The Chrysalid Conspiracy (30 page)

“Oh yes, of course. But does she know?”

Amelia settled her mother into bed and set up her bed table. “I’ve no idea,” she lied. “I expect she was using it in general terms. It’s a very common phrase now, you know.”

Lucy put her head back and closed her eyes. “Tell me about it. It may be our only chance of survival and they can’t even comprehend the alternative.”

Amelia was stunned by this last remark. She had no idea how to respond to it. Part of her wanted to blurt out the whole conspiracy thing and another part wanted to scream at her for lying and keeping secrets. In the end, she simply opted to remain innocent. “Mother, I have no idea what you are talking about.”

Lucy took her hand and, looking deep into her daughter’s eyes, replied. “Oh, I think you do, Amelia. You and Rayn are pretty smart. Keep looking. Find what we need. Look with your mind, not your eyes, they’re too easily deceived. And remember – I love you, and I always will, no matter what.”

Lucy’s tone changed abruptly. “Now, what have I been wittering on about? Would you get me the Inland Revenue files please? I’ve got a lot to do.”

Amelia’s mind was a riot of conflicting emotions. Was this the first piece of real evidence for the conspiracy theory? Was her mother trying to tell her something or was she trying to warn her? Was this something more personal in their lives or maybe her mother was going senile? Come to that, was she, Amelia, going crazy?
Huh. Questions? = a million. Answers? = Nil. Not a comforting score-line,
she told herself. She gave her mum her book, her medication, a hug and a kiss and, for the first time in her short life, she couldn’t wait to get out of that room.

Walking into the living room she was surprised to see Rayn setting up the cot amid piles of bedding.

“What?” was all she could manage. Her mind seemed to be imploding and she didn’t trust herself to form a coherent sentence.

“Oh, I went upstairs and my mum is all tucked up in your bed. I thought we’d better sleep down here again, if that’s okay?” said Rayn, without looking up. “I brought your night clothes down, over there somewhere.”

Amelia didn’t speak. She went to the table, sank into a chair, put her face in her hands and burst into tears.

***

Rayn was there in a nano second. She took Amelia’s head in her arms and hugged her to her chest. Amelia clung on as if she were drowning. The tears flowed unrestrained, soaking Rayn’s T shirt. Huge sobs wracked Amelia’s body.

Rayn’s face was devoid of colour. She had never seen anyone cry with such abandonment before, and to see her normally confident and self-assured best friend like this was scaring her. She couldn’t imagine what could have happened to turn her into this gibbering mess. Words or noises of sympathy or comfort seemed pointless against such an onslaught. The situation was way beyond clichés.
I’ll just hang on and let her ride it out,
she decided.

After a while Amelia ran out of tears. She was shaking uncontrollably and was trying to wipe her face with her hands, unsuccessfully. Rayn glanced around for some tissue. Amelia took it and wiped her face.

“Are you okay? Can I let go now?” Rayn asked.

Amelia sat upright with a nod. Rayn disappeared and came back with a hot, damp flannel. While Amelia gave her face a wipe, Rayn put a small glass of brandy in front of her. “Payback.” She grinned.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, and then Rayn got up and made both their beds.

“I’m going to the toilet. It’ll give you a chance to get changed. I’ll make sure we’re all locked up,” she said.

Later, as they lay in their makeshift beds, Amelia spoke. “I’ve never cried like that before. Thanks for being there. I’m glad it was you.”

“You scared the hell out of me,” Rayn replied. “Don’t do it again, you hear?”

“Can’t promise, but I’ll try,” said Amelia.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“You won’t be mad at me if we put it off till tomorrow, will you?” Amelia requested.

“Mad at you?” exclaimed Rayn. “No way. You’ve just been through something traumatic and I’m here for you. Take your time. I trust you and believe in you. I’d do anything you ask. I can’t help it, It’s as if… Oh my God.” She sat bolt upright.

“What’s the matter? What is it?” said a worried Amelia.

“As if I’d been programmed!” Rayn finished.

Amelia burst into tears again. Rayn decided that first thing tomorrow she was going to put superglue on her lips. She really couldn’t bear the thought of her friend falling to pieces again.

“If you promise to stop crying I’ll tell you my latest idea,” she said quickly. “What idea?” snuffled Amelia, pulling herself together.

Good,
thought Rayn.
Now what do I say?
“Well, it’s not so much an idea, more a pattern. Now we’re asking ‘how’ and not so much why and who, I’ve thought of a possible explanation.” It was, in fact, something that had crossed her mind earlier but she hadn’t put it into words.
Oh well,
she decided,
here we go.
“This may sound more like fantasy, but at least it’s a pattern.”

“Go on,” urged Amelia, becoming interested.

“If we put you right in the middle it almost works,” said Rayn.

“Me? In the middle of what? What are you talking about?” interrupted Amelia.

“If you shut up, I’ll explain. Now, when your mother needs you in the night she has a nightmare, right?” She didn’t wait for an answer. “Somehow you pick this up in your sleep, get the message, and wake up.”

“Yes, but what’s this got to do with…”

“What this means is, there may be some connection between you both, on a paranormal level…”

“Like telepathy,” said Amelia.

“Sort of. Or… er, what’s the other one?”

“Empathy?” volunteered Amelia.

“That’s it,” said Rayn, encouraged by Amelia’s attitude.

“Yes, that had crossed my mind,” Amelia said. “But mum and I have always dismissed it as crazy.”

“Ah,” followed up Rayn. “Would that have been a joint opinion or were you just agreeing with your mum I wonder. Anyway,” Rayn continued so as not to lose the momentum, “if we take into account you’re rather unusual talent, and your habit of slipping into this dream state, or whatever you call it, it could mean that there is something very special about you in particular. How am I doing so far?”

“I don’t believe in what you say,” she paraphrased, “but carry on any way.”

“Well, if there is something odd about you – and don’t ask me what – but if there is, doesn’t it follow that somebody may be looking after you, and yours?” Rayn paused, wishing she had never started this.

“But who and why?” said Amelia, intrigued but not convinced.

“I don’t have a clue,” said Rayn. “But everything else seems to fit.”

“Not really, Rayn.” Amelia ventured. “Melkins’ death, the book? How can that be connected?”

“And the warnings?” reminded Rayn. “Both Melkins and Miss Collins told you to be careful – and, as I believe, it was ‘very, very careful’.”

“It does make a strange kind of sense. It could explain George’s role in all this, with both of us. But where do you come in?”

“Not the slightest idea,” said Rayn. “But if we stretch our fantasy a little further, try this.”

“Careful, Rayn. It’s your fantasy, and it’s very near breaking point,” said Amelia.

Rayn took another deep breath. She was beginning to understand what a poor communicator language was when you tried to put idle thoughts and speculation into a logical, convincing argument. But she was so far up the creek by now that she knew Amelia wasn’t going to let the swim back be an easy one.

“Now, don’t get mad at what I’m going to say. I haven’t really thought it through yet. You’re goody-two shoes…” She held up her hand at Amelia’s change of expression and kept going. “Uncle Stephen lived with us for a few years, then left. We went on the road and mum taught me academics at home, but I also learned a lot more. If you think about it, we lived with thieves, rogues and conmen; all that you’d call lowlife. Personally, I still think of them as the engine that drives the world. They just have differing values.”

“Where are you going with this, Rayn?” interrupted Amelia, struggling to follow.

“I learned to read people. I know when I’m being lied to, or when someone has an ulterior motive, and how to stay one jump ahead of them. I shouldn’t tell you this, but I’m a damned good thief. I can pick a lock or a pocket and protest my innocence worthy of an Oscar.”

“Really?” said Amelia completely overwhelmed. “I’m gobsmacked. You’d better keep going while you’re on a roll.”

“Now, I’m streetwise, but you’re more sophisticated. By rights we should hate each other.”

“You’re right. My idea of mischief is winding up Miss Dempsey. Not difficult or particularly imaginative.”

There was silence for a moment while both girls thought about where they had got to. Rayn’s shoulders slumped as spoke again. “It also follows, I’m only here to broaden your education.”

“I could never believe that, Rayn,” Amelia was quick to respond. “We both need each other. We need the opposites. It’s a series of checks and balances. We bounce off each other. Together we make up a single entity and that’s the way it should be. This is not open to discussion or doubt. No matter what transpires. You got that?” Amelia lay back on the sofa, putting an end to the conversation.

“Thanks, Amelia. I’m grateful for that,” said Rayn.

“No, thank you, for dragging me out of my self-pitying misery. Let’s get some sleep; we’ve got a long run tomorrow.”

They were on the road at daylight the next morning feeling self-conscious in their luminescent tracksuits, but there was little traffic on the road, it being a Sunday, and Christmas rehab day as well.

Without Nigel, it was up to them to set the pace. After they’d stretched, they jogged for half a mile to get their ‘second wind’. Amelia was quiet and withdrawn. Rayn put it down to whatever had happened between her and her mother the previous night, but it was after the first ten minutes that she began to worry.

Amelia started pushing the pace along. Rayn kept with her, thinking she would ease off after a minute or two. But she didn’t; in fact, she pushed even harder. Rayn stayed with her. She was quite comfortable at this speed but she began to doubt they would achieve their objective of Grabsum Moor, a good twelve miles away. Amelia just pushed along harder still and seemed focused on pushing her body to its limits.

They were well past the Moonraker and over halfway to Grabsum when Rayn knew she had to do something to prevent this becoming a disaster. She suddenly stopped dead. Leaning forward with her hands on her knees, she rocked slightly. Amelia ran on for a bit then turned, continuing to jog on the spot.

“What’s the matter, slow coach? Can’t you take it?” she called back.

“I can take it, Amelia,” called Rayn. “It’s you I’m worried about.”

Amelia jogged back to her. “Worried about me?” she said. “What for? I’m fine.”

“No you’re not,” said Rayn emphatically. “Why are you trying to punish yourself?”

“Punish myself?” Amelia repeated her face furious. “How dare you? If you can’t take it, you can head off back on your own.”

“I’m not going back yet, with or without you.” Rayn stood up and stared at her friend. “Amelia, you’re running on anger. That’s not good. You’ll do us some damage.” Rayn was acutely aware of the look on Amelia’s face.

Amelia stopped jogging and put her hands on her hips in her ‘no nonsense’ pose.

“Rayn Mgee, how dare you stand there and criticise me. I’ve been doing this a lot longer than you have.”

“No, Amelia,” said Rayn, refusing to back down. “You’ve been doing this properly for longer than me. This is wrong and you know it.”

“Damn you!” Amelia answered and turned away, running hard.

Rayn stood and watched her, feeling helpless.
Now what?
She thought. She was just about to start running again when Amelia stopped. She stood for a moment, then sank down onto the grassy bank by the roadside path they had been following. Rayn caught up and sat beside her.

“Oh Rayn.” Amelia was nearly in tears. “I’m so sorry, I…”

“No,” cut in Rayn. “No apologies, remember? Both right, both wrong. Now, are you going to talk to me or do I have to kick your face in?”

Amelia gave her a half smile and put her arm around her friend’s shoulder.

“For once you’re wrong about something.”

And what, exactly, is that?” said Rayn, in mock disbelief.

“It’s not anger I’m running on. It’s fear.”

“Oh my god, Amelia. What’s happened?”

“Come on, let’s drop to a jog and get going again or we’ll stiffen up sitting here,” Amelia pointed out.

On the move again, at a much steadier pace, Amelia told Rayn exactly what her mother had said. Rayn was intrigued.

“Well, that just about confirms that we’re not a pair of idiots,” said Rayn. “It looks as though our theory isn’t far-fetched after all. What I don’t understand is your distress last night and your anger, or fear, this morning.” She deliberately avoided making it a question. She didn’t want to force Amelia into giving an answer.

“Oh Rayn. It’s the way she said it all. It sounded almost like…” she floundered, looking for words. “It was almost like she was saying goodbye. I can’t stop thinking about it. I’m so scared.”

They stopped as Amelia started crying again. Rayn put her arms around her friend. Her heart was almost breaking for her.

“Look Amelia,” she said, trying to comfort her. “There’s nothing I can do or say right now to help you through this. But I’m here for you. Anything you need, just say the word. Okay?”

Amelia hugged her back, grateful for her support, and the two girls clung to each other, gathering strength from their friendship.

A car horn sounded and as they turned to look an old van was speeding by. The driver and his mate were shouting and whistling at them.

“Oh well,” laughed Rayn. “Life goes on.”

“That’s the problem,” said Amelia, almost choking on her next words. “I don’t think it will for much longer.”

“Wow!” Rayn was shocked at this profound declaration. “That’s a bit heavy. Could you be just a teeny bit more specific?”