SilverMoonLight (SilverMoonSaga Book 1) (11 page)

An
unbearably long weekend lay before me. My thoughts revolved solely around one
question: would Calum come back on Monday for our guitar session? I failed to
summon up any enthusiasm for either the masses of homework we had, or the hike
that Ethan suggested.

Amelie
protested: »Dad, you know we’re all going to the pub tonight. There’s finally a
good band playing there. If I spend all day clambering up and down hills I’ll
be too tired to dance in the evening. Can’t we do the hike another time?
Please.«

»Okay.
I’d forgotten. Are you both going to the pub?«

Dancing?
For a moment I thought I’d misheard. Amelie hadn’t told me anything about it.

»Of
course,« she said. »Aidan’s picking us up at seven.«

»Aidan?«
Ethan raised his eyebrows, but refrained from commenting on his daughter’s
chaperone.

Amelie
looked at me innocently. I shot back glares like lightning bolts across the
table.

Once
we set off back to our bedrooms, I snapped at her: »What was all that? Dancing?
You can forget that. I’d rather go hiking, there’s no way I’m coming. I know
what would happen—you’ll just go and fool around in the corner with Aidan all
night and I’ll be bored out of my mind.«

»Oh,
come on,« she replied, adopting a pleading tone. »Dad doesn’t let me go out by
myself with Aidan, but if it’s the three of us he won’t mind...and it’ll be
fun, loads of people will be there.«

»Well,
you could have asked me sooner,« I grumbled, disappearing into my room as
Amelie ran into hers. It was maddening how I kept letting her wrap me around
her little finger.

Darkness
was already setting in as we walked off to the pub later that evening. As soon
as we were a safe distance from the house, Aidan put his arm around Amelie, and
they both started giggling away. I rolled my eyes.

Why
had I let her talk me into this? I debated whether I could get out of it
somehow, but then decided against it. I didn’t want to ruin Amelie’s night, and
I could do with the distraction.

The
pub was full and the dance floor not particularly big. Aidan recognized a few
familiar faces at a table on the other side of the room, and they waved and
made room for us to sit down. I knew most of them from school; maybe it
wouldn’t be such a bad night after all.

»What
would you like to drink?« asked Aidan as the server came over to our table.

»A
coke, please.«

»No
beer?« He looked at me questioningly.

»No
thanks.« I shook my head.

The
music was good. Marc, the guy sitting next to me, asked me to dance, giving me
reason to hope that the evening wouldn’t be as awful as I had expected. Since
his interest in me had waned, I had warmed to him. He wasn’t exactly the
perfect dance partner, but he was making a real effort not to step on my feet,
and it was fun. I hardly managed to sit down and drink my coke, for every time
I tried to, someone pulled me back onto the dance floor.

Eventually,
I managed to break away. Standing at the bar, I pondered what to do next.
Amelie didn’t look like she was up for going home, but I was pretty tired; it
must have been midnight already.

»I
was wondering whether you might like to dance with me too?« whispered Calum
from close behind me. My breathing quickened. »Although I have to warn you, it
wouldn’t be a clever move.«

»I’d
hazard a guess that it would be foolish, even, but I’m sure I could take a
chance,« I answered, still not turning around. The tingling at the back of my
neck intensified. I was sure I could feel his breath on my skin.

»Very,
very foolish.« Hearing his words, I could almost see the smile on his lips.

Finally,
I turned around to look at him. His stare was impenetrable, and I suddenly knew
that he had been right to warn me.

He
pulled me into his arms, making my pulse quicken.

»Let’s
dance.« Without waiting for a response, he pulled me onto the dance floor. It
was much too crowded, so he couldn’t have let me go even if he had wanted to.
We danced to every song they played, pressed tightly against one another by the
crowd. I felt his hands on my back, his lips in my hair, and all the tension
that I had felt around him in the past weeks dissolved away. It felt totally
natural to be with him and I wished it would never end.

The
band, unfortunately, felt differently. Sooner than I had expected, the music
stopped. Looking around, I realized that we were alone in the pub; only a few
people were standing at the bar and the band was packing up the equipment.

»Where
did everyone go?«

Calum
laughed. »It’s two in the morning.«

»Oh
God!« I gasped. How could I have lost track of the time? »Where’s Amelie? We
were supposed to be home by one at the latest.«

»She
left with Aidan an hour ago. I guess they didn’t want to disturb us—either that
or they wanted to slip away quietly,« he answered mischievously.

»We
have to go.« I looked frantically for my jacket, but it was nowhere to be seen.

As
we stepped outside, the air was cool. Calum slipped his arm around my waist and
pulled me close, making me feel warm all over. We walked over the meadow in
silence. In front of the house door, he took me in his arms and pressed his
lips against my hair. All of my daydreams seemed to have become reality. I
looked up at him, hoping for a proper kiss, but all he did was softly brush his
finger over my lips. Then he pushed me gently through the door into the house.
Our fingers touched, and I had to struggle to walk away from him.

»See
you on Monday,« he whispered. Then he was gone. Inside, I leant against the
door and closed my eyes.

Bree
came into the hallway. She looked sleepy.

»Emma,«
she cried. »We were worried.«

»Calum
brought me home. I’m sorry I’m late.«

»Was
it good?« she asked.

»It
was great.«

»Go
to bed and get some rest.« She stroked her hand over my hair. I went off into
my room, then quickly pulled on my pajamas, brushed my teeth and crept under
the blanket. I heard a soft knock at the door.

Amelie
slunk into my room.

»I
can’t sleep,« she whispered. »Can I join you?«

»Sure,
come on then.«

She
snuggled under the blanket with me.

»Tonight
was wonderful, wasn’t it? Are you still mad at me?« She didn’t wait for an
answer. »Emma, have you ever been properly in love?«

»No,
not yet,« I answered hesitantly. »But I think...I think I know what it could be
like.« I stared at the ceiling, thinking about Calum.

Amelie
turned around to me with a smile. »I’m really happy that you’re living with us,«
she murmured.

Then
she fell asleep.

I
was happy too. Very, in fact.

When
I woke up the next morning, the sun’s warm light was already filling the room,
and the curtains were billowing in the breeze. Taking care not to wake Amelie,
I pulled the blanket over me from where she had stolen it in the night, and
snuggled down underneath. I couldn’t get the previous night out of my mind. I
smiled at the memory of Calum suddenly appearing behind me, asking me to dance
in that strange way of his....

I
didn’t get much further in my daydream, for Amelie began to stir and turned
around to face me.

»So
you and Calum,« she said, suddenly seeming wide awake. »Don’t get me wrong,
Emma, but I’m just wondering why he suddenly seems so keen. Especially, since
he was acting so strange with you to start with.«

I
shrugged and smiled at her. I knew exactly what she meant—it was a mystery to
me too.

»I
mean, the way he looks at you...« she said, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

Before
I could lose myself in my thoughts again, she shot the next curious question at
me.

»So
did he kiss you yet?«

»No,«
I admitted with regret.

»Well,
that’s strange too,« said Amelie, wrinkling her forehead. »Most boys I know can
hardly wait. Either he’s the perfect gentleman, or—«, she commented
precociously.

At
that moment, Hannah and Amber stormed into my room, piling onto my bed with
loud screams.

Behind
them, Peter stood in the doorway, shaking his head at the commotion: »Breakfast
is ready.«

I
was sure that none of the three had heard him, for at that moment Amelie pulled
my pillow away and started a pillow fight with her sisters.

After
throwing my blanket over all three of them, I disappeared off into the bathroom
to brush my teeth.

After
breakfast, Peter and Ethan decided to go fishing. They invited me along with
them, but the last thing I wanted to do today was sit around for hours on end.
Deciding that it might be good to spend some time on my own for once, I asked
Ethan if they could drop me off on the way so I could do some painting. I was
feeling in a really creative mood. Every picture would come out well today, I
was sure of it.

I
gathered together my painting supplies and my easel, then looked for my iPod.
After checking the battery and the playlist, I slipped it into my trouser
pocket and hoped that the battery would last the day. Peter and Ethan were
waiting in the kitchen for me.

Bree
had prepared some provisions: sandwiches, apples, and a bottle of water.

»Now
off you go, have fun! And keep an eye on the weather; apparently it’s not
supposed to stay nice all day,« she called after us.

Looking
up at the sky, all I could see was perfect blue. But it was typical of Bree to
be worrying about things. I shook my head and got into the car with Ethan.

The
rocky landscape where Ethan and Peter dropped me off began with gentle slopes.
Peter had recommended the location to me. Apparently there was a wonderful view
from up on the ridge.

At
the start, I met a few other hikers, but the farther I walked, the more
isolated it became. I was in good shape because of the regular swim training,
and in spite of all the painting utensils I was carrying, I made good progress.
With every step I took, the view became more and more beautiful. Soon, the
coast of the mainland appeared in the distance. Farther up, a little distance
away from the cliff, I set up my easel and started to paint. It was phenomenal.
The blue sea, reflecting the green slopes of the mountain. Would I ever manage
to capture a view like this?

I
was so immersed in my work and captivated by the beauty around me that I didn’t
notice the wind picking up. It was only when I started to feel really cold and
was struggling to hold the paintbrush that I stopped and looked up at the sky.

It
didn’t look good; Bree had been right after all. Dark grey clouds were piling
up over the mountains, while beneath me the sea was crashing thunderously
against the cliffs. I should go back.

I
hurriedly packed my things together, pulled my jacket around me, and walked
back in the direction I had come. The wind was almost knocking me off my feet
now, and the path seemed mercilessly long this time. That morning, I had simply
walked without thinking, but now I had to admit that I didn’t know how long it
had taken me for the ascent. And to make matters worse, the path ahead reached
a fork. I didn’t have much time to deliberate about which direction I should
take, so I chose the path that led downwards. But after a while, I noticed that
the path was starting to climb again, and the air was becoming denser with fog.
I cursed inwardly—why hadn’t I brought my cell phone with me? Because the
reception in Scotland was usually non-existent, I thought, answering my own
question. Turning back seemed to be the only option, and by the time I got back
to the crossing, I was completely out of breath. I decided to leave my things
here; I didn’t have the energy to carry them any farther. Hiding them all under
a bush in the hope of finding them again later, I tucked the food and water
bottle away in my backpack.

The
path began to lead very closely alongside the edge of the cliff, so I knew it
wasn’t a good idea to follow it any farther in this fog. The wind was
strengthening by the minute. I hesitated, then decided to keep going. As I
went, I left a stone as a marker here and there, just in case I had to turn
back. Concentrating fully on the path ahead, I completely forgot the cold.
Every step required my full attention. There were trails everywhere, but I
didn’t know whether they were from animals or people, let alone whether they
led somewhere. A few times I had to sit down in the damp grass to rest, but I
always forced myself to get up and walk on. By now I had completely lost my
orientation and was hoping fervently that I wouldn’t find the cliff path
blocked.

One
cautious step after the other, I made my way down the mountain. I looked at my
watch—half past five. I could only hope that Peter and Ethan were out looking
for me. And, more importantly, that they would manage to find me.

Utterly
exhausted, I eventually came to a small tree plantation where the branches
offered some protection from the wind. I didn’t know whether to go on—would
someone find me here? With trembling fingers, I opened the water bottle and
drank. Then I ate the last sandwich. It was squashed, but I didn’t care; the
rumbling of my stomach was almost louder than the wind.