Winter of Discontent (Four Seasons Book 1)

by T. S. Harvey

I got back about 7.30 a.m. Ben and Jared were sat up at the kitchen table having breakfast.

  ‘Toast, E?’

  ‘Yeah, great, thanks.’

  Ben was quiet. Jess came in and as usual came over to greet me. I had to keep up the pretence so I kissed her quite passionately, I hated it but I didn’t let on. I didn’t want her left alone with Ben all day, so I suggested she go shopping in Houston. We didn’t let her leave the house on her own very often, so I knew she would jump at the chance. She made the coffee with a grin that was worryingly suspicious, so I was relieved when she finally went back upstairs to get changed.

  ‘I’m a bit confused,’ said Ben, when he finally spoke.

  Jared and I looked at each other; Jared responded.

  ‘Why’s that then?’

  ‘Last night I went to the bathroom. Erik went into one bedroom but Jess came out of another a few minutes later.’

  ‘So? What’s the problem?’ Jared said without blinking.

  ‘The problem is when I asked her, she said that that was her bedroom. If she’s your childbearer, Erik, what the fuck are you doing in separate rooms?’

  I stalled. I didn’t have an answer. Jared started to laugh.

  ‘What’s funny?’ asked Ben.

  ‘Sorry, I shouldn’t laugh, not really. It’s simple. Having her in her own room just makes it easier for us. Erik’s not the only one that gets horny,’ he said with a wink. ‘Saves me waking Erik when I want to take a turn, if you know what I mean.’

  ‘You share her?’

  He looked shocked, disgusted even. Childbearers weren’t treated with a great deal of respect by Warlocks but sharing one with a family member wasn’t approved of.

  ‘Look, this is the 21st Century. We don’t live in the Dark Ages any more and while we stand shoulder to shoulder with the other Segans, we are entitled to decide for ourselves what we do with our childbearers. We house and keep them – why shouldn’t we have a bit of fun? She doesn’t even remember it happening. Erik’s the only love in her life.’ He winked.

  Ben looked decidedly uncomfortable.

  ‘Yeah, I guess. Well, I can’t see any reason to spend too much time here. I’ll be off after breakfast.’

  I held back from going to school until he’d gone. I couldn’t have gotten through the day without knowing whether he had actually left or not.

  ‘Do you think he believed us, J?’ I asked, after we’d waved him off.

  ‘No idea. I didn’t sense any real doubt, but he’s almost as strong as I am, so could easily have hidden it.’

  ‘Well, I guess the only thing we can do is to wait and see.’

  It was just after second period by the time I got to school. I hated walking into class late but it was the only class all day that I was to share with Sarah. Having made my excuses, I made my way to the empty desk at the back of the class. Sarah was sat next to Kacey and didn’t raise her eyes to meet mine as I passed by.

  It was English Language and the teacher, Miss Raymond, was a dreary soul. I loved English Lit. but this subject didn’t hold the same appeal and I found my mind wandering. Kacey kept looking back towards me, so it was clear I was part of the conversation they were having instead of listening to Miss Raymond. I could easily have listened in from where I was but I resisted the temptation. I was too hung up about the way I’d had to treat Sarah and I think if I’d overheard them hating on me, it might have been too hard to take. The problem with ignoring someone when you know they are talking about you, though, is that it tends to make you paranoid, and a paranoid Warlock isn’t a good thing to be around. By the time the bell came, I felt really wound up, so much so that I cut school and went back home.

  Jared was out by the time I got back, so it was just me and Jess. As I made my way upstairs, she was just coming out of the bathroom. She’d been getting ready to go shopping. Having just showered, she stood there wrapped in a towel, dripping wet, hair hanging down around her shoulders and the water on her shoulders glistened enticingly.

  ‘Hi, you’re early.’ She smiled.

  I said nothing. I’d wound myself up on the way home by imagining what it would be like to be back with Sarah and then chastised to myself for my stupidity in thinking it would ever happen. I know I shouldn’t have done it – it wasn’t fair on her and it sure as hell wasn’t what I really wanted – but I couldn’t help it. I’d had enough of doing the right thing, enough of resisting temptations of both magic and sex, and she looked so good. I smiled as I led her by the hand and into the bedroom, closing the door behind us. I couldn’t help but wish Ben had still been around to hear us – no way would he’d have had any doubt after this!

  Chapter Twenty-nine – Truth or Dare

  Sarah

  Dad had arrived the night before and I’d hoped he’d let me cut school to spend some time with him; no such luck though. But he did say he’d take me away for the weekend after school on Friday. Two whole days of ‘me and Dad’ time was just what I needed right now. I’d decided to move on with Kacey after her disgraceful behaviour and I was starting to weaken again toward Erik. I knew he wanted to come in with me the night of the attack and I felt bad for the way I’d reacted when he showed up the following day. I was torn between my head and my heart but at the end of it all, he had still threatened me. I didn’t think I could fully trust his Warlock side, so having Dad here to distract me was ideal.

  We’d arranged to meet up straight from school on the Friday afternoon and go camping out in Wichita Falls. Unfortunately a call back to work late on Thursday night changed it all. I was so angry. I know I shouldn’t have been – his work was important, something to do with Homeland Security – I should have been more supportive.

  ‘I am sorry, Princess,’ he said, looking genuinely apologetic.

  ‘“Sorry” doesn’t cut it, Dad’ I said spitefully. ‘I was really looking forward to this.’

  ‘I’ll make it up to you, I promise.’

  I sat on the couch, arms folded in defiance, refusing to go to the airport to see him off. He’d only been gone half an hour when guilt kicked in and I had to call him.

  ‘I’m sorry, Daddy; I shouldn’t have acted like such a kid. I just miss you, that’s all.’

  ‘I know you do. I miss you too but when work calls I have to go, you know that.’

  ‘I know.’

  ‘Why don’t you speak to Kacey, see if she wants to go camping with you? It’s all booked and paid for and I remember you said she has a car, so getting there shouldn’t be a problem. Wrap up warm, though; they’re going through a cold spell at the moment.’

  ‘OK, I’ll give her a call. Can’t see her being up for it, though.’

  I was glad I’d called him, I wasn’t a spiteful person by nature and bad feeling wasn’t something I liked to be the cause of. After I’d hung up, I called Kacey to see if she fancied the idea of Wichita Falls, the great outdoors and getting eaten alive by bugs and rattlers! I have to admit to being in total shock when she said she loved the idea.

  ‘I’ll throw my things in the car Friday morning. See if you can get your aunt to drop you off and you can throw your things in before school. This is gonna be so cool! I’ve never camped before, Trump, this is gonna be great!’

  I had visions of Kacey packing high heels, babydoll nightdresses, and suntan lotion.

  ‘I hope you’ve packed sweaters, Kace? The weather’s not great out there at the moment.’

  ‘I have a couple of Karens and a Stella. That should be enough.’

  I had to laugh; only Kacey would think of taking high end designer knitwear on a camping trip. I shook my head in mock disbelief. I had three ‘real’ sweaters packed so, if she got stuck, she could have one of mine.

  The morning seemed to drag endlessly and by lunchtime we were so fired up we decided to cut school and head out early to Lake Arrowhead Park. It was only about twenty miles so, after paying a quick visit to the store to stock up on essentials – chocolate, potato chips, and Pringles mostly – we arriv
ed at the park in plenty of time to set up.

  We booked in at the ranger station and set out across the park to find a good spot. The park was quiet this time of the year; it had only just opened up after the holidays and we pretty much had our pick of the pitches. Kacey was less than useless when it came to putting the tent up and hindered far more than she helped. She did make it fun though and did an endless list of impressions of the teachers and students that she wasn’t keen on – including Erik.

  ‘Don’t. Please. I haven’t come away to be reminded of why I’m not with him.’

  ‘Sorry, Trump. Just trying to keep things light.’

  ‘I know but let’s not.’ I smiled. ‘Stick with taking the piss out of the girls, you do them so well!’

  Fortunately for Kacey, I had pitched a tent on many an occasion with Dad so by late afternoon we were set up. I’d bought a small gas camping stove and grill and we were soon eating beans on toast and drinking beers that Kacey had swiped from her father’s cellar. By 8 p.m., we were drunk and ready for bed.

  ‘Come on then, Trump, how about a game of Truth or Dare?’

  ‘With two of us?’ I laughed.

  ‘Yeah, why not? I’ll go first. Truth or dare?’

  ‘Dare,’ I said, rather hesitantly.

  Kacey sat cross-legged in the tent, thinking for a moment.

  ‘OK. Go outside and do a handstand up the nearest tree – without your panties on.’

  I was going to refuse but, as there was no one else pitched nearby, I figured it could have been worse. I threw on my slippers, ran outside and over to the nearest tree, did a handstand as asked, and then ran back inside.

  ‘Right. Pass me your phone, Kacey.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Because I don’t trust you not to have photographed me doing that.’

  I felt bad when Kacey looked really hurt; I still checked her phone, though.

  ‘Sorry, just checking,’ I said, a little sheepishly.

  ‘What happens in Wichita Falls stays in Wichita Falls, Trump. This weekend will be good for us.’

  I smiled broadly. ‘OK, my turn. Truth or dare?’

  ‘Truth … no, dare … no, truth … yeah, truth,’ she said hesitantly.

  ‘OK. If you had to sleep with one of the teachers for grades, who would it be and why?’

  Kacey couldn’t stop laughing, which was pretty infectious at the best of times. By the time she’d gone through the entire faculty and come to the conclusion that she’d rather fail every subject than go near any of them, we were exhausted and, after another couple of beers, we rolled into our sleeping bags and fell fast asleep.

  The next morning I was amazed to see Kacey had gotten up before me.

  ‘Here you go, Trump,’ she said, handing me a cup of coffee.

  ‘Wow, I’m impressed.’

  ‘Yeah, well, I got chatting to the Ranger and he made us one each a while back. Yours might be a bit cool now,’ she grinned.

  My head hurt a bit after the beers the night before so the fact that the coffee was almost cold didn’t really matter. I had a raging thirst and a drink of any sort was welcome.

  ‘So what are we doing today?’ she asked enthusiastically.

  I could quite easily have crawled back into my sleeping bag and slept for the rest of the day but as she was so keen I hadn’t the heart to suggest it.

  ‘We could go hiking into the hills. There are some great views over the lake from up there.’

  ‘Sounds good, what do I need?’

  ‘Well, I reckon we should pack sweaters in case the weather turns.’

  It was still quite mild but the temperature could drop quite quickly out here.

  I gave it a couple more minutes before I pulled myself together and went over to the washroom to clean up. I actually felt much brighter once I’d showered, brushed my teeth, and freed my tongue from the fur it had acquired overnight.

  I packed up some snacks and bottles of water, a torch, and wet weather capes into one backpack and put the sweaters, compass, and map into another.

  ‘I reckon we should head for the far side of the park. Should take us about three hours to get to the top of the hill on that side, gives us plenty of time to get back. I’ll just pop and let the Ranger know.’

  ‘OK, no worries, I’ll make a slow start up the trail.’

  Kacey wasn’t kidding, she hadn’t even made the trail by the time I caught her up.

  ‘Those trainers are very attractive, Kacey, but how comfortable are they gonna be a few hours in?’

  ‘Don’t worry about me, Trump. I call it Rural Chic.’

  I shook my head, there was no point arguing. I hadn’t told her but I’d packed a spare pair of walking boots in her backpack, just in case!

  About an hour up the trail we stopped for a break and to take on water. It was actually getting warmer not colder and I was pleased we’d started out in just sweatpants and Ts.

  ‘I had no idea it could be this much fun, Trump. I’m so glad you suggested this.’

  I looked across at Kacey in wonder – she had no idea it could be this much fun and I had no idea how much she would enjoy it. It wasn’t the same as spending time with my dad. For one, I’d never have played truth or dare with him, but it was fun. I was more relaxed than I’d been in ages and there wasn’t a boy in sight to get between us.

  ‘Right, come on then,’ I said after twenty minutes, ‘let’s get going.’

  Kacey started to sing military chants as we set off.

  ‘Kacey and Trump are taking the hill. Watch out, lads, we’re ready to thrill.’

  By two o’clock, we had made it to the far side of the park and the views out over the lake were spectacular. I’d been here a couple of times over the years and each time was like the first time. America really did have some of the best views of all the countries I’d ever visited. I’d lived in some wonderful cities, but there really was no place like home.

  I’d worked it out quite well. With the breaks en route we got to our destination in just under three hours; this gave us about an hour and half before we needed to set back down the hill. We’d been sat looking out into the distance for about ten minutes when Kacey jumped up in panic.

  ‘Oh, my God!’ she screamed. There on the floor, scurrying away from her, was what looked like a Black Widow. Kacey ran for all she was worth. I grabbed my backpack and set off after her.

  ‘Did it bite you, Kacey? Kacey?’

  I shouted after her but she didn’t answer, she just kept on running. I finally caught up with as she started to tire about a half mile into the trees.

  ‘Did it bite you?’ I asked again.

  ‘Yes and it fucking hurts,’ she cried. ‘What was it?’

  I thought for a moment and decided not to say what I thought it was.

  ‘Just a common spider. There’s a lot out here, all harmless.’

  I didn’t see the point in worrying her. ‘Come on, let’s make our way back.’

  I looked around. ‘Where’s your backpack? Did you leave it back there?’

  Kacey looked down and went bright red.

  ‘No. I think I left it back at the first place we stopped. I’m sorry, but I didn’t realise till we had almost got here and it was too late to turn back for it.’

  ‘Great.’

  I looked around again, this time to try to get my bearings. The compass and the map were in Kacey’s backpack and whilst we hadn’t needed them as long as we stuck to the trail, we were now in the middle of woodland that was unfamiliar. I tried not to sound angry or concerned. Kacey was clearly very embarrassed by her stupidity and she didn’t need me giving her a hard time and, let’s face it, me giving her a hard time wasn’t gonna change things.

  ‘OK, I think it’s this way.’

  Before we set off, I took a look at the bite on Kacey’s ankle. It didn’t look too bad, I thought; perhaps it was just a common spider after all. It wasn’t long before I found out it wasn’t.

  The run into the woodlan
d had really turned us around and, before too long, I knew we were lost. Neither of us could get a signal on our phone. Kacey was starting to limp and we were losing the light.

  I could see a clearing just ahead of us, so I made for that. There was a cove-like area by the side of a small pool; I figured we’d rest up there as at least we’d have water.

  I checked my backpack and I had a packet of biscuits, two packets of potato chips, one can of coke and two beers which Kacey must have put in when I wasn’t looking!

  ‘We’ll stay here tonight and set off at first light.’

  ‘What? No way, we don’t have a tent or sleeping bags, nothing.’

  I had packed extra sweaters but unfortunately they were in Kacey’s backpack along with the map and compass.

  ‘Don’t be such a girl!’ I mocked, trying to sound confident. ‘Dad and I have slept out loads of times. It’ll be fun.’

  ‘You reckon?’

  We sat in silence for a while before Kacey spoke again.

  ‘My leg really hurts, Trump.’

  ‘Let me see.’

  What had been just a small red mark an hour ago was now quite an angry bite, red and swollen, and it did look really painful.

  ‘Come on, let’s put your foot in the water.’

  ‘No way. I’m not moving from here. The batteries in that torch won’t last for ever and I’m not wasting them going down to the pool. Pass me a bottle of beer.’

  ‘I don’t think alcohol is the best thing right now, Kacey.’

  ‘I’m not gonna drink it, you idiot, I’m gonna pour it over the bite. It’s alcohol, so it might help.’

  I poured the beer gently over the bite so as not to waste it; if it helped, then I could apply more later.

  I checked the time on my phone and it was just after 7 p.m. You could see the moon’s reflection in the pool and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. This wasn’t a good sign. No cloud cover normally meant the temperature was gonna drop. We had no warm clothes, only wet weather capes, no means to call for help or to light a fire to keep warm.

  I tried to keep our spirits up by telling jokes but I was genuinely concerned. Kacey started to look really ill. I cuddled up close to her to try to keep her warm – body heat was the only heat we had and I didn’t know what else to do. I was really scared but I couldn’t show it.