he heard ‘… J is for John, once quiet and tall. What happened to John again?’ Eve’s faraway voice gave a happy squeal. ‘Oh yes, he fell from a wall!’ Shrieking with laughter she ran on, always staying at the edge of Ben’s vision.
Breathlessly he followed, but she was going too fast. He called desperately for her to slow down.
‘No, no, come on, hurry!’ she demanded, not unkindly, and only when Ben got too tired to keep updid she return to him. Staring at him a moment, she thrust a sketch into his hand. ‘Do you like it?’ she asked, obviously wanting him to.
Ben could barely see the sketch in the darkness, but he said yes anyway, hoping she’d stay with him.
She did a moment, kissing his hand. Then she was off again, skipping up the corridor. Ben lost sight of her immediately. ‘Don’t forget to show Elliott the picture,’ she murmured, even the sound of her almost gone now.
One final verse came back to Ben, fluttering on her high voice.
Where’s the Ogre?
Where’s he been?
Where’s he hiding, all unseen?
Eve’s words died away.
‘Eve?’ Ben whispered.
But she was no longer with him. Nor was Janey. Janey was never invited this deep inside the East Wing.
Ahead, the corridor descended. At the bottom of that descent was a small set of steps. At the bottom of those steps was a dark passageway.
Folding up and tucking Eve’s picture inside his pyjama top pocket, Ben walked cautiously down the steps into the passageway and looked around.
One wall showed the usual portraits of Cullayn. Theowner smiled in three different ways from them.
The other wall was blank, moonlit.
A strangely terrified feeling suddenly swarmed inside Ben.
Time to get out
, part of him thought, the true part, knowing it was important.
Instead he lay down. It was hard not to. It felt good. It felt right.
The carpet in the corridor was crusty with age but not so dust-ridden that Ben couldn’t put his cheek against it here, and here, and rest his lips just there, off the surface.
This place felt special. To be so deep inside did not feel wrong. Was that because Eve had made her home here? Was her home now
his
home? That idea should have filled Ben with unimaginable fear, but instead he found himself stretching out his arms and legs. He felt unaccountably drowsy. Why not have a nap? Or a longer sleep? He directed his gaze at the roof. Little swirls of plaster caught the moonlight.
I could live here, he thought. The idea came unbidden into his mind, and it did not feel odd.
It was a statement of victory, but not Ben’s.
Behind him, the blank wall slid open.
UNFED FOR SO LONG
Later that night the moon rose higher in the night sky, seen by some, not by others.
Janey stood near the East Wing, resting against a wall. She was out of breath. It had been difficult carrying the sleeping Ben back to Elliott’s room, and then having to drag herself all the way downstairs again to refit the planks over the East Wing entrance. The metal screws had taken a lot of work. And, of course, when it was Elliott’s turn to go inside, she would have to open it again.
Eve had surprised her and Cullayn by asking for permission to deal with Elliott herself. She wanted to do it alone. ‘A game, Daddy, a game. I won’t mess up. I won’t! It’ll be fun!’ She’d hopped and buzzed around Cullayn like a dragonfly until he agreed.
Cullayn had pretended to object, but Janey had seen how secretly pleased he was that Eve was taking the lead. She was his undisclosed weapon, his little huntress in the making. Cullayn had high plans for Eve. Hecould have swallowed her soul when she died, taken all that energy in one great satisfying gulp, but he’d kept her close instead. Made her an ally in his hunting plans. Tutored her.
No fun if it’s too easy when it comes to Elliott, he’d chided her. Surprise me.
Tucking the pneumatic screwdriver back into its plastic container now, Janey left the Glebe House estate. On her way back
Breathlessly he followed, but she was going too fast. He called desperately for her to slow down.
‘No, no, come on, hurry!’ she demanded, not unkindly, and only when Ben got too tired to keep updid she return to him. Staring at him a moment, she thrust a sketch into his hand. ‘Do you like it?’ she asked, obviously wanting him to.
Ben could barely see the sketch in the darkness, but he said yes anyway, hoping she’d stay with him.
She did a moment, kissing his hand. Then she was off again, skipping up the corridor. Ben lost sight of her immediately. ‘Don’t forget to show Elliott the picture,’ she murmured, even the sound of her almost gone now.
One final verse came back to Ben, fluttering on her high voice.
Where’s the Ogre?
Where’s he been?
Where’s he hiding, all unseen?
Eve’s words died away.
‘Eve?’ Ben whispered.
But she was no longer with him. Nor was Janey. Janey was never invited this deep inside the East Wing.
Ahead, the corridor descended. At the bottom of that descent was a small set of steps. At the bottom of those steps was a dark passageway.
Folding up and tucking Eve’s picture inside his pyjama top pocket, Ben walked cautiously down the steps into the passageway and looked around.
One wall showed the usual portraits of Cullayn. Theowner smiled in three different ways from them.
The other wall was blank, moonlit.
A strangely terrified feeling suddenly swarmed inside Ben.
Time to get out
, part of him thought, the true part, knowing it was important.
Instead he lay down. It was hard not to. It felt good. It felt right.
The carpet in the corridor was crusty with age but not so dust-ridden that Ben couldn’t put his cheek against it here, and here, and rest his lips just there, off the surface.
This place felt special. To be so deep inside did not feel wrong. Was that because Eve had made her home here? Was her home now
his
home? That idea should have filled Ben with unimaginable fear, but instead he found himself stretching out his arms and legs. He felt unaccountably drowsy. Why not have a nap? Or a longer sleep? He directed his gaze at the roof. Little swirls of plaster caught the moonlight.
I could live here, he thought. The idea came unbidden into his mind, and it did not feel odd.
It was a statement of victory, but not Ben’s.
Behind him, the blank wall slid open.
UNFED FOR SO LONG
Later that night the moon rose higher in the night sky, seen by some, not by others.
Janey stood near the East Wing, resting against a wall. She was out of breath. It had been difficult carrying the sleeping Ben back to Elliott’s room, and then having to drag herself all the way downstairs again to refit the planks over the East Wing entrance. The metal screws had taken a lot of work. And, of course, when it was Elliott’s turn to go inside, she would have to open it again.
Eve had surprised her and Cullayn by asking for permission to deal with Elliott herself. She wanted to do it alone. ‘A game, Daddy, a game. I won’t mess up. I won’t! It’ll be fun!’ She’d hopped and buzzed around Cullayn like a dragonfly until he agreed.
Cullayn had pretended to object, but Janey had seen how secretly pleased he was that Eve was taking the lead. She was his undisclosed weapon, his little huntress in the making. Cullayn had high plans for Eve. Hecould have swallowed her soul when she died, taken all that energy in one great satisfying gulp, but he’d kept her close instead. Made her an ally in his hunting plans. Tutored her.
No fun if it’s too easy when it comes to Elliott, he’d chided her. Surprise me.
Tucking the pneumatic screwdriver back into its plastic container now, Janey left the Glebe House estate. On her way back
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