The Chrysalid Conspiracy (22 page)

“Oh, thanks Mum,” replied Amelia grinning. “I really needed those words of wisdom. Today of all days.”

Bridie and Rayn arrived, and when Bridie saw the amount of stock on the shop floor she frowned.

“Wait till you see the utility room and the kitchen. She’s gone absolutely insane,” Amelia told her. Bridie looked around, formulating a plan of action.

“No problem,” responded Bridie. “I’ll get the keys and some of this stuff can go in the tap room. It’s stopped raining and the wind has dropped so Lucy, if you tell me which of these larger trees and things can take it, I’ll stick then out the front. That should give us some space to work.”

“You can put the Japanese maple and the Bay trees out for a start,” said Lucy. “I’ll price them up later.”

Bridie stared uncertainly at the small forest in front of her. “Er… could you just point to them, or I’m going to have to put numbers on them.”

“We’ll help,” Amelia said.

“No you won’t,” Bridie blasted at them. “This is all for you. Now get out of here. I’ve got work to do. That’s after you’ve made me a cup of coffee first. You too, Lucy?”

“So what are you wearing today?” asked Amelia when they’d retreated to the bedroom.”

“I don’t know really.” Rayn replied. “I didn’t want to wear jeans again today, but it looks like I’m stuck.”

“Don’t you have anything else?” remarked Amelia.

“Not really. Actually, no, I haven’t.” Rayn sighed again, heavily, and her shoulders slumped.

“I’m sorry Rayn, I didn’t know.” said Amelia. “Hang on; I’ve just had an idea. Be back in a moment.” She ran out of the room and went down stairs. A few minutes later she called up.

“Come down Rayn. Problem solved.”

Rayn found herself in Lucy’s bedroom. Amelia slid back the wardrobe door and revealed an array of jeans, slacks, jumpers, blouses and cardigans.

“Amelia! What are you doing?” exclaimed Rayn. She didn’t mind upsetting her own mother, but with Lucy she was way out of her depth.

“Mum said we can borrow anything we like. She never wears half of it anyway,” Amelia replied, looking quite pleased with herself.

“Amelia. You didn’t tell your mum I had nothing to wear, did you?” Rayn was near to panic.

“No, of course I didn’t, what do you take me for? I told her
I
didn’t have anything to wear, and it worked,” replied Amelia, laughing. “So, let’s both pick something from here. I think most things should fit us anyway.” She pulled out a pair of beige slacks and tried them on. “A bit tight in the backside,” she commented.

“They make your bum look nice,” laughed Rayn. “If I were that way inclined I’d take a second look.”

“Really?” said Amelia.

“Really,” agreed Rayn. They both laughed and together they sorted out a white blouse, blue skirt and a soft brown cardigan for Amelia.

“That’ll do me nicely,” she said. “Now, what about you. Hello, what’s this?” She pulled out a low-cut, sleeveless jumper and a brown silk blouse. Then handed her a pair of white slacks. “Try this, there’s plenty more.”

Amelia slipped on her mother’s blouse and surveyed herself in the mirror. “This looks a bit baggy, don’t you think?”

Rayn laughed. “That’s because you’re supposed to have a chest in there with you.”

Having finally deciding on an outfit each they set the ironing board up in the kitchen just as a bulldozer disguised as Bridie steamed through. She informed them that as she was in and out and needed the room, if they didn’t move she would summon the demons of Hell and turn them both into snails.

“It’s not fair,” said Rayn, as they began dragging everything upstairs. “Why pick on snails? They’re nice.”

“What’s nice about snails?” Amelia shuddered.

“I don’t know,” replied Rayn, “but they tell me the French love them.” They fell up the stairs, laughing.

***

Having spent the rest of the morning ‘prettying up’, as Rayn called it, they were finally dressed and ready, waiting in the shop for their taxi.

“Amelia, Rayn,” said Lucy, and handed them a sealed envelope. “It’s for both of you. It’s not from us. All we know is that you’re not to open it till you get into town. Okay?”

“What on earth?” said Amelia. Rayn just looked at the envelope wishing desperately for x-ray vision.

“We can’t guarantee we can wait, but we’ll give it a try,” she said.

Lucy gave her open palm shrug and Bridie burst out laughing. The taxi arrived and, after giving their respective mothers a hug, they flew out the door.

After a few minutes in the taxi Rayn made a grab for the envelope. Amelia, who’d been expecting it, was too quick for her and they rolled around, laughing and wrestling.

“Hey!” shouted the driver. “You stopa moving pliss. You shud upa you faces. Yes?” The two girls stopped and apologised and he continued. “I don meana do shouding. My English is not so good. Okay?”

“One thing’s for sure,” said Rayn. “You speak our language better than we could speak yours.”

“Whatever it is,” added Amelia. “Where are you from?”

“I from Portugal, but I born in Hungary,” he told them and went back to his driving.

They didn’t turn left at the Moonraker but instead went straight on. Amelia saw that the pond, which had given the old pub its name had been refurbished and a fountain added. The architect had obviously lost the plot, but it looked nice. After a few minutes they passed a sign that informed them that Grabsum Moor was another eight miles. “Oh, give me a break,” exclaimed Rayn. “What boring nutter was allowed to name these places? Grabsum Moor, Tethers End, Warem Down. Who are these people?”

“We did this in primary school,” said Amelia. “Apparently, Tethers End is where the Lord of the Manor at Tetherington Hall housed his peasant workers.”

“What about Warem Down then?” asked Rayn.

“That comes from Cromwell. It was one of the training camps for his new style army. It used to be called War on the Downs.”

“I just can’t wait to hear about the next one,” said Rayn, faking a yawn.

“They say,” Amelia continued her lecture, “but nobody knows for sure, that it was the place everyone took their church taxes.” Rayn made a gagging sound. “Ten per cent of everything they produced, I think it was,” said Amelia with a broad grin on her face. “It was nicknamed Grabsum Moor in medieval times. The church was supposed to distribute it among the poor but all the records were lost during the reformation. There are lots of strange town names around here. They’re supposedly named after those improbable invisible dead straight ‘ley’ lines that connect places together around the world”

“I wish I’d never asked,” Rayn said. “You mean to tell me you found this interesting enough to remember?”

“Not really,” Amelia laughed. “It’s just that I knew that someday some moron would ask me. It was worth the wait.”

“Bitch!” shouted Rayn and punched Amelia on the arm. The driver’s voice cut in from the front seat.

“Don’ you starding again pliss’. I told you.”

The girls apologised by giving him a large tip to absolve themselves.

“Now, coffee and then we’ll open this,” said Amelia, waving the envelope in Rayn’s face.

On one side of the precinct was a burger bar and opposite was a small cafe. Rayn chose the cafe, in order, she said, to avoid temptation and not spoil their dinner. “I don’t really like that food, anyway,” she added.

“Nor do I,” replied Amelia, half-heartedly and finished with, “You bitch! I’m still starving.”

They sat in a corner and eventually the waitress came over. She was quite elderly and very overweight. “Yeah? Wadjawant,” she said. She was also extremely disinterested in the answer. They ordered two coffees.

“Izatall?” she asked and went off muttering about wasting her time and useless teenagers. The girls giggled and Rayn asked if she could hit her.

“Not a good idea,” said Amelia. “Even if she attacked us, we’d still get the blame. Those grown-ups really stick together.”

“Yeah,” agreed Rayn. “She looks the sort of person who’d kick you in the teeth then accuse you of biting her foot.”

The coffee came and the woman stood there tapping her foot until Amelia paid. She walked off without a word and they stared out of the window to avoid hysterics.

“Now! What’s in that envelope?” said Rayn.

“As it’s my birthday and this is for both of us, why don’t you open it?” Amelia replied. She laughed as Rayn tore at it like a maniac. She pulled out a Christmas card and as she opened it some bank notes fell on the table. Amelia wanted to count them but Rayn scooped them up quickly.

“Rayn, what are you doing?” said Amelia indignantly.

“We’re in a public place Amelia, somebody might see,” she answered, keeping her voice low.

“Oh, I think we’re good enough to take care of anyone who tries to snatch this,” Amelia replied with confidence.

“Don’t underestimate the world, my friend. There are people out there who’d kill for this much.”

“How much is it then?”

“Fifteen crisp new twenty pound notes.”

“More importantly,” said Amelia, “who’s it from? Come on, read the card.”

Rayn opened it and read.

“
Dear girls, Happy Winter Solstice.

I know it’s a bit early and it’s rather a lot, but I wanted to get you a really good pair of training shoes. Not trainers, professional ones. If you go to Champions in Warem you’ll get the best. If it comes to more than this just show the manager this card and he’ll sort you out.

Have a great day. Love,

Old George.
”

“Oh Amelia, Don’t you just love him.”

***

As they put their coats back on Amelia looked out of the window. She was trying to fight off the feeling that they were being manipulated again. She decided not to say anything and spoil the moment for her friend.

“Hey, look,” she said. “Isn’t that Molly over in the burger bar with the twins?”

“Where? Oh yeah. Let’s go and say hello.”

“I don’t think so. She told Mum she was going to a funeral.”

“Really?” said Rayn. “She doesn’t look very upset, and she’s definitely not dressed for it.”

Amelia looked at Molly’s face. She wasn’t just smiling, her face was positively beaming.

As they watched, a familiar-looking man arrived at the table and unloaded the bags and boxes of food and drinks. He teased the boys gently by pretending the promotional toys were for him and Molly. Molly just watched him, totally enraptured by his presence.

“Nigel!” exclaimed Rayn. “Good for you.”

“No,” whispered Amelia. Shock ran through her like molten lead. “He can’t, he’s mine, he belongs to me,” she heard herself saying.

Rayn sounded distraught as she tried to get through to her friend. “Amelia, listen to yourself. He’s twenty-eight. He has his own life to lead. Leave it alone.”

Amelia watched as Nigel picked up some plastic witches hats. They all put one on, laughing and looking like a normal happy family. The jealousy inside her knotted her stomach and she felt physically sick.
Before and after?
She thought.
Melkins death had nothing on this.

She turned and looked at Rayn, but what she saw was her own reflection in the mirrored sunglasses. She was appalled. Looking back at her was a pathetic child, selfish and confused, not yet ready to venture into the savage wastelands of adult emotions.

“Oh Rayn, am I really that shallow and selfish? You’re right. It’s just that he’s always been there for me. I’m used to him.”

“Well, if that’s true then you gotta let him go, girl, I’m sorry. Let’s get out of here.” Rayn advised. “We got shoes to buy.”

“Yeah. When you get angry you have to hit. When I get angry I got to shop. Let’s go.” Amelia agreed.

Rayn was still excited but she noticed the spark had gone out of Amelia. She tried to cheer her up, but knew it wouldn’t work until they were up to their armpits in footwear.

They grabbed a taxi to Warem Down and found Champions, the sports shop. After stretching the patience of the staff to breaking point, they settled on matching pairs. The bill came to more than they had and Amelia gave over the card.

“And what am I supposed to do with this?” an offended young girl asked.

“Would you be kind enough to give it to the manager, please?” replied Amelia, in her sweetest voice, confident of the outcome.

The manager came and told the staff to charge the surplus to discount. The staff that the girls had run ragged looked disconcerted but complied with his instruction.

“Winter Solstice, aye? Give my regards to old George.” he said with a wink.”

“Is there anyone that doesn’t know that man?” remarked Rayn as they left.

Amelia had a spring in her step again. “I feel better now. Let’s get a drink.” she said.

They squeezed themselves into a table in the local plastic and chrome ‘eatery’, Rayn tipped her head back to drink from her can and froze. “Oh God! I’m in love,” she uttered.

A young man was standing holding a cup and looking for somewhere to sit. He was quite tall, very slim and looked to be about sixteen. He made Rayn think of the young Michael Jackson, but it was his outfit that stunned her. Skin-tight black jeans with a red and gold floral design from hips to knees. Verging on anorexic he wore a wide, studded leather belt with a huge brass buckle. His red shirt was open to the exaggerated collar revealing a large gold medallion, and a black leather jacket covered in more studs, with the collar turned up like a sixties rocker. Dreadlocks to his shoulders, topped by a brown leather hat with a decorated headband, completed the devastating ensemble.

The Michael Jackson similarity ended there. His skin was so black it was almost deep, deep blue. The broad nose and full lips announced his ethnic origins along with the dreadlocks. Rayn was captivated. “Oh Amelia, look at that,” she said, dry-mouthed.

Amelia’s next move shocked Rayn rigid. She turned to Mr Magnificent and called out, “Hey, Sambo!”

Rayn’s face went white, then twice round the rainbow and back to colourless white. She tried to speak quietly, but it didn’t work.

“Amelia! You can’t say that, how dare you! It’s monstrous.” She stopped short as the guy acknowledged Amelia and made his way over to them. Neither he nor Amelia took the slightest notice of the sudden tension in the cafe or some of the looks thrown their way.