Storm Rising

by Rachael Richey

  Judy shook her head. “Don’t think they heard anything important. Last thing we need is Collette and her cronies dobbing us in.”

  ****

  Three hours later, Abi was ready to go. She was sitting on her bed, dressed in pretty much the same clothes she’d worn for the school dance, with the addition of a tatty combat jacket and a long knitted scarf, waiting for Judy to arrive at the door to “call for her.” Impatiently she drummed her feet on the floor, her hands picking at the loose threads at the end of her scarf. Her stomach was churning with excitement and—if she was honest—absolute terror, and her mind was constantly going over the plans for the evening. Gideon had phoned Judy as arranged and said he would pick her up with Simon at seven. Abi glanced at her watch: Six thirty. Judy should be arriving right now. She stood up and moved over to the window, peering out into the street, lit now only by a dull yellow streetlight. As she watched, Judy came into view, trotting along the road, her breath puffing out like smoke as she ran. She turned into Abi’s driveway, squeezed past the Saab, and arrived on the doorstep. As the bell pealed, Abi started down the stairs, arriving at the bottom just as her mother opened the door.

  “Judith,” said Joan Thomson formally, “come in. I believe Abigail’s ready for you.” She turned and ushered Judy through into the hall just as Abi’s booted feet jumped off the last stair. “Now, remind me, what is it you’re doing tonight?” she continued, directing her piercing stare at the two girls.

  Judy smiled encouragingly. “Oh we’re going to meet up with Sammy, go to a film, then go back to Sammy’s house to sleep.” She paused and looked up at Abi’s mother with an innocent gaze.

  Joan inclined her head slightly. “That sounds acceptable,” she conceded. “Then you’ll all go to school together tomorrow?”

  Judy nodded. “Yeah, it’s the last day of term tomorrow. Don’t wanna miss that,” she said with a grin.

  Joan turned to her daughter. “Behave yourself, Abi,” she said firmly, “and make sure you thank Mr. and Mrs. Lucas for having you. I’m trusting you girls not to be too late to bed. It is a school night.” She nodded to them before she turned and went back into the living room and closed the door.

  Abi looked at Judy and rolled her eyes. Giggling, the two girls left the house and set off down the road together, whispering as they went.

  “Okay, you remember the plan?” asked Judy breathlessly as they sped along the icy pavement, gloved hands clasped together to keep each other from slipping.

  Abi nodded. “Yep. When I get back to your house, I pull on the string that’ll be hanging from your window. That’ll make a noise, and you’ll then let me in the back door. In the morning, I’ll go out to the summerhouse at six and wait there until seven-thirty, when I can come and knock at the door.” She paused. “In theory, it should work brilliantly. And since my mother doesn’t know Sammy’s parents, she won’t be likely to phone them to check I’m there. That was a stroke of genius to say we were going there.”

  Judy grinned and inclined her head. “Well, thank you,” she said. “I think so. Now, look, here’s Simon’s house. Are you going in or meeting them out here?”

  “I daren’t go in ’cause his mum knows me and my mum, and might tell her. I’ll wait out here.” Abi stopped jogging and leant forward to get her breath, and with a hiss Judy pulled her into the shadows.

  “Don’t stand under the lamppost, you moron! The whole street’ll see you. Come back here by the wall.”

  Abi leaned back against the high brick wall that bordered Simon’s front garden, and waited impatiently. Her heart was pounding, partly due to their hasty trip along the road, but more because of nerves. She was going on a date with someone she hardly knew, to a place she’d never heard of, and she’d lied to her parents about where she was staying. Maybe she had found the excitement she craved. She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. Judy caught her hand and squeezed.

  “You okay?” she asked, her teeth chattering. “Are you excited?”

  Abi nodded silently, her eyes fixed on the end of the road, waiting for the first sign of the van approaching. Suddenly the door of Simon’s house opened, and he appeared on the doorstep, clutching a large bag and calling to someone over his shoulder.

  “Okay, see you later.” He slammed the door behind him and strode down the path to the pavement, starting in surprise when he saw the two girls standing against the wall. “What are you doing here?” he demanded with a scowl.

  Abi grinned at him. “Gideon invited me,” she said watching him. “Just me, not Judy. Didn’t he tell you?”

  Simon snorted. “No, he bloody didn’t,” he said crossly. “Since when did we include girls? This is not on.” He moved about twenty feet away and leaned against the wall.

  At that moment, a very noisy, tatty transit van appeared around the corner and shuddered to a halt in front of Simon’s house. Simon strode over, pulled open the passenger door, and began a heated discussion with someone inside. After a minute he shrugged, tossed his bag in the front, and climbed in after it.

  Abi was approaching the van tentatively when a grinning Gideon appeared from the driver’s side.

  “Hi. You’ll have to sit in the back with the gear, I’m afraid. Only three seats in the front, and the guys have them.” He gave a wry laugh. “I seem to have upset the applecart a bit by bringing you along. They may be rude to you. Sorry.” He pulled open the back door of the van and indicated to Abi that she should get in.

  With a quick, agonized glance over her shoulder at Judy, Abi climbed up into the van and clambered over some boxes. She found a space on the floor between a couple of speakers and, curling her legs under her, sat down. Gideon nodded briefly and slammed the door shut, leaving her in complete darkness. She leaned against the speaker on her right and clutched her jacket tightly around her. So far the evening was not going the way she had imagined. Could she have made a dreadful mistake?

  ****

  After what seemed like an eternity, the van shuddered to a halt again, and Abi heard the sound of the front doors being opened and voices coming nearer. She got up onto her knees and braced herself for the ordeal to come. The side door of the van suddenly slid open, flooding the interior with bright light, and Simon’s curly head appeared. He totally ignored Abi, grabbed hold of a couple of guitar cases, and swung them out of the vehicle. Abi was wondering if she should exit through the side door when the double back doors were both flung open and she found herself face to face with Charles. He winked at her and pulled the nearest speaker towards him. Abi crawled over to the door and lowered herself out onto the road. Simon reappeared and hauled the other speaker out without a word, a very moody expression on his face. Abi moved onto the pavement outside the pub and hovered uncertainly. Tonight wasn’t going according to plan, and she was desperately wishing she were back at Judy’s house getting cosy with a film and loads of sweets. She edged towards the open door of the pub and peered inside.

  As she did so, Gideon appeared in the doorway and stepped out onto the pavement. He grinned at Abi. “Okay, come with me,” he said catching her hand in his and pulling her around to a door in the side of the building. “Go down that corridor, and it’ll bring you out into the room we’re performing in. Stay at the back, out of sight if you can. They have a strict no-under-eighteens policy, especially on music nights, and I don’t think we could pass you off for eighteen. I’ll bring you a drink as soon as I can.” He appeared to be about to leave, but he turned back to her with a crooked smile. “Glad you came. Don’t worry about Simon. He’ll get over it.” And with a wave, he disappeared back outside to unload the equipment.

  Abi took a deep breath and walked down the corridor towards a slightly open door. She pushed it and found herself at the back of a small room leading off the lounge bar. Simon and Charles were busy setting up the equipment, and she went and found herself a stool to perch on in the back corner, behind their makeshift stage area. Charles glanced over at her and grinned, but Simon studiousl
y continued to ignore her. She watched in awe as the boys set up their equipment with the ease of the well practised, then tuned their instruments and did the sound checks. Eventually Gideon hurried over to where she was lurking in the shadows.

  “You okay?” he asked with a smile. “Funny first date, this, isn’t it? Not what you had in mind, I’m sure.” He handed her a can of Coke, winked, and returned to his place on the stage.

  Abi watched the performance, her head spinning. When Gideon had invited her along, she had hoped he meant it as a date, but she’d had a sneaking suspicion he might just be being nice. Now to have it confirmed that she was on a date was mind blowing. She sipped her Coke and grinned to herself as she watched from the safety of her invisible seat.

  The band played a mixed set of covers and original material, ending with “Storm Rising.” Abi felt a little thrill of pleasure as she heard the opening chords and saw Gideon turn momentarily to face her before turning back to the audience and belting out his amazing composition. The final number, and the whole set, were extremely well received, and Abi joined in the tumultuous applause when the boys played the final note. She kept well back in the shadows while they were chatting to the pub clientele, and she watched with interest when a tall thin man with a receding hairline and a large nose had a long conversation with Gideon. As they carried the last of the equipment out to the van, Abi followed and waited quietly on the pavement.

  Eventually Simon saw her and rolled his eyes. “Gid, what are you going to do with her? She can’t stay while we have a few beers. They don’t let fifteen-year-olds in the bar. She’ll have to sit in the van.” He scowled at Abi and stalked back towards the bar.

  Gideon slammed the back doors of the van and sighed. “God, Simon, don’t make such a fuss! She’s not causing you any harm. Anyway, I’m going to take her home now and come back for you two later.” He turned to Abi and nodded his head towards the van. “Get in,” he said, and pulled the door open for her.

  Silently she climbed into the cab and belted herself in. Gideon got into the driver’s seat and started the engine, which reluctantly spluttered into life. Abi stared straight ahead, her mind in a whirl since Simon’s revelation about her age. She sneaked a sideways glance at Gideon. Perhaps he hadn’t noticed.

  They didn’t speak until they were on the A4 heading for Newbury, and then Gideon glanced over at Abi.

  “I already knew you were fifteen,” he said with a grin, “and kind of wondered why you lied, though…”

  Abi felt her face turn a fiery red and leaned forward so her hair swung to cover it. She cleared her throat and moistened her lips. “I…um…I thought you’d think I was too young for you. And I am nearly sixteen,” she added in defense.

  Gideon laughed. “S’all right. I don’t care how old you are. I like you for who you are. It doesn’t make any difference to me.”

  Abi flicked her hair back over her shoulder and sat back with a sigh. The implied question still hung between them, and she hoped it would remain unasked, because she couldn’t have truthfully answered it. She was shocked at herself when she considered why she might have told him she was sixteen, and gave a little shiver of fear. What was she becoming? Was she, Abigail Thomson, actually considering the idea of losing her virginity to a boy she barely knew, just—and she had to admit this—to get back at her mother? Abi pulled her jacket more tightly around her and leaned her head against the cold glass of the window.

  After a few more minutes Gideon turned off the main road towards Aldermaston Wharf and pulled up in a lay-by overlooking the water. He turned off the engine and sat for a moment staring out into the darkness. Then he swivelled round in his seat to face Abi.

  “Bit early to take you home yet,” he remarked. “It’s only eleven fifteen. I guess you need to wait until Judy’s parents are in bed, don’t you?”

  Abi gasped. “How d’you know I’m staying there?” she demanded, sitting up and facing him.

  Gideon raised an eyebrow at her. “You wouldn’t give me your phone number—some cock-and-bull story about it being out of order—you get picked up at Simon’s house, accompanied by Judy. I worked the rest out.” He shrugged. “If I was the parent of a fifteen-year-old girl, I wouldn’t want her going to a bar with some strange men on a school night.”

  Abi stifled a snort. “You know my mother, then,” she said. “I wouldn’t be here at all if she knew anything about it.” She paused. “I’m glad I am here, though, even if Simon clearly objected.”

  Gideon sighed. “Bloody Simon, he’s got this thing about girlfriends. Thinks they’re bad luck.” He grinned at her. “Maybe I’m being presumptuous about the girlfriend bit…?”

  Abi grinned back and shook her head. “No, not at all,” she said shyly.

  Gideon undid his seatbelt and slid over on the passenger seat beside her. He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to him.

  “My god, you’re freezing!” he chided, taking one of her hands in his and rubbing it vigorously. Abi chuckled and, looking up at him, snuggled into the curve of his arm. He took her other hand in his, then bent his head to hers and gently pressed his warm lips on her cold ones. Immediately a warm glow flowed through her body, and she pressed herself closer to him, her mouth hungrily accepting his. They clung together, their lips locked and their tongues gently probing each other’s mouths until they both needed to breathe. Then they pulled apart, panting heavily, their eyes glazed. Abi leaned back and took a shuddering breath. It wasn’t her first kiss, but it was by far the best kiss she had ever had. Gideon put his hand on the back of her head and gently twisted it round to face him,

  “And here endeth the first lesson,” he said with a grin. “Time for little girls to go home to bed.” He lightly brushed the top of her head with his lips, then slid back over into the driver’s seat and started the engine.

  They didn’t speak again until Gideon pulled the van up alongside the pavement a few hundred yards down the road from Judy’s house. Abi glanced at her watch. It was nearly midnight. Hopefully Mr. and Mrs. Cromwell would be safely tucked up in bed by now. She undid her seatbelt and turned to Gideon.

  “Thanks for tonight,” she said. “Sorry it’s all been a bit cloak and dagger.”

  Gideon leaned over and kissed her briefly on the lips. “Don’t worry. It’ll get easier.” He paused. “I may not take you to all the gigs, though—got to let Simon win some. He is my best friend, after all.” He looked her straight in the eye. “I’ll come and pick you up at your house next time. Your parents can see I’m okay then.”

  Abi looked doubtfully at him, secretly thinking he had a lot to learn about her mother. Then suddenly she remembered something. “Oh, yes, who was that man you were talking to after the gig? You looked so serious.”

  Gideon shrugged. “Oh, he was just a scout from a record company,” he said, watching her from under his lashes. “He liked what he heard. He wants to meet with us all after Christmas.”

  Abi gasped, her eyes wide. “You mean you’ve been discovered?” she squeaked in excitement.

  Gideon gave a short bark of laughter. “It’s early days to say that.” He was unable to keep the glint of excitement out of his eyes. “But maybe. Let’s wait and see.” And with a quick wink at Abi, he got out of the van and ran round to the passenger side to open her door.

  Abi jumped down onto the icy pavement and bit her lip. It was only a few days till Christmas, and she realised how unlikely it was she would be able to see Gideon again beforehand. She thought quickly.

  “Judy’s parents are having a New Year’s Eve party,” she began hesitantly. “Would you like to come with me?”

  “’Course I would,” said Gideon, grinning at her. “I was already planning to. Simon mentioned it earlier; I can meet your parents then, too.”

  Abi forbore to say that she felt it unlikely her parents would venture out to something that interesting, and instead she nodded and pulled her jacket tight against the cold air.

  Gideon cau
ght her by the hand. “Come on, I’ll walk you back to Judy’s house. Remind me which one it is?” And they set off along the deserted road, past the rows of identical houses with their tightly drawn curtains and almost uniformly darkened windows. “Does everyone go to bed early around here?” asked Gideon in a loud whisper as they passed yet another completely silent residence.

  Abi giggled. “Only on a school night,” she said, grinning up at him.

  At Judy’s gate they parted, clinging together for a moment, their breath thick and white in the freezing air. Then Gideon gave her a quick kiss and set off back along the road to the distant van.

  Abi took a deep breath and made her way very quietly up Judy’s path and around the side of the house to carry out their plan.

  Chapter 7

  2005

  It was late afternoon, and the two friends had chatted about nearly everything under the sun. Abi sat back in her chair and watched as Thomas systematically began to throw all his toy cars into the playpen, where his sister was happily chewing on whatever came her way, her chubby hands reaching out in delight as yet another small object invaded her space. Abi was just beginning to wonder whether she should remove the smaller cars when Judy reappeared in the conservatory and quickly set down a bottle of baby milk and a red plastic bowl of creamy-coloured mush.

  “Tommy!” she said, sounding slightly harassed, “don’t give Sabrina the tiny ones. She could swallow them.” She leant into the playpen and retrieved a tiny model car just as it was entering her daughter’s glistening mouth. Sabrina looked most taken aback and was just opening her mouth to bellow her annoyance when Judy scooped her up in her spare arm and collapsed into the chair next to Abi with a sigh. She stuck the bottle in the baby’s mouth and leaned back against the cushions.

  “They’re bloody hard work sometimes,” she said with a grin. “My friend has four, all under five—no idea how she copes.” She shook her head slightly, and a strand of blonde hair escaped from its clip and fell over her face. She blew ineffectually at it, and Abi caught a glimpse of the teenager she used to be. She grinned affectionately at her friend, and Judy grinned back. “This is nice, Abs. I’m so glad you came. It’s fun reminiscing.” She paused and screwed up her nose. “Mostly, anyway.”