if you'd like to come with me instead.” Her heart was hammering and she felt herself beginning to blush, when he smiled at her.

"That would be great,” he said. “Where shall we meet and what time?"

Jay hadn't thought that far ahead and she didn't even know what was playing at the cinema.

"Shall we say seven-thirty, outside the Metro?” David asked cutting through her confusion.

"Wicked,” she said. “I'll see you there."

"Right."

"Right, well, um, I'd better get back to Mary,” Jay said feeling like a kid. She went back to her table and sat down. “I did it,” she said to Mary. “He's meeting me by the Metro, tonight."

"See, I told you.” She took a pack of condoms out of her pocket and showed them to Jay. “If I were you, I'd get a packet of these out of the machine in the toilets..."

"But I don't know whether I want to let him go all the way, especially on our first date."

"Yes, I know, but if you get pissed you might change your mind if he really wants too. I'd get a pack just in case."

Jay hadn't thought about that and as she rummaged in her purse for some pound coins for the machine, she began to wish she'd never asked David for a date.

Jay dressed with care and when she came downstairs into the living room, her Granddad raised his eyebrows.

"Wow,” he said, and grinned at Grandma. “Hey, Anna, it looks as though our Jay got herself a date."

Grandma frowned. “I thought you were going out with Mary?"

"I am,” Jay said, feeling sure her grandmother would be able to tell that she wasn't telling the truth. “We're going on a foursome to the cinema."

"Well, make sure your mobile's charged before you go. Just in case you're late and need your grandfather to pick you up later."

Jay hid her relief by rummaging inside her coat pocket for her phone. “I'm sure it is.” She pulled it out of her pocket and stared in horror as the small packet of condoms came out with it, and dropped onto the carpet.

She stood paralysed with embarrassment as her grandmother picked them up and then looked her in the eye. But what Jay saw in the older woman's eyes, wasn't the look of shock, dismay or disgust that she was expecting. Her grandmother's eyes were filled with fear.

She reached out and gripped Jay's arm so hard that it hurt. “How long have you been having sex?” she demanded shaking her.

Jay, who'd never heard her grandmother shouting before was scared, and confused, because it was so out of character. Grandma Anna had always seemed so broadminded until now.

"Answer me!” Anna shook her even harder.

"Anna!” Granddad Tom was on his feet, his face ashen. “Let go of her,” he said in his normal gentle voice. “It's not Jay's fault, love. We should have told her, but we kept putting it off didn't we? We kept hoping this day would never arrive."

Anna released Jay and started to sob, instinctively Jay put her arm around her and realised just how thin and frail her grandmother had become.

"It's all right, Grandma,” she said, blinking back her own tears. “I haven't had sex yet. I brought them just in case. Anyway, I'm eighteen so what's the big deal? Lots of the girls are already sleeping with their boyfriends."

"There's no need to explain, love,” Tom said. “It's just that you're..."

"You're not like the other girls,” Anna sobbed. “You're different Jay. You're not the same as any other girl in the world, God help us!"

What the hell was her grandma talking about and why was Tom looking so sad.

"Sit down Jay,” he said. “There's something we have to tell you."

Jay felt numb as she sat down and Anna, still weeping, sank down on the sofa, beside her. Different to any other girl, her grandmother had said, and as Granddad perched himself on the arm next to Jay and took her hand in his, she somehow knew her world was about to be pulled apart.

"We love you to bits, Jay,” he said. “We've always loved you. Ever since the day I found you sealed inside a rubbish bag, and dumped in a stream."

"You what?” Jay couldn't take it in. It was too weird, too unbelievable.

Tom nodded. “It was just over thirteen years ago in a stream on the edge of Catherstone Chase. We used to live in the village. Anyway I found you taped up inside a black rubbish bag amongst the reeds just like Anna said I would. You were so cold I thought you would die of hypothermia, for sure."

"He came rushing across the fields towards our cottage,” Anna said, her eyes seemed bright behind her tears as she remembered. “He was holding you so tight it's a wonder he didn't crush you to death. Anyway, you were so cold your lips were blue but I gave you a teaspoon of Brandy and got some hot soup inside of you and in no time at all you were fine."

"We couldn't tell anyone we'd found you,” Tom said, grimly. “They'd have come and taken you away. They would have done a better job of killing you and disposing of your body next time."

"Killing me?” Jay stared at him in shock. “My parents wanted to kill me?"

"No! Not your parents, Jay,” Tom said. “The Americans, that's who killed your parents.”

"I don't understand,” Jay said.
Understand?
She was beginning to think that her grandparents had gone crazy. “You said that Grandma told you where to find me."

"Yes, Tom didn't find you by accident,” Anna said. “I sent him out looking for you because of my dream, if that's what it was. It was so vivid and clear. I suppose some people would have called it a vision."

"What did you see, Gran,” she asked, trying to keep calm, and wondering if the strange things that were happening to her were about to be explained. She felt detached as though she were a spectator, separated from and looking down upon the three of them.

"It was horrible, Jay. Something I'd never want to experience again. The only good thing about it was finding you.” The old woman shivered as though with cold and paused for a second, closing her eyes as though remembering.

"It was just as though I was floating above the land we used to call The Devil's Footprint, because of its shape. It's about sixteen miles long and four or five miles wide. It used to be a horseshoe shaped opencast mine in the old days before it got flooded. Now it's sixty foot deep and a half-a-mile wide swamp, and more than one person has died by getting sucked into it. The Ministry of Defence own the land and erected electrified fences topped with razor wire to keep people out. Anyway, as I said I seemed to be floating above the trees, looking down.

Two young people, a boy and a girl, about your age, were sitting by what looked like a campfire, when things started to explode all around them. As they fell to the ground, some men who were shooting at them with rifles, attacked. The boy was hit, and I think killed outright, but the girl fought like a tigress. She moved so fast it was unbelievable and she snapped the neck of one of the men, and tore the throat out of another. The third man blasted her arm off with a shotgun, but before she fell, she hit him hard enough to knock him off his feet.

Another man, the American, a man called Russell, was the one who'd ordered his men to kill the young couple. They were children a scientist, called Dr. Maylor, had been illegally using for genetic experiments.” Anna frowned, “I don't know how I knew who or what these men were. Jay, but somehow I did. Anyway, Russell came out of a hut carrying a heavy looking rubbish bag and when the girl saw it she started crawling towards it.

"Give me my baby,” she cried, struggling to her feet. Incredibly, she was beginning to grow a new arm. In her other hand, she held a large pink egg pressed protectively against her chest.

"Jesus Christ, she's got a bloody egg,” the man, she'd knocked over, cried. “She's laid a bloody egg!"

"Let me see!” The scientist, Dr. Maylor, cried, almost running he rushed to the girl and peeled the blanket away to reveal a shiny pink egg almost the size of a small melon. “When did you ... When did you lay it?” he asked.

Russell raised his shotgun and fired. The blast hit her full in the face and decapitated her. It was awful; she fell down spraying blood everywhere and the egg lay shattered in the dirt. I got the impression that Russell hadn't intended to shoot her, it had been more of a reflex action, but now he stood staring down at the tiny baby that lay in the ruins of its egg. It writhed for a few more seconds before it died.

Then a Land-Rover appeared and some other men and a woman climbed out. Russell gave the bag to another man who looked inside and said it was a wonder the child inside hadn't suffocated.

Suddenly, another boy was bowling them all over; he picked up the rubbish bag with one hand and the scientist by his coat lapels with the other and then ran with them to the edge of the marshes. He gave a strange cry and a solitary white flower rose up in the centre of the bog. The boy flung the bag so it landed on the flower and it sank from sight. “Jay Be Free,” He cried, turned and ran into the trees, still carrying the scientist.

And then just for a moment, the swamp changed and it was like looking into clear water. I could see one of the bags containing the infant had sunk to the bottom but it was moving. The current of the underground stream was dragging it along. Every time it met with an obstruction, the child's legs thrust out moving it steadily along. I could see it was heading past the marshes and would surface in the stream on Catherstone Chase.” Sighing heavily, Anna shook her head. “That's when I came awake again and went and told Tom what I'd seen."

"I guess you think we're crazy,” Tom said.