Blue Moon (Book One in The Blue Crystal Trilogy) by Pat Spence Page A

Theo.
    “Oh, they’ll be fine,” I said,
trying to convince myself. “They just need a bit of time. Don’t
worry about them.”
    “I don’t,” said Theo, with
arched eyebrows. “It’s you I’m interested in, not them.”
    The way he looked at me made my
stomach flip and goose bumps run down my spine. I shuddered,
feeling completely weak in his presence. I would do anything for
this boy. Even give up my friends.
    “Come on,” he said, taking my
bag, and I followed him down the stairs, past the main hall, into
the reception area, and out into the open air. As we walked through
the college gates, I saw the gleaming black Jaguar and the
unpleasant chauffeur lounging by the car door.
    “Hi Aquila,” said Theo, walking
up to the car. “One more to take home today. This is Emily.”
    “Hi, Aquila,” I muttered shyly
from behind Theo’s back, aware that this odious man didn’t like
me.
    His black eyes glittered at me.
“Yes, we’ve met,” he said dismissively, asking Theo, “Do your
mother and father know about this?”
    Theo laughed shortly. “And what
are they going to do about it? We’re only giving Emily a lift home,
what’s your problem?”
    “No problem,” he answered
through gritted teeth, and opened the door roughly, saying to me,
“Get in, please.”
    I slid onto the smooth leather
seats looking around me. This was the kind of luxury I could get
used to. Theo sat next to me, placing his leg close to mine. My
insides flipped again and I felt frozen to the spot, my body
tensing in anticipation of things to come. Should he be doing this?
Was it appropriate? Appropriate or not, it felt fantastic, and I
grinned at him, feeling like the cat who’s got the cream. He smiled
back, his wonderful, sunny smile, and I knew, whatever happened,
whoever disapproved, I didn’t care. I just wanted to be with him.
There was a slight commotion outside as Violet arrived and was
ushered into the front seat by Aquila. She turned and looked at us
angrily.
    “Hi Emily, did you miss the
bus?”
    “Er, no…” I stuttered, “Theo
said I could have a lift home.” I glanced at Theo for support.
    “It’s okay, Vi, don’t get in a
sweat,” he smiled sweetly at his sister. “Emily only lives down the
road from the hall, it’s no problem to drop her off.”
    “If you say so,” said Violet,
frostily and turned, staring very deliberately through the front
window. “Can we have some music on, Aquila?” she asked, without
even looking at the chauffeur, who by now was sitting in the
driving seat, with the engine idling. “Elgar’s Salut d’Amour would
seem appropriate,” she added sourly.
    “Sure. Why not?” he said
stonily, not looking back at her and pressed a button on the
console.
    Beautiful music filled the
cabin, and it would have been perfect had not the atmosphere been
so chilly. I sat, feeling perplexed. What was with this weird
family? I couldn’t get their measure at all. Surely Violet wasn’t
jealous of me being with Theo? And why did the hook-nosed Aquila
seem to dislike me so intensely? He looked at me as if I was a
piece of meat on a plate, and I felt very uneasy in his presence.
Frightened, even. If he was a servant, he had no business having
opinions about me. Surely he was there to do his job? Something
didn’t add up, but I couldn’t work out what it was.
    Then Theo took my hand in his
and all my doubts and insecurities melted away. I felt safe and
protected. The haunting melody of the violin filled the air and I
sat back against the smooth, cool leather, losing myself in the
experience. I’d come a long way in the last few days. From being a
sad no-hoper without even the glimmer of a love life, I now had the
best-looking boy I’d ever met as my boyfriend, and I was being
taken home in his chauffeur-driven car. Who’d have guessed at the
beginning of the week that life could take such an upward turn? I
squeezed Theo’s hand and he squeezed it back, making me smile. I
didn’t need to