Twisted

A Chapter by _JadeNash_

See Blurb

As I find my way through the weespy trees, I can see the faint glow of a fire burning. As I walk down the cobble stone steps I think about what to say but as my mind drifts off I miss a step and do not fall. Here he is just like he said he would be with his warn out scarf wrapped around his neck, hair still messy as always. "Hello again" He whispers, speaking to my soul. He takes my hand and guides me towards the light.

"Elizabeth! Elizabeth" I hear a voice shouting. "Elizabeth wake up!" I open my eyes to see martha leaning over me. I'd fallen out of bed. "Lizzy are you okay? What happened?" Her voice sounded worried but I wasn't at all. I was disappointed.
"I'm fine. I was just." I paused and looked around the room. "I was just dreaming" I thought it was real, I felt it. I felt his hand on mine. I felt the wind in the trees.
"Alright well as long as you're okay. Come on! They're waiting for us." I completely forgot. It's halloween in a few days, we were going to go shopping for costumes. I liked halloween, it reminded me of the past but I always look rediculous. I look like a sad little kid trying on clothes that she shouldn't be.
"Come on!" Martha drags me downstairs and we head off into town.

We go to the costume shop down Mulberry Lane, It was where we always went. The shop was covered in halloween decorations, from pumpkins to ghosts. It was amazing! There were so many costumes to choose from, but I didn't want to look like you're average trick or treater this year. "How cute are these?" Martha screams at me whilst holding a pair of white glittery angel wings. "We've only been in here for a few minutes and I think I've found the one!" She runs off to find a matching glittery halo whilst I am left on my own, searching for something different. Something me. There is nothing special enough, perhaps upstairs. I walk up the winding staircase to see Ray coming out of a changing room wearing a suede blazer and yellow tie.
"Ray?"
He turns round and smiles at me.
"Hi!" His face lights up like it's Christmas morning.
"What are you doing here?" He asks still smiling like an idiot.
"Just looking for some plants. Oh wait its a costume shop" I say sarcastically. Maybe I shouldn't have said that. He just laughs.
"Haha. Wow I didn't know you were funny too." he replies. Funny. He thinks I'm funny.
"So nice suit"
"Oh yeah I would appreciate it if you didn't tell anybody about this. I mean it's not exactly me."
"Then why wear it?" I keep thinking I'm wrong about my first impression of Ray but then I change my mind again.
"Well I thought it looked like a 1920's suit and I wanted to show you it." Wow do my ears deceive me? Ray actually listened to me. He knows I like the 1920's.
"Wow really? It looks amazing, you should wear it tomorrow."
"I..I can't. The guys will make fun of me. As much as I would want to I can't. But that doesn't mean u can't wear this." He brings out an old trunk from inside the changing room. "I was going to give it to you later but you should have it now."
I was a little worried, what could Ray Walter possibly get me. I open the trunk slowly to find a mint green flapper dress with matching crystal heels and ruffled feather headband.
"Ray! How did you know? Where did you get this?" My voice full of excitement.
"Well I know you loved the way Mr Simons was talking about the 1920's so I asked him if he knew anywhere that sold stuff like that. And I came across this. I thought you'd like it."
"I love it!" As I was smiling like a ninny I realized the time. I had to get back in time to start planning the beach bonfire for tomorrow.
"Thanks Ray I'll never forget this but I need to go. Like right now." I pick up the trunk and rush downstairs to look for Martha but she was nowhere. I walk outside to see if she's there but she's gone. No where to be seen.
"Elizabeth." I turn to see Ray standing behind me in the doorway.
"Do you need a lift home?" I think about this. Mum wouldn't want me getting into a boys car but then again I have no idea how to get home. I don't think she'd want me to be lost. Ray walked closer to me and took the trunk from my hands.
"Consider it a kind gesture from a boy you have come to know" Ray is getting more and more interesting. First caring about something besides himself and now quoting a book. I've seen it all.
He takes my hand and guides me to his black BMW just smiling at me. I take a seat as he puts the trunk in the boot and we drive off.
As we close to Angelbay, Ray looks in amazement.
"Wow" He says a shocking look on his face. "I didn't know how beautiful it was out here."
"You've never been the Angelbay?"
"No but I've always wanted to see it." He smiles at me again looking straight at me. He climbs out of the car, lifts the trunk out of the boot and escorts me to the door.
"Do you need me to lift this up the stairs?"
"I think I can manage" I replied not thinking. His face drops. He hands me the trunk and walks back to the car.
"Wait!" I shout. He stops to turn and look at me his face dull and lifeless.
"Whilst you're here do you want to borrow that book?" The side of his mouth twitches into a little smile and I drag him upstairs to my room. I forgot about all my findings and weird vintage pieces. I didn't want him to see them, I didn't want anyone to see them but it was too late now. He walks in and straight always looks at my weird collection of stuff, he must think I'm a right weirdo. I search for the book as he looks around.
"Wow." He says. Oh great preparing to be embarrassed.
"You collected all these?"
"Yeah" I say my voice quiet.
"It's amazing!" What? I think to myself. Amazing? I thought I would be the only one to think my collections are amazing but apparently not.
He walks past my collection of old photographs of the 1920's and sits down on my white sparrow chair.
"what's this?" He asks. He's found my newest piece. The clutch evening bag from Realm Avenue.
"It's a 1920's clutch bag I got it last week" I explain. "It's quite pretty." I trail off.
"Yeah." He agrees "It looks like something from a fairy tale. Like magic you know?" I find the book under all my letters.
"Here" I say "I knew it was here somewhere!"
"Ah good, thanks Elizabeth" He takes the book from me and starts to read the back of it. It's too quite. Maybe I should say something.
"So what are you doing for Halloween?" I ask. He looks urgently up from the book.
"Well I'm supposed to go meet Eddie and the gang to go to a party over in Brook but I don't really want to go." He paused as I sit down on my bed next to him.
"Look just so you know I'm not this bad guy who doesn't care about anything. I do care I just don't know how to show it sometimes."
Wow. I'm speechless.
"Urrr so" He continues trying to change the subject. "what are you doing for Halloween then?"
"We're having a beach bonfire on Angelbay, just a few friends nothing special"
"Seems pretty special to me" I don't know why I say this but I do.
"Do you want to come?" Ray looks at me for a second to see if I actually just said that, but he quickly responds.
"Sure. I'd love to." He says with a slanted grin. He stares into my eyes and I stare back at his. This is when my little sister comes bursting in singing The lollypop song. Thanks.
"Lalalalala lollypop oh lolly lolly lollypop"
"Urmm. Ray this is Marie my little sister." I explain quickly. He shakes his head as he gets back to reality.
"Oh right, Hello." He says, I can tell he feels a little awkward.
"Maybe I should go." He says abruptly getting up, taking the book with him. I run after him to say goodbye as he climbs into his BMW again. And he says "Oh Elizabeth what time's that beach bonfire?"
"Seven" I shout
"See you there" He waves out the window and drives off just as my mum comes home.