The Savages (3 page)

Unlike Sasha, Jack knew that he had been blessed with good looks. Every girl in school placed him at the top of their list. Even from behind, his broad shoulders and tight hips told you this one was worth checking out when he turned. But it wasn't so much Jack's dramatically shaggy cut and easy smile that charmed as much as his manner. It was something he hoped Sasha was about to discover for herself, by climbing into her orbit with such passion that anything else of importance in her life just fell away. In such a spin, her world would surely come to revolve around him. For now, however, Sasha was officially late for lessons.

‘OK. Time out. I don't want to get into trouble.'

‘Another minute, eh?' Jack breathed out with a faint moan and dipped down to nuzzle her throat.

‘Oh, this isn't fair!' Sasha protested weakly. She half closed her eyes for a moment, only to snap them wide open on feeling his teeth find her neck. ‘Er, what are you doing?'

‘Tasting you,' he said, before drawing her skin between his lips.

‘Jack!' This time Sasha pulled away. She pressed a hand to her neck, looking both shocked and surprised. ‘A love bite? Really?'

‘Just a little gesture.' Jack grinned and pushed a hand through his hair. ‘I'm happy for everyone to know you're mine.'

‘What are you, like twelve years old? Nobody does love bites any more.' Sasha examined her fingertips as if to check he hadn't drawn blood. Then she glanced back at Jack, and grinned despite herself. ‘Promise me you'll never do that again,' she said. ‘It wouldn't go down well at home.'

Jack stretched an arm across the back of Sasha's seat.

‘Relax. We've been dating for what? Three weeks?'

‘Four,' said Sasha, and flipped the visor down so she could check her reflection in the mirror. She lifted her head, just to be sure Jack hadn't left a mark, and then examined her lips. As she did so, Jack leaned across to kiss her on the cheek.

‘Then we should celebrate our one-month anniversary,' he suggested. ‘How about I cook for you on Saturday night? My parents are away. We'd have the house to ourselves and I can do you my signature dish. A pinto bean chilli with courgettes and red pepper.'

By now, Sasha was beginning to feel deeply anxious about being late. Her Chemistry tutor would only ask her where she'd been, and
everyone
would know before she'd even summoned an excuse.

‘Supper sounds great,' she said, and reached for the car door handle.

‘I'll pick you up at seven thirty.'

‘Don't worry. I'll walk round.' Sasha grabbed her school bag and pushed open the door. ‘I have legs.'

‘It's no problem,' insisted Jack. ‘I'm beginning to think you're ashamed of introducing me to the folks!'

Standing now, Sasha hoisted her bag strap onto her shoulder. ‘Had I let you get away with that love bite,' she warned him, smiling warmly at the same time, ‘my dad would've eaten you alive.'

‘Mince.
Mince!
'

The baby on the kitchen floorboards gurgled happily when her mother turned to face her. At first, Angelica Savage looked unsure if she had heard her youngest child correctly. When the little one repeated the word for a third time, she shrieked with delight, set down the knife on the chopping board, and scooped her into her arms.

‘You clever girl' she said, and spun around with her in sheer delight.

Katya was late to the family, and a surprise to her parents. With two older siblings, her father sometimes said that Kat needed a big personality as a matter of survival. She displayed this in the form of an easy smile and tendency to babble and coo as a means of communication. As Kat had yet to show any interest in climbing onto her feet, Angelica regarded this moment as a milestone in her development. Just then, on hearing the front door open, she was ready to share the news with her husband.

‘Something smells good,' said Titus, and parked his leather satchel against the dresser. ‘I had to skip lunch today, so I'm famished.'

‘Guess what?' Angelica stood before him, a late sun pouring in through the French windows behind her, which cast both mother and child in silhouette. ‘Go on, guess!'

After such a long day, including an afternoon spent poring over documents and spread sheets from a memory stick that shouldn't have been in his possession, Titus was in no mood for games.

‘I give up,' he said, as Angelica moved out of the glaring sun to soften him with a kiss. She knew Titus could be a little grumpy on his return from work, but it didn't last long once he was back in the family fold. ‘Is it good news or bad?' Titus asked. ‘If it's bad, it can wait until after supper. I can't digest bad news on an empty stomach.'

Beaming still, Angelica gestured at the child in her arms. Katya was gnawing at her fist, a mark of her latest teething troubles. Titus watched her drooling all over her little knuckles and sensed his mood lifting. She was a sweetheart, spun from sugar and wide-eyed innocence. He was looking forward to seeing her incisors come through.

‘It isn't bad news,' said Angelica. ‘It's not even good news. It's
amazing
news!'

‘Go on.' Titus touched his palm to the little girl's cheek. Katya beamed and giggled. ‘What have I missed?'

‘Listen.' Angelica turned her attention to the child in her arms. ‘Do it again, Kitty Kat. Do it for Daddy.'

Katya continued to suck at her fingers. It meant when she made a noise it was muffled. Gently, Angelica removed her fingers from her mouth.

‘
Mince!
'

Angelica switched her attention back to Titus, who stood rapt.

‘Kat's first word!' she declared.

‘Mince!
Mince!
'

‘Mince?' Slowly, a smile eased across his face. ‘Oh, Kat, that's beautiful! What a proud moment this is!'

Sharing in his delight, Angelica handed their child across. Titus squeezed her to his chest and then raised the chuckling toddler over his head.

‘
Mince!'

‘I'm not even cooking mince,' said Angelica.

‘Maybe it's her favourite.' Titus returned the child to the floor, where several toys lay waiting for her. ‘So, what's for supper?'

‘Leftovers,' she said. ‘Nothing special, I'm afraid.'

For a moment, Titus appeared disappointed. Still, he managed a smile for his wife. He understood that nothing could go to waste, even if it lacked the taste and intensity from the first time round.

‘In your hands,' he said anyway, ‘I'm sure it'll be delicious. Now, what's everyone else doing?'

‘Ivan and Grandpa are in their rooms.' Angelica returned to the hob before she finished. ‘We're expecting Sasha any time now.'

‘Where is she?'

‘Oh, just out,' she said, with her back to Titus. ‘I'm not sure where.'

Titus considered this news in silence. Out without knowing where didn't sound good in his books. Yes, Sasha was a growing girl, but somehow it was all just going a bit too fast for his liking. He didn't want to keep her under lock and key. Far from it. But if she was out there taking risks, he wanted to make sure she kept those risks to a minimum, or even eradicated them completely. He had been raised to believe in this approach to life, and that's what he strived to pass on to the next generation.

‘Sasha really needs to let us know where she's going,' he grumbled. ‘Have you texted her?'

Angelica faced her husband.

‘She promised to be home in time for supper,' she said, with some tension in her voice. ‘We have to give her a chance.'

Titus held her gaze for a moment, and then his shoulders sagged. He returned his attention to his youngest daughter, who was shuffling across the floorboards. Slowly, his expression brightened.

‘You know it won't be long before Katya eats with us. She's shaping up to be quite the Savage.'

Angelica smiled adoringly.

‘All in good time,' she said. ‘Let the last of her teeth come through first.'

Titus nodded to himself and then lifted his daughter into his arms.

‘Well, let's hope that day comes soon. It'll be such an honour to have all my family around the table!'

Ninety minutes later, with the baby monitor beside the toaster indicating that Katya was asleep in her cot, Sasha returned home to find herself late for supper.

‘Hi,' she said breezily, well aware that her dad had that face on him again. There he was with one elbow on the table, gazing across at her with the fork poised like a spear fisherman.

‘Dinner is in the wok,' he told her. ‘Your mother had it ready some time ago.'

Angelica had served up a stir fry from the remains of yesterday's meal. Ivan was close to finishing. He made a lot of noise sucking in the last noodles before picking up the bowl to drink down the broth. It was only when he set it back on the table that he found everyone looking at him.

‘Oh, Ivan,' said Angelica. ‘How many times?'

At first, it looked as if Titus would also turn his displeasure on his son. Instead, leaving the boy with a stern look, Ivan waited for Sasha to take her place at the table. She was hungry, having skipped lunch to spend time with Jack, and had heaped her bowl with food. Any hope she might have had about getting away without being questioned stopped at her first mouthful.

‘So.' Titus paused and cleared his throat. ‘Been on a date?'

Sasha traded glances between her parents, chewing at the same time.

‘No,' she said eventually. ‘I was at a friend's house finishing a project for school.'

Titus didn't look as if he believed a word she'd just said. Even though it was the truth, he continued to look at her as if awaiting a confession. Sensing an atmosphere thicken, it was Angelica who changed the subject.

‘Marsha called this morning,' she announced. ‘We have a booking for the weekend.'

Her news was met with a brief silence.

‘What's wrong with the week?' asked Titus, and scraped his fork around the bowl. ‘When I'm out at work.'

‘It's a magazine shoot paying double rate.' Angelica bristled in her seat. ‘And they'll be here until late on Saturday.

It was Ivan who groaned, though his dad pulled the very same face.

‘That means we'll be stuck upstairs all day!' the boy protested. ‘It's so boring with people in the house!'

‘Why don't you spend time with friends?' asked Sasha quietly, and then smiled to herself because that wasn't an option for her kid brother. ‘Oh yeah,' she said, as if to answer her own question. ‘You don't have any.'

Titus balled his napkin and deposited it in his bowl. Then he drew Angelica's attention to the kitchen surfaces.

‘After last night's feast we're going to have to work
very
hard to get this place ready,' he told her. ‘I wish you'd run this past me first.'

Angelica listened to each complaint in turn looking increasingly tense.

‘Actually, I'll be out that evening,' said Sasha. ‘You should all do the same thing.'

‘Where are you going?' asked Titus. ‘Shouldn't you check with us first?'

Even though Sasha expected this kind of response from her father, it didn't stop her feeling a little suffocated.

‘OK, well, I am going on a date, actually. Jack is cooking.'

‘A veggie meal?' Ivan sneered at her sister. ‘That's not a date. It's just disappointing.'

Sitting opposite her brother, Sasha just stared at her brother as if to offer him a chance to face his own reflection in her eyes.

‘Don't you have a chess game waiting?' she asked. ‘Those pawns won't move themselves.'

‘Well, I think it's a lovely gesture!' Angelica attempted to sound bright in a bid to support her daughter. ‘Though you should make sure you eat properly at lunchtime just in case.'

‘Now hold on!' Titus raised a hand to command their attention. ‘Sasha, we really ought to meet this young man. It's called responsible parenting. We can't have our daughter going off with just anyone. We need to know he has your best interests at heart. Until then, I'm going to have to say no to an evening out.'

‘Dad!' Sasha pushed back her chair to stand, which made an unpleasant scraping noise across the tiles. ‘You're being so unreasonable about this. I'm old enough to make my own decisions.'

‘Sit down and eat,' said Titus.

‘I'm not hungry any more,' Sasha told him. ‘Sorry, Mum.'

Angelica gestured for her to leave the room. Under the circumstances, it was better that both father and daughter cooled off at that moment.

‘We'll discuss this later!' Titus called after her, raising his voice this time.

‘There's nothing more to say.' Sasha left him with a withering look, and then closed the door behind her.

‘Now just a minute, young lady! No daughter of mine has the last word in this house!'

A moment later, under the gaze of his wife and son, Titus Savage paid the price for disturbing the peace when the baby monitor popped and crackled.

‘
Mince!
'

Oleg Fedor Savadski, a former officer in the Russian Red Army, took a pinch of fish food and sprinkled it into the bowl. This was how Sasha found him when she reached his open door.

‘Hey, Grandpa. What's happening?'

‘Do you know what goldfish thrive on more than anything else?' he asked, peering through the glass as the two inhabitants rose to nibble at the flakes.

‘Is it their short-term memory?' Sasha closed the door behind her. ‘I should imagine forgetting your past and starting afresh must be quite appealing sometimes.'

Oleg glanced at his granddaughter for a moment, before returning his attention to the bowl.

‘The answer is fish meal and fish oil,' he told her, and turned to show her the tub in his hand. ‘It's central to their diet. Feasting on their own kind is what brings out the very best in them. Yes, you can offer them a vegetable substitute but they quickly lose their zest, and I only want the best for my babies.'