11

Alayna

Saturday 27th January, Year 825

Friday night had passed quickly with a desperate phone call from Jo, demanding all the gossip about Tiv and asking if we were secretly dating. I was truthful and told her I had no idea and that I wasn't even sure if I wanted to, considering Marco would probably make my life shit; he didn't seem like the type who could lose gracefully to his younger brother. I couldn't say I was surprised by this. I wouldn't have been too impressed if Ben had been sneaking around with someone I was trying to date.

I updated Jo on the long conversations I had with Tiv every night but kept the kiss to myself. I tried to tell myself I didn't know how I felt about it but the truth was I loved it and, every second I wasn't with Tiv, he was all I thought about. He was just pure as snow. His childish humour matched mine but most of all, I always felt important around him. I knew it was a pretty vain reason to like someone but I had never really felt important before and certainly not because of a guy. I wouldn't say I picked the pricks, but I usually picked the ones who were more concerned with themselves than me. Tiv wasn't like that at all. His biggest concern was wanting me to be happy. And I was.

Jo was surprised I had kept Tiv from her for so long. I conveniently forgot to mention that was intentional; I felt like I was doing something wrong. Probably because I was.

Trying to wiggle out from whatever I'd managed to tangle myself in with Marco felt like trying to escape quicksand—the more I dragged my feet, the worse it'd get.

"So is now a bad time to tell you I've arranged our double date with Andy and Marco tomorrow afternoon?" she laughed awkwardly.

I groaned, "Jo, please don't make me do this. I'm supposed to be down the mines."

"It's one date then I'll never ask you for anything ever again," she begged. "Plead with Ben to do your shift."

"Ben's been down there thirty hours already this week on top of working at the yard."

"Just beg him!"

"And what about Tiv? He's going to think I'm an absolute slut," I whinged.

"You are," she giggled.

"Shut your mouth," heat crept up my neck. I wasn't that bad.

"You can just bat your eyelashes and tell Tiv otherwise. He's head over heels for you," she retorted.

I laughed, "Do you think so—wait you're distracting me. Jo, I cannot do this date. Tiv will be gutted. Marco is horrible. I'll tell him as much and-"

"You'll do no such thing," she interrupted. "Come on the date and be your miserable old self and Marco will be desperate to leave. In fact, if you both leave early that works better for me. They've mentioned getting a hotel in Central tomorrow night!"

"Absolutely not!" I raged. "I am not going back to a hotel with them and you're mad if you do."

"Oh put a pin in it Aly! I'm not going to make you go back to a hotel with Marco! But if you could just not ruin it for me so that I can go back to the hotel with Andy, I'd greatly appreciate it!"

I forced a laugh and tried again, "I promise you Jo, this is going to go badly. I won't be able to sit there with him knowing I'd rather have his brother's hands all over me."

Her retort was cut off as our phone call abruptly ended with a roar of thunder, plunging the hallway into darkness.

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Friday night saw the snow turn to rain and brought one of the rainiest nights on record. So much so, the power didn't come back on until well into Saturday morning and our kitchen flooded. Rain leaked through the broken roof into my parents' room too. The flooding had caused the meadows to turn to bogs. The streets were littered with impassable, lake-sized puddles and landslides. Getting to the mine would be a nightmare so Dad said he'd make the hours up for me later. Even The Grange was only open for emergency supplies but getting there was basically impossible. We spent the first four hours of Saturday morning when the sun rose shovelling mud and trying unsuccessfully to clear the flooded roads with other households from around Cassibare Meadow, knowing we'd get no help from Central. Only Riley was of any use. He manipulated the water, sucking it straight out of the ground, creating dusty piles of dry earth which were easier to move. Some of the other local familiars cast spells manipulating how heavy the dirt was, allowing us to move wheelbarrows and carts of earth quicker. Ben, the lucky bastard, was nowhere to be seen.

By midday, Mum sent me home with my Dad, whose back would no doubt give out if he continued. He rode Kithry as I led her.

"Go and get a bath, you're disgusting," he said as we arrived home. "I'll feed Kithry."

The horse whinnied at the mention of her name.

"I can sort her, Dad. You go have the hot water," I insisted.

"I'm so glad you just said that kid," he grinned, wincing a little as he hobbled into the house.

I sang a happy little tune as I fed Kithry; flooded roads meant no date.

The rest of my day, once I was clean, was spent emailing Tiv. I spent every moment that I wasn't with him glued to my computer, grinning like an idiot for hours on end. I'd never liked a boy this much before. He was great fun and I sorta loved that he wasn't loud and boisterous; usually the shy ones went nowhere near me. Talking with him was the only thing that made being stuck in my house bearable… That was until early on Saturday evening when my computer exploded with a tremendous bang. I dashed to the wall and yanked the cord out, sprinting to the bathroom to soak a towel. I ran back and threw it over the smouldering PC while screeching for Dad. Luckily, the only damage to the house was a small scorch mark on my bedroom wall; nothing that cost money to fix. But now I had no computer. Something that was purchased at great expense to the family so I could do school work. Ben was going to be pissed he couldn't charge the neighbours to use it anymore. My good mood soured as I realised I had exhausted all my means of contacting Tiv. Jo made things significantly worse by calling and telling me she'd rescheduled our double date for Monday after college making me wish the power hadn't come back.

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

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On Saturday night, at nearly eleven o'clock, the phone rang. My mum answered it quickly; we didn't get telephone calls that late unless something was wrong. I emerged from my room and walked to the landing to eavesdrop on the conversation downstairs. Ben, also curious, joined me.

"It has been a while, how are you?" Mum said politely into the receiver.

She waited for a response then replied in her posh work voice, "I'm very good, thank you and yes the family is well," she paused, "No problem, sweetheart, but make it a bit earlier next time."

She laughed and pulled the phone away from her mouth.

"Alayna," she called.

"I'm here Mum."

"Tiv Hawes for you, love."

My heart skipped a beat as I pranced merrily down the stairs to receive the phone. Ben raised one eyebrow at me and shook his head as he headed back to his room.

"Hello?" I said. My mouth was dry making my voice husky.

"Hi Aly, is everything alright?" he sounded concerned.

I blushed at his use of the nickname only the closest people in my life used.

"I'm fine but my computer exploded."

"Exploded?"

"Yeah. Boom. Pretty much means no emailing for… well, forever I suppose," I replied.

"Brilliant. It seems the only way for us to talk is if you get a new computer or if you finally join the modern world and get a mobile phone," he mocked.

"I can't get either I'm afraid."

"I can get you a phone-"

"Absolute not," I barked.

"Well, we can't converse on this phone all the time. I'm sure other people need to use it. Besides, your Mother didn't seem overly impressed that I rang this late."

"Well we have rules in our household that seem to elude you elites," I joked sarcastically.

He chuckled, "We do have rules; I just have a mobile which allows me to break those rules."

We spent ages laughing and chatting before I was scolded by Dad for being too loud. When I pushed my luck and stayed on the phone longer, whispering into the receiver as I clutched it tightly to my face, Ben eventually took the phone out of my hand.

"We want to sleep even if you don't. Goodbye," he barked, hanging up the phone.

I swore, "You're a-"

"Alayna, it's one in the morning. Go to bed," he interrupted. "Where's a damn power cut when I need one?"

I swore at him again before Mum's voice boomed from her bedroom, "Will you two shut up!"

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We received word early on Sunday morning that The Grange was back open for business so Dad left early with Mum to trade and get food. Gingerly, I decided to do my hours at the mine, saving Dad's back the trouble.

"Wanna go to Franco's this afternoon?" Ben suggested as I pulled Dad's hard hat on. It swamped me.

I did a little dance and squealed at the prospect of getting my free birthday meal. I never got stuff for free unless I used myself as currency. That was the only other bad thing about attending college. No work meant no expendable income and nothing to trade. All my money from the mines went on food.

"I'm going to take that as a yes then," he smiled.

"Ah, by the way, you owe Charlotte for some beers," I grinned with wide, puppy-dog eyes.

He chuckled darkly, "Yeah, I heard all about that. I'm off the hook. She sold your toy boy's jacket back to Central for a small fortune. I think you'll be drinking there for free for a long time."

I flushed at the word toy-boy, "He's like, six months younger than me or something."

He went to mock me further as light tapping rapped at the door.

"The sun's barely up. If that's Hawes, I'm sending him away," Ben grumbled.

"I'll fight you," I grinned.

I followed him to the door and pretended to jab him with my fists. He shouldered me lightly but it was enough to knock me off balance. I regained composure in time for Ben to open the door and me to rip the hard hat off in case it was Tiv.

To my surprise, it was his housekeeper, Meredith. She was dressed stylishly in a brown, fitted coat pulled in at her waist. Her ivory purse hung smartly by her side. Like when I saw her at the manor, her mousey blonde hair was pulled up in a neat bun and she looked so perfect it was like she'd been pulled straight from a magazine cover.

Upon spotting my brother, she couldn't take her eyes off him. They were wide blue orbs which didn't blink as she took a reflexive step away, clearly uncomfortable. Maybe even shocked. That wasn't unusual; Ben was anything but friendly and the height of him didn't help. Most elites looked at him like a threat. The look on Meredith's face lasted a split second before she regained her composure.

"Good morning," she chirped happily.

"Hi," I said, craining my neck to see if Tiv was also there.

Ben grinned wolfishly at her as he leaned against the door frame, "Have we met?"

Again, her eyes widened slightly. "No. I'm Meredith Ulter. It is… nice to meet you, Mr. Jameson."

"Ben," he said too casually.

Was he flirting? I mean, it was shit flirting, but he wasn't being an asshole and he was trying way too hard to act like a normal person which was flirting enough for Ben.

Her stance tensed ever so slightly as if his relaxed address unsettled her more. Turning to me, she extended a gentle hand holding a small paper bag.

"I have a gift for you," she smiled.

I muttered my thanks and peered inside to discover a mobile phone nestled beneath a note: 'We can argue about it tomorrow. From Tiv'.

"No," I stated firmly, shoving the bag back toward her. "Tell him to keep his damn gifts."

"Please do not shoot the messenger," she smiled kindly, not taking the bag.

"Why didn't he come?" Ben asked, tone laced with irritation; all pretence of being nice to Meredith left the second he remembered who she worked for.

Meredith met his gaze squarely with arched brows. "I got the impression he did not feel welcomed. I could not possibly fathom why." She sounded perfectly pleasant but, as she spoke, she looked my brother up and down slowly to cement her point. "It was lovely seeing you, Alayna."

She turned on her stiletto heels back down the gravel path. There was no car in sight. Me and Ben eyed each other apprehensively.

"Hey, lady, where are you going?" Ben called.

"It is Miss Ulter to you, Mr. Jameson. Not 'lady'. And I am heading home," she replied, barely looking back.

"You don't have a car?" he questioned in confusion.

"Thank you for your concern, however my transportation has already been arranged. Good day," she gave me one last smile, then walked off down the street.

Ben closed the door.

"She's going to get mugged," he grumbled.

"Escort her home then," I mocked.

"I'd rather not." But even as he said it, his fingers lingered on the door handle as if he might. Shaking his head, he let his hand fall as he smirked. "Are they all that gorgeous in the mountain mansions?"

"Put your tongue back in your mouth, you pig," I grinned.

He shouldered me again playfully before adding, "I bet they're definitely all that stuck up."

"Goodness no!" I said, adopting a posh voice. "Those protective older siblings are simply a nuisance."

He scoffed then continued, "What did he give you?"

"A mobile phone," I whined.

Ben grabbed the bag and looked in it before swearing, "That's much better than mine! You've known him for, like, a week! I'll screw him if it gets me this treatment. Reckon you can get a car out of him?"

"Hilarious," I barked.