“Us. Your brothers have the night off. Noah is joining us and of course this is a great opportunity to welcome Helen, Matthew and Michael back home,” Mum told me with a bright smile. I stiffened.
“Does Nan know that you’ve gone against her rules? In her house?” I asked.
I hadn’t spoken to Nan since she’d told me the story about my birth but that didn’t mean I was okay with her being disrespected. Or with the prospect of Uncle Michael returning.
“Are you still harping on about that? She wouldn’t really turn out her son. Or her grandson and daughter in law. Not permanently anyway, she just wanted to teach him a lesson.”
“Firstly, she didn’t ‘turn out’ her grandson or daughter in law. Just her son, they opted to follow. In fact, strike that. One of them opted to follow and just dragged the other with her. And until she says that he is allowed back, he shouldn’t be anywhere near the property!” I protested fiercely.
“Blair drop it!” Mum snapped. “It doesn’t matter anyway, it’s not going to be her property much longer after all.”
The comment derailed my tirade. I stopped abruptly and blinked, the gears of my brain turning faster to make sense of everything.
“What do you mean?”
Mum looked at Aunt Helen.
“Did no one tell her?”
“We thought given her… tendency towards drama that it was best not to. But you may as well at this point,” Aunt Helen told her with a nonchalant shrug.
“What is going on?”
“Your grandmother is dying Blair. She’s very ill, she’s been ill for quite a while and the doctors don’t expect her to last much longer. That’s one of the reasons I came back. I had to ensure everything was properly taken care of.”
She spoke so casually, like she was discussing the weather, it sent chills down my spine. How could she be so cruel? So cavalier about her own mother’s death?
“You’re lying… you have to be…”
“I’m not. You can ask your brothers if you don’t believe me.”
“How can you be so… indifferent about it?” I stared at her in horror and disgust. “She is your mother. Hell, you don’t care about me but I’d still be sad if you were dying! Did you bury your emotions in the garden with your lies? Your daughter? The one you killed?”
The second I said it, I knew it was a step too far. I’d said the words, the words I’d buried since I’d heard them. The words that mum refused to acknowledge.
She stared at me and her expression turned to one of absolute fury. I’d seen her angry before, annoyed at something I’d done or one of the boys had done… usually something I had done. But I had never seen her with such pure venom in her eyes, such intense undiluted hatred.
“How dare you?” she hissed. Mum rose from her seat and with a grace that I had never seen from her, slunk across the room. Her hand lashed out like a striking snake and slapped me across the face.
I stood my ground, staring her down. My cheek burned but I barely flinched.
“Did that feel good? You can’t deny it anymore Mum, I know… everything. I know the truth. I know why you hate me. I know you wish it was me buried outside. What happened? Did you kill the wrong one? Or did you just run out of time?”
My mum grabbed my arm and dragged me out of the room. I didn’t struggle against her. Let her do her worst.
When we reached the door to the attic, she practically threw me onto the steps.
“I don’t want to see your face!” she yelled, turning away from me.
“You sure you don’t want to admire your handiwork?” I snapped back, gesturing at the angry red mark that covered my cheek.
Mum’s entire body seemed to freeze and she looked back slowly.
“You have to make everything difficult don’t you? You always do. And you expect me to feel sorry for you? It’s impossible to feel anything but disgust. Because of you, I lost my real daughter. And yes, I wish you were the one who had died. Because you’re not a child, you never were. You’re a cuckoo, a demon who destroyed my life!”
Every word she spoke was soft and deadly, biting into me. Hearing it hurt more than I thought it would. I had nothing to say. So I turned my back and walked silently up to my room. I heard the door at the bottom of the stairs close behind me, followed by the click of the key turning in the lock.
I stood in my bedroom, unsure of what to do. I had set myself three tasks and in a way they were all done. My mum had finally acknowledged what I wanted her to. I was sixteen, at least legally speaking. I had money. But now I had to consider what I hadn’t before.
Where was I going to go?
I picked up my phone and my fingers automatically skipped over the numbers, dialling Rhydian. He answered after two rings.
“Hey Blair,”
“Rhydian, I need help… I can’t stay here, I have to leave… can you help me?”
There was silence on the other end of the line for what felt like an age.
“Rhydian…?”
“Blair… I can help you… but I need you to answer a question. And answer honestly.”
“Okay…?”
“Do you trust me?”
It was my turn to fall silent, my turn to think before I spoke.
“Yes.”
“When it gets dark, go to the lake. Wait for me there. Bring only what you need. And make sure you’re certain that this is what you want to do. Because where I can take you… it can be difficult to come back.” The words had a melancholy quality to them and almost seemed to be pleading with me.
He hung up, leaving the words to echo in my ears.
*****
Despite Rhydian’s cryptic words and the warning quality to what he’d said, I spent the day preparing. I expected it to be harder to sort through and locate the items that I considered essential but it was remarkably easy. By the time the sun dipped beyond the horizon my bag was packed. I checked the door but it was still locked. I grimaced, knowing there was only one other way out.
I shouldered my backpack, knotted my trainers together and slung them around my neck. I found it easier to exit this way with bare feet. I climbed up into the beams, balanced on the balls of my feet, reached up and pushed open the skylight until there was a decent gap. I poked my head out, sweeping the garden to confirm no one was around before I pulled myself onto the roof. Usually I left the window open so I had an easy way back in but today I pushed it shut. I didn’t want any signs of my absence. I kept my body low, expertly traversing the roof tiles. I knew which ones were fragile and more likely to break. If I fell off the roof… well, I didn’t really want to think about it.
I crouched at the edge of the roof and peered down just to double check it was clear. I could see light coming from the other cottage which I took to mean the family dinner had already started. One of the branches reached over and brushed the edge of the roof. It was a fairly fragile branch but I had found that I could just about manage to cross it.
The worst part was moving from the roof to the branch. I squatted at the very edge of the roof, locked onto the branch and pounced. I landed squarely in the centre, my toes curling around the edge and grasping. Each time was a little bit easier.
I inched along the branch to the trunk and clambered down. Stood beside the tree, I felt a mixture of fear and excitement stirring in the pit of my stomach. I was really leaving.
It was almost too easy to get off our land and make my way up to the lake. Rhydian wasn’t there so I sat down to wait. The water was smooth, a piece of the night sky brought down to earth.
I sat for hours, watching the moon cross the sky. It was cold but I didn’t move. Only when it reached its peak did Rhydian finally arrive.
“I was beginning to think you weren’t coming.”
“I had to make sure you were certain. If you weren’t, you would have left.”
He helped me to my feet, taking both my hands in his. I looked up at his golden eyes and gave a small nervous smile.
“Where are we going?”
I asked.
“Through the looking glass, sweet Alice. Off to wonderland…” He pulled away, gazing out across the water. “Did you know that’s what the fae folk call this place?”
“Wonderland?”
“No. It’s called The Glass. Beautiful… but so easily broken.” Rhydian looked at me once more and lifted my hand to examine it, tracing his finger along the vivid lines of my veins. “Do you remember that I asked you to trust me?”
“Yes…”
“And you said you did?”
“I do.”
He smiled kindly and reached up to stroke my cheek.
“You really shouldn’t.”
Rhydian’s hands clamped down on me and he gave a hard shove, pushing me down. I tumbled into the icy lake, the shard of night time breaking into a thousand pieces as I disappeared beneath the depths.
FAOLAN
I shouldn’t have come here. I knew that. It was a mistake. If someone saw me… or if Blair saw me, it would just hurt her and that was what I’d been trying to avoid.
But I couldn’t stop myself. I made my way down familiar paths to Blair’s house. I was just going to check in… I wasn’t going to do anything.
The gate was open. All the lights were on and I could hear voices coming from inside, raised but not angry. Distressed. I crept closer, my curiosity getting the better of me, and cocked my head in an attempt to discern the different parties involved in the discussion.
“Where could she have gone?” That sounded like one of Blair’s brothers, the more reasonable one by the cadence of his voice.
“How did she even get out is what I want to know. The door was locked!” This person was a stranger. Female, aggravated and shrill. It made my fur stand on end to hear it.
“And that’s another thing… why was it locked?”
“We had an argument.”
“So you locked her in her bedroom? What if there had been a fire?”
“Well clearly it’s a moot point since she obviously had a way out. I just want to know how!”
I slunk around the side of the building, belly pressed to the ground. I kept my movements slow, listening intently for anything that might suggest someone had spotted me. I circled around until I was in sight of the living room window and hunched by the tree, hoping it would obscure me from sight.
I recognised Blair’s brothers, both pacing the room angrily. A woman who vaguely resembled Blair was seated on the sofa, pouting like a petulant child. Another woman was beside her, who I remembered from the confrontation in the garden the day Blair had saved my life.
“Do you really think that’s what’s important right now?”
“I’m just saying-”
“Through the skylight mum. She goes up there when she’s sad, she likes being up high. We just didn’t know that she could get down the same way… it’s pretty high.”
“I had a look through her things, there’s a few bits and pieces missing. Not too much, but that makes sense given her exit route. We should call the police… report her missing.”
Missing. Blair was missing? They hadn’t said her name but it had to be her… there was no sign of her in the house, her brothers sounded concerned… it made sense for it to be her.
“She’s not missing. She had a tantrum and ran off.”
“What exactly did you say to her?”
“Nothing she didn’t deserve to hear.”
“MUM! Your daughter is missing. Whether she left by choice or whether she was dragged out of the skylight kicking and screaming does not matter. What matters is that your teenage daughter is not here! And yeah, she’s probably more self-sufficient than most girls her age given how she was raised but she should not be roaming the countryside by herself.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You know exactly what it means. You left everyone else to parent your children for you. Including your other children.”
“Forgive me for having dreams! Was I supposed to abandon them the second I became a parent, is that how things work?”
“No mum. You’re not supposed to abandon your dreams. But when you make the decision to have kids, you’re supposed to factor them into your dreams.” He looked like he wanted to say more but instead he looked at his twin. “Who’s going to tell Nan her favourite grandchild is missing?”
Something passed between the two women, a shared look of guilt. One of Blair’s brothers noticed as well.
“What are you two not telling us?”
“Blair found out about Agnes’ illness… that may have contributed to her leaving.”
“And which idiot told her that?” He let out an aggravated huff and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Alright, I’m done. Get out. Both of you. You can’t stay here anymore. Leave.”
“You can’t do that, it’s my home.”
“Actually it’s Nan’s house. Or it was, until she got ill. She wanted to make sure that her grandkids were taken care of so she signed the deeds to the houses over to us. We can do whatever we want. And we want you gone.”
I watched as they ushered the women out, ignoring the protests. Once I was sure they were gone, I approached the house and scratched at the glass window. The twins came over and opened the door.
“Hey… dog… you’re back…”
I whined and pawed at Elian’s leg. Now that I was closer I could smell the difference between them.
“El, maybe he could help find her? Blair was always saying how smart he is.”
“He’s not a bloodhound.”
“It’s better than nothing!”
Grayson grabbed a hoodie that had been abandoned on the sofa, knelt down and ran a hand across my head.
“Here boy, smell… find her…”
I inhaled deeply, letting her scent overwhelm me. I had to find her. I closed my eyes and sat back, raising my muzzle to the sky. Her trail was faint but there. I set off running and in my mind I saw the path that she had taken. The terrible knowledge of where she was gone settled on me.
By the time I reached the lake, I could no longer deny what I’d known in my heart all along.
They had taken her.
BENEATH THE GLASS
BLAIR
I fell endlessly. All the breath had been stolen from my body. I was lost in a swirling icy abyss, silver bubbles flashing and bursting before my eyes, fragments of images dancing and fading.
Then I landed with a thump. I was in a large stone cavern, perfectly round. Water ran down each of the walls into small pools at the base. There was no visible light source, but the room had a soft glow to it, allowing me to see clearly. I got slowly to my feet, my legs burning from the force of my landing. I was surprised nothing was broken. My dress was soaked through, my hair was stringy and clamped to my cheeks. There was no sign of my bag, but I was sure I’d been holding it when Rhydian had pushed me.
I craned my neck up, expecting… well, I wasn’t sure what I expected to see. Water? But no, there was nothing but the curved roof of the cavern, no sign of entry… yet there had to be.
“Hello? Is anyone there?” I called. My voice reverberated off the walls, echoing around me before ebbing away into nothing.
I ran a hand along the wall. The water that cascaded down had worn the rocks smooth and as I explored further, it appeared consistent throughout the entire cave. There was no door, no holes that I could find. Just… rock.
“HELLO?” I tried again. Nothing.
With a small noise of despair, I sank to the ground. The floor of the cave was covered in mosaic tiles, white, silver and green, that as I looked, I realized formed an image of a triquetra. I ran a finger across the looping spiral and sighed softly. I was an idiot. I’d let myself rush off, I’d let someone get close to me… I shouldn’t have, I just… I was a fool. I thought of Rhydian, his face, his smile. He’d completely deceived me.
I heard the sound of footsteps and I lifted my head hopefully. A section of the wall seemed to shimmer and faded out of focus for a moment.
A figure stepped through, head bowed. I examined them with curious eyes, trying to determine what I was seeing. The figure was hunched and wore a long cloak that resembled a bed of autumn leaves. Their head was covered by a hood, face hidden in shadows.
“Who’s there?” they demanded in a grating voice. “I heard you, I know someone is in here.”
The figure reached out a hand, withered and claw like, towards me. They shuffled forward, searching the air. I scooted back on the ground, trying to make as little noise as possible as the stranger neared me. They cocked their head to the side and lunged suddenly, fingers tangling in the fabric of my dress. I was roughly jerked to my feet, letting out a panicked yell. The figure drew me closer until we were inches apart. I still couldn’t make out their face, just darkness beneath the hood.
“What manner of creature be you?” they grunted out.
“I… I…”
“Eamon! Let her go.”
Both our heads turned. A man was stood in the spot where the hooded stranger had entered. I squinted and recognised him. It was the man I’d met at the party, Lyr.
The hooded figure released me instantly, bowing low and cowering back. Lyr ran his eyes over me and gave me a pleasant smile.
“Hello Blair. Would you follow me?”
I glanced around me once more before scurrying gratefully over to Lyr. He ushered me out of the chamber, through the wall that wasn’t there, and out into a long passageway.
“Forgive Eamon. He is not the friendliest soul at the best of times. I hope he did not scare you too much.”
“A little…”
“I expected you to have an escort when you arrived… where is Rhydian?”
“I don’t know… he pushed me.”
Lyr tutted and shook his head.
“Such bad manners that one. Well, I’m sure he will show up soon and I’ll have a word with him. In the meantime, you and I have much we need to discuss.”
He beckoned me to follow him, turning off the main passage into another stone room. It was a bedroom, a large four poster decorated with deer antlers and carvings dominating the space. A wooden trunk was set at the end of the bed, a thick red rug laid across the polished floor. The roof was panelled with coloured glass that bathed the room in beautiful multi-coloured light.
The Cuckoo's Eye Page 17
