I was confused by the two reactions of David. The cool, detached way he’d stood in the corner of the kitchen when I first found Beth on the floor and now this caring, helpful David who seemed so concerned about her. And what did he mean by saying he’d changed?
When he’d first returned home from university, he’d been cruel and intimidating. Now he seemed to be on our side. Something felt strongly out of kilter, but I couldn’t work out what.
Maybe he’d had something to do with Beth’s ‘accident’ and she was too scared to tell me. Maybe the two sides of him actually did exist, two polar opposites. You can never be quite sure which one you’d get at any given time.
Still, I thanked David later, in the hospital corridor, while we were waiting for my sister to be discharged.
He leaned against the wall, his head tilted back, and gave me a faint smile.
‘You knew exactly what to do,’ I told him. ‘You were calm while I panicked.’
His smile stretched slightly in what looked like a glimmer of pride. Maybe it was just the satisfaction of knowing he’d helped Beth. ‘I’m looking out for you and your sister,’ he said. ‘Told you I would, didn’t I?’
The next day, David stayed at home, and barely left my side. At first, I thought it was because he was still rattled after Beth’s accident, or because he thought I was. But he lingered around the house, waiting in doorways, watching my every move.
Every so often, he said, ‘Fancy a cup of tea, Merri?’ or ‘Would you like to watch a film with me?’
And it wasn’t just me who noticed this new attention. I caught Mrs Webb’s frown as he helped me carry a basket of damp laundry when she instructed me to empty the washing-machine. I almost expected her to pull David aside, ask why he’d gone soft on me. But she didn’t.
Nobody said a word to him. The power he held in this house, it was something else, and it was new to me. Since David had come back from university, there’d been a big shift in behaviour among the adults. To David’s advantage.
I started to wonder what had caused it. But it was the way things had been for a while, I was sure. Before we even got here.
One afternoon, he joined me as I knelt by my little garden patch. I only had parsley, a few sprigs of mint and some thyme in it, but it was the place I came for a bit of peace.
David took the trowel from me and started turning the soil, a look of determination creasing his forehead. After a few minutes, I realized he wasn’t just digging my bit of garden, he wasexpandingmy patch. Digging up grass that wasn’t mine to use. Mr Webb was obsessed with his pristine lawn, and when he came out here, he would check practically every blade to make sure there was no damage. This was going to get me into serious bother.
I started to feel sick. ‘Are you sure this is all right?’ I asked, glancing over my shoulder to check if Mr Webb’s shadow was already looming.
David shrugged. ‘I think it’ll look better a bit bigger, and you can grow more things. I’ll help you choose what, if you like.’
‘I might get into trouble,’ I said nervously.
David chuckled, a low sound that rose from his chest. ‘Not if I say it’s fine, you won’t.’
He was right. The next morning, when Mr Webb spied the larger patch through the kitchen window, he didn’t say a word, just sipped his tea with a strange expression on his face.
David definitely held an odd kind of power here. An invisible authority that even Mr Webb bent to. I’d witnessed Mr Webb’s resentment of his son, but he was very careful it was only when David wasn’t there to hear him.
I needed to find out what had happened in this family and why the Webbs were so meek around their son. It was David’s power, but maybe it could be mine too, if I chose my loyalties right.
I was wary of David. I’d glimpsed his casual cruelty and incisive questioning. But I also thought anything that can help neutralize Mrs Webb’s wrath had to be a force for good.
If I didn’t find a way to change things by the time I turned eighteen, both Beth and I might get dragged down and forgotten. And I couldn’t let that happen.
One morning, David walked into the kitchen to find Mrs Webb standing over me, her expression cold and hard. She was angry, something about a missed chore or an unwashed plate.
Since the accident, Beth had seemed closer than ever to our foster mother. She would sit watching while Mrs Webb’s voice rose, each word sharper than the last. Her grip on my shoulder was like a vice. But before I could apologize, David slipped between us and placed a restraining hand on her arm. ‘Leave it, Mother,’ he said smoothly. ‘Janey’s been helping me in the garden. There’s no need to speak to her like that. You should apologize.’
Mrs Webb looked taken aback. She glanced away, muttering an apology of sorts. So low I could hardly catch it.
A surge of something coursed through me, like a live wire, heady and thrilling. How he could silence his mother like that. I knew I wanted more of it working for my benefit.
Over the next few weeks, I would find myself complimenting David’s knowledge, his strength, his cleverness, and I’d watch his eyes light up each time.
One evening, just before we put on a movie, he turned to me and said, ‘Nobody has ever seen the real me, really. Only you.’
‘The real you?’ I repeated, puzzled.
