Winter of Discontent (Four Seasons Book 1) (6 page)

Chapter Nine – Slip of the Tongue

Erik

I’d spent the last couple of days in a perpetual state of confusion. I was defying Dad, going against his advice and his orders.

On the other hand, I had a date with the only girl that had ever really lit my fire. I decided not to make too much of an effort with my appearance for our date; that would definitely raise suspicion. Jared never missed a thing, he was really sharp. Dad often ignored the little things; he’d never intentionally embarrass me although he would join in the teasing when he knew it was just fun. If he’d known I had a date he’d have been really encouraging, until he found out who my date was that is. I didn’t want to lie about where I was going, or who I was seeing but I couldn’t risk being grounded. I decided I would tell them where I was going, that I was meeting friends for a burger. That was only the smallest of lies, as I was going for a burger but with just one friend, singular.

I put on T-shirt and jeans, didn’t make too much fuss of my hair, which could be a bit wild if I didn’t use enough product, and I definitely didn’t put on after shave – that would have been a dead giveaway. It was a comfortable hour’s walk from home to Sarah’s. I didn’t want to look too keen so, having arrived a little earlier than planned, I held back a couple of streets down so it was closer to 1 p.m. when I finally walked up the path.

I felt pretty bad when Sarah opened the door. It was clear from the way she looked that she’d gone to a lot of effort. She looked amazing. She had beautiful brown eyes; she didn’t have a lot of make-up on but then she didn’t need it. She had on a summer dress that reminded me of one of those 50s film stars; it was cut modestly but I couldn’t help wondering what it would look like on my bedroom floor!

The conversation was much easier than it had been in the week. As we walked slowly toward the park we laughed and joked all the way. She told me all about her dad, about her life in Europe, which was a bit sad really but she didn’t let it get her down. She’d had eight schools in the last twelve years, no wonder she’d grasped so quickly to the friendship that Kacey had initially offered her. It must have been really tough making friends when you knew you weren’t gonna be around long. When we arrived at the part there weren’t any benches free so we got our burgers and went and sat under a tree at the edge of the woodland. I wished I’d thought to bring a blanket; I hated to think of her getting dirty. Although, I have to admit the thought of her getting
down
and dirty had crossed my mind some time back. I shrugged this thought off as quickly as I could. Any guy who has been in the company of a beautiful woman will know the sheer terror at the thought of the unplanned hard-on!

We spent the next few hours talking about anything and everything. We discussed our favourite food and music; I liked jazz and Rocky Road ice cream and she liked rock and Mint Choc Chip.

‘So what about movies? What do you like?’ I wanted to know everything about her.

‘All time favourite movie ever has to be
Ghost
. It was the first film I ever cried at. When Whoopi slipped that coin under the door and he forced it up the door and into her hand. Oh wow. I just bawled.’

And so it went on, favourite book, holiday, colour,
Sesame Street
character etc. etc.

It would be about 4 p.m. when we starting talking about what else we’d done over the weekend. A big mistake.

‘Oh hell, don’t ask. I don’t know what you’ve done to upset Kacey, but I had no idea just how much she hates you. I thought it was just a case of you being the one she decided to pick on but she
really
hates you.’

I didn’t respond straight away. I wasn’t sure how honest I should be about my ‘relationship’ with Kacey.

‘I guess she just needs someone to hate on. It doesn’t bother me. Honest it doesn’t.’

I wasn’t lying, not really. It had been a long time since I’d had any feelings for Kacey, and they hadn’t been real feelings anyway. If they had, then I wouldn’t have dumped her!

‘So come on, tell me. Why does she hate you?’

She looked deep into me. I knew, at least I thought I knew I could trust her. Just how far and how much I was gonna tell her, I was unsure. As I started to speak, I was surprised at just how loose my tongue was.

‘We were just kids. I had a weekend job with the Country club out in Madison. It was just dishwashing, table clearing, that sort of thing. Well, one Saturday afternoon we had a big party in for some rich guy’s wedding. I’d gone out to empty the trash when I saw her sat on the wall at the back of the kitchens, smoking. She was thirteen, crying her eyes out and smoking her dad’s cigarettes. I felt so sorry for her. It was her dad’s wedding to her stepmother. She ended up pouring her heart out and I ended up getting docked two hours pay, getting threatened with the sack for bunking off work, and somehow managed to get myself a girlfriend into the bargain!’

‘What? You dated?’

‘Yeah. Things were OK in the holidays but she was in private school, I was at Carterbrook and when school started back things just fizzled out. We stayed in touch for a while but, well, I had some stuff going on at home and I guess I just didn’t have time for dating. Anyway, about a year ago she got expelled and we ended up at the same school. The rest as they say …’

‘Yeah … history.’

She looked quite stunned; clearly Kacey had never mentioned anything.

‘I take it she didn’t want to break up?’

‘I guess not.’

I didn’t really want to spend our first date talking about one of my exes, so I quickly changed the subject. It wasn’t too difficult; she was so easy to talk to.

A little while later and it was starting to go dark, I suggested we head back.

‘Come on then, let’s get you home. I don’t want you getting back late again and I definitely don’t want to get your aunt offside on our first date.’ I grinned.

Then I saw the look in her eyes and I realised what I’d just said. I felt my heart start to quicken. I didn’t often feel panicked but I did now.

‘What do you mean late again? How do you know about the last time I was late home?’

Chapter Ten – The Truth

Sarah

I hadn’t told anyone about that. Everyone knew about the photo and all, but I’d never said anything to anyone about getting home late.

‘How do you know I was late home? Tell me, tell me now!’

For the first time since we’d met he looked nervous. I could sense his hesitation to respond and it just wound me up more. I started to think back to the state I’d been in when I got home, the rips in my pantyhose, the pulls on my skirt. I’d managed to put all that to the back of my mind but now it all came flooding back. He was hiding something, I know he was, and if he thought for one minute he could fob me off with some lame excuse or outright lie then he’d better think again.

I pressed him to respond. ‘Well? Answer me.’

‘OK, I’ll tell you. You have to promise you will keep an open mind, though.’

I nodded but said nothing.

‘You followed me home. I sensed you were there, I should have waited at the top of the lane and told you to go away but I guess I thought that in some ways it was just a bit of fun. I knew Kacey would dare you at some point to do something to help humiliate me; she’d done it before with other girls that had tried to get in with her. Anyway, I let you see it through. It would be about 5 p.m. – you’d seen me on the balcony …’

‘No. No. I saw you on the balcony just before I left. It was about 8 p.m. not 5 p.m.’ I argued.

‘Let me finish, please.’

I was annoyed as I knew what time it was and it wasn’t 5 p.m. I could feel a lie coming on, so I figured I’d just let him dig his own grave.

‘OK, go on.’

‘I went back inside leaving the patio door slightly open. You climbed up the trellising and onto the balcony. I was just gonna come out on the balcony and shout at you for being there but I didn’t; I took things too far. It was stupid and it was cruel and I’m sorry.’

He paused again, like he was trying to think of the rest of the story. I didn’t say anything, the silence was painful and, after what felt like an eternity, he continued.

‘Instead of shouting at you, I did something really dumb. I levitated. You panicked and ran, falling over the side of the balcony in the process.’

I couldn’t help but laugh. I was expecting something imaginative but that was just ridiculous. He was insulting my intelligence now and I started to feel really angry.

‘How gullible do you think I am? Levitated? Yeah, right. You really are a freak. Kacey was right; I should have stayed away from you.’

‘I’m not a freak, Sarah, but I am different.’

‘Different? No, you’re not different. Creative with your lies maybe, but you’re not different. You’re just the same as every other liar I’ve ever met.’

I was starting to feel quite emotional; he’d gone too far with his lies. I wanted him to stop, to shut up but he didn’t. It was almost like someone had turned a release valve in him and he just carried on.

‘There are things about me you don’t know. Things no one knows. When I knew you were there, on the balcony, I reached up as if to get something off the top of my wardrobe, something out of reach. Instead of doing what anyone else would do, you know, get a chair to stand on, I simply did what comes naturally. I levitated. It worked a little too well – you were terrified. At first I thought it was just a bit of fun. I didn’t mean it to upset you as much as it did. I didn’t mean it to go that far.’

‘Really? So what the hell am I still doing here, if I fell off your balcony?’

I can’t believe I’d asked him that. I should have just dismissed what he’d said and walked away; questioning him almost implied that I believed him.

‘After you fell, I jumped down after you and called out for help. Jared came out and … well he … he fixed things. After I knew you were OK to get home I walked you to the top of the lane. I should have left it at that, but I didn’t. I Influenced you to come back the following night thinking you were coming round for the same reason but instead of frightening you this time we just sat and talked. I couldn’t believe how well we got on. It was pretty epic. But I couldn’t let it continue, that’s why I let you take the photo the next day, so we could move on.’

‘Shut up. You’re making fun of me. People don’t just levitate. You’re lying. What did you do? Did you drug me, Rohypnol or something?’

I was crying now. My mind was spinning with what might have happened, I had no memory of what he was saying so if it were true, then he
must
have drugged me. I started to feel afraid. I grabbed my jacket off the floor and started to make off across the park.

He caught up with me and grabbed me by the arm.

‘I’m not lying, Sarah. I can prove it. Please don’t go. Look at me. Look at me. Give me your hand.’

I was shaking and I was scared but there was something about the way he spoke so gently to me that made me want to listen.

‘Come with me,’ he said, as he led me toward the seclusion of the woods.

I hesitated for a moment and then he smiled at me, I couldn't help but follow.

‘OK. Now remember to keep an open mind. Close your hand and make a fist.’

I was curious now, not as scared so I did as he said and made a fist with my left hand.

‘OK,’ he said again, stepping back slightly. ‘You can open it now.’

I laughed as I opened my hand to see an old Indian head coin.

‘Huh. I’ve seen David Copperfield do something like that a dozen times.’

‘OK, fair point. But did he ever do this?’

He held my hand and without touching the coin it moved through the air to my right hand.

‘Oh, my God!’

I must have looked stunned, I know I felt it. My insides were shaking; I could barely believe what I’d seen.

‘How did you do that?’

‘It’s easy. I’m a Warlock.’

I stood there in silence; I didn’t quite know what to say.

‘Are you OK?’

‘I’m fine,’ I replied, once I’d managed to get my breath.

‘You’re a Warlock; fine, let’s say I buy that. That doesn’t explain why I don’t remember those conversations?’

He took a deep breath before he started to answer. This made me feel uncomfortable, I didn’t really think I could take much more, this was just
too
weird.

‘Erm … that is one of the abilities I have. I can alter … erm, remove memories. I told you not to remember it and you didn’t. I walked you back to the top of the lane and then went back inside. I went back in the house and then out onto the balcony. I’d told you that from the point at which you saw me up there you would remember nothing. That’s it. That’s the whole truth.’

For a moment I think he actually thought everything was gonna be all right.

Right up until the moment I slapped him hard across the side of the face.

‘You jerk. You complete and utter jerk. You took my memories. You went into my head and you just stole them. You had no right to do that. Stay away from me. Just stay right away from me. Seems to me, Kacey got off lightly.’

He looked gutted but I didn’t care. As I headed off across the park I felt a huge sense of relief that he didn’t follow me this time. I couldn’t deal with him right now, I was too angry. I just needed to get back to the safety and normality of my own home.

I spent the rest of the afternoon and most of the evening in my room. Aunt Suze had sensed something was wrong and tried to tempt me downstairs with the promise of Death by Chocolate and Sam Worthington in
Terminator 5
but nothing worked. And trust me, there’s not much that a couple of hours with Sam Worthington couldn’t fix. This was different though. How many people can honestly say they know a Warlock, a real live Warlock? And of those who do, how many have smacked them in the mouth? He deserved it though. How dare he just dip into my head like that and mess with my thoughts, my memories! There was a part of me, however, that wanted to know more about him, about what he was. It was a lesser part of me than the one that was so angry with him, though, so any chance he had of making it up to me was slim.

I dreaded going to back to school. Kacey was pissed with me for taking Erik’s side. She was gonna be unbearable when she found out how we’d dated and then fell out on the same day. It was almost worth making up with him just to stop her gloating, but of course I didn’t.

Kacey, Britney, and the others were stood in the usual place by the parking lot, flirting with the usual guys. I took a deep breath and strode over to them as confidently as I could.

‘Hi. OK?’

Kacey looked at me as if to say ‘who the fuck are you talking to’ and the girls just turned their backs to me. I had no idea what she had told them but I wasn’t gonna lose face entirely by walking off. I tried again.

‘Good to have you back, Kacey.’

‘Is that right?’

‘Yeah, awesome.’

I was sure she would keep up the pressure, make me suffer. I felt somewhat guilty when she smiled back at me.

‘Yeah, it’s good to be back.’

I’m sure my sigh of relief could have been heard from the science lab on the other side of campus.

‘Come on then, Trump, how are you feeling now?’ she grinned, poking me playfully in the ribs.

I hated her calling me Trump. I had meant to talk to her about it but after our argument on Saturday I figured now was not the time. I was just pleased I wasn’t gonna spend the rest of eternity, or the next two years at least, sat all alone at recess all Jenny-no-mates and miserable. We’d started to get on really well and I think she must have thought the same as I did – friends fall out but they don’t have to stay fallen out.

‘A group of us are going to the rock concert over at Davis Field next weekend. You coming?’

‘That sounds great,’ I said enthusiastically.

I had very eclectic tastes in music but I loved rock. Not the heavy metal type where you can barely understand what the singer is saying but the more popular kind. Jon Bon Jovi was one of my favourites; mind you he was pushed hard for first place a couple of years back. Dad and I were in the UK at the time and we went to a concert in Doncaster to see some guy called Jamie ‘Afro’ Archer. He’d been on one of those reality talent shows. I hadn’t seen the programme but I was hooked from the first song. He was amazing, kind of confirmed my love of that genre and I decided that night that if I didn’t marry Jon I would definitely marry Jamie. Well, I
was
only thirteen at the time!

The rest of the week went by like nothing had ever happened. Kacey was on fine form, running down anyone and everyone. Not wanting to rock the boat, I said nothing, but I didn’t join in like the others did. One of the girls started to make fun of Erik on the Wednesday when he came into the canteen at lunch. Uncharacteristically, Kacey changed the subject and moved onto someone else. She hadn’t asked whether anything had gone on between him and me, and I didn’t mention anything. After all, what would I say? No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get what had gone on out of my head.

On Friday afternoon I had a free period, so I decided to go to the library. I trawled through their online records, as well as books that had clearly not been read for years, hoping to find something about Warlocks that wasn’t entirely based in folklore. After two hours of searching, I realised that was two hours of my life I was never gonna get back. Nothing, not a thing. Oh, there was plenty about Merlin, about broomsticks and Hallowe’en ghouls, but nothing about actual real-life Warlocks. In the end, my head started to hurt with it so I got my things together and headed back to class. I’d just turned the corridor by the girls’ locker room when I saw Erik coming toward me. For a moment, just a moment mind you, I felt an overwhelming urge, the urge to kiss him. I don’t mean a soft, gentle, loving kiss. I wanted the type of kiss you see in the movies and read about in books, I wanted the kind of kiss you can lose yourself in. As he got closer I shook this thought off.

‘Hi,’ he said, with a kind of nervous smile.

‘Go to hell!’ I snapped sharply, then turned and walked into the girls’ locker room.

I shut the door behind me; leaning against it to be sure he didn’t try to follow. “Go to hell!” – why on earth did I say that? I had every right to be angry with him but that was so childish. I wasn’t a child, I was sixteen, an adult; I should have handled that better.

I went and sat down on the benches for a while. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to speak to him at all; I just didn’t want to speak to him yet. To be honest, I was embarrassed at how I’d reacted.
You should have said hello
, you stupid cow, I argued to myself. I gave it about thirty minutes and ventured back into the corridor. It was safe; unfortunately he was nowhere to be seen. I felt a bit deflated. I thought he would at least have waited for me to come out. I laughed at the thought of this. Poor bastard, he couldn’t have won no matter what. If he’d still been there, I’d have shut the door on him again and, having not still been there, I was pissed with him. Still it’s a girl’s right to decide to be indecisive.