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“What are you…?” Ben frowns, looking at my hand.
“Vic, come with me.”
She pauses for a second. Her eyes scan Ben’s face. Then she shakes her head and puts her hand in mine.
“You can do what you like, Ben. Rage here until the sun comes up if you want. The others can keep an eye on you. I’m taking Vic home.”
Ben springs forward like a startled cat. His lips curl back from his teeth, his hands flailing.
“No!” he shrieks. No. He lunges forward towards our hands. His shoulder catches Victoria. Her fingers are wrenched from mine. I try to grab her, but I clutch at thin air.
Her eyes meet mine as she reels backwards.
One step.
Two steps.
No more pier.
She flails her arms, arching backwards as her feet find only the soft night air and she plunges into the dark water below.
CHAPTER FOUR
Victoria
Well, that was quite an eventful evening.
I sit up, sliding gingerly up the hospital bed. The movement triggers a coughing fit. I spit some loch water into a handkerchief and ignore the horrible sponginess in my chest. I want out of here.
Not that home is going to be very restful.
My father is more than a little disturbed by the previous night’s events.
He blames Corran. It was his party. We were on his land. It is his fault.
I get it. It was scary. I was scared. But it is ok. I’m here. I’m fine. Corran saved me.
Corran saved me.
The moment his hand reached through the inky black water and found mine will stay with me forever. And the smile that lit his face as we broke the surface together into the moonlight, that smile melted any fear I had of being in that water. There was no panic, no flailing. I just relaxed into his embrace as he kicked us both towards the shore.
I could have stayed in that water, wrapped in his arms, forever.
But Ben was waiting at the water’s edge, courageously unheeding of the damage being wrought on his best trainers as he advanced ankle deep into the dark water bearing a blanket for me.
“I’m so sorry, Victoria, I’m so sorry…” he kept repeating, his speech slurred with vodka and shock, his face soaked with tears.
“I’ve got her, Ben,” Corran’s voice growled against my ear. Corran took the blanket and draped it over me. Then more gently, “Come on, Ben, you’ve both had a fright. Let’s get you seen to.”
The others melted away into the night, not wanting to be associated with the unwanted, dramatic turn the party had taken.
I knew my dad would be mad.
I just wasn’t prepared for how mad.
He’s brought the moving date forward.
We leave next week.
