Dark Heart Surrender

by Lee Monroe

  ‘She’d better be beautiful. And no one fat or stupid. My brother doesn’t go out with fat ugly chicks with nothing in their heads. He might be shy but he’s got very specific tastes.’ She looked me up and down. ‘You understand me?’

  I gaped at her, on the verge of saying I was not a dating service, and her brother could find his own perfect girlfriend; but something about her expression made any response freeze in my throat. Her eyes seemed to change shape in front of me, lifting either side to become more almond-shaped, narrower – and the pale-blue of her irises seemed almost opaque.

  ‘I …’ I began, trying to take control of the situation, but I got no further. It seemed futile to defy this girl.

  ‘So we’re clear,’ she said, enunciating each word as though I was hard of hearing. ‘You’ll find my brother the perfect match.’

  Match? An odd way to describe a girlfriend, at least coming from a teenager it was. It sounded so clinical, official.

  ‘I’ll do my best,’ I said at last, dragging my eyes away from hers. ‘But I’m busy today. It might not be possi—’

  ‘Great.’ Her lips twisted into a friendly smile. ‘I’ll be outside, where you have your bike, at four.’

  It was an order. This girl felt she could order me around.

  A surge of students entered through the door, pushing past where we stood, one of them knocking Polly’s bag off her shoulder roughly.

  ‘Watch it,’ she snarled, causing the offender – a boy I recognized from my History classes – to jerk away from her.

  ‘Fine, dude,’ he said, giving her the same interested look I’d noticed practically everyone else giving her. ‘It was an accident, OK?’

  Polly simply stared at him imperiously as he shuffled off to catch up with his friends, throwing a final look back at her and muttering something under his breath.

  ‘Idiot,’ said Polly, taking a pack of cigarettes out of her pocket. I refrained from telling her smoking wasn’t allowed inside. She already knew it. And she would have enjoyed letting me know she didn’t give a damn. Taking a cigarette out and putting it in her mouth. She started to turn back to the exit, giving me a last smirk before she did so.

  ‘Later, alligator,’ she said. ‘Have a great day.’

  As I watched her disappear outside, I puffed out my cheeks. I was tired and the last thing I wanted to do was match-make. I hadn’t slept at all the night before after Luca’s news. He’d tried to backtrack a little, claiming there must be an innocent explanation to what he’d found in the training ground; it had been dragged in there from somewhere else, or someone had lost it and it had been found by a wild dog or a cat or something and brought, like an offering, into the hut. But that didn’t seem right to me. The training ground was miles from anywhere. And why was the chain covered in blood? Luca had been freaked out, I could see that. But I guessed he didn’t want me to worry, too. Not after everything …

  I reached my locker and stuffed my backpack inside, taking out my phone and my purse and putting them in my hoodie pocket. My mind was whirring overtime. I had to focus. Leave all that creepy stuff behind. I’d just have to put the necklace out of my mind. For the next few hours at least.

  Emma and Ashley were sipping their hot chocolate when I arrived in the canteen at twelve-thirty.

  ‘Well, hello, Mrs Luca,’ said Ashley, shuffling along the bench to make room for me. ‘We thought you’d dropped us. Now that you’ve got a live-in boyfriend and all.’

  I’d told A&E as much as they needed to know about Luca. That he was my childhood sweetheart who’d moved away, but that first love never dies and we couldn’t stay apart, blah blah blah. Fortunately, being hopeless, unquestioning romantics, the twins bought the whole story. Which obviously saved me a whole lot of awkward explanations about parallel worlds and werewolves. Thinking about it now, I nearly laughed out loud. They’d freak if they knew.

  I gave Ashley a half-hearted eye roll instead. ‘Hardly,’ I said. ‘What with my parents and my little sister watching our every move.’

  ‘Still, you must be happy, right?’ Emma leaned forward, desperate to hear my tales of cohabiting bliss. ‘You finally got your boy back.’

  I allowed myself and them a small satisfied smile. ‘I did.’

  ‘And?’ Ashley raised an eyebrow. ‘Is it amazing?’ She cocked her head and lowered her voice. ‘Or disappointing?’

  ‘No!’ I tossed my hair, which irritated me as that’s something I swore I would never do. ‘It’s great.’

  ‘Ashley’s just jealous.’ Emma gestured at her sister. ‘She wants a boyfriend.’

  I nodded slowly at Ashley, drawing in my breath. ‘Well, as it happens, I might just have a guy for you.’

  ‘Huh?’ Ashley coughed up some hot chocolate.

  ‘Eww, Ash.’ Emma made a face. ‘Gross.’

  ‘Who? Is he a friend of Luca’s? Is he smouldering and gorgeous? What’s his body like?’

  ‘Come on, Ashley,’ I said laughing. ‘Don’t you want to ask a few questions first?’

  ‘You!’ Ashley wasn’t doing a great job of hiding her delight. ‘Come on then, spill.’

  ‘Well.’ I took a breath. ‘You know Mrs C wants me to head up the student council this year?

  ‘Yeah—’ ‘No—’ said the twins in unison. ‘Whatever. That’s great.’

  ‘Right.’ I grinned. ‘Well, my first duty is to mentor a new student. This girl, Polly, she started here a few days ago— ’

  ‘Hey, is that the ginger girl?’ Ashley asked. ‘The ginger Goth?’

  ‘Well, I guess you could describe her as that. She’s really nice,’ I carried on, hoping I sounded like I meant it. ‘And she has a brother.’

  Ashley’s smile faded, understanding. ‘OK.’ She glanced quickly at Emma.

  ‘Ash doesn’t do gingers,’ said Emma brightly. ‘He’s got to be a ginger. I mean, that runs in families, right?’

  ‘Yes, he has red hair,’ I said carefully. ‘More auburn than red really.’ I paused taking in the obvious disappointment on Ashley’s face. ‘You want to see a photo?’

  The twins gave each other a meaningful telekinetic twin look before turning their attention back to me.

  ‘I suppose,’ Ashley shrugged.

  I dug in my pocket for my phone, located Ade’s photo and passed it over to the girls.

  I watched as their eyes widened and Ashley’s expression went from crestfallen to gobsmacked in the space of three seconds.

  ‘Wow,’ she breathed. ‘I never thought a ginger guy could be so hot.’

  ‘Yeah … I mean … He’s actually really … hot,’ echoed Emma, craning over Ashley’s shoulder to look more closely.

  ‘See?’ I summoned a smile, though inside I was wondering what I had got Ashley into. I didn’t know Ade. All I had to go on was Polly’s description. And that wasn’t exactly reassuring. That and the obvious intensity of her relationship with her brother. I felt a moment’s guilt. Ashley was a sweet, straightforward girl. She didn’t need some weirdo and his sister in her life.

  ‘So, he wants a date?’ Ashley prompted, finally handing back the phone. ‘With me?’

  ‘He wants a date with a beautiful, bright girl with the body of a supermodel,’ I told her. ‘Which would be you, Ashley, yes.’

  ‘He’s way out of my league,’ she said, holding out her hand. ‘I need another look.’

  Grinning, I gave her back my phone, and watched as the twins dissolved into quiet shrieks over Ade’s picture. I hadn’t quite thought through the reality of the situation, which could well be that Ade would eat someone like Ashley for breakfast. I didn’t believe Polly’s story for a minute. Any relation of hers had to have the arrogant gene. And there was no denying he was hot. But for now I was enjoying thinking about someone else’s romantic future for a change.

  ‘So,’ I said, once the giggling had died down, ‘I can tell Polly you’re up for a date?’

  ‘Only if Emma can come too,’ said Ashley seriously. ‘We go everywhere
together.’

  ‘But this is a date, Ash.’ I smiled in a compensatory way at Emma. ‘I don’t think that would be his idea of a double date. I don’t think it’s anybody’s idea of a double date.’

  ‘She’s right, Ash.’ Emma nudged her sister. ‘You should go alone.’

  Ashley looked stricken and, underneath the make-up, she looked very young all of a sudden.

  I sighed, knowing what was coming. Might as well pre-empt the inevitable.

  ‘You want Luca and me to come with?’ I suggested reluctantly. ‘Like a proper double date?’

  ‘Would you?’ She reached her hand over the table. ‘It’s just, he’s a stranger and …’

  ‘Of course,’ I said firmly. It was a good idea. I didn’t trust Polly, why would I trust her brother?

  ‘Brilliant.’ Ashley slid the phone over to me and grabbed hold of Emma’s arm. ‘I’ve got a date, Em!’ she squealed. ‘A proper date!’

  My heart was already sinking. Now I had to break the news to Luca. I just had to hope that Ade was normal. Because if he had even the faintest whiff of bad-ass about him, then Luca would sniff it out in a heartbeat.

  Sometimes heightened sensory perception wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Pete’s tea took some getting used to. Luca blew on it, wrinkling his nose at the murky grey colour of the liquid inside the mug. He missed his mother’s tea. He’d never tell Jane that, and truly it wasn’t much of a sacrifice, but this synthetic perfumed concoction was not what he would define as a cup of tea.

  He put the mug down and felt in his jacket pocket, drawing out the small plastic bag he had been hiding in there since the day before.

  Pete was on his way to a supplier’s and the place was empty. Much as he liked the old man, Luca enjoyed being alone at the yard. It was peaceful. Being surrounded by equipment, tools – practical stuff – calmed him. Aside from being with Jane, just sitting with the sound of Pete’s ancient old clock for company was something Luca found he looked forward to these days.

  Still holding the plastic bag in his hand, he took a breath, then carefully and efficiently opened it.

  The blood had dried brown, no longer adhesive. As he touched the chain it crumbled off, speckling his leg with tiny flakes. He winced, a bad taste in his mouth again. The chain was delicate and so tainted by this dried blood. He stared at it, trying to form a picture in his head of the owner. It had to be a woman, or a girl. It looked like a celebration present, like the bracelet Ulfred and Henora had given Dalya when she’d reached her tenth year.

  At the thought of his little sister Luca felt a wave of protectiveness. He closed his eyes for a second, determined not to become sentimental.

  How had the necklace come to be in that stinking place?

  Pete’s cat, a stringy tabby, appeared, slinking through Luca’s legs. Any minute now it would sense the animal in Luca and arch its back, hostile and threatened. But Luca was clearly losing his touch because the cat remained affectionate. Luca looked down to see two of the creature’s paws resting on his boot, its face upturned, meowing in greeting.

  Luca half smiled, unsure whether to be glad or slightly offended that he was no longer considered dangerous. He reached out a finger to stroke the cat’s neck, both of them enjoying the comfort they offered each other.

  Luca considered throwing the necklace in the trash and forgetting about it. There could be any number of explanations. It could be rat’s blood, anything. But that didn’t explain the bright sheen to the silver. It had to have been left there recently.

  He heard the sound of the van pulling into the open yard out front, relieved that Pete was back. Quickly he dropped the necklace back in the plastic bag, stuffing it away in his pocket again.

  The cat fled, knowing Pete had little patience or affection for it. Luca felt half sorry to see it go.

  ‘Tea still hot?’ Pete called, pushing open the door. ‘I’m parched.’

  ‘You were quick.’ Luca stood up.

  ‘Wrong day. Got five minutes down the road before I remembered.’ The old man shook his head. ‘Old age, you see, the memory starts letting you down.’

  ‘I’ll make more tea,’ said Luca. He went through to the tiny kitchen and put the water on to boil. He inspected the array of tea on the shelf above the hob. There was nothing resembling the ground-up leaves that Henora prepared and kept in a stone jar in the kitchen back home.

  Home. Luca took a deep breath. This was his home now. This was his life.

  Pete had turned the radio on low and Luca heard the soft murmur of the announcer’s voice, then some music, the kind that Pete liked: blues, quiet drums. Luca had grown to quite like it too.

  ‘Getting thirsty out here,’ Pete called dryly. ‘What you doing, boy? Growing a tea plantation?’

  Luca smiled to himself, adding milk to Pete’s mug and leaving his own black. He carried the tea out and set it down on the table, sitting on a stool and cradling his mug between his hands.

  ‘Has anyone been out there – to the training ground?’ he asked, breaking the soothing silence.

  Pete glanced up from some documents he was looking at.

  ‘Only us.’ He held eye contact with Luca. ‘Why?’

  Luca hesitated. ‘I found something last time, on the ground.’

  ‘I imagine so,’ Pete raised an eyebrow. ‘Plenty of rusting equipment—’

  ‘No. It was jewellery. A chain … a necklace … a woman’s chain.’ Luca swallowed. ‘It was lying in blood.’

  Pete’s eyebrows rose subtly, questioning. He didn’t speak, waiting for Luca to go on.

  ‘Fresh blood,’ Luca finished. He picked up his mug and drank some tea.

  Pete remained silent for a few seconds longer before finally drawing in a breath and twisting his mouth to come up with a proper response. Animal,’ he said finally. ‘Must have been a wild animal. A dog, or a fox, or something.’ He sniffed, ready to drop the subject.

  ‘A fox?’ Luca’s memory stirred. The conversation with the Jonases the night before came back to him. ‘Of course. Yes, but …’

  Pete smiled. ‘But what?’

  ‘I don’t understand how the blood could be fresh. There must have been someone there – nearby … The blood was sticky. Blood dries quickly, Pete.’

  ‘Well, it probably came from the animal. Cutting itself on some bit of sharp old metal in there. A nail … anything.’ Pete sighed. ‘Why would you think it was anything suspicious.’

  Because I am trained to think like that, Luca thought. I see danger everywhere.

  Instead he forced himself to look sheepish, embarrassed for overreacting.

  ‘I don’t know. I suppose it’s that place.’ He shook his head, picking up his mug again. ‘It has that effect on me.’

  ‘Well, don’t let it. We have to get on with the job. We can’t be reacting like babies every time we stumble across something we don’t like the look of.’ Pete shuffled the papers in front of him into a neater pile and put them into a plastic envelope. He grimaced down at his untouched tea. ‘If I were you, I’d put more energy into making a proper cup of tea.’ With a humorous nod at Luca he got up from the table, taking his mug with him. ‘You’ll get there,’ he said over his shoulder.

  Luca watched the old man disappear back out to his tiny office, then looked down at the black liquid left in his own mug. It had indeed been disgusting and left an unpleasant dry taste in his mouth. He pushed the mug away from him, putting his head in his hands. Pete’s explanation was reasonable. But it didn’t explain where the animal, or whatever it was, had found it, or why it had brought it into the hut from what must have been some distance away. No one lived for miles around the training ground; it was just a vast expanse of country lanes. Not the kind of place you went to for a walk, either. And though he knew it was stupid, Pete’s mention of foxes had sent a chill through Luca. Could it just be a coincidence that Dot had talked about the mythical fox yesterday and brought the creature back
into Luca’s mind. No one he knew of had ever seen these creatures. But Ulfred had spoken of them in almost reverential tones, with a kind of respect for such a powerful animal. Luca trusted his father’s wisdom and his instincts, even though he was a long way from all the beliefs and mythology of Nissilum.

  Pete came back out of his office. He was putting his jacket on; buttoning it up to the neck, he checked his watch. ‘I have to get home, son. My wife needs something doing at home – and the grandchildren are coming over later.’ He smiled. ‘They’re practically all grown up now. But they still like to visit and get spoiled by my old lady.’ He nodded at Luca. ‘Let’s call it a day. If the weather’s not against us tomorrow, we’ll be back at the grounds.’

  Luca stood, relieved. Finishing early meant he’d be home before Jane. They’d get a decent evening together. ‘If that’s OK?’ he said respectfully. ‘You’re sure you don’t need me to do anything around here?’

  ‘No, that’s all right.’ Pete yawned. ‘You get on home to that beautiful girl of yours. Be back here in the morning.’ He picked up a bag of tools, heading for the door. ‘If you could just lock up after me?’

  ‘Sure.’ Luca slipped a hooded sweatshirt over his head.

  ‘And listen.’ Pete paused. ‘Stop filling your mind with dark thoughts.’ He stared at Luca, his eyes serious now. ‘There is such a thing as a self-fulfilling prophecy you know.’

  CHAPTER NINE

  ‘We don’t have to stay long.’ I bent to look in my dressing-table mirror, holding up earring options to my ear. Past my reflection I glanced at Luca, sitting on the end of my bed, doing up the sleeve buttons of his crisp white shirt. Abandoning both pairs of earrings, I adjusted my dress – a tightish, black, short shift I’d bought in the charity shop in Bale a few weeks earlier. I pulled my fingers through my hair and wondered if I ought to put on more make-up. I reached down and picked up my kohl pencil.

  ‘You look lovely,’ Luca said behind me. ‘Simple. Beautiful.’

  I turned to him, smiling. ‘You wait till you see Ashley. She’s so glamorous. I’m going to look like a regular plain Jane beside her.’