Deception: (An Introductory Tale)

by Robert Atkins

  Please bear in mind that this is only an introductory tale of my upcoming collection of mini tales. Below is the finished cover. It will be quite a while until it’s fully finished, so please bear with me.

  I haven’t uploaded anything in quite a while, so I thought I’d just upload this very short tale I finished quite recently, just for fun.

  Hope you enjoy.

  Coming soon

  © Copyright Robert Atkins, 2015

  Self-publishing

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

  Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author / publisher.

  By R.J.Atkins

  Deception

  Like countless people throughout the world, all I too ever wanted out of life, among a few other things, was to be happy, to be healthy, to live life to the fullest, and to accomplish goals I would set for myself. Also, to one day stumble upon that special somebody I would have the privilege of calling my friend. Friendship, true friendship, to me meant more than money, for money, so I was led to believe, was the root of all evil, and could sever the relationships of the closest of friends and even destroy families.

  I was frequently tormented by my peers whilst at primary school and all because I was scrawny for my age, frail and shy too, an easy target if you will. I was unsurprisingly socially awkward, too. Unlike other children of my age, I would retreat straight back to the safety and sanctuary of home once school concluded, rarely setting foot back outside. I Suppose I could have been considered a bit of a recluse.

  That was soon to change, however, just days after the chilly midwinter’s eve of my eleventh birthday, when I met Amelia Fox, a fresh-faced, statuesque teenage girl who paid me a rather unexpected visit while my parents were out for the evening. Amelia was my next-door neighbour, unbeknownst to me and my parents. Seeing her standing at my doorstep for the first ever time, looking down at me adoringly, I thought that my prayer for that one true friend, someone who would accept me for who I was despite my flaws, had finally been answered.

  ‘Hi, I’m Amelia. I live next-door to you,’ she said with a warm smile. She knelt down before me, brushing her long, wavy blonde hair behind her ears. ‘Say, you’re a handsome young man, aren’t you?’ I stared at her, transfixed. She spoke with such a charming refinement, which was a pleasant change from the common cockney Londoner accent and native tongues of various different nationalities I grew accustomed to constantly hearing throughout the duration of each dreary, taxing school day. At home too, as my mother, Janet, a woman proud of her Celtic heritage, who was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, spoke with a strong brogue accent on a daily basis. My father, Tom, born and raised in New Cross, South East London by a native couple of East London, spoke with a real strong cockney accent.

  ‘What’s your name, sweetheart?’ Amelia politely enquired.

  Unable to avert my gaze, I stuttered, ‘I-I’m… I’m Bobby.’

  Amelia’s smile broadened. ‘Bobby? Aww, that’s a nice name. What’s your surname?’

  ‘Er… T-Tyler.’

  We shook hands.

  ‘Nice to meet you, Bobby T-Tyler. My surname is Fox. You know, like the animal. Most of my friends and family call me Foxy. Sort of a nickname that I got stuck with. You can call me foxy too, if you like. Or you can just call me Amelia or just plain old Amy.’

  I wondered exactly what Amelia’s intentions were and why she had decided to knock on my door at such a late hour. (It was approximately 8:30 p.m. – close to my bedtime.) I was regularly warned about speaking to total strangers, too. And Amelia, although she was most certainly very attractive, very friendly and polite, was also a stranger to my eyes, neighbour or no neighbour.

  ‘You needn’t be nervous of me, sweetheart,’ Amelia said, giving my shaggy black hair a playful ruffle. ‘I’ve only come by to ask whether you could simply pop out to your back garden and fetch my little nephew’s sponge football. That’s all. I think it’s by your shed. And, obviously, I can’t climb over your fence to fetch it myself. Too high, not to mention rude, too, trespassing on someone else’s property. So, would you be a little angel and fetch it for me, please?’

  The way in which Amelia regarded me with those big, limpid vivid blue eyes and an angelic smile, how could I have said no? How rude would that have been of me to do so? So, I hastened to the back garden to retrieve the football, which I found almost instantly, as it was exactly where Amelia said it was. I started back towards Amelia, who was embracing a small girl. I didn’t know who she was, but I assumed she was a relative of Amelia’s. She was roughly my height, clad totally in black from head to toe, and had jet-black hair cascading down her back. Amelia seemed to be whispering something into her right ear.

  Upon my arrival, after catching the briefest glimpse of the girl’s pale young face, she quickly took off.

  ‘Who’s she?’ I asked, handing Amelia the ball, my eyes fixed on the fleeing young girl. She ran down the road as though running for her life.

  ‘That’s my little sister, Rachael,’ Amelia informed me. ‘You’ll have to excuse her. She’s very shy, particularly around unfamiliar people.’

  ‘I haven’t seen her before,’ I said. ‘What school does she go to?’

  ‘She doesn’t attend public school. She’s… She’s homeschooled.’

  ‘Oh.’

  ‘Incidentally, which particular school do you attend?’ Amelia asked.

  ‘Hillside Primary School. Have you heard of it?’

  ‘Yes, I believe I know the one.’

  I glanced over Amelia’s right shoulder, to the calm, moonlit residential street. Rachael was long gone. ‘Where was Rachael going anyway?’ I asked. ‘Will she be okay?’

  ‘She’ll be fine. Don’t worry about her.’

  I got the distinct impression that Amelia didn’t seem too concerned for her younger sister, despite the fact that her safety and wellbeing was supposed to be her top priority, what with her being so young, so vulnerable, and susceptible to abduction.

  ‘How old is she?’ I asked.

  Amelia sighed. ‘She’s ten.’

  ‘Do you think it’s safe for a ten-year-old girl to be out there unguarded at this time of night?’

  Amelia set the football down onto the floor, then took my hands and gazed into my eyes. ‘Listen,’ she said softly, ‘do me a favour and forget about Rachael. Please do that for me, Bobby.’

  ‘Why?’ I asked, confused.

  ‘She’s not…’

  ‘Not what?’

  ‘She’s a good little girl, one of the sweetest. She just…has a problem, and I would very much appreciate it if you would please just keep at a safe distance from her. Can you promise me that?’

  ‘But why? I-I don’t under—’

  ‘Bobby, please,’ Amelia beseeched. ‘Please, do it for me.’

  I considered for a moment.

  ‘Listen, do it and I’ll promise you, you and I will be great friends from here on in. And I’m sure you could use a friend.’ Amelia winked at me. ‘Am I right?’

  We shared a smile.

  ‘Is that a promise, then?’ Amelia asked, caressing my hands.

  ‘Yes. I promise.’

  Amelia got to her feet, and kissed me on the forehead. ‘Thank you, Bobby Tyler. I realise you may be a little confused right now, but I’ll explain in due time, I promise.’ With that, she bid me goodnight, picked up the football, then turned and started towards the gate.

  ‘Goodnight…Foxy,’ I said. (That was the
first and only time I ever referred to her by her nickname.) She flashed a smile at me.

  I went to bed shortly afterwards beaming with excitement, for I knew that I had at last made a friend, a truly stunning one at that. I was also a little confused as to why I was practically begged to avoid making any contact whatsoever with Rachael as well. It didn’t weigh too heavily on my mind, however, as I fell into a deep sleep moments after my head touched my pillow.

  The following day while at school, I was constantly distracted by the persistent lingering visions of Amelia; she was all I could think about, and I couldn’t wait to see her again. I returned home later that afternoon with high hopes that she’d be there to greet me. She wasn’t, though. I had no idea whether she was even at home, as the kitchen blinds were closed and the curtains to the two upstairs bedrooms were drawn. I wasn’t too disheartened because I knew I would see her again eventually. I just didn’t know when.

  During the evening, while my parents were downstairs eating their dinner, I stood at my bedroom window, staring pensively at the crescent moon. A door suddenly slammed shut, startling me, breaking my train of thought. Little Rachael came marching out of her house, angrily tugging at her dishevelled hair, quietly cursing as she made a beeline for the gate. ‘Rachael!’ I called out. She halted by the gate and turned to look up at me. I smiled and waved. ‘Hi.’

  ‘Who are you?’ she demanded.

  ‘I-I’m a friend of Amelia.’

  She stared at me fiercely.

  My smile faded. ‘Are you okay?’

  ‘Why do you care?’ she then snapped. ‘Leave me alone! All of you just leave me alone!’ She then ran off into the night, sobbing. That was the last I saw of her…until the following evening. I was preoccupied with my favourite video game, when I heard my dad call out for me: ‘Oi! Bobby! You have a little girl down here asking for ya!’

  Little girl? I thought. What little girl? Something then occurred to me, so I dropped my control pad, made a swift exit from my bedroom and raced down the staircase, only to be stopped in mid-flight by Dad, who stood by the bottom step with his arms folded and a smirk on his face.

  ‘Got yourself a little bird, then, have ya?’ he said quietly. ‘She’s quite the little looker, too. You’ve got good taste, just like me. Have you known her long?’

  I looked over Dad’s head, towards the front door. Standing on the doorstep, clad in the exact same black turtleneck jumper, distressed black denim jeans and shabby black trainers she wore when I briefly saw her twice before, was Rachael. ‘That’s Rachael,’ I said.

  ‘Oh. Her name’s Rachael, is it? Nice name.’ Dad stepped aside and gestured his head towards the front door. ‘Go on, then. Go see what she wants. Be quick, though. Bed in ten minutes. Up early for school tomorrow mornin’.’

  I sighed. ‘Yes, Dad.’ I gingerly started towards the front door, keeping my eyes fixed on Rachael. Once I joined her, the very first words she said to me, looking me dead in the eye, were, ‘I’m sorry,’ and she looked very sincere.

  ‘Sorry for what?’ I asked.

  ‘For how I spoke to you last night. All you did was say “hi” to me, and I was rude back to you. It was totally uncalled for, so I’m… I’m sorry.’ Rachael bowed her head. ‘I’m just going through a lot right now, more than you could possibly comprehend.’

  ‘Yeah, your sister said you have a problem.’

  Rachael slowly raised her head, and narrowed her brown eyes at me. ‘Oh, she did, did she? And what else did she happen to say about me?’

  ‘I, er… That is, she, er… S-S-She—’

  ‘You’re very nervous, aren’t you?’ Rachael inclined her head to one side. ‘Is there something wrong?’

  ‘No, I’m… I’m fine,’ I lied. I averted my gaze. I had to. I could no longer stand the way Rachael’s eyes bored into mine. There was something about them that sent a chill through me. Something unnerving. As if it wasn’t her staring back at me, but rather someone or something else lurking beneath the surface of her innocent-looking outward appearance.

  ‘Listen, it’s okay, Bobby,’ Rachael said softly, gently patting my right shoulder. ‘I’m not angry at you. Why would I be? I don’t even know you. Saying that, I’d like to get to know you. I can already see you’re what I’m looking for in a friend. And I don’t have many, if any at all.’

  ‘Me neither.’ I glanced at Rachael nervously.

  ‘Why can’t you look me in the eye? What’s wrong? What has my sister told you? Whatever it is, it’s a lie.’

  I knew that telling on Amelia would have been tantamount to betrayal, which I feared would undoubtedly result in our newfound friendship being severed if Rachael let on anything that was said between us.

  ‘Look, I’m a very trustworthy person, Bobby,’ Rachael informed me. ‘Whatever you tell me, it will be in confidence.’

  ‘Meaning?’

  ‘Basically, it’ll be a secret between us, and only us.’

  ‘Promise?’

  ‘Cross my heart, hope to die.’

  I was growing weary, and the cold evening air was passing through the thin fabric of my pyjamas, chilling me to the bone. I just wanted to close the door, go up to bed and rest.

  ‘I can plainly see you’re tired, and your father did say you’ve only got ten minutes until you’re supposed to go to bed.’

  I shut my eyes and sighed. ‘Okay, I’ll tell you,’ I said, after a momentary reluctance. ‘She said you’re a good girl. Very sweet. She also asked me to keep a safe distance from you. She made me promise. And I…kinda did.’

  ‘You promised to keep away from me? Me?’ (I had expected Rachael to be angry. Instead, she found what I said to be rather amusing.) ‘Why? With all due respect, you don’t even know me, so what do you have to fear? I’ve lived next-door to you for nearly two months now. Technically, I’ve seen you twice, this being the second time.’

  ‘Five minutes, Bobby!’ Dad shouted from upstairs.

  ‘Listen, Bobby, if you should keep at a safe distance from anyone…it’s my sister, not me.’

  I frowned in confusion. ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘Don’t be fooled by her. Trust me, I know. Just because she’s blonde, has a dazzling pair of eyes, she’s attractive and also appears nice, she’s the one to beware of. No one knows her better than me, her own flesh and blood. Believe me, it’s all a front to fool you, to gain your trust, nothing more.’

  ‘What do you mean, it’s a front? What’s a…front?’

  ‘It’s an appearance or a form of behaviour one assumes to hide their real feelings.’

  I was totally baffled.

  Rachael folded her arms. ‘Tell me, did you honestly believe that you – and I mean no offence – are the kind of person whom she would ever consider to be a friend? Sorry, but, no. She preys on the vulnerable, lonely, quiet type, those who are easily infatuated. According to her, those types of people are, and I’m quoting her here, “easy pickings”. That’s how she is. It’s what she does. She’s cunning. I’m sorry.’

  I stared at Rachael aghast, for I honestly couldn’t believe what I was hearing. The mere shock was enough to leave any child or even a fully-grown man heartbroken. I felt a fool because I was one of those who became infatuated too easily.

  ‘You know, no offence, Bobby, but you males are all the same, regardless of how old you may be. You always succumb to an attractive female who exerts her charms on you, despite it not being a genuine affection.’

  Something about Rachael struck me as odd. For someone who was slightly younger than me, she spoke like someone far older, with a possession of knowledge and intellect way superior than that of any regular ten-year-old.

  ‘Right, Bobby, say goodnight to your friend! Bed time, boy!’ Dad shouted. ‘Come on up! I’ll tuck you in and read you a bedtime story!’ (My dad always embarrassed me in front of family members and his friends, too. I had hoped he would resist the urge whilst I was conversing with someone my own age, which was an extreme rarity.)
/>   Rachael giggled. ‘Your dad’s funny.’

  ‘Is he?’ I said glumly. As I got ready to close the door, a solitary tear trickled down my cheek.

  ‘Listen, what are you doing tomorrow evening?’ Rachael asked.

  I shrugged my shoulders. ‘Nothing, I guess,’ I groaned.

  ‘I ask because… Well, in case you don’t believe me about Amelia, I can show you. She usually hangs out at Caledonian Park with her friends, her real friends, that is. You’ll see what she gets up to. Believe me, you’ll never look at her the same way again, I promise.’

  ‘After what you’ve told me, I don’t want to see her again. Ever. So why would I come with you to the park to spy on her for? If she sees me, she’ll probably tease me, just like those kids constantly do to me every single day in school.’

  ‘Ah, but she won’t see you. She won’t see either of us. Trust me, I know how to keep a low profile. Look, wait for me outside my house tomorrow evening, at about, say, seven o’clock.’

  ‘I hardly ever go out during the daytime, let alone when it gets dark. Only to and from school, that’s mainly it. Other than that, I just don’t bother.’

  ‘Yeah, probably because you have nobody to be with, that’s why. And going places alone isn’t any fun, now is it? You’ll be with me, though, so you won’t be alone. Look, if your parents ask where you’re going, simply say you’re coming out with me, your neighbour, someone your own age. I’m sure they won’t suspect a thing. But if you’re worried about them questioning you, just sneak out, as I often do when I need to— When I need some alone time. Take last night, for example. I stormed out because of the bad atmosphere. It got to me and I simply had to leave for a while, to regain my composure.’

  I let out a long, weary sigh. ‘Okay. Fine. Whatever. See you tomorrow evening, then.’

  ‘Seven o’clock.’

  ‘Yes, all right.’

  ‘Okay. Goodnight.’

  ‘Goodnight.’ I closed the door and locked it securely.