Page 23 of Oleander

Downstairs, Luke and Beth were talking about decorating, so I went straight to the kitchen, poured some cinnamon squares and stood at the open back door to eat them. It was still hot. Living here limited my freedom a little in a way I hadn’t considered. There was no longer a bus at the bottom of the streetthat I could get into town. Now I’d need Luke or Beth to drive me there, to anywhere really. But with the baby coming and with Luke having so much to do around the house and at work, I didn’t like to ask. So my options were pretty limited for what to do today, not that I minded.

I finished my cereal and lumbered back into the living room.

“Anything you need help with today?” I asked Luke dutifully. “Around the house, I mean?”

“We’re going out to get some paint and things at B&Q if you wanna come?”

“I’ll honestly pass.”

Luke grinned. “Fair enough.”

“You could unpack those boxes cluttering up your room,” Beth said.

“But they make really good tables to leave all my dirty dishes on.”

Luke laughed as Beth rolled her eyes, and I headed upstairs for a shower.

“Can you at least hang the washing out?” Beth called up as went. “It’s got about fifteen minutes left, and we’re ready to go now.”

When I didn’t answer immediately, she yelled: “Jude!”

“I heard you! Yeah, I’ll do it.”

“The pegs and basket are in front of the machine, so you don’t forget.”

“Great idea!” I yelled back.

After showering, I lay on the bed in the hot summer earlyafternoon and did what most fifteen-year-olds did when they had the house to themselves: I had a wank. It didn’t happen often, so I liked to take full advantage when it did. I even left the bedroom door open.

Then I hung out the washing, eyeing the lake with desire. I wasn’t sure if it was safe to swim in, but since it hadn’t been one of Gideon’s warnings to us when we moved in, and since there was no current, I figured it couldn’t be too deadly.

Torn between unpacking the boxes and going for a swim to cool down, I realised I’d have to do one to get to the other. My swim shorts were in one of the boxes marked ‘Clothes – Jude’, so I upended two on my bed until I found them.

I waded into the cold lake, ha-ha-ha-ing and shh-shh-ing, and pushed out towards the middle, submerging my head to even out the temperature hitting my body. It felt great – perfect. It wasn’t very deep, and it was taller than me at the centre, but not by much.

I floated on my back and backflipped under the surface, I swam to one end and then the other and dove to the bottom. Then I swam to the little row boat and climbed in, using the oar to push myself out to the centre of the lake. There, I lay on my back squinting at the sky as the boat rocked gently. I must have dozed off because the sun had moved when I blinked open my eyes. Then, a weird noise pricked at my hearing.

I ignored it at first, but it got louder. Then louder still, almost like thunder getting closer, yet there wasn’t a single cloud in the sky.

When I lifted my head, I started at the sight of Caspien on horseback racing towards me. He was at full speed, as far as I could tell, and the sound of thunder was only increasing. It was like he was going to gallop right into the lake.

In fact, he was.

I sat up too quickly, clumsily, and the bad distribution of my weight toppled me headfirst into the water. When I broke the surface, he was turning Falstaff in a circle near the pond’s edge as he stared at me.

“Are you drowning?” he asked without a sliver of concern.

“No!” I spat out the lake water and scrubbed a hand over my face as I grabbed for the edge of the boat. “What the hell was that? I thought you were going to come right into the water.”

“Well, Falstaff is an excellent swimmer, but he’s just had a heavy lunch, so I wouldn’t risk it.”

Was that...a joke?

I felt like an idiot bobbing there while he looked down at me imperiously from his horse. I wanted to climb back into the boat, but I wasn’t sure I could do it with any agility, so I stayed put, scowling at him. His blonde hair was tied back, and he wore beige riding pants with a pale green polo shirt. His cheeks were pink from the ride.

“What?” I asked impatiently. “Why are you still here?”

“I came to speak with Luke.” He cast a glance at the cottage behind me.