“I'll be there.”
6
As I wolfed down my breakfast the next day, I heard the post drop. John walked out to collect it.
I’d woken up an hour earlier than usual, almost jumping out of bed with energy. My hair had taken seconds to style. Clothes fit, rather than hanging off me like sacks. I’d bounded downstairs and helped Mum prepare breakfast and tidy the kitchen. She made no reference to the strange comment she’d made. Instead she was back to normal — all smiles and laughs.
“Well, you seem different today,” she’d laughed as I danced about, putting plates away, and humming a Soulfire song.
“I feel different.”
Now as I sat eating team effort pancakes, John returned to the kitchen and dropped a letter next to my plate. I frowned and picked it up. The envelope was high quality, its surface thick and the colour of fresh cream. The writing on the front was elaborate, dark ink scrawled across the paper like spider legs. No stamp. My fingers pressed against something hard inside. I knew this wasn’t a letter to open in front of an audience. So after breakfast, I headed into the hallway and locked myself in the downstairs toilet.
“Bro, we going or what?” Mikey called through the door.
“I’ll see you in the car,” I replied. “Keys are in the bag.”
Slipping my thumb into the corner of the flap, I tore the envelope open. My heart was beating double speed. I tipped the contents into my hand and stared. It was a black key fob. Confused, I peered into the envelope and noticed a small folded note. I opened it up. The message was written in the same spidery handwriting.
Parked on Mason Avenue. This should help you with your new life.
That was all. I crammed the note and keys into my pocket and flushed the toilet for effect. Grabbing my bag from the hall, I shouted goodbye and rushed out the door.
Mikey leaned back in his seat, lost in thought. I’d filled him in on everything I knew so far. The only thing I hadn’t mentioned was the letter and keys. I wasn’t sure what they meant myself yet. He looked over when I took a left instead of a right.
“Hey, just how badly did your memory get affected? You're going the wrong way!”
“I need to make a quick detour,” I replied.
Mason Avenue was a little street not too far from Town. Devoid of streetlights, it was dark and gloomy in the winter morning. Cars were parked nose to bumper on either side. Given the road’s closeness to town, it was doubtful that many of them actually belonged to the owners of the houses.
I parked up on the corner and climbed out.
“What's going on?” asked Mikey, winding down the window.
I ignored him and pulled the key out of my pocket. Held the fob in front of me and clicked the button as I walked. About a hundred yards away something flashed and beeped. I ran to the noise and my jaw dropped.
Sitting unassumingly between a Skoda and a Toyota was a brand new Audi sports car.
Its sleek silver body gleamed in the emerging sunlight. I pressed the fob a few more times just to make sure I was seeing things right. The lights blinked and the car beeped in response.
“Oh my god,” I breathed. I didn't know a huge amount about cars, but I knew this was an expensive one. Excitement swept through me as I opened the door and the intoxicating smell of new leather rushed out to greet me. On the driver’s seat was another small note.
Check the boot.
I fumbled about and found the button that opened it. Once popped, I headed around and lifted it. Bags filled the space. Names like Selfridges, Boss and Versace stamped on them like awards. They contained what must have been thousands of pounds worth of designer clothes: t-shirts, jackets, jeans and shoes. I even found a brand new pair of Ray Ban’s.
I picked a knitted beige jumper and checked the tag.?249.99
I let out a disbelieving laugh. Someone must really like me.
I looked around to see who was about. The street seemed empty. Even Mikey was blocked from view, so I shrugged off my clothes and slipped into the jumper and a pair of jeans I’d found in another bag. I finished with a black leather jacket and matching shoes. Everything fitted perfectly. I shut the boot and walked back to my old car. “What’s going on…where did you get those?” Mikey quizzed, a deep frown etched in his face. I leaned against the door and grinned. “How do you feel about sports cars?”
The engine roared as I gunned down the road. The car was so fast I wouldn’t normally have been able to handle it — I’d only had my licence a few months. But something was different now. I seemed to know exactly what to do at every possible point — when to drop a gear, accelerate, when to brake. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Mikey staring at me wearing a look of disbelief.
“Listen,” I said, taking a corner a little too fast, “before you ask, I still don't know what’s going on. A letter arrived today with the keys and this note inside.” I handed him the fold of paper. “That's all I can say. But if someone gave you all this stuff, would you say no?”
He scanned the words and shrugged. “Depends on what they wanted in return. I mean, why else would they do all this?”
I paused. With everything going on, the thought that there may be a catch hadn’t even occurred to me.
What could they possibly want from me?
“Do you think it could be some kind of government experiment?” Mikey asked, fiddling with the CD player. “It would explain the reason you were taken and why you have all these sick abilities.”
I lifted a hand off the wheel and pinched at the bridge of my nose. “Maybe. I mean it’s possible, I guess. Argghh I don’t know!” I hit the wheel with the palm of my hand. “Screw it; I’m going to enjoy this while I can.” Mikey gave an approving nod. “That’s what I’d do.” The CD activated and the soft rock intro of ‘Rise’ by Soulfire filled the plush interior. Mikey raised an eyebrow. “Yours?” “Nope.” He settled back into his seat as we gunned past another car. “Well they certainly know you.”
Eyes bulged and jaws dropped as the car rolled through the gates of Chapter Hill School. I parked near the main steps, buzzing from all the gawping stares. As Mikey pushed open the door, he turned and looked at me.
“Quick one, how do you plan to keep this from Mum and Dad?” I shrugged. “I’ll swap it for the Peugeot whenever I drive home.” “And what do we tell everyone else?” “Tell them a rich Uncle on my Dad’s side died and left me money.” Mikey smiled. “Got all the answers these days huh?” He patted me on the shoulder and climbed out.
Not all of them.
People stared even harder when I slipped out of the sleek sports car and flicked the alarm. With a large smile etched on my face, I weaved past them and up the main steps. As I made my way through the school, people glanced up and social circles stopped talking to stare. It was an odd sensation, being the focus so many people, but minus the suffocating feeling of awkwardness. This must be what actual confidence feels like. As I turned the corner, I saw a familiar blonde topped shape ahead of me. “Tim!” I shouted and caught up with him. “Yeah?” he said, turning and regarding me with a momentary blank expression. His eyes widened. “Alex?” “The one and only,” I smiled. “Miss me?” He shook his head in disbelief. “Mate what happened, you look so different!”
I’d been confused and in need of support when I’d confided in Mikey. Now I had a better handle on things, it seemed better to keep the circle of trust tight. At least until I knew more. So I decided not to tell Tim — yet. Instead, I fed him the exact same story I’d used on Mum and John, with the rich Uncle bit tacked on the end. Explained how I’d used some of the money to pay for the expensive private retreat. I must have spoken with conviction, because he didn’t even frown.
“Well rest assured mate, it was money well spent.”
I killed a free period in the sixth form common room, sitting on a worn sofa, flicking through an old FHM magazine someone had left on the counter. Out of the corner of my eye I spied a group of girls staring at me and giggling. One of them — Grace Evans, shared my History class. She was pretty. Not Gabriella pretty, but very attractive by mere human standards. I’d never so much as exchanged a single vowel with her before, but she was certainly paying me attention now. She ran a hand through her wavy auburn hair and flicked her eyes between me and her group. After a while she made her way over to me. Normally that would have been the exact point in which I started sweating and said something mortally embarrassing. None of that happened. My heart rate didn’t even increase. I lowered the magazine and looked up. She stood in front of me, clutching at her bag strap and dug the heel of a boot into the carpet. “You’re Alex Eden right?” she said, with what sounded incredibly like nerves in her voice. “I am. And you’re Grace Evans.” She giggled. “Yeah, that’s me. We have History together.” I nodded.