Chasing Shadows Page 9

  "I'm still the new girl; literally that's what a lot of people call me at school. Sure it annoys me, but at this stage what is the point in letting it get to me. I know I'm leaving for college next year, and don't plan on staying in touch with anyone."

  "Not even Tess or that McGinley boy?"

  "I had thought Tess was different, but it seems as if I was mistaken. Dylan was never really my friend but it didn't really bother me."

  "So what changed? And if he is not your friend, then why has he been calling so much?"

  "I really don't know. Dylan always looks out for himself. I think he enjoyed having someone he could bitch about Maddie to, that he knew would never be in her inner circle to repeat. But lately he has been trying to get into the inner circle, although I don't know why."

  "So you thought if you knew more about their background it might help you?" Mimi seemed to be lost in thought, so Grace sat waiting quietly waiting for whatever Mimi would tell her.

  "Silver Glade was settled by travelers who had lost their way. They had met along the journey, each coming from a different place in Europe. Some seeking sanctuary, others their fortune. In some ways this hasn't changed. There were five original families, one Irish, one Scottish, one German, one Italian and one Dutch. They got caught up in storm, and in the chaos stumbled across a glade in a forest. Legend says that they were protected by the trees and decided to wait out the storm." Grace had heard this before, but loved hearing Mimi's version.

  "When they realized the safety the glade could provide, they sent one son from each of the families to tell their closest kin about the hideaway in the forest, and so a second wave of founding families began. Over the years as the town slowly grew, new resources were discovered, the founding families all found themselves in positions of power and respect. More families came, and the town grew, but the original families always seemed to hold on to their influence. This was done in a number of ways, such as arranged marriages between the younger generations. Occasionally outsiders married into the community as well. And that has continued to this day." Grace was startled by this particular bit of information, a fact that was not lost on Mimi.

  "There are no forced arranged marriages, those that took place in the past were all mutually beneficial for those who agreed to them. All consensual I assure you. Today, well while certain expectations remain within specific groups, again the parties involved have to show that they have chosen this form of marriage of their own free will. The paperwork is time consuming let me tell you, and naturally those who follow tradition are rewarded by their families."

  "Because it keeps the status quo right?" Grace asked.

  "Exactly. Now as you know I have always been a little rebellious." Grace couldn't help laughing, talk about an understatement.

  "I refused to marry my father's preferred choice. Aside from the fact that we were best friends, we were both in love with other people. To appease my father, I kept my name when I did marry and my husband was the one who suggested that Jack was given the Riley name as well."

  "So, if Maddie and Dylan are first cousins, why the tension?" This was something that had always confused Grace.

  "Because while the McGinley's are seen by most as being a founding family, they are in fact from the second wave of originals. Therefore in the hierarchy they are viewed as inferior. The McGinley's have always been trying to prove themselves, and as you have seen that has continued with Maddie and Dylan."

  "Does this happen with the others?"

  "Not to the same extent. Maddie, as their only child, has been pampered by her parents, even more so since her mother decided to live abroad, but they also have very specific expectations. They need her to carry on the family name, but there are limited options. Extremely limited." Grace looked confused.

  "Of this generation, there are only two living male children. One is her cousin and the other..."

  "Is Nate?" At Mimi's nod of confirmation, Grace thought of something else.

  "So the rumors of a great love story between Maddie and Nate, those are actually true?" She knew she sounded cynical.

  "All I know is that when it became obvious that there were no other suitable choices; their words not mine by the way, her parents tried to push Maddie and Nate together. It got worse when Charles Sinclair arrived on the scene." Mimi practically spat out the name of Nate's stepfather.

  "It's all very Shakespearean," Grace said, before yawning uncontrollably.

  "Enough history for one night I think. It's late and you need your rest." She knew that Mimi was done telling stories for the night. A thought struck her;

  "Shouldn't Jack and Nate be back by now?"

  "I'll give them a call while you are getting ready for bed. I'll let you know what's happening, I promise."

  Knowing not to argue Grace made her way upstairs, hurrying through her night time routine. She was glad to see that her color was much improved, although there were still purple shadows under her eyes. Turning off the light in her bathroom, she saw her phone was still on her dresser.

  She hadn't charged it in days, in fact she had left it switched off since that last phone call with Dylan. While she had a slightly better understanding of the rivalry between his and Maddie's families, it still didn't excuse his behavior. She decided to leave the phone off until the next day, she was too tired to have to deal with any messages he might have left.

  "Hey lovely," she watched as Mimi walked in to her room, trying to decipher what the look on her face meant. "Jack and Nate will be here soon, and everyone is going to stay here, at least for tonight."

  "Jack has a late start tomorrow so maybe we can convince him to make his pancakes?" There was the slightest bit of competition between mother and son, when it came to who made the best pancakes; and with all that had gone on tonight, Grace felt as if Nate would appreciated a moment of levity.

  "Great thinking," Mimi smiled at her suggestion, the look in her eye showing that she was aware of her granddaughter's motives, and was only too happy play her part. "Will you be able to sleep, or do you need any medication?"

  "I should be okay, but I can always get something later if I need to." She really hoped that she would sleep through the night. As Mimi went to walk out the door, she thought of something that had been bugging her.

  "Was it you or Jack who told Dylan I was in the hospital?"

  "It must have been Jack, trying to get information about your accident. Is it important? I can ask him when he gets back."

  "It will wait, I was just curious, because I didn't tell him. No big deal." She smiled at Mimi and wished her sweet dreams.

  Grace was sure that she wouldn't be able to sleep, not when she was still so anxious about Nate and Jack, but she must have been more tired than she realized and was soon asleep. She woke with a start, certain that she had heard something.

  Listening carefully, all seemed quiet, but she did have a headache. Deciding that she should take some medication, Grace made her way to the kitchen, careful not to wake anyone. As she walked past the lounge she saw that the television was still on, which was strange as neither she nor Mimi had been watching it earlier.

  It was only when she stepped into the room that she spotted Nate lying on the sofa, their visitor must have been watching something.

  The room was cold, and Grace could see that the blanket he was using had fallen and he was shaking slightly. Quietly she stepped closer, intending to cover him up.

  Nate moved so quickly; his arm reaching out to grab her. Before she knew it, Grace was lying on top of Nate, the look in his eyes sucking all the air out of the room.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Nate couldn't breathe. There was something in the air that had stolen all the oxygen. He could feel his airway begin to close, and there was a tightness in his chest. Even though his eyes were open, there was not a single trace of light to be found.

  He could feel the chains around his ankles, anchoring him in place. The metal was co
ld and scraped against his skin. He tried to move his hands, but they too were bound together. He was becoming light headed, and knew that if he didn't find a way to escape it would be too late.

  There was only one place he could be, and one person who could have put him there, but for the life of him, Nate couldn't remember what he might have done to deserve this treatment.

  He tried to focus on his breathing. If he couldn't slow it down then his oxygen supply would soon run out, he'd pass out and leave himself even more vulnerable. Assuming that he would be allowed to live this time. There have been previous occasions when it seemed as if time had run out for him.

  Moving ever so slowly he tried to figure out where he was. Was it the old work shop at the back of the estate? Or worse the basement where a 'punishment' box had been built, hidden away in a corner where no one would find it. Find him. Ever.

  From past experience Nate knew that he needed to distance himself from his current situation. The fact that he has had to think this way as an eleven year old boy was frightening, but ever since that man came into his life, all he had known was fear.

  He remembers how his mother had told Nate about the knight in shining armor she had met. How he would soon be Nate's father and he would protect them from anyone who might try to hurt them. He could picture the look on his mother's face, could see the belief in her eyes; that she had truly found someone she trusted. And the promises she had made had given Nate such hope.

  He could see that she wasn't as sad, her smiles actually reached her eyes. He knew that his mother had been lonely, how she was missing Gramps and Granny, who had been traveling for the past year, before moving to a new home that Nate had still to see.

  The first time he had met Charles, there was something about the man that had worried Nate, but he didn't know what caused his uncertainly. Maybe it was the tone of his voice, like the older man was laughing at him, or the way he spoke to his mother like he was saying something nice to her but it just didn't sound right.

  He had tried talking to his mother when Charles had left. She hadn't listened. Just told her anxious son that he would have plenty of time to get to know Charles better once they were married. That soon there would be brothers and sisters for Nate to play with. He had felt frozen, unsure what to say.

  He had tried again after his second meeting with Charles. That time the man had not made any attempt to hide his hatred towards Nate. Had spoken harshly to him in front of his mother, using words that he didn't fully understand, but he just knew that they were ugly.

  He couldn't believe that his mother, who he had always looked after, who he had always made smile whenever she was having one of her bad days, had allowed that man to speak to him in such a horrible way.

  Nate had tried to explain his worries to his grandfather in their calls, had written letters to his Granny, asking them both to come home. Gramps had made the journey, had explained that Granny was unwell, that she needed to be close to special people who could help her feel better.

  He had asked if he could go back with Gramps, that he was old enough to help look after his grandmother, that as his mother now had Charles, he wasn't needed. His grandfather had looked so sad. He looked older than ever before, and Nate felt bad for making his grandfather upset.

  He knew then that he, Nate, would need to stop being a boy, would have to become a real man. He would make himself strong so that he could protect himself, so that he wouldn't need help from anyone else.

  Soon after that visit, he had learned that his mother; on one of their trips away, had married Charles and it was only then that things really changed. Nate was given an extensive list of rules that he must follow, or else the consequences would be severe. There were no more calls allowed to his grandfather, nor was he able to send letters to his grandmother as his allowance was stopped and he had no money for stamps.

  His old friends were not allowed to visit any more, and he was told that once the holidays were over he was going to have his very own teacher, that he wasn't going to return to school. Slowly Charles isolated him from anyone who might have noticed what was happening to him.

  There were days when his stepfather seemed even more angry than usual, such as the time Nate was first locked in the box in the basement. He couldn't remember what he had done, but he did remember the pain he felt after just an hour in the dark cramped space. He vaguely remembered hearing the words of a conversation between his mother and Charles,

  "Think of this as motivation love, if we don't have our own children then all my focus will be on your brat."

  His mother had cried quietly, and then there were strange sounds that he couldn't figure out, but he put that down to the lack of air.

  From that day on his mother was never the same, never quite fully with it, but it would be years before he recognized that she had escaped into a pill bottle, leaving her son alone.

  On another occasion he was pulled from his bed in the middle of the night. His mother and Charles had been away for a few days, yet another trip that he had not been included in. His stepfather hadn't even pretended to care that Nate had been left at home.

  Still half asleep, he let out a cry, the pain sudden and jarring, only growing worse as Charles literally dragged his body down the stairs and then down the steps into the basement. By the time he was thrown into the box, Nate was bleeding from a multitude of cuts. One of his eyes was so swollen it was closed over, the other one was almost as bad.

  Between the pain and his almost non-existent sight, he couldn't protect himself from the cane that Charles used mercilessly on him. He had no way to keep himself safe as the worst of his stepfather's temper raged.

  All the time he listened for his mother, hoping that she would put an end to this attack. Just once she might stand up for her son, but through his hazy vision he could see her, watching and doing nothing. In that moment he hated her. Hated her weakness. He knew that if he managed to survive he had to find a way to leave, before Charles killed him.

  Later, Maria told him he had been in the basement for three days. A doctor friend of his stepfather patched him up. It was this friends who supplied his mother with her pills, and he suspected stronger drugs. He was given a week to recover, before being summoned to see Charles.

  The older man was still angry, yet Nate still had no idea what had happened. For once he was grateful for the serious injuries he had received, his broken wrists preventing him from signing a mountain of paperwork that Charles had ready for him.

  He had a brief chance to see some of the documents closest to him, words like 'Will', 'inheritance', 'guardianship' made no sense at the time, but Nate took great risk later that night to sneak back into the room Charles used as his office. What he saw on those pages strengthened his resolve to get out of the house of horrors as soon as possible.

  For the next six months he did his best to stay away from his stepfather. He used the woods at the back of his house as an outside gym, trying to build up his strength and speed. As his twelfth birthday approached he noticed other changes, notably that he was getting taller and would soon, he hoped, be the same height as Charles.

  At night he found ways to block his bedroom door so that he would hear if Charles was trying to get into the room. He did as much research as he possibly could, looking up terms he had seen on the documents, using his classes to find out information about how he might get away from Silver Glade without detection.

  His tutor had been told that Nate was prone to accidents, that he had a history of telling outlandish lies and sometimes hurt himself for attention. Nate suspected that Ms Fields was not the only person who had been told this, but as he was essentially in isolation in the house, there was no one he could turn to.

  He was drawn back to his reality when the sound of a lock being opened close by broke the silence. He heard the cold voice of his stepfather.

  "I am going to let you out boy. You will put on the clothes I give you. You will then greet our g
uests and sign what I tell you to."

  Nate tried to process all he had been told, none of it made any sense. Usually after a punishment, Charles kept people away, just in case of talk.

  "You will do everything I tell you to, instantly, or there won't be a single part of you that doesn't hurt. Or if you need further convincing your mother will be used as an example, and it won't be pretty."

  He knew that his stepfather was not bluffing. His mother might not have protected him, but even now he could not stand the thought of her in pain because of him. When the lid of the box opened up, he didn't immediately move, instead waited for the many restraints to be opened. He tried to work his muscles so the pain when he stood might be limited, but Charles just grabbed him, not caring.

  "You have ten minutes to make yourself presentable. Do. Not. Test. Me."

  If he had known what was about to happen, Nate would have chosen to stay locked up in the box, gasping for air. He would have done anything not to have seen his mother, naked, bound and drugged, while other men in masks took turns with her. He would have done anything not to hear her cries, her confusion, her pain. He never knew how long he was forced to watch, before he was given a pen and told to sign every piece of paper that was put in front of him.

  "The longer you delay, the worse it will be." He had known his stepfather was evil, but this took his breath away. The words before him swam, a combination of his time in the basement, and the sheer horror at what was happening. Two words caught his attention.

  "Why do you want me to sign a marriage contract?" He got a slap for his question, but something was telling him he needed the information.

  "You will marry Maddison McKenzie when she turns sixteen. You will also sign these guardianship papers."

  "Who is Maddison?" He had never heard the name before.

  "I guess it's only fair you should meet your intended?" Charles snapped his fingers, a look on his face that Nate couldn't understand. Movement from the corner of the room caught his eye, and then he wished he could look away. Another masked man held a girl, who like his mother appeared to be drugged. Unlike his mother she was fully clothed, but even that small mercy didn't stop his terror.