Rain In My Heart (13 page)

‘
It sounds dangerous.'

As much as I fancied Leon, I did
n’
t want to go along with
this
plan, the way I had with the car.  I did
n’
t want to end up in the water again.  Maybe I'm a bit n
aï
ve, but
I’
m not an idiot. 

‘
How is a homemade rope going to carry all our weight?' I asked.  'What if it breaks
?
’

            
 ‘
W
e’
ve only got to get across a few meters,' said Leon.  'My brother said h
e’
s seen it done loads of times.  Have faith, Kate
.
’

          
 
If I had to listen to one more comment about Leon's 'wonderful' brother, I thought I'd scream.  The sight of Leon's bruised rib floated in my head.  Who was he tying to deceive?  Us?  Or himself?

            
 ‘I’
m in
,’
said Gemma.
 ‘
I think i
t’
s a plan. Le
t’
s just hurry, shall we
?
’

          
 
'Then I guess that means I'm in, too,' muttered Greg.

            
 ‘
And me
,’
said Curtis.
 ‘
Hell,
I’
ve always wanted to bungee
!’
             

              Then they looked in my direction.             

‘
No
,’
I said. 'Not this time.'

              I wanted to say yes.  I wanted Leon and I to be our team.  I wanted him to think I was brave and bold and daring, but I could
n’
t take a risk like this.

‘
Come on, Kate, we need you
,’
he insisted.
 ‘
If we go, we go together.  Ther
e’
s no way w
e’
re leaving anyone behind
.
’

            
 ‘
It's too scary,' I said.  'I do
n’
t see why we ca
n’
t just
 
– ’

            
 ‘
Forgodsake, Kate
!’
yelled Gemma.
 ‘
Why do you always have to be so
sensible
about everything?  Grow a backbone, why do
n’
t you?  Yo
u’
re such a child!  You know, I can't stand you sometimes!'

              It was vicious of her, not to mention humiliating.  What kind of best friend
was
she?  After I'd defended her, looked after her, kept her horrible little secret about Molly...suddenly, she looked ugly to me, like a gargoyle.  A selfish, bitter gargoyle.  I desperately wanted to argue back, tell her what I thought, but my voice went shaky.  The words would
n’
t come. 

            Then Byron, Byron stepped in, squared up to her.

            
 ‘
KATE CAN MAKE HER OWN DECISIONS
,’
he shouted.

              They all turned to him, shocked that h
e’
d dared to defend me, to speak so boldly.

            
 ‘
If she does
n’
t want to take part in your ridiculous plan, she does
n’
t have to
.
’

            
 ‘
Who asked
you
?’
said Curtis.

            
 ‘
No one, as usual, but the law says I do
n’
t need permission to express an opinion, which is that I think yo
u’
re behaving like a pack of wolves, bullying Kate into something sh
e’
s not comfortable with
-
’

            
 ‘
No on
e’
s bullying anyone
,’
said Leon, outraged
.‘
How dare you!  At least w
e’
ve got a plan.  At least w
e’
re trying to help the situation.  What have
you
done
?
’

‘
Your plan is stupid
,’
he said.
 ‘
It wo
n’
t work.  And it will almost certainly get someone killed.  You might as well throw us all under a bus.  But...i
t’
s up to you
.
’

              And with that thought, he left us to it.

Chapter Twenty Four

              I had to find him.  I realised it would annoy Gemma and the others, who were all outraged that h
e’
d shouted them down, but frankly, I didn't care.  In that moment, I wanted to be in Byron's company more than theirs.   He'd stuck up for me.  When they were all getting on my case, he'd given me support.   And, weirdo or not, he seemed to know more about floods than anyone else.  He was right when hewarned us not to wade to Curti
s’
s car.  He was right about the risk of electric shocks (okay, so he left it a little let to raise that issue).  He was right about the water flow getting worse.  So, I could only assume he was right about Leon's crazy zip wire plan.

             I scanned the room, but the darkness was cloying.  There were plenty of places to hide, in corners, behind easels.  Wherever Byron was, it was obvious he did
n’
t want to be found.  I could hear Gemma and Curtis in the background, bitching:

            'H
e’
s such a lurker!   The lurker in the shadows!  We do
n’
t see him, but he sees us.  He sees everything.  Woooooo
!
’

         
 
'Don't even joke
,’
said Gemma.
 ‘
Yo
u’
ve got to check outwhat I found on his phone.  I
t’
s properly creepy.  Come and look
.
’

         
 
She summonsed everyone over to Miss Nevis's desk, picked up Byron's phone and started going through it.  I listened to the chorus of outrage, but I made a point of staying back, keeping out of it. 

             Half an hour passed and Byron didn't reappea
r–
which was probably just as well, because everyone was furious.  They started gathering scrap fabric for Leon's 'rope', while ranting about what the
y’
d do to Byron when they got hold of him.  I stood in the shadows, feeling like an outcast.  I could
n’
t stop shivering - from the cold and from the stress.  Eventually Leon came by with a box of hessian off-cuts.  When he noticed how cold I was, he took off his hoodie and covered my shoulders.  A few hours ago, this would have had me spinning with delight.  Now I just felt numb.  Where was normality?  Where was truth?  My stomach knotted.  My eyes filled with tears.  There was so much in my head it was hard to think straight.

            
 ‘
Hey
,’
he said, picking up on my tension. 'Hey, don't cry.'

He pulled my head towards his chest.  His t-shirt smelt of soap powder.  His body was warm.  It was such a relief to have a hug.  He began stroking my forehead with his thumb.

'Do
n’
t be frightened,' he whispered.  ‘We won’t let that weirdo get to us.  By the way, I was
n’
t trying to pick on you before.  You know that, do
n’
t you?  I was
n’
t bullying you.  I mean, you did
n’
t think I was bullying you, did you?  Despite what lurk-boy Byronsaid
-
’

‘
No,
I
– ’

            
 ‘
Good.  You know, Kate, at least w
e’
ll never forget this.  W
e’
ll chat about it for years, even when w
e’
re old.  Who knows?  Maybe one day - you and me - w
e’
ll be sitting in our living room, on our rocking chairs, telling the story to our grand kids
-
’

‘
Grand kids
?
’

His hand slipped to my cheek, to the soft skin beside my ear.  At first I wanted to freak, then the enormity of what he was saying sank in.  After months of daydreaming, flirting, blushing and hoping, Leon Prentice was finally in my sights.  He was talking about us growing old, together forever.  I pressed my head to his heart, felt myself yield.  In the middle of all this mess, the boy
I’
d fancied for ages was practically handing himself to me.  It felt like an echo, a throwback from a world without Byron and flooded art rooms and missing sisters.  A world that I knew.  Whatever stresses we had coming our way, whatever game Byron was playing, at least I still had my chance with Leon.

‘
Yeah, grand kids
,’
he said
.‘
What do you reckon
?
’

‘
But...w
e’
re not eve
n…
you kno
w….
’

‘
But we could though, could
n’
t we?  Like, once w
e’
re out of here, we could go on a date or something?   We could go see a film?  Or get something to eat?  Or better,
I’
ll think of something really special.  Listen, Kate, I know it sounds
corny,
but it's like, I don't know, being in here, it's brought us together. Like it's
meant
to be.'

I smiled.  In fact, I beamed.

‘
So
?’
he said.
 ‘
Are you up for that?  Do you want to go out, just you and me? 
I’
ve been meaning to ask you for ages
-
’

I looked up.  The rain had finally softened and the moon was shining in.

‘
Yes
,’
I said.

I wanted to believe it.  Even if it was just a fantasy in my head, I wanted to believe that Leon would love me and I would love him and we'd be happy together forever. I wanted it.  I
needed
it.  I listened to his heartbeat, felt his hand on my face.  And tha
t’
s how we stayed, watching the clouds rush and the moon fight to be seen.  I felt better, much better, peaceful almost. 

Then Byron came back.  And all hell broke loose.

Chapter Twenty Five

              He staggered through the door.  The way he was hobbling, he could barely stand.  And he was ghostly pale, white as a sheet. Then I noticed the blood.

            
 ‘
Your leg
,’
I said, open-mouthed.
 ‘
Yo
u’
re bleeding
!
’

              His trouser leg had torn.  There was a gash in his knee as wide as his kneecap.  I was pretty certain I could see bone.  Everyone turned to him.  Gemma gasped, covered her mouth with her hand. 

            
 ‘
A wound to be proud of
,’
said Byron, trying to smile.
 ‘
Bit more than a paper cut, anyhow
.
’

              As he said this, he clutched the front of his shirt and collapsed.  I rushed over.  Leon came close behind me, followed by the others.

            
 ‘
What's he done
?’
said Greg.

            
 ‘
His clothes are wet.  He must have been in the floodwater
.
’

            
 ‘
Believe me
,’
said Gemma.
 ‘
I bet we do
n’
t want to
know
where h
e’
s been
!
’

She glared at me, looked for my agreement, but it was
n’
t a time for accusation and anger.  Instead, I concentrated on rolling Byron into the recovery position.  I tried to manoeuvre his arms, but he was still holding onto his shirt, then I realised it wasn't his shirt he was holding, but a piece of string with a key attached to it.

Leon helped me position his legs.  The wound in his knee was wide and deep.  I winced, swallowed my revulsion.

'I bet this is just another part of his game plan
,’
Gemma hissed, hovering over us
.‘
Don't buy it
-
’

Leon hesitated.  I could tell hewas caught, unsure whether to continue the first-aid crusade or pay attention to Gemm
a’
s accusations.

‘
Can you hear me
?
’ I said, shaking Byro
n’
s shoulders.
 ‘
Can you sit up
?
’

Byron started to stir.

‘
What happened?  Where have you been
?
’

Byron murmured, reached for his key again.

‘
Nowhere
,
’ he croaked.

‘
Liar
,’
said Gemma.

‘
In the stairwell. 
I’
ve been in the stairwell
.
’

‘
Bollocks.  What happened to your leg then?  Are you trying to tell us you cut it on the stairs
?
’

              I intervened.

‘
We need to get some kind of bandage on thatwound
,’
I said.
 ‘
Otherwise it wo
n’
t stop bleeding.  And bleeding like that
-
’

I stopped myself from saying it, but the word was fatal.  It was hard to know how much blood h
e’
d already lost, but by the pallor of his skin, I guessed it was a lot.  Despite my concern, Gemma jumped up.

‘
I ca
n’
t take this
,’
she said.
 ‘
We need to go.  Le
t’
s just go
-
’

‘
We
ca
n’
t
,’
I argued.
 ‘
How can we?  Byron can hardly walk
!
’

‘
Oh, no.  He can stay.  W
e’
re not taking him with us
.
’

I gasped, shocked by her lack of compassion.

‘
Wha
t’
s wrong with you
?
’

‘
You
know
wha
t’
s wrong!  Why are you trying to protect him?  You know what h
e’
s done.  Whether h
e’
s hurt or not, we ca
n’
t trust him. Frankly, I do
n’
t want to spend a second longer in his company.  You know what I reckon?  I reckon he cut himself deliberately, in orderto get some sympathy. 
I’
m not buying it
.
’

‘
Calm down, Gem
,’
said Leon.
 ‘
Kat
e’
s right.  We need to give him some first-aid, at least
.
’

            
 ‘
Well,
I’
m with Gemma
,’
said Greg
.‘
I think we should get out now, while we can, and if that low-life ca
n’
t manage it, he can stay where he is.  Someone can rescue him later
.
’

              Byron groaned. 

            
 ‘
Something down there
,’
he muttered, eyelids flickering.

            
 ‘
What did you say
?
’

            
 ‘
I said ther
e’
s
something
down
there
,’
he repeated, a little louder. 

            
 ‘
Where
?
’

            
 ‘
In the stairwell. In the water.  It grabbed my leg and cut me
.
’

              Curtis stiffened.

‘
Like
what
?’
he said. 

            
 ‘
Something in the flood
.
’

‘
What kind of a something?  Are we talking about a monster-type something or a vampire-type something?  Or just a
something
?
’

            
 ‘
I did
n’
t say monster
,’
Byron whispered.
 ‘
Or vampire
.
’

            
 ‘
Then what
?
’

            
 ‘
I do
n’
t know, okay.  I didn't see.  I wasin the stairwell, in the dark - because I figured
I’
d upset all you and I did
n’
t want to get in your way - then it got me
.
’

              The candlelight flickered across his face, made him look ghoulish.

            
 ‘
For real
?’
said Leon.
 ‘
Yo
u’
re not making this up
?
’

            
 ‘
Why would he make it up
?’
I said.

            
 ‘
Rubbish
!’
said Greg
.‘
H
e’
s just trying to turn things round, make everyone feel sorry for him.  I do
n’
t buy it
.
’

              Byron let out another groan.

            
 ‘
My knee
,’
he whimpered.
 ‘
Please help me
.
’

I wavered.  I wanted to believe Byron, but the idea seemed too absurd.  Perhaps Greg and Gemma were right, perhaps it was all just a play to get our sympathy.  W
e’
d been warned about hazards and sharp objects in the water.  Anything could have caused the cut, a table edge or a broken picture frame or something.  Unless....

I shivered, felt the adrenalin kick through my arms and legs.

            
 ‘
Ther
e’
s only one way to settle this
,’
said Leon.
 ‘
Someone has to go down to the stairwell and see if h
e’
s making it up or not
.
’

            
 ‘
No
!’
I said, alarmed.
 ‘
You ca
n’
t.  What if i
t’
s true? Oh, god
!
’

              I began to tremble all over.  The fear was overwhelming.

            
 ‘
I would
n’
t
,’
said Byron.
 ‘
Not if you value your lives
.
’

But it was too late.

Leon, Curtis, Gemma and Greg jumped to their feet and started marching towards the door.