him a couple of times, and it was almost like he was possessed. She didn’t catch my hint, and just said that since Will is only seven this sort of thing is to be expected. I sensed something cold about her manner as she said it, and I half-wondered whether Will had got to her first. If he has, then I’m not likely to get any joy out of her. It’s a pity, as I used to think Alison was on my side. I always thought I could trust her to keep secrets, but now I’m not so sure, and I’m trying to remember what she knows about me. Could she use it against me?
Everybody is the same. They’re all so kind and friendly at first, but gradually they take against me and it all begins again. There must be something terrible in me that makes people this way. Or at least, that’s what I used to think. But then I remembered something I’d read years ago—I can’t remember where—about people who are born victims. Apparently there’s a type of person who can’t help attracting other people who want to hurt them. Perhaps I’m one of those people. I could never understand why Mum and Dad hurt me so badly. And after them, Jonathan started. They knew just where to hit so I wouldn’t bruise, so nobody would believe me if I tried to tell them. Oh, they knew exactly what they were doing, all right. That’s why I had to escape as soon as I got the opportunity—run as far as I could, away from them, away from my past. To start afresh.
And I thought I had started afresh. We were happy to begin with, I’m sure of it. But if I am a natural victim, that means I’ll never be able to settle down. One by one, everyone will turn against me and I’ll have to run away again. But I won’t leave Rowan. Rowan, who makes me so happy. He’s the only thing I have that’s truly mine. I’ll hold him close and never let him go. Whatever happens, we’ll always be together.
‘T HE PLOT thickens,’ said Garrett, as they walked down the High Street. The clouds had gathered, giving only the occasional glimpse of sunshine, and the temperature had dropped, and it looked as if the spell of hot weather had finally come to an end.
‘Are you talking about Corbin?’ said Zanna.
‘Can’t you see it? The eternal triangle. Two brothers fall in love with a beautiful young woman, but only one of them can win her. Then he goes away, leaving temptation in his brother’s path. Can our hero and heroine resist it? Tune in to next week’s exciting episode to find out!’
‘I don’t know,’ said Zanna. ‘They seemed so nice.’
‘Most people do when you meet them,’ he said. ‘But just because people are nice doesn’t mean they don’t do bad things. It’s a fallacy to think that evil comes dressed up for the occasion, complete with black cloak and dripping fangs. Generally speaking it wears jeans and a T-shirt, just like the rest of us.’
‘That’s very profound,’ she said. ‘I’m not sure my head can cope with it at the moment.’
‘Come for a drive,’ he said. ‘We’ve seen all there is to see around here. Let’s go up the coast and see if they’ll let us into Scotland without a passport. Come on,’ he said, as he saw her hesitate. ‘It’ll be good for you to get out of here for a few hours. You’re not selling your soul to this gallery woman till tomorrow, so what else are you going to do?’
‘It would be nice to get out for a bit, I suppose,’ she said.
‘Excellent,’ he said. ‘Go and get your jacket and I’ll see you in five at the car.’
In the end they headed away from the border and the sea, and spent what remained of the afternoon driving around the countryside of Northumberland. It was a relief to get away from all disturbing thoughts for an hour or two, and Garrett was an entertaining companion. He was nothing more than friendly that afternoon, but when they got back he turned the car engine off, and she saw that he was looking at her with an expression that was impossible to mistake. Her heart
Everybody is the same. They’re all so kind and friendly at first, but gradually they take against me and it all begins again. There must be something terrible in me that makes people this way. Or at least, that’s what I used to think. But then I remembered something I’d read years ago—I can’t remember where—about people who are born victims. Apparently there’s a type of person who can’t help attracting other people who want to hurt them. Perhaps I’m one of those people. I could never understand why Mum and Dad hurt me so badly. And after them, Jonathan started. They knew just where to hit so I wouldn’t bruise, so nobody would believe me if I tried to tell them. Oh, they knew exactly what they were doing, all right. That’s why I had to escape as soon as I got the opportunity—run as far as I could, away from them, away from my past. To start afresh.
And I thought I had started afresh. We were happy to begin with, I’m sure of it. But if I am a natural victim, that means I’ll never be able to settle down. One by one, everyone will turn against me and I’ll have to run away again. But I won’t leave Rowan. Rowan, who makes me so happy. He’s the only thing I have that’s truly mine. I’ll hold him close and never let him go. Whatever happens, we’ll always be together.
‘T HE PLOT thickens,’ said Garrett, as they walked down the High Street. The clouds had gathered, giving only the occasional glimpse of sunshine, and the temperature had dropped, and it looked as if the spell of hot weather had finally come to an end.
‘Are you talking about Corbin?’ said Zanna.
‘Can’t you see it? The eternal triangle. Two brothers fall in love with a beautiful young woman, but only one of them can win her. Then he goes away, leaving temptation in his brother’s path. Can our hero and heroine resist it? Tune in to next week’s exciting episode to find out!’
‘I don’t know,’ said Zanna. ‘They seemed so nice.’
‘Most people do when you meet them,’ he said. ‘But just because people are nice doesn’t mean they don’t do bad things. It’s a fallacy to think that evil comes dressed up for the occasion, complete with black cloak and dripping fangs. Generally speaking it wears jeans and a T-shirt, just like the rest of us.’
‘That’s very profound,’ she said. ‘I’m not sure my head can cope with it at the moment.’
‘Come for a drive,’ he said. ‘We’ve seen all there is to see around here. Let’s go up the coast and see if they’ll let us into Scotland without a passport. Come on,’ he said, as he saw her hesitate. ‘It’ll be good for you to get out of here for a few hours. You’re not selling your soul to this gallery woman till tomorrow, so what else are you going to do?’
‘It would be nice to get out for a bit, I suppose,’ she said.
‘Excellent,’ he said. ‘Go and get your jacket and I’ll see you in five at the car.’
In the end they headed away from the border and the sea, and spent what remained of the afternoon driving around the countryside of Northumberland. It was a relief to get away from all disturbing thoughts for an hour or two, and Garrett was an entertaining companion. He was nothing more than friendly that afternoon, but when they got back he turned the car engine off, and she saw that he was looking at her with an expression that was impossible to mistake. Her heart
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