“I don’t know what I think anymore,” he said, quietly, his voice filled with resignation.
“You needed someone to blame and the obvious person was George Cresswell. But the people you should have been angry with were the people who really betrayed you, Pauline and Joe.”
“Yes, I suppose.” Max and Claire remained seated together, Claire holding Max’s hand as the past gradually caught up with him. At one point, Claire looked discreetly up at Jemma to let her know that she hadn’t forgotten her, but all Jemma could do was wait. She waited for what seemed like an eternity. Max and Claire talked some more, and he cried some more, and she comforted him. Jemma felt genuine compassion for Max now, hearing his story first hand had given her an insight into his bitterness, and she could sort of understand how he had turned the blame onto Tom’s grandfather.
Finally, Claire braced the subject that Jemma had been waiting for. “Max, you know now that George Cresswell wasn’t to blame for your death, don’t you?” He nodded, silently before mumbling, “I suppose so.”
“So you must also know that neither Tom nor Jemma are to blame for any of this.”
“Hmm,” came the grudging reply.
“Please let Jemma go, Max. She hasn’t done anything to you, other than look a little bit like Pauline, but that’s not her fault. I’ll stay here with you, I promise.”
Max looked up at Claire in surprise. “Why? Why would you want to stay with me? I’m bad, Claire.”
“No you’re not. I know that because if you really had wanted to hurt Tom, you would have done so a long time ago. You’re a good man who just happened to have had a run of bad luck. We both have so much bitterness to work through, remember, I need you just as much as you need me.”
“You’ll really stay?”
“Of course I will, but you must let Jemma go.”
Max looked up at Jemma and, for the first time, she didn’t feel that familiar chill of fear run through her as his gaze settled on her. Then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, the force field disappeared and Jemma was free to move again.
“Go to the bench and wait for me there,” demanded Claire and Jemma, without hesitation, did as she was told, glad to get away from the intense atmosphere.
She waited for a long time, during which she reflected on both Max’s and Claire’s stories. She had been murdered by her cheating husband, and he had been betrayed by his cheating girlfriend and best friend. Shit, she thought, ironically, if I could remember all this when I get back, I could write a book about them. She thought about Susie and wondered what she was doing now, and she thought of Tom, now a free spirit, able to go anywhere in the universe, except to her. I’m ready, she thought to herself, I’m ready to go back. Eventually, Claire finally turned up, looking exhausted.
“Are you alright?” asked Jemma, as Claire sat down next to her.
“Yes, dear, I think so. I’ve been trying to get him to talk about his past for a while now, but I must admit I never realised how sad his story would be.”
“Are you really going to stay with him?”
“Yes, of course. Until we can both sort out our grief and bitterness, we’re stuck here, so we might as well help each other. Anyway, I suppose I quite like the man,” she smiled. “I imagine we’ll both be content to stay here for the foreseeable future and keep each other company.”
Jemma reached out and took Claire’s hand. “You’re an amazing woman, Claire. I always knew there was more to you than met the eye. Thank you for everything.”
“Thank you. It’s thanks to you that I met Max and I suppose I’ve found a soulmate.” The two women sat together for a few minutes, each of them silently wishing the other well. “Now, dear, it’s time for you to go back. Are you ready?”
Jemma smiled, “Yes, I think I am.”
“Good, then here’s what you do. Look into the distance and fix your gaze beyond the furthest view. Now, do you see those tiny strands of light flickering in front of you?” Jemma nodded, fascinated. She had never noticed them before, they were so tiny, but they were definitely there.
“Now, remember that you’re not solid matter. You need to adjust your energy so that you flow into one of those tiny wormholes. You must then use all your power of thought to direct the wormhole to the right place and time. Remember, once you’re through, you’ll only have a fraction of a second to knock that drink over.”
They looked at each other, both with tears in their eyes, “I’m going to miss you so much,” cried Jemma.
“No, you’re not. You won’t remember me, but I’ll remember you and I’ll definitely miss you. I even think Max might miss you a little bit,” she smiled.
“Oh yeah, right,” she laughed. “Goodbye, Claire.”
“Goodbye, my dear and good luck.” They embraced, hugging each other tightly, until Jemma pulled away and turned her gaze out over the horizon.
She stood at the top of the hill, trying to search for her way out. Slowly, her gaze was drawn to one particular strand of light, dancing in front of her, and she knew this was the one. She focused her mind, like Claire and Tom had both taught her to do, and gradually she felt her body become lighter, until she felt herself begin to flow into the tiny strand of light. As soon as she was inside the wormhole, she knew she had no time to waste. It was only seconds before it would collapse, and she needed to use every ounce of willpower and concentration if she was to succeed. With sheer determination, she directed her mind back to the day of her accident, and then, more specifically, back to the moment just before she stood up to follow those girls out for a cigarette. And then suddenly, a split second later, she was there, but, in the confusion of travelling through time, she forgot what it was she had to do. Shit, the wormhole was beginning to collapse, she had to be quick. On impulse, she reached out her hand and sent the glass of Coke flying at the same moment the wormhole collapsed.
Chapter 24
“Oh my god, I’m so sorry,” cried Jemma, as the glass went flying. “I can’t believe I just did that.” She stared in dismay at the glass, now lying on its side, with its contents pouring out onto the table. She grabbed a couple of serviettes from the table, and tried to mop up some of the spilt coke, while Kirsten went to get a cloth. By the time she had helped to clear up the mess, it was time to head back to class, and she reluctantly gave up the idea of having her sneaky ciggie. She grabbed her bag and followed the others, carefully dodging one of the staff, who was clearing up some spilt coffee from the floor.
The rest of the afternoon passed as quickly as the morning had, and at three o’clock, while Jemma was packing up her new books, her phone bleeped telling her she had a text. ‘Hi hun, Fancy a takeaway and bottle of wine tonight? Can’t wait to hear how you got on. C U later A xx’. Jemma smiled as she replied, ‘Sounds gr8. Today OK. How was Jack? J x’. A moment later her phone bleeped again, ‘Gorgeous but I’m still single ’
As she made her way home, Jemma tried not to think about the feeling of disappointment that was niggling away deep inside her. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but she didn’t feel quite as positive about college as she had that morning. It wasn’t that the work was too hard, in fact, it was the opposite. She had been bored to tears when the tutor had gone over and over the same simple equation, because some of the other students couldn’t grasp it. She couldn’t help thinking that if they were struggling already, they didn’t stand a chance as the course progressed, and it was becoming clear that the pace of the course would be much slower than she had thought. Still, it was only the first day and she didn’t want to spoil Alice’s good mood, so she put on a big smile as she opened the front door and popped the two bottles of Pinot Grigio she had bought on her way back, into the fridge.
Alice was busy rummaging through the kitchen drawer for the takeaway menu. “Hi. How was it?”
“Yeah, it was great,” replied Jemma, and disappeared into the bathroom for a quick shower.
An hour later, the two girls were eating their favourite Chine
se takeaway, crispy duck pancakes, and enjoying one of the bottles of cold, crisp wine. “Here’s to us,” said Alice, happily, clinking her glass with Jemma’s.
“So what did you do at Jack’s then?” asked Jemma, taking a sip of wine. “Apart from fluttering your eyelashes at him, of course.”
“Well, it was quite quiet really. We sat in a big circle and he talked us through a meditation. I didn’t think I’d be interested in that meditation stuff, but it did make me feel good. I can imagine that it would be easier to feel psychic energy when you’re in such a relaxed state, so I suppose I can see the point. Oh, and that house is definitely haunted. I felt a really strong presence in one of the corners of the room. It was a bit creepy actually, not very friendly.”
“Oh hun, I keep telling you, there’s no such thing as ghosts. Anyway, are you going again?” asked Jemma, stuffing her mouth full of pancake, which was delicious.
“Oh yes. I’ve already said I’ll come to the next meeting in two weeks time. I must remember to book a hair appointment for the day before.”
“So do you think he fancies you?”
“Oh, I just don’t know, hun. He’s so lovely and he makes me feel that I’m really special when he talks to me, but then I think he does that with everyone. I’ll just have to keep fluttering my eyelashes and hope he notices,” she said, dreamily.
“Or buy longer ones, you know, like the ones like Lady Gaga wears. Extra long with silver on the ends – you know, if subtle doesn’t work, go for in your face, fuck me now ones.”
“Sadly, I think it’ll take more than a pair of fake eyelashes to make him notice me,” sighed Alice. “Anyway, enough about that, I want to hear all about your first day at college.”
Jemma shrugged. “There’s nothing much to tell really. The people were nice, but it was a bit boring, it was all really easy. I didn’t learn anything new.”
“Oh, that’s probably just to let you settle in. You’ll probably find it all kicks off tomorrow.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought. Oh, and you’ll never guess what I did?”
“What?”
Jemma grimaced as she told Alice all about the glass of coke she had knocked over. “Oh Alice, it was such a mess, it went everywhere. God knows what they must think of me.”
“At least you made an impression,” giggled Alice.
“Hmm. Anyway, it was okay. So what are you up to for the rest of the week?”
“I need to find a job,” said Alice, as she munched on a prawn cracker. “I’m broke.”
“Me too. What did you have in mind?”
“Well, I used to do some waitressing in New York, so I suppose that’s my best shot. I’m going to start looking in the Standard and Ham & High for job ads. What about you?”
Jemma shrugged. She didn’t know what she would do, but she knew that she needed to do something. “I suppose I might try some bar work or something. Anyway, hun, cheers, here’s to us!”
They finished off the food and opened the second bottle of wine, before settling down in front of the telly. “Have you got any homework?” asked Alice, sleepily.
“Nah.” Jemma still couldn’t shake off the feeling of anti climax that she had had earlier. She’d been so excited this morning about starting college, but now she just wasn’t so sure anymore. “I suppose in a couple of days I’ll be moaning about the amount of essays I’ve got to do, so I shouldn’t complain.”
“Yes, of course.”
They dumped the leftovers in the kitchen and curled up on the sofa to watch Eastenders, like they had done so many times over the last year or so. Eventually they both drifted off to sleep; Alice had a contented smile on her face as she gently snored on Jemma’s shoulder, but Jemma had a frown on her face as she dozed restlessly; even in her sleep she couldn’t shake that horrible feeling of discontent.
Two Months Later
“How do I look?” asked Alice. They were in the living room and Jemma was lying on the sofa, resting her head in her hands as she watched Alice do a little twirl in front of her.
Jemma studied her, and laughed. “Fine, if you’re going to a woodlands soiree with the local Elf Society.”
“Huh?” Alice frowned and looked at herself in the mirror, clearly missing Jemma’s point.
“Alice! You can’t go to an interview wearing that, you look like an anaemic elf!”
“Thanks,” said Alice, sulkily.
“Come on,” said Jemma, getting up from the sofa, “I’ll help you find something a bit more suitable. Seriously, hun, you can’t wear that.” They made their way into Alice’s room, and Jemma walked over to the wardrobe and started flicking through the hangers. Alice’s room was as tidy as Jemma’s was messy and, for once, Jemma was glad about that. She quickly found a stylish red blouse and held it up to Alice, swinging the hanger in front of her.
“Here. This is perfect.”
“Really?”
“Yep. Here, try it on.” Alice took the green top off and handed it to Jemma, who discretely flung it in the bin. Alice then put the red blouse on, and they both surveyed the result in the mirror on Alice’s wardrobe.
“You’re right. It’s much better,” said Alice, looking over her shoulder to check how it looked from behind.
“Alice, please promise me you will never, ever buy anything green, ever again. What time’s your interview?”
“Ten o’clock. I think I’ll walk, it’s only in Camden.”
“So what’s this place called then?” asked Jemma, following Alice into the kitchen.
Alice filled the kettle and switched it on. “It’s called Glitz. It sounds great, Oh Jem, I really want this job.”
“I hope you get it, hun. Good luck.” She meant it. It was two months since Jemma had started college, and Alice had been looking for a job since then. She hadn’t had any luck, until she came across an ad in the window of a bistro in Camden. This job sounded perfect, good shifts, decent money and the food was meant to be nice. Things were really looking up for Alice lately. Her and Jack were going out now and she was madly in love. In fact, Jemma had never seen Alice look so happy, so getting this job would really be the icing on the cake for her.
Things weren’t quite so rosy for her though. The college course had been a big disappointment. The work was too easy and she still, after two months, didn’t feel that she had learnt anything new. She had tried to talk to her tutor about it, but he had just said that she should stick with it, because once she had the right qualifications, she could access the university courses that would better suit her. He was right, of course, but Jemma was bored, and had lost interest. She had skipped a few classes recently, and was behind with the work. On top of that, she hadn’t managed to find a job, and was now seriously broke and, just to rub salt in the already painful wound, her love life was still non-existent. She couldn’t help feeling like she was slipping back to her old life when she was at school, bunking off, smoking in secret and drinking more than she should be.
After a cup of tea, Alice left for her interview, and Jemma was left alone, with nothing to do and nowhere to go as, yet again, she couldn’t be bothered going into college. On impulse, she reached for her phone, found her Aunt Tess’s number and pressed ‘call’. “Hello?” Aunt Tess’s soft voice sounded welcoming and familiar.
“Hi Aunt Tess, it’s me.”
“Hello, love. I haven’t heard from you for a while, how are you?”
“Yeah, great. Well, actually I’m not sure. Are you free today?”
“Yes, I’m here all day.”
“Can I come and see you?” Jemma felt like crying, although she wasn’t entirely sure why. She could really do with being with the closest person she had to a mother.
“Of course you can, you’re always welcome here. Are you going to catch the train?”
“Yes. Shall I call you as the train approaches Tunbridge Wells?”
“Yes, love, you do that and I’ll come and pick you up. We can stop off in town for a bite of lunch. See you l
ater.”
Jemma scribbled a quick note to let Alice know where she had gone, and instructed her to let her know how the interview had gone. When she got to Charing Cross she had just enough money to buy a return ticket to Tunbridge Wells and, with ten minutes to spare before the train was due to depart, she nipped outside for a quick ciggie.
Aunt Tess was waiting for her at Tunbridge Wells station and gave Jemma a warm hug when she saw her. They decided to walk down to the Pantiles and eat lunch at their favourite cafe. They found a table in the corner, away from the cold draft seeping through the door, and picked up the menu, which was pointless really, as they always had the same thing. After they had ordered their food, they chatted idly about the weather, before Aunt Tess gave Jemma a serious look and asked, “So, how are you, really?”
“Oh, you know. Okay.”
“And college? How’s that going?”
“Great.”
“Then what’s wrong?”
Jemma took a deep breath and started pouring it all out, everything from her disillusionment with college, her futile attempts at getting a job, her loneliness, especially now that Alice was spending more time with Jack, and finally she told her aunt how much she still missed her mum. “I don’t feel as if I have any purpose anymore,” she said, sadly.
“Would it help if we go and see your mother?” asked Aunt Tess, kindly.
“Yes, please,” she whispered, her throat contracting as she attempted to stop her tears.
“Then that’s what we’ll do. Finish your lunch, and we’ll go and visit her.” Jemma hadn’t even noticed that the waitress had brought their food, but she wasn’t hungry and half heartedly pushed the food around on her plate until it looked like she had eaten most of it. As Aunt Tess called the waitress over to ask for the bill, Jemma’s phone bleeped. It was Alice, ‘I got the job! YAY! C U Later. A xx’. Jemma was genuinely pleased for her friend, and quickly sent a text back congratulating her, and suggesting that maybe they should go out tonight and celebrate. Alice texted back saying, ‘I’m really sorry, hun, Jack’s cooking dinner tonight. How about tomorrow? A x.’ Jemma sighed, another night in on her own then, which was probably just as well as she had no money anyway.
Love In The Wrong Dimension (Romantic Ghost Story) Page 26
