The sound of bricks being moved filtered down to me. I smiled through the tears that threatened. I hoped my cat had managed to get out before the bomb hit. She hadn’t even entered my mind as I waited for impact.
Something inside me knew that the bomb was going to hit our house. Yet, I hadn’t thought to save our only pet. Oh, how I wished I had thought about someone else other than me. My mother would never forgive me if she got caught up in the destruction. I would never forgive myself.
Movement to the left of me indicated that the men were getting closer. Dust brushed past my face as a tiny pinprick of light filtered into my small hole. I cringed as I tried to move my legs. They were quite numb. The noise grew louder as the light got brighter. I blinked, glancing down at my hands. They were covered in dirt.
‘Are you hurt?’ someone called from outside.
I shook my head but remembered that he couldn’t see me. I watched as hands grasped at the opening, moving away the debris that blocked my escape. A face appeared, looking straight at me. I tried to smile but the shock of what happened started to sink in.
‘It’s okay. We’ll get you out of there, miss.’
I recognised the man’s eyes. He was the father of the daughter I had held only a few days before. He had come to rescue me now. I smiled gently as I thought about the girl. Hopefully she was in a safe place.
‘My foot’s been crushed,’ I said.
He disappeared from view as he carried on working to make the hole bigger. He spoke to someone with him. I couldn’t see who it was. As my escape route grew wider, I tried to steady my muscles. They had started to shake. My foot screamed at me. The pain of my broken bones filtered up my leg, even though they were mostly numb.
‘Right, I think I can get to you,’ the man said, reaching his arms into the small area.
Grasping his hand, I yelped when he pulled. The movement jarred my foot.
‘Are you okay? Do you think you can climb out?’
I shook my head but knew that I had to. I could not stay one more moment underneath the destruction of my home. Gritting my teeth, I took his other hand. Closing my eyes, I used my good foot to push myself through the hole.
‘Don’t worry, I’ve got you,’ the nice man said.
He put his hands under my shoulders and pulled me the rest of the way. I cried out as my foot hit the concrete bricks. The sunlight on my face made me release my breath. The pain didn’t matter. I was alive.
‘Thank you so much.’ I wrapped my arms around his neck as he lifted me.
Glancing around, I took in the mess of the kitchen. The front part of the house was still standing. That was something. The back bedroom, which was mine, and the kitchen were gone. Completely unrecognisable.
‘We’ll get you to a doctor.’ My rescuer smiled down at me as he carefully took me into the road.
Neighbours stood around, chattering amongst themselves. A lady from a few doors down rushed forward. She took my hand in hers as we walked down the street. It was almost impossible to drive cars around this part of London. The bombs had made so many craters, it wasn’t even worth trying.
‘Is there anyone else in there?’ the woman asked.
Shaking my head, I couldn’t answer. My mouth didn’t want to open. Instead, I kept my eyes glued to the strong chin of the man who carried me. The safety of his arms made me forget that I had a fiancé. A fiancé who was probably up in the sky right now, fighting to win the war.
Licking my lips, I blinked away the tears that came to my eyes. ‘Thank you so much for rescuing me,’ I said.
The woman fell away as we rounded the corner at the end of the street. The man watched me, his eyes glittering in the sunlight. Smiling gently, he looked forward again.
‘You’re the lady that helped me with my daughter the other day,’ he said.
I didn’t watch where we were going but I could tell he was taking me to the doctor’s office instead of the hospital. It was much nearer and hopefully there were less patients. He held me close to his chest. How he managed to hold me so tight without struggling, I didn’t know. Although I was slender, I was quite tall.
‘Yes, where is she now?’
I pictured the little bundle of joy. I couldn’t wait to have a baby of my own. If we made it through the war of course.
‘She’s with her grandmother,’ he said.
The grin that lit his face made me smile too. It was so nice to see a man proud of his daughter. A young handsome man at that. ‘I’m Henry. What’s your name?’
‘Catherine.’
‘And how’s your foot, Catherine?’
Tearing my gaze away from him, I stupidly flexed my toes. I cringed, yelping when pain shot through me. The brick had done a good job of breaking my bones.
The man glanced down at me, his face slightly red now. The effort of carrying me was obviously starting to take its toll. He was a fit person but he had been carrying me for almost twenty minutes. ‘Did you just move your toes?’
I giggled. I couldn’t help it. Only I would do something that silly. He chuckled with me as we rounded the corner and walked straight into the doctor’s office.
Setting me down on a chair, he went over to the receptionist. ‘This lady was trapped under a kitchen table. The bomb ruined half of her house. She has broken her foot but otherwise we think she’s okay.’
Bending down, I inspected my injury. The swelling had already started. My shoe had come off at some point. My toes were already turning black. Hopefully I wouldn’t have any lasting damage. My usually little foot was now twice its normal size. The other one was tiny compared.
‘Do you have any other injuries?’ the receptionist called to me.
I tried to smile but couldn’t. Although my whole foot throbbed, it wasn’t that which made me feel sad. It had become a regular occurrence for people to be bought in with war injuries. So much so that if you weren’t dying, you had to wait a while to be seen. ‘No, it’s just my foot.’
Wiping my dusty hands on my skirt, I glanced up at Henry as he came back over to me. He was wearing a warden’s outfit. That was why he had been at both bomb sites in the last few days.
‘Do you want me to stay?’ he asked.
Sitting next to me, he took my hand. Looking at him, I tried not to stare. There was something about him that made me want to know more. Swallowing, I glanced down, only to end up staring at the buttons on his jacket.
‘I want to stay.’ He squeezed my fingers.
Meeting his gaze, I couldn’t help the grin that split my lips. He returned the smile but didn’t say any more. As we sat there waiting for the doctor, I felt guilty for holding his hand. However, I couldn’t help myself. In that moment, I knew that what the lady had said a few days before had come true. I had met someone that was going to be very important to me. It wouldn’t be easy. He hadn’t long lost his wife and he had a child. Not only that, I had a fiancé.
Chapter Eleven
‘Cancer, are you ready to go shopping?’ Derek called from outside my door.
Shaking off the feeling of fatigue, I threw open the door and smiled at him. I was looking forward to getting a new wardrobe. Being stuck in the same clothes got on my nerves.
‘Are you sure you want to come with me?’ I asked, almost skipping past him.
Derek trailed along behind me. Although his shoulders were slumped and his arms hung by his side, a glint in his eyes told me that he didn’t mind. It was properly driving him insane being around two people who were trying their hardest to be civil. One moment Matt was fine, the next, he wasn’t. Maybe I wasn’t helping the situation by not being as open as I should.
Going out of the front door, I paused mid-step as a car pulled up outside the villa. I didn’t recognise the driver. The passenger door flew open, revealing long pale legs as someone climbed out.
‘Cancer, your brother is here,’ Leo shouted, announcing his arrival to the world.
I squealed as I ran forward and threw myself into his arms. He w
ore a pair of orange shorts to his knees and a black tank top. His bulging muscles were covered in tattoos. Sunglasses rested on the top of his blonde hair.
His strong arms wrapped around me as he swung me into the air. Giggling like a little girl, I paused when someone got out of the back of the car.
‘Why did you have to come to Greece? They drive like absolute nutters. And you can’t even drink the water.’
Leo dropped me as Virgo stepped forward. Her long mousey thin hair reached her waist. Grabbing me, she gave me a hug.
‘What are you doing here?’ I grinned as Leo paid the taxi driver.
As the car drove away, we made our way back inside. Derek hovered in the background, not saying anything.
‘We fancied a holiday,’ Leo said, swaying over to the French doors. ‘Now, that’s a nice pool.’
Virgo rushed over to join him. She jumped up and down as she stepped onto the patio. I didn’t know why my brother and sister were there. I also didn’t care.
‘Seriously, why are you here?’
I went to them and took Leo’s hand. He gave me a stupid grin before glancing over at Derek. ‘Nice to see you, mate.’
Derek stopped hovering, coming over to join us. I remembered Matt as soon as his bedroom door opened.
‘What the hell’s going on?’ he said.
Leo nodded at him. ‘Hello, mate. We thought we’d come and join you for a holiday.’
I couldn’t help the excitement that built in my chest. It bubbled up and over, making me laugh. It was so good to have at least one of my brothers and sisters there.
Virgo rolled the bottom of her trousers up and kicked off her shoes. Sitting on the ledge of the pool, she dipped her feet in and let them dangle.
‘Did your father not trust me?’ Derek blurted.
Leo shook his head as he walked over to the fridge in the kitchen area. Opening it, he pulled out a beer and offered one to the men. Both of them declined.
‘Don’t be stupid. My father trusts you, he knows that Cancer’s safe. We’re being serious. We fancied a holiday.’ Leo shrugged and made his way outside.
I followed him, joining Virgo by the side of the pool. Seeing her sweet face made me feel happy inside. I clasped her hand in mine, being more affectionate than I usually would with her. I was surprised that she had come and not Pisces. Although, Pisces and Antony had things to do.
‘So, where’s the fun?’ Leo said, cracking open his beer and taking a swig.
He stood by the end of the pool, looking like the perfect image for a holiday magazine. Matt and Derek stayed just outside the door. Matt had his arms crossed. Derek watched us with the type of gaze that only a bodyguard would use. His mission had just got a lot harder.
‘You do know that you don’t have to protect these guys as well?’ I asked him.
Matt huffed, spinning on his heel and going back inside. I frowned at his rudeness. I had no idea what had got into him. I didn’t recognise who he was any more.
Derek stepped forward. ‘I know. It’s just, I won’t be able to help it, will I? I work for your father, and if anything happens to any of you, it will be down to me.’
Derek had always been a joker. Well, not a joker exactly, more like an immature man. Suddenly, he had a much bigger task than he had ever had before. It was changing him.
‘You don’t have to worry about us. We can take care of ourselves. I plan on having a nice relaxing time. To celebrate the release of my new album.’ Leo smirked.
My mouth dropped open as I stared at him. He hadn’t even told us that he was releasing the album. ‘What album? I knew you were working on one but I didn’t think you’d finished it.’
Leo raised his eyebrows and strutted towards us. ‘Well, if you weren’t so wrapped up in yourself, you would have realised that I was about to make a lot of money. Well, I’m going to make money soon. Hopefully.’
Virgo looked at me and giggled. He hadn’t released his album yet. It was Leo. The cocky one. Although, he wasn’t as cocky as Aries.
‘Okay,’ I said. ‘So, you’re hoping to release an album at some point?’
We laughed again. Derek even joined in. Leo glared down at us. Rolling his eyes, he took another swig of his drink. The sun reflected off his sunglasses. I closed my eyes for a second. When I opened them, I saw an image of a man in an old-fashioned outfit. Blinking again, I cleared my vision. Leo returned.
‘I love the way Leo thinks that he’s some sort of rock star,’ Virgo said.
I glanced at our brother, expecting some sort of retort. Before he could reply, Derek stepped forward. Virgo and I glanced at him, distracted by his movement. Virgo squealed as Leo bent down and pushed her straight into the pool.
Jumping up, I managed to run away before he got to me. Virgo surfaced from under the water and spluttered. ‘I can’t believe you just did that. These clothes are clean on today.’
I giggled as I ran away from Leo, who chased me through the house and towards the bedrooms. We laughed all the way. I ran to Matt’s room so that he could protect me.
Throwing the door open, I froze. Matt was on the phone.
‘It’s okay,’ he said in a very soft voice.
He glared up at me when the door banged against the wall. I had never heard his voice hold quite so much affection. He quickly ended the call without saying a word. Leo came to a halt behind me, watching us as we glared at each other.
‘Was that her?’ I asked.
Matt squirmed where he sat on the bed. Leo retreated without saying a word. It was a good job too.
‘I can’t lie,’ Matt said. ‘It was her.’
I folded my arms across my chest. My hair fell forward so I tucked it behind my ear. Matt ran a hand over his head. He shrugged when I raised my eyebrows.
‘This isn’t working.’ I turned away and stormed towards the front door. ‘Derek!’ I shouted breezily. ‘I want to go shopping now!’
Grabbing my bag, I threw open the door and went to the car. Derek jogged out of the villa and climbed in the driver’s seat.
Virgo came rushing out. ‘I want to come shopping,’ she said, getting in next to me.
Nodding, I didn’t say anything as I watched out of the window. My stomach was tight. My skin was hot and my fingers hurt as I clenched them together.
‘You deserve better than him, you know that, don’t you?’ Virgo said.
I glanced at her, shocked by what she’d said. We hadn’t had the chance to speak much. She was a nurse so she often did shifts at odd hours.
‘I think you might be right.’ I took my phone out of my bag when it beeped.
Derek looked at me in the rear-view mirror as I glanced up. When our eyes met, I knew that he was thinking the same thing. He had seen how tense we had been together the last few days.
My finger hovered over the screen. I could see that the message was from Matt but I didn’t want to read it. I couldn’t resist for long. Opening it, I read what he had to say. It was just an apology, nothing of any importance. It didn’t feel genuine.
‘Have you ever thought that you might have got wrapped up in him because he was simply there?’ Virgo watched out of the window but her words were aimed at me.
Her frame was small like mine but I had more curves than she did.
‘I don’t know any more. Can we not talk about it?’
I deleted the text and put my phone away. There was no point ignoring the red flags.
‘Sure, we can stop talking about it if you like. I’m just wondering who you have been able to talk to,’ Virgo said.
I gazed at the rolling hills instead of looking at her. I wasn’t about to confide in someone that didn’t have a clue what I was going through. Not only that, Derek also listened intently.
‘Do you want to know what I think?’ Derek said from the front.
I didn’t. How dare he even think that he had a right to ask? No one else was involved in my situation. It was all down to me.
‘Go on, then,’ I found mysel
f saying.
I bit my lip as he parked the car on a street. My heart sped up as I spotted the clothes shop. At least one good thing would come of the day.
Derek turned in his seat as soon as the car was still. ‘When Pisces and Antony were mucking around, I watched them closely. I figured that I would have to get involved at some point so I paid attention. The one thing I noticed more than anything, was that the more Pisces did work on herself, the more Antony wanted to be around her.’
When my sister had first met Derek, she told me that he acted younger than his age. The description she had given me didn’t match that of the same man that now sat in the driver’s seat.
Virgo glanced between us as we stared at each other. I didn’t know whether or not to believe him. Why should I have to work on myself when Matt was the one being awkward?
I licked my lips and looked away. ‘There’s nothing I need to do.’
Virgo sighed as she climbed out of the car. She had given up on me already. In her world, it would be easy for her. She wouldn’t put up with any rubbish. It was clear-cut. Down to earth, just like her sign.
‘I know that you think I’m ridiculous. That’s fair enough. I promise not to say anything else.’ Derek climbed out of the car, joining Virgo on the pavement.
Getting out of the car, I paused as I slammed the door shut. Derek and Virgo watched me with such intensity, I couldn’t handle it. For the first time since landing in Greece, I decided to disappear.
Closing my eyes, I let my muscles soften and my body flow into liquid. I could still see but I was no longer solid matter. I was water. My new form fell to the hard concrete in a splash. All I had to do was think about where to move and my puddle form would move that way.
Slinking under the car, I tried to lose my tail as Virgo and Derek searched for me. Derek’s face had been a picture as I transformed. His mouth had hung open as he watched me fall to the ground. My sister had growled when she realised what I was doing. She had never been very supportive of our powers.
‘Cancer!’ Derek hissed.
Shooting under the cars, I made my way towards the end of the car park. Sliding up onto the pavement, I darted into the nearest shop. Moving to the changing rooms, I found a cubicle and transformed back to my normal self. In my mind’s eye, I saw my body as whole again and somehow my physical form returned.
Cancer: Book 5 in a Young Adult Paranormal Romance Series (The Zodiac Twin Flame Series) Page 8
