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  “No, of course not.” She said looking over to me with a smile, weak but visible, present on her face.

  I felt my eyebrows lowering, heavy with confusion. Was Charles upset with me or not? And what was with his sudden open affection to Rachael? Or was it simply the first time I had noticed?

  “You would like to come wouldn’t you?” Charles asked.

  I nodded, slowly.

  “Great. Let’s go.” He said grabbing his car keys off the kitchen counter.

  Charles was in full flow as he drove turning slightly every now and again to include me into the conversation, each prompt directed at initiating some kind of exchange between me and Rachael. His initial change of heart now apparent. He was hoping he could initiate some kind of bond between me and Rachael. I hadn’t cared much for my relationship with Rachael before, seeing her more as an evil step mother than a friend, but I knew it must be of some importance to Charles, who I realised did care for Rachael a lot more than he publicly displayed. I wasn’t sure if I could truly care about Rachael the same way but I knew a platonic relationship was something I could do, if only for his sake.

  Finally, Charles parked up the car and we got out, it was the first time I had gone into town with Charles and I wasn’t sure what to expect. The first place we stopped off at was a DIY shop where Charles picked up some extra tools and some small pieces of lumbar for the barn he was remodelling and carried them back to the car.

  “Mr Williams.” A boy shouted as Charles and Rachael filled the car’s boot with the new equipment.

  “Hello Solomon.” He answered straightening himself back up.

  “Hi Mrs Williams” He said to Rachael before looking back at Charles. “Have you thought any more about coaching the team?” Solomon asked.

  “I’m so sorry, I’ve had a few things on my mind lately. I haven’t actually given it any thought.” Charles said.

  “Please, Sir, we have a big game coming up, we really need your help.” Solomon continued.

  “Hmm.” Charles groaned, “You also have an exam coming up. Have you revised over your work?”

  “Of course Sir.” He said, a huge smile suddenly taking over his face until a deep dimple pierced his left cheek. He continued assuring Charles he wouldn’t let his school work suffer, his fingers leaving smalls waves in his hair as he combed through it, nervously.

  He was almost the same height as Charles, his hair a much lighter brown and his eyes a deep blue. I couldn’t help but think he smiled a lot more than was needed, but I couldn’t deny that he had a captivating smile which caused me to smile too.

  “I don’t know if I’ll be much help.” Charles said.

  “Are you kidding?” Solomon said. “You broke most of the school records when you went there and nobody’s come close since.”

  Charles blushed slightly, glancing over to me, he had told me about the year he spent on the football team, but he had been very modest according to what Solomon was saying.

  I raised my eyebrows in appreciation, giggling as he shook his head from embarrassment.

  Solomon turned to me, acknowledging me for the first time, his eyes quickly surveying my face before meeting my gaze. “I'm sorry, I didn't realise you had company.” He said to Charles still holding my gaze.

  “It's fine.” Charles said closing the boot of his car and walking over to me. “This is my daughter, Claudia.”

  Solomon's mouth dropped slightly as he looked from me to Charles and then back again, “I didn't know you had a daughter.”

  “Neither did I.” Charles said.

  His eyes darkened under the shadow of his eyebrows, but somehow still sparkled. His gaze lost in thought as he contemplated over the information.

  “Ok, we'd better get going. I'll talk to you later”. He said at the same time as Solomon's lips parted to form a word.

  Solomon nodded. “I'll see you around then.” he said.

  I gave a single nod and followed behind Charles, who was already walking in the direction of the supermarket.

  ***

  The supermarket was a large old fashioned building which had been updated to look more modern. A large green sign above the entrance read 'Beckford's Supermarket'. Inside the supermarket was a lot busier than the streets, with a low mumble of voices in conversation and children, either laughing excitedly or crying out of frustration.

  “Is it okay if I wait here?” I asked as we passed the magazine and book aisles.

  “Yeh, sure.” Charles answered.

  I sighed with relief and made my way to the magazine racks. As much as I had enjoyed being out with Charles for the day, Rachael's constant banter about which rice, breads and cheeses were the tastiest had gotten a bit much for me. Besides she seemed in her element as she walked with Charles seemingly oblivious to the fact that I was with them.

  I picked up the first MMA magazine I saw. The front cover of one had a photo of two bloody faced men fighting in a caged arena. This looks good. I thought and picked up a second book. A soft smile fell on my lips as I remembered Dr J's disapproval of MMA. I had enjoyed watching MMA fights while I was at the facility, as they were a lot more gruesome than boxing matches. And even though Dr J disapproved, considering the violence not fitting for a young girl, after a few well-placed pouts as well as pulling a few guilt strings he eventually promised to take me to a real cage fight, but he had never been able to get permission.

  My heart dropped with the memory of Dr J, I had promised to avenge his death but had been so preoccupied since I started staying with Charles that I hadn't made any plans towards how I was going to go about it.

  I leaned back against the rack and exhaled deeply, Dr J would be happy to know I had found Charles, I thought. A simple meandering that lead to a barrage of other questions. Why had he left it so long to tell me about the list? Did he know what I would find? And why hadn't he told me he was in trouble? I could have protected him, surely? We could have all been here together, and we would have all gone to see this match. I opened page 6 to read the details of an upcoming tournament which would be held in Knightsbridge, a town nearby.

  “That's not what I'd expect someone like you to be reading.” A voice suddenly interrupted me. I looked up to see Solomon standing in front of me with a young girl.

  “Someone like me?” I asked curtly.

  “Um .. A girl I mean. I don't know much girls who like pugilism. I don’t know any actually!" He frowned slightly with an unsure expression, possibly questioning if he should have addressed me in that way.

  “Oh, it’s for Charles actually.” I lied, hoping to distance myself from what he seemed to feel was an abnormal way for a girl to behave.

  “Really? Mr Williams is into MMA?” The girl asked, grinning.

  “Yeh. It's a bit of a secret obsession.” I lied again smiling back at the girl.

  “This is my cousin, Emily.” Solomon said gesturing towards the girl.

  She didn't really resemble Solomon, she was a very plain looking girl, with mousy brown hair and brown eyes which stared curiously, eager to catch every movement around. Her smile however could be very reminiscent of his own smile, and faded all of her plainness.

  “It's so nice to meet you.” Emily said excitedly. “None of us knew Mr Williams had a daughter. You'll soon be the talk of the town.”

  “Oh great, just what I always wanted.” I replied sarcastically, which sent Emily into a fit of laughter. I smiled weakly, I hadn't meant it as a joke.

  “Don't worry about her, she's always like this.” He said.

  A ripples of heat shot through my body. He gaze was fixed directly on to mine, focused a lot deeper than a look any one had given me before.

  “Oh, here's the one I wanted.” I said walking over to the teen girl’s aisle and picking up the first one I came across. Internally I cringed at the sight of the bright pink magazine, decorated with hearts and flowers, but externally, I smiled and flicked through the pages.

  “Oh my gosh.” Emily gasped picking up a
copy of the same magazine. “David Brentford! Isn't he a dream?” She asked wrapping her arms around it. On the cover of the magazine was a teenage pop singer who I'd seen on TV, I didn't follow him myself but I had heard of girls screaming and fainting when they saw him.

  “I really wish he was.” I replied flatly, not interested in understanding how girls fell head over heels for pop icons. Solomon, who was still watching me, laughed quietly.

  “I'm, sorry, Emily.” I said, for the second time that day regretting what I'd said. “I'm not really into boy bands, I just like the fashion section.” Another lie!

  “That's cool. Just means less competition for me.” She replied, still cheerful. “So ... are you staying in Westpoint?”

  “Yeh, I think so.”

  “Great. You should be starting school soon then, right?”

  I hadn't really thought that far down the road and wasn't sure how to answer, so an air of relief ran through me when I saw Rachael coming around the corner.

  “Are you ready?” She asked after nodding a greeting to Solomon and Emily.

  “Yep.” I answered.

  “Did you want us to get those?” She asked putting her hand out for the magazines.

  “Sure.” I said handing them over.

  Rachael flicked through the three magazines her eyes darting from me to them a few times. We hadn't become the closest of friends but the confusion in her eyes showed she knew I wouldn't be interested in a girly magazine. She looked back at me, her eyes narrowed interrogatively, to which I responded with a weak almost wounded smile.

  “Ah,“ Rachael said as if suddenly understanding the situation. ”You got some for Charles? He'll love these.” Then she raised her hand to bid farewell to Solomon and Emily and walked down to the checkouts.

  “I'd better go.” I said.

  “Well, hopefully we'll see you around again soon.” Emily said happily before continuing her perusal of girly magazines.

  “Yeh, it was really nice meeting you.” Solomon said smiling softly.

  “You too.” I responded and then followed after Rachael. "So, does Charles really have a secret obsession with MMA?" I asked after a safe distance had grown between us and Solomon. Rachael simply smiled and then winked. I quickly looked away, unable to navigate the conflicting emotions that were filling me. I hardly talked with Rachael and was very open in showing that I didn't care much for her, why would she so willingly defend me over something that she must have felt was trivial?

  Rachael waved over to Charles who had already paid for his shopping and was packing it away. “You can help him pack if you want. I'll go and pay for these.” She said nodding at the magazines and then turning to join the queue for the small basket checkout.

  “Thanks.” I said quickly before she walked away.

  “No problem.” She replied, patting me on the shoulder as she walked past.

  CHAPTER 6

  Later that night I sat across the room from Charles as he got ready to leave for a dinner, he and Rachael had been invited to. A good friend of his had recently gotten engaged so a group of friends were holding a dinner for him and his fiancée. He wore a dark olive suit with an orange shirt; the orange contrasted with his eyes, making him look strikingly handsome. I tried to imagine how he must have looked the night he proposed to my mother and wondered what she had thought of him.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to come?” He asked my reflection in the mirror.

  “No, I’m fine. You go and have fun.” I replied. I’d never been to a dinner like this before and didn't really want to turn it into a 'Charles' long lost daughter reunion'.

  “We won’t be back too late.” He said.

  “She’ll be fine.” Veronica said walking into the living room with Rachael. “I’ve made a special treat for the two of us.”

  She looked over and threw me a wink.

  I laughed, remembering the cookies Veronica had been making earlier, she said she hadn’t made cookies in a long time which is why they had ended up looking more like scotch eggs than biscuits.

  I watched through the corner of my eye, as Rachael checked the contents of her purse to ensure she wasn't leaving anything behind. She was wearing a straight cream dress with a wide black belt embracing her tiny waist and her bare shoulders were covered with a brown scarf. Around her neck, she had a beautiful golden necklace with a heart-shaped pendant hanging on it. Her hair was twisted up into a bun, two locks of brown hair framing her face. As for the make-up, she had chosen to keep it natural, the only thing noticeable being the black eye liner she always used to make her eyes look bigger. Charles walked over and kissed me on top of my head, breaking my focus on Rachael, “We’d better go.” he said before leading her out of the house. Although I hadn’t really wanted to go, I couldn’t help the jealousy that raged through me. Why does she get to go out to dinner with Charles, while I stay at home and get babysat by Mrs Williams? I thought and wondered if it would have been the same if my mother was still alive. Would she be going to dinner with Charles leaving me at home? And more interestingly would I feel so jealous?

  “Feeling left out?” Veronica said, interrupting my internal rant.

  “I don’t know.” I answered half truthfully, because in all honesty I wasn’t sure why I felt so jealous of Rachael at that moment.

  “I remember after my mother died, I was insanely jealous of any woman who got too friendly with my father. He was the most important person in my life at that time and I wasn’t about to let anyone take him away.” Veronica put her hand on my shoulder and smiled. “You know he loves you more than anything, don’t you?” She asked. I smiled back at her, I wasn’t so sure of the answer to the question but I was grateful for Veronica’s sentiments.

  Although I had promised myself to keep emotionally distant from anyone except Charles, I had really fallen for Veronica. She was such a loving and giving person that I couldn’t help loving her too, especially when she had loved and cared for Charles for so long despite his ability. I had asked her once why she didn’t give Charles up when she found out about his abilities and she had simply smiled and said, ‘How could I give up such a gorgeous little boy?’ as if the ability meant nothing.

  “How did your dad finally get around you then?” I asked remembering Veronica speaking of her stepmother before.

  “Ahh,” She sighed smiling to herself. “Because by then I had met Robert, and I guess he was my new favourite man.” Veronica’s eyes drifted away slightly as she reminisced over her late husband. I had seen the same look on Mrs Maple's face whenever she thought of her husband, it was a look of complete happiness and contentment. However with Mrs Maple the look was more distant, as if she were back in a time where I no longer existed, but as Veronica's gaze drew back to me she smiled even larger making me feel as if I were too included in the happy memory.

  “He would have been so happy to meet you. He always wanted Charles to have children.” She said, her eyes glazing over slightly.

  “How did he propose to you?” I asked imagining Veronica as a young girl who had just fallen in love.

  Veronica's eyes drifted off again slightly and then she looked back to me, “We'll need to get some tea and the cookies we baked. I haven't told this story for a long time.” After Veronica had made a pot of tea we sat down at the kitchen table and Veronica told the story of how she and Robert met and then went on to how they got engaged. Robert had won two tickets for a 4 day vacation in Paris and he had invited her to go with him. Veronica says she never would have accepted except that Robert had already made arrangements with the organisers and paid the fee to have an extra single room at the hotel so she wouldn't have to share with him. They spent the first two days sightseeing and attended a music recital which was a part of their prize. On their last night, while walking through the back streets they came across a small bakery called 'Pierre's Patisserie' where he bought her an assorted gift box of macaroons, then they went to sit by the river Seine. It was there, while they sat eating the m
acaroons, that he took out the ring he had been carrying with him and asked her to marry him. Veronica's face glowed as she told the story and when she finished she sat quietly for a few minutes deep in thought, stroking her engagement ring with her thumb.

  “That's sweet. Robert must have been quite a romantic guy.”

  “Ah, he was.” Veronica replied dreamily.

  “Macaroons must be your favourite biscuit. It's a shame we couldn't have had some of them instead of our cookies. Not that our cookies came out bad or anything.” I said tapping a cookie on the side of the plate.

  “Yes, “ Veronica laughed, “But really there's only one place you can get a real macaroon.” she said in a French accent. I laughed.

  “Did you ever go back to Paris?”

  “No. We always said we would but the opportunity never came.” Veronica sighed and looked up at the clock. “I should get to bed dear. It's getting quite late.”

  I nodded and then got up to start clearing up the table. “You get some rest. I'll tidy all this up.”

  “Thanks,” Veronica said as she kissed me on the head before making her way out of the room and up to her bedroom.

  I cleared the table and washed up what was left in the sink then I made my way up to my own room. My window was open as usual so I climbed up on the windowsill to sit down with my legs hanging over the edge. I had planned on waiting up for Charles to return, but presuming he might actually be enjoying his 'alone time' with Rachael and still thinking of the story Veronica had told me I decided to go out for the rest of the night. After all I hadn't been out alone since I came to Westpoint.

  I've never been to France before. I thought jumping back down into my room to pick up my rucksack from under my bed. Looking in the mirror I rolled my hair up into a bun, secured my rucksack on my back and then jumped from the windowsill and took to the air. I wasn't too sure how to get to France so it took a few hours before I eventually arrived, but when I did I was glad that I'd decided to go.