Disclaimer: Twilight is the property of Stephenie Meyer
This chapter is dedicated to Noble, Fadewind, M-Bianca94, Alphabloodwolf, Patricia, Lsb123, Alexsandra, Cara Gracious and BellaNessieCullen
When I awoke in the morning Mal had turned on his back and I was now lying across his chest. He was awake, running his fingers through the length of my hair, and so I lifted my head to smile at him.
"Good morning my Malachite." I said happily, reaching up to stroke his cheek. "How long have you been awake?"
"Since it was light." Mal murmured.
"Dawn is around four in the morning." I said with concern.
"Yeah." He remarked with a sigh.
"Why didn't you wake me?" I demanded.
"You need your sleep." He said, shrugging slightly.
"So do you." I stated, kneeling up and placing both hands to his cheeks and looking down into his eyes. "I wish to know when you are troubled my love so that I may hope to help you."
"I just couldn't get back to sleep. It's no big deal." Mal said, and it was clear he didn't wish to talk about it at present.
"You would tell me if there was something wrong." I said carefully as I lay back against his chest, wrapping my arms about him.
"Of course I would bach." He said, cradling my head for a moment, and then he dropped his hand with a groan. "The thing is you're going to think I sound stupid."
"Never my love." I said, not raising my head for it seemed to make it easier for him to talk.
"Silly then." He corrected.
"Why would I ever think such a thing?" I asked.
"Because…because I keep thinking there's someone else here. Like a…a presence. Like last night I couldn't shake the feeling that there was someone else in the house even though all my senses told me there wasn't. It was just like, know when you know someone is in the house without having to see them there?"
"Yes." I agreed, knowing full well to what he referred.
"It's like that." He stated.
"It is an old house Mal. These places always have a presence about them, you are merely out of tune with this house but you'll soon grow to know the feel of it again." I assured him.
"I guess." Mal said glumly.
"If there was a presence who do you think it might be?" I asked carefully, perhaps it was something he hoped for but couldn't admit it to himself, or had yet to realise it.
"I don't believe it really." Mal said firmly before letting out a nervous chuckle. "I guess it's just my mind playing tricks cause Dad always joked the old place was haunted. I never believed him as a kid and I don't believe him now. It's just me being paranoid because I'm expecting the Volturi to burst through the door at any moment when that's ridiculous, they probably don't even know we're here yet."
"They won't get us Malachite for one simple reason, Mother's order still protects us." I stated, sitting up once more to show him how serious I was.
"But Alec still came after you." Mal observed.
"Yes, however it was because he was doing it for his own gain a not because it was something that would aid Volterra." I reminded him.
"So if one of them decided to hurt us because they wanted to and not because it's what Aro wants then they can hurt us." Mal stated.
"If they are still remotely linked to the Volturi then the alpha order will kick in. Besides, what good would it do the Volturi other than to incur Mother's wrath. It is only so long she will allow the fact that they are a 'necessary evil' stop her from eradicating every last one of them from the face of the earth. Aro knows this and therefore he will refrain from doing anything that would bring about his own destruction."
"Are you sure?" Mal asked doubtfully.
"Yes." I said firmly as I stretched up to kiss him. "We have nothing to fear, merely enjoy our new life together."
"Is that so?" Mal asked.
"Yes." I said, "And I can think of one way we could be having fun right now." I added as I moved my hand down beneath the covers.
"You're frisky this morning." He said with a grin.
"Perhaps." I mused stroking his cheek.
"Just let me use the toilet first." He said, taking my hand and kissing my fingers but making no true attempt to move.
"And I could do with cleaning my teeth." I conceded, rolling off him and landing lightly on the floor, and kissing him before dashing for the door. "And I'll race you for the bathroom."
"Really?" Mal asked as he dropped over the banister and landed three stairs below me.
"Yes." I replied, managing to squeeze past him in the kitchen and I arrived at the toilet a moment before him. "Ladies first I believe." I said with a grin.
"Age before beauty." Mal joked and I poked out my tongue before shutting the door on him.
I made use of the toilet before allowing Mal to use it while I went to brush my teeth. When he emerged he went to kiss me.
"Not whilst you still have morning breath." I sang. "Brush your teeth."
"I would have done it when you were in the toilet if you'd let me go first." He protested, still hovering his puckered lips close to me.
"No brushy no lovey." I said lightly and tapped his nose before leaving the bathroom.
I smiled as I heard Mal run the tap as I went through the kitchen toward the stairs. I went back up to the bedroom and climbed into bed to wait for Mal. He came up five minuets later and paused by the door, pursing his lips as he regarded me for a moment.
"Now where were we?" He mused jumping under the covers with me.
"Breath check." I teased, holding my finger to his lips.
"Well there's a tried and tested way to be sure." He said, moving my finger aside and lowering his lips to mine.
I did intend to resist, if only for a playful moment, but I melted as soon as his minty lips met mine and we were kissing passionately, caught up in the heat of the moment. Mal's hand trailed down my side and up beneath my nightdress. His thumb brushed my breast and I felt the electric thrill through me and revelled in the feel for a moment before I started pulling at his t-shirt. Encouraging it up over his head.
He sat up for a moment to pull it off and I rose with him, meeting his lips as he knelt up. Then I twisted about, pushing him back on the bed, kissing his lips for while before I admired his wonderful chest. When I met his lips once more his hands were on my thighs, riding up my nightdress. I sat up and pulled it over my head, my skin prickling as it was exposed to the air. Mal sat too, and he pulled me across his lap before he started kissing at my breasts, sending the wonderful anticipation through me as he lay me down and began kissing down toward my naval. Then further down.
"We're going for the full works?" I asked in an unsteady breath.
"Well we have to christen the new bed properly." He replied, before pulling off my panties and setting to work.
What a delightful hour we spent christening the new bed. Afterwards we lay together as we revelled in the afterglow.
"What a wonderful way to start the day." I mused happily, playing with the ends his hair languidly as he held me in his arm, his other hand tracing lines up and down my side.
"We should do that every morning." He murmured, placing his lips against my head in a kiss.
"I think we would become somewhat spoiled." I observed. "However, if it were to occur once in a while, for special occasions or when we have nothing to do that day then I see no reason why."
"Lazy Sundays could be fun." He remarked.
"Yes." I agreed before I sat up and stretched out my body. "However, we do have much to do this day and we should shower and dress."
"Can't we just stay here all day?" Ha asked, putting his arms about my waist and pulling me back to him.
I allowed him to pull me back and I kissed him for a moment before pulling away again.
"Now Mal, we have much to do today." I chastised, rising to my feet and pulling on my dressing gown. "I am going to shower, but would you come sit in the bathroom with me?"
"Why?"
"I don't know how well that non-slip mat I bought yesterday will work and I fear what might happen if I slip in the bath and bang my head." I explained.
"I'm sure you won't slip, but I'll come watch you." Mal said as he got out of bed and pulled on his shorts. "Maybe I'll even join you." He added with a growl as he placed his arms about me and kissed at my neck.
"As long as it is to wash and nothing else." I said with a chuckle. "We really must make a start today."
"Well there's always tonight." He growled lowly before he took my hand, twirled me about, and then led me down to the bathroom.
In the end Mal opted to sit in the old bathroom chair and wait for me to finish for he claimed he would be unable to behave himself should he shower with me. For this reason I made my ablutions as brief as possible whilst still being thorough. The mat was a success, I didn't feel as if I was about to slip once and I thought I could get used to having the shower over the tub.
I dressed in the bathroom before I returned to the bedroom in order to blow dry my hair while Mal showered. He had prepared breakfast for the both of us by the time I returned downstairs, and we ate it together before doing the dishes.
"Are you going to do the small room today?" Mal asked when we were finished.
"Yes." I replied.
"And you're going to do it as fast as you did our room?" He continued.
"Hopefully." I stated. "I wish to have the house sorted within the fortnight."
"Ok. So shall we hit the road again, order the carpet and buy the paint?" He asked.
"You know the colours I wish for the room?" I replied.
"Dark blue carpet, magnolia paint and the curtains and bed covers in blue?" He queried.
"Yes." I confirmed. "Then you'd have no problem picking it out?"
"You'll let me do this?" He asked, as if he was unsure how serious I was being.
"Have I ever given the impression I think you incompetent?" I asked.
"No." Mal replied. "But you usually like to make sure everything is just right."
"I trust you to choose wisely, and in the mean time I can start on with the room." I observed.
"And you won't bite my head off if I buy the wrong paint."
"You will not." I assured him as I kissed him.
"Then I guess I'll see you in a bit."
"After you measure the room." I reminded him.
"Oh yeah." He said, and rolled his eyes. "I better go do that then."
Mal retrieved the measuring tape from the drawer I had placed it in the day before, and we went up to the little bedroom together.
"If I can actually get in here." He said and squeezed in between the chest of drawers and the dressing table.
"I will help you." I said, entering the room too and took one end of the tape and pulled it over to one wall as Mal moved to the opposite wall.
He took down the measurements and then we measured the opposite direction. Then Mal measured the windows before moving to the door. He paused, looking at the furniture.
"Do you want me to help you move these out first?" He asked.
"I will manage." I assured him.
"No Liza, I'd rather help you. They're big and clumsy and I'd hate for you to hurt yourself when I'm not here." He stated in a way that left no room for argument.
"If you insist." I said with a smile.
"May as well take the dressing table first." He said, noting that it was nearest the door. "I'll go backwards."
I nodded and took up one end of the dressing table while Mal took the other. It was much easier to manoeuvre it now with Mal helping. We placed the dressing table in our room; in the same place where it had been previous for it was the perfect place for it really.
"I thought you emptied it." Mal said with a frown after we'd placed it down.
"I did." I stated.
"I'm sure I felt something moving about in there." Mal said and he began inspecting the drawers but found nothing, they were empty, just as I had left them.
Mal frowned once more as he shook his head.
"Guess I must be feeling things." He said with a shrug. "Let's get the chest of drawers in and then I'll get going."
"The same as before?" I asked.
"Yeah, I'll walk backwards." He agreed.
I nodded and we began moving the frame of the chest of drawers. This was a more difficult procedure given its length, but we managed to move it into the bedroom and placed it once more under the window.
"I can bring the drawers in on my own." I assured him.
"Then I'll go do our shopping. What time shall I have the carpet men come?"
"I think five would be fine tonight given that I am already in there working in the room."
"Then I'll have them here for five." Mal said, kissing my cheek. "I'll see you in a bit."
"See you in a bit." I replied, kissing his lips, then letting him go.
We smiled at each other before Mal left.
I moved the drawers from the small room and replaced them in the cabinet before I began sorting through the relics of Mal's youth. Some of it came under the heading of the usual childhood detritus. It was nothing worth keeping, the odd scribbling here and there. These went into a garbage bag, but anything of value went into the maybe box.
All of his books, both juvenile and advanced I placed into boxes for Mal to decide later. I took the boxes down to the parlour before returning to the room and turning my attention to the other things within the room.
There were many soft toys, some of which I would definitely save for our son, they were much too nice to throw away, or even to give to charity. They should stay in the family. We could start a tradition.
There were board games and computer games; the things one would expect to find in a room at the end of ones childhood. Eventually I had all the clutter out of the room and in boxes on the parlour table downstairs. Now I turned my attention to the furniture. The bed was fairly easy to disassemble and I had it in pieces by the back door within ten minuets. Now I turned my attention to the wardrobe, it was of the flat pack variety and therefore I could dismantle it to remove it, although I would keep it, I had to move it for painting the room.
As I was unscrewing the doors I started singing under my breath. I was on to the second door and singing the song for the seventh time when something about the lyrics caught my attention.
"For there's none of them can sing so sweet, my singing bird as you." I had sung those words again, but now I seemed to hear them for the first time.
My hand jerked and the screwdriver jumped out of the head of the screw, catching the skin just below my left thumb. It scraped off some skin and it took a moment for the blood to well to the surface.
"Damn it." I gasped, rising to my feet as the blood flowed more than usual.
I licked the blood away as I had no cloths to hand. There was a wedge of red that quickly filled with blood once more. I felt a roll of fear in my stomach, I didn't appear to be healing as normal. What was the protocol? I had to recall first aid lessons of fifteen years ago. I rose to my feet and holding my hand palm up so as not to drip blood all over the floor I made my way down to the bathroom. I turned on the cold tap and held my hand beneath it, if I remembered correctly this both cleaned the wound and stemmed the bleeding.
Awkwardly with my right hand I searched the little cabinet for the first aid kit I had bought merely because every home should have one. I found a pad and placed it on my hand, securing it with surgical tape. It was a somewhat clumsy effort given the fact that I had never performed such a procedure on myself and that I had to use my right hand. Once it was in place I moved my left hand, but it felt as thought the dressing would fall off, therefore I took a bandage and wrapped it around my hand until it felt secure.
I looked at myself for a moment in the little mirror of the cabinet before I knew there was something I had to do. I went into the kitchen and took out my phone. I cared not about the charge, was sorry that it would be in the middle of the night, but I had to check with Grandmother.
It rang several times before a sleep filled voice answered.
"Y'ello?" It was Grandpa Jake.
"Grandpa Jake, may I speak to Granny Ness?" I asked.
"Liza? It's two in the morning." He complained.
"I'm sorry to call so early but I have an urgent question." I stated.
"Ok. I'll hand you over." He said, and I heard him yawn on the other end.
A moment later Granny Ness came on the phone.
"Hello Liza, it's good to hear from you." She said warmly.
"I would have phoned at a more reasonable time, but there is something I must know." I stated, cutting to the chase.
"What is it?"
"When you were pregnant with Mother and Hunter were there ever times when you did not heal?" I inquired.
"Oh, what happened?" Granny Ness asked in concern.
"It is nothing serious, I merely caught my hand with a screwdriver, but it doesn't appear to be healing. I suppose it is healing, but not at our rate, which is why I must know if you had any instances where you did not heal properly?" I explained.
"Oh, I see. It wasn't often, but now and again if I had need to hunt." Granny stated.
"Then I merely need blood and I will be fine?" I asked.
"Yes." Granny Ness confirmed.
"Thank you." I said, feeling relieved. "I will allow you to sleep now."
"Ok. But you can phone us any time you need help."
"Thank you." I repeated.
We said our goodbyes and hung up. I sat for a moment staring at the wall feeling the relief that my lack of healing was to be expected move through me. Unfortunately it began to ebb when I realised why I had felt worried in the first place. I had this moment where I thought that some other force was responsible. I sung a song I do not know without being fully aware and then I did not heal. It made me think of hauntings, which was ridiculous there is no such thing as ghosts.
I laughed off the foolish notion before I stood and returned upstairs to finish off dismantling the wardrobe. By the time Mal had returned the little room was empty and ready for painting.
"What's wrong with your hand?" He asked, taking hold of it gently and running his hand over the bandage, which was now rather grubby.
"The screwdriver slipped and I caught my hand." I replied, wishing to pull my hand away and hide it to avoid the next lot of questions that were likely to come.
"Why are you wearing a bandage?" He asked.
"It wouldn't stop bleeding, but fear not, I phoned Granny Ness, it merely means that I need blood." I assured him.
"Oh. Well then we're going hunting once the carpet arrives." He said firmly.
"I will not argue." I replied. "Shall we start on with the painting?"
"Don't you want to do the glossing first again?" He asked.
"Yes." I agreed.
"Well I'm gonna do that and you're going to have a rest on the bed." He stated.
"Oh Mal, do not be foolish, I am not tired." I protested.
"I don't care Eliza, you hurt yourself and you're obviously low on energy, that's why you're not healing. So either go have five up on the bed while I gloss the little room, or else we'll have to think of something else." He said with warning.
"Like what?" I demanded.
"Remember when we were in the caves running from Alec and I was out of juice?" He asked.
"Oh Mal, there is no need to go to extremes." I protested as I realised to what he was referring.
"Then you'll have a rest?" He coaxed.
"Very well." I said with a sigh. "Although I really don't see why it is relevant when I don't feel tired."
"You might not feel tired but it's been a hectic few days, you just need to take a breather."
I nodded before hugging him then we went upstairs together. I kissed him at the door of the small room before heading on to our room.
"See, you've been mega busy this morning and I've hardly done anything." Mal said, sticking his head back through the door in order to talk to me.
"I will rest." I promised before I stepped into the bedroom.
I didn't bother with changing my clothes, or getting under the covers. I didn't intend to sleep, merely to lie down for five minuets to make Mal happy. I lay down on top of the covers and looked up at the ceiling making a list of all that was left to do in the house. Perhaps we would do the stairs and landing next, should all go to plan in the little room we could paint it today while the old carpet was still down. Perhaps a warm yellow would be good to lighten up the stairwell. That would mean we would have to go out and buy some more paint…
Mal
Liza can be stubborn, especially when it comes to denying her limitations, not that she has many, but she hates to seem lacking in anything. She likes to be the one up and doing, organising, making sure everything is going to plan. Even at the expense of her own health, well if us dhampir ever got ill. We do get down days though, especially when we don't feed.
We'd had a busy few days without enough sleep really. Liza had been hunting about two weeks ago with Nessie to learn how to do it when pregnant, and obviously she needed to go more often now if her hand was any indication. I can't say I'm not worried, but Nessie's been through two pregnancies and if she said it was a normal part of it I'd believe it. I just wished Liza would opt to take it a little easier until we were certain of exactly how her body was reacting.
I had to more or less force her to go and rest when I got back from Merthyr. She'd been doing too much again today, just like yesterday. But yesterday I'd needed that room to be changed, for it to become our room and stop being my parents' room. I would have left the little room for a couple of days, but Liza needed to do this today, and the rest of the house by the end of the week. All dirt banished, everything exactly as she needed it to be to stop her going mad.
I'm surprised she let me gloss the room, but I think she knew I was serious about her having a rest because I didn't even have to remind her that the gloss had made her sick yesterday. Not that I'd like to play that card, like I said, Liza hates to be reminded of her limitations, of moments she was less than perfect, but if she didn't look after herself then I'd have to raise my concerns. Liza sometimes needed me to be firm with her, to tell her when she's being silly, as she says.
I had just finished the glossing when I heard bumps coming from our room. I laughed and shook my head as I placed the brush down and walked to the bedroom.
"Knew you wouldn't rest for long." I said, stopping by the door and watching her as she pulled open drawers on Mam's old dressing table.
Liza ignored me, carrying on with whatever it was she was doing.
"Liza, you ignoring me?" I asked with amusement, wondering what she was up to now.
She didn't reply just carried on doing whatever while humming under her breath. My humour quickly drained away as I felt a chill go through me when I recognised the melody of 'My Singing Bird'. It was Mam's song and I'd asked her not to sing it because it really was too painful for me to hear it, especially in this house. One thing though, Liza knew that and she'd never do anything deliberately cruel, so something had to be wrong.
"Liza?" I asked, going to her and putting my hand on her shoulder.
She didn't seem to notice me as she reached under the top of the dressing table and something clicked. A drawer swung open, a secret drawer I hadn't even noticed and she pulled something out of it, a journal or something like that. Liza held the book to her chest as she closed up all the drawers and stood up. Her face and eyes were blank when she faced me and then walked past me as if I wasn't there.
She was heading out of the room. I followed her, wondering what the hell was going on, how would I snap her out of this. Was it some kind of mind attack? Was Liza picking up on something? She sometimes got what she referred to as an aspect of a power when she boosted someone and she didn't always have full control over who she boosted.
I turned that little switch in mind and felt my shield flicker to life around the walls of the house. That way we were protected from anyone trying to get in but no humans would accidentally walk into my shield and wonder why they were being stopped by thin air. And of course it would stop Liza getting out and walking about in the trance over a cliff or something. At least there wasn't much she could hurt herself on in the house. I was still on pins though, as I followed her down the stairs, what if she fell? If she wasn't healing as normal maybe her resistance was lower too and she'd hurt herself badly without thinking about it because normally it would be something that wouldn't affect us.
My worry continued as we passed through the kitchen, but she didn't stop there, she went through to the parlour. She moved the boxes from the old table, putting them on the settee. She went to the farm office in the little cubby and as if she knew where everything was found a pen and a piece of paper before sitting down in the seat Mam used to use.
I felt weird all of a sudden, this was seriously messed up, and what's worse, I knew Liza wasn't having me on. There's no way she could have known that was Mam's chair and she was humming again, 'Black Velvet Band' this time. It didn't really apply lyric wise, but Mam always called it her thinking song and she'd often sing it when she was going over the farm accounts or any other bit of writing she had to do.
I sat down opposite my wife, whose head was bowed over a piece of paper as she concentrated on writing. Her long dark curls fell in a dark mass on the table in front of her, obscuring whatever it was she was writing.
"Liza?" I said gently, and reached out to touch her hand, but she didn't look up.
Then I realised what was wrong with the picture, I mean other than the fact that Liza was completely ignoring me, she was writing with her right hand, Liza's left-handed. I lifted her hair and the writing on the paper was neat and tidy, but even from across the table I could tell it wasn't Liza's. She was big on the calligraphy, although you couldn't get neater writing, it was full of swirls and loops. This writing was more rounded, more uniform, more like the way Mam used to write.
"Oh god." I gasped. "Mam?"
"Don't blaspheme Malachite, it's a bad thing to do." Liza said, looking up at me, but it wasn't really Liza's way of speaking, the rhythm was all wrong, and the look she gave me wasn't hers either.
I felt a chill go through me.
"Liza this isn't funny." I said, knowing Liza would never do anything as cruel as this, but in a desperate way hoping she was messing cause otherwise things were taking a freaky turn for the worse, and it came to something when I saw a situation as freaky.
"Let me finish my writing." Liza said in that lilting voice that really didn't sound like her.
"I'm worried." I said softly. "Are you ok? Do I need to get Essie here ASAP to give your mind a once over and check there's nobody influencing you? Are we under attack?"
"Please Malachite, let me finish my writing or be off with you." Liza said holding up her hand before she began writing once more.
I watched her anxiously not knowing what to do for the best. If Liza was having some kind of breakdown why couldn't it have happened when we were still in America? If she wasn't then…well I didn't know what to think because there was no such thing as ghosts. And if there was Mam wasn't one because she was somewhere in eternity with Dad, she wasn't stuck here on earth, she was with him and happy and they both watched over me. If she was here then she wasn't watching over me and if she was here, where was Dad?
I was starting to get agitated. Facing their room had been hard enough, it would be worse if they were still here; if they weren't at rest as I'd always hoped to imagine. I didn't want this to be true, I'd rather have Liza say it's all some strange joke, or some form of therapy she was trying on me. Anything was better than thinking that… I couldn't even think it, it was crazy.
Finally Liza stopped writing put the pen down on the table and folded up the piece of paper before stuffing it in an envelope. She sealed it then wrote on it, one word, before she pushed it toward me. I reached out carefully for it and as soon as my fingers touched the envelope Liza zonked out, her head lolling forward as if she was sleeping.
I forgot about the envelope and rounded the table quickly, propping Liza up as I called her name, but she was sleeping now. Only sleeping, but she didn't look ready to be wakened yet. I couldn't let her sleep here on the chair, it would be too uncomfortable, so I picked her up and carried her up to the bedroom and put her on the bed. I kneeled down by the side of the bed for a moment, stroking her cheek, I knew she wasn't having me on; she wouldn't do that to me. I'd known it even when I was hoping she was. I just couldn't let my mind think about that at the moment, I needed a distraction and with Liza out for the count for the time being I had to think of something else to do. Well the little room did need painting before the carpet fitters arrived.
I stood and turned to leave and something caught my eye, the white showing up against the walnut. It was the envelope from downstairs, 'Malachite' written with a flourish that wasn't the same as Liza's flowing script. I picked the envelope up and shoved it in the pocket of my jeans; I wasn't going to read it.
I left the big room and went into the little room and started on with painting the ceiling first, the little specks of paint dotted me, making it look like I had some kind of pox. I laughed at that, the thought of me being sick. I'd never been sick a day in my life, although there were times when I was certain I'd lose my mind, but I hadn't felt that way at all since I got together with Liza.
This feeling of falling into madness was made worse by the fact that the bloody song kept going through my mind. What once had been special and sacred to me was starting to haunt me and I was getting sick of the singing bird. I'd finished the ceiling but before I moved onto the walls I went downstairs and got my iPod. I put in the buds, found something adequately loud and cranked up the volume before I returned upstairs.
The singing bird was drowned out by the thunder of drums and the wail of guitars. I let the music take me as I got on with painting the walls.
Liza
I started awake, sitting up on the bed and looking around with incomprehension. I felt lost at first, unsure of my surroundings. I then remembered that Mal suggested that I have a lie down and rest for a few moments; evidently I'd fallen asleep. I felt embarrassed, I hadn't meant to sleep, but then I chastised myself for being embarrassed because I would not have fallen asleep if I hadn't required it.
I slipped off the bed and checked the time; I had been sleeping for two hours, and with so much to do! Without wasting any more time I made my way to the little room and stopped at the door and could not contain my laughter at the sight of Mal playing air guitar with the paint roller in between painting the walls.
"You are getting the paint everywhere including yourself." I said with amusement, but his music was too loud for him to hear me, I could hear bits of it from where I stood.
I watched him for a moment, waiting for my opening before I took three light steps into the room and leapt onto his back, holding about his chest to keep myself up as I pulled out his ear buds.
"Having it that loud will damage your hearing you know." I chastised playfully and kissed his cheek before I dropped lightly to the floor.
Mal gave a start and turned around slowly giving me a guarded look.
"Liza?" He said, almost as if he were questioning my identity.
"Who else would it be my love?" I asked with a chuckle.
"I… we need to talk about something, but let's just finish off the painting in here first." He said in a careful voice, as if he were afraid of alerting someone that we were talking.
"Very well." I said with a frown. "Would you like to finish up? There doesn't appear to be much more for you to do, and I will make us some lunch."
"Sounds good." Mal said with a nod, but he seemed somewhat distant.
"What is wrong?" I asked, taking his hand and looking up into his eyes, which were deeply troubled.
"Let me just finish this because what I got to say is…well it's gonna take some explaining." He said uneasily.
"Very well." I said with a frown. "I will see you downstairs."
I made my way downstairs slowly, my fingers trailing along the wall as my mind wondered what had made Malachite so edgy. There was something clearly agitating him and I had no idea what it could be. I would have to wait for him to tell me in his own time and so I decided to make lunch and worry about it later.
I put some potatoes on to boil and prepared the salad and ham onto the plates ready. It was simple, but I wasn't sure how long Mal would be and I wanted the food ready for him. The potatoes were almost done when Mal came down the stairs carrying the paint pots and rollers with him. He was almost entirely covered in paint and I grinned at him, resisting the urge to tease or chastise.
He kissed my cheek as he passed behind me before carrying the painting equipment out to the back yard to wash them off. I drained the potatoes and shared them between our plates. I had just finished grating some cheese on top of the potatoes when Mal came back in.
"Perfect I'm starved." He said, taking up both plates and carrying them to the table, placing them down at the settings I'd made up earlier.
Mal and I sat down opposite each other. I picked up my knife and fork and gathered some potato, salad and ham on my fork and brought it to my mouth. Mal seemed to sigh in relief as he started eating his own food.
"What is troubling you my love?" I asked.
"It's really gonna take a lot of explaining and you're not going to believe me. So I'm going to wait until we've finished dinner and then I'll walk you through it." He said in that careful voice once more.
"Will you not give me a clue?" I asked.
Mal shook his head as he carried on eating and I found it hard to name the look on his face. Then a word came to me, he looked haunted and that was something strange indeed to witness on Mal. I was worried, truly worried about what had caused this sudden shift in him. What could have possibly happened in the two hours I had been asleep to dampen his mood so?
"Did you dream at all?" He asked after a minuet of utter silence.
"No." I said, raising my head. "To be honest I had no idea I had truly been asleep until I saw that two hours had gone by."
"Ok." Mal said, nodding his head.
"Why?" I queried.
"I just wanted to know if that was the reason you were…" He trailed off.
"I was what?" I prompted when he didn't continue.
"Why you were sleepwalking." He said.
"I have never sleepwalked in my life." I chuckled.
"Well you were." He said a little sharply, but then his frown deepened as his tones become soft with concern. "I was worried in case you walked into something, and you know what they say about waking sleepwalkers?"
"They become disorientated." I replied, feeling me own worries grow as I realised the numerous accidents I could have suffered during somnambulist wanderings.
"Their legs fall off." He said with a small smile and I laughed lightly at his attempt toward levity although I was starting to feel concern over what my sleepwalking could mean.
"Did I do anything to raise concern?" I asked.
"I'll show you now." Mal said, putting down his cutlery and standing up because he had finished.
I had finished too and so I stood and reached for the plates intending to wash them.
"They can wait." Mal said, taking my hand.
"But…" I protested.
"I'll wash and wipe as soon as we've gone over this but I can't…I need to tell you right away." He said with such urgency I could not deny him.
"Then tell me." I stated.
"I need to show you so you'll believe me." He said.
"Very well." I replied, although I felt anxious leaving the plates, I followed him as he led me back upstairs and into our bedroom.
"You hadn't been resting long when I heard you bumping around in here. I thought you just weren't having a rest, but when I came in you were looking through the dresser. There was something still in there, I told you."
"There is nothing in here Malachite." I said, opening all of the drawers to demonstrate.
"Now there's not and there wasn't anything in those drawers, but you found a secret compartment." He stated.
"A secret compartment?" I asked in amazement. "Truthfully?"
"Yes." Mal said.
"Then where is it?" I asked intrigued.
"I'm not sure, you reached your hand under like this." He said and reached his hand under the tabletop and felt about for a moment. "A-ha." He exclaimed and I heard a click and a drawer worked into the fronting of the tabletop popped open. I was impressed; the seam had been hidden by the beading pattern.
"I didn't know it was there." I observed.
"I know." Mal said darkly. "Neither did I, there's only one person who could have known that was there."
"Who?" I asked.
"You got a journal out of there. You found it in there like you knew it was there and when I tried to talk to you, you ignored me." Mal continued, ignoring my question.
"Why would I ever ignore you?" I asked.
"Exactly! That's when I realised something was up. So anyway, you found this journal and carried it downstairs." Mal took my hand again and led me back downstairs. "I got so worried that I put a shield around the house."
"In case I tried to get out?" I ventured.
"Yes. I was so worried." Mal continued as we made our way down the stairs. "It was bad enough thinking that you might fall down the stairs, never mind that you might walk off the edge of the quarry."
"Oh dear, I did not think of that." I gasped. "Was I really so unaware?"
"Your engine was running but you clearly weren't in the driving seat." Mal said as he led me into the parlour where the boxes I had stacked so neatly on the table were now on the sofa.
"Why did you move those? I had them organised." I exclaimed.
"I didn't." Mal said. "You moved them and then you went in the cubby and got out a pen and paper and then you sat down there."
Mal moved me about before finally sitting me down in the chair by the flyleaf table that had its back to the closet door. There was a pen and I picked it up absentmindedly.
"I wrote?" I asked, twirling the pen in my fingers.
"Yeah." Mal said. "With that hand."
I frowned for a moment until I realised he was referring to the pen in my hand. The pen in my right hand.
"But that is impossible." I said and I pulled a piece of paper toward me. "I am not adept at writing with my right hand." I added as I wrote awkwardly on the piece of paper to demonstrate.
"I know you can't." Mal said, placing his hand over mine and stopping me from writing. "That's how I knew for definite it wasn't you."
"What wasn't me?" I asked, beginning to feel annoyed.
"The one who wrote this." He said quickly as he slid an envelope onto the table.
I pulled it toward me with my left hand as Mal still had hold of my right. I looked at the envelope and saw a name scribbled there, Malachite, in writing that was not my own.
"This is not my writing." I observed.
"No." Mal said, and now he looked ill. "It's… My mother used to write like that."
"And this is not some old note you found lying about?" I ventured.
"I sat right here and watched as your right hand wrote it." Mal said solemnly and I knew he was telling the truth.
"What does it say?" I asked.
"I…I haven't read it." He said, dropping his head.
"Perhaps you should." I urged.
"I…I don't want to." Mal said with a shake of his head.
"Why not?" I enquired.
"Because if it is from Mam then that means she's a ghost. If she's a ghost then she's not in heaven with Dad and they're not watching over me." He replied and there was pain on his face.
I thought for a moment.
"Of course your Mother may have arranged it with the almighty to allow her to come down here and give you some kind words now that you are starting out on your life proper." I suggested.
"Maybe…" Mal considered, but then he snatched the envelope from me. "I'm not ready for whatever this is." He added as he stood and strode over to the mantle piece, tucking the envelope behind the clock.
"Perhaps you should read it now." I said gently, placing my hand in his.
Mal looked down at me before he went on his knees before me so that he was closer to my height. He placed his hands up on my cheeks and looked deep into my eyes.
"If Mam was using you in that way then I don't care what she has to say, she put you in danger." He said firmly.
"Malachite, your mother would not do such a thing if it were a danger to me I am sure." I retuned in as equally as firm tones.
"You never met her." Mal stated.
"I know, but someone so cruel could not be mother to you." I said sincerely as I looked deep into his eyes.
"I'm not ready to read it yet." He admitted in a whisper.
"Very well." I whispered, placing my own hands on his face. "But you must read it at some point."
Mal looked into my eyes for a long moment, but then he turned away.
"The carpet fitters will be here soon, we should do the dishes by then. After that we're going hunting, we need to get you some blood."
"Very well." I agreed, although I wished to discuss the note further with him. "I will wash and you will wipe."
"The usual." Mal said as he stood, his eyes darting about the room as if he expected to see something there.
"Where do you plan on taking me hunting?" I asked, taking his hand and led him to the kitchen.
"If you don't mind foxes we can just go local." Mal said, welcoming my distraction.
"I will drink any blood bar that of humans and wolves." I stated.
"Then we won't have to go far at all." He said as I ran water into the sink.
"It will be good to feed." I stated. "I feel drained beyond belief, as if I haven't fed in months."
"We'll get you blood." Mal said firmly.
"I will enjoy the chance to run these hills." I mused.
"Yeah." Mal agreed. "Although we'll have to be careful until after dark."
"I'm sure we can be." I observed.
"Yeah." Mal agreed.
"And afterwards we can bathe together once more before putting the bed to further use now that we have broken it in." I added with a flirtatious grin.
"I'm all yours for whatever you got in mind." He growled and I giggled and flicked him with some suds from the sink.
Mal wrapped his arms about my waist and nuzzled at my neck.
"Behave, we must have the kitchen in order before the carpet fitters arrive." I chastised playfully as I shrugged him away.
"Your wish is my command Duchess." Mal said bowing lowly with a flourish.
I giggled as I began to wash the dishes.
"You know well how to lighten my day my magnificent Malachite." I observed.
"Not that it needs much lightning today." He said, indicating the blue skies outside.
"Two fine days on the trot, is that not some form of record?" I asked.
Mal chuckled.
"Aisht now or you'll jinx us." He said with a wink.
"I won't mention it again." I promised as I moved on to wipe over the worktops.
"Great." Mal replied.
"What time are the men arriving?" I asked.
"Five." He replied.
"Then we have four hours." I said, frowning slightly, there hadn't been the time limit that Mal had implied and now we had to find something to occupy that time that would also occupy his mind. "Perhaps we could make a start on the stairs.
"Or." Mal said, pulling me into his arms. "We could relax for the next four hours, just take a breather because we haven't spent much time together properly since we got here. Time to just relax."
"I cannot relax until the house is in order." I stated.
"Then how about we do something light out in the garden?" He suggested.
"Such as?" I prompted.
"Well let's go look and see. It'll be nice to get out in the fresh air for a bit." He observed.
"Yes." I agreed as we went out to the garden and then paused by the door. "Perhaps we should take a trip to the skips first?"
"Yeah." Mal said, stopping by the pile of junk near the door. "And is there anything for charity?"
"They are your possessions I thought you'd like to decide what you wished to keep and what you wished to donate." I stated.
"Thanks bach." He said and kissed my cheek before we loaded up the Land Rover.
"May I drive today?" I asked as Mal closed the back. "I do know the way to the refuse collection point and I must practice my driving on the left."
"I did drive yesterday." Mal conceded. "It's only fair if you drive today and give me a rest."
"Yes." I said with a chuckle before I kissed him and fished the keys from the pocket of his jeans. "You must have a rest from driving." I added and kissed him one last time before gliding around to the driver's side and climbing into the seat.
Mal climbed in beside me and I adjusted the seat, smiling at him before I turned the engine and we were off. With the windows wound down it was a nice day for driving as I took the same path Mal had the day before. We were soon at the refuse collection point once more and I passed the trash to Mal as he threw it into the big receptacle.
We didn't fool around today, merely returned home. I drove once more enjoying this most normal of tasks. When we arrived back at the farmhouse I looked around the backyard and it seemed so much to do that I didn't know where to begin. It certainly was not a task of an hour or two, more likely an entire week, and that was the merely cosmetic.
"I do not feel like working in the garden." I stated. "If I begin I will want to finish and I will run myself to exhaustion."
"Well how about a stroll?" Mal said. "I'll take you over to see the working farm."
"That sounds like a good plan to waste a few hours." I observed.
"Then let's go." Mal said, taking my hand and we walked toward the little rise that led to the working farm.
It wasn't visible until we reached the crest of the rise and then I was surprised by what I saw. It took up a lot more room than the handful of old farm buildings about the house. These were all corrugated steel apart from one brick building that must have been the workers' house. As we descended the hill we could see the long line of sheep being corralled into one of the steel buildings.
"Please tell me that is not the slaughter house." I whispered, unsure of what I might do if I were to smell fresh blood.
"No." Mal said. "They're dipping."
"Dipping?"
"Giving the sheep their bath to prevent parasites." Mal explained.
"Do they tend to suffer a lot from parasites?"
"If you don't treat them. The last thing you want is something going through the whole flock, especially if it's something nasty. Protection is better than culling." He said sagely.
"Yes." I agreed.
We approached the aluminium fencing that was keeping the sheep contained. Along it's length at various points people were stationed to urge the sheep along. One man was behind the sheep with a smaller piece of fencing that he was using to stop the sheep from moving backwards, making the space smaller as more sheep were dipped.
The farm hands glanced up at us but said nothing as Mal led me along the line of the sheep from which a strong scent of fear arose and I felt my stomach rumble. I took a deep breath before holding it lest I fancy taking one as a snack in front of witnesses no less.
Inside the building the sheep were being separated and led into the dunking pools one at a time. Dai was there ensuring that each sheep went through the set of pools properly. Mal stopped me in an unused space and we watched for half an hour for the dipping to be completed.
"What happens afterwards?" I asked, making my breathing shallow to avoid smelling the sheep in a way that would ignite the hunger within me.
"They get shepherded back out onto the common." Mal said. "The dogs will help with that."
"I wish Billie were here, she would enjoy witnessing this." I stated.
"Maybe the Joneses will do there's later when she's here." Mal observed.
"Would they let her watch?" I asked.
"If she pitches in." Mal said with a shrug. "Maybe next year we should have her over in July and she can witness the shearing."
"Yes." I said with a smile, wondering how my little sister would find such a thing.
The final sheep was put through the wash and Dai signalled to the other hands to get on with ushering them back out before he came over to Mal and me.
"Come to see us peasants squire?" He asked, looping his thumbs into the lapels of his overalls.
"You did say to come over and see how the farm was getting on." Mal replied.
"Aye, but I don't see you mucking in." Dai said as he scrunched up his craggy face to give us a scrutinising look.
"You got everything under control." Mal said with a shrug. "If you'd said earlier we would have come over and give you a hand."
Dai laughed as if Mal had made a joke.
"Come to the cabin and we'll talk business." He said expansively.
Dai led us through the steel building where a couple of hands were busy emptying the pools and spraying the whole place down with hoses. On the other side of the building the sheep were being led out of a big fenced off area and toward an open gate set into a hedge. A couple of dogs whipped about either side of the flock, ensuring none went astray. We followed him into the brick building that appeared to be made up of several rooms, the one he led us into seemed to be the staff's break room judging by the big table with its many chairs set about it. There was a little kitchen area with a sink, microwave, toaster and kettle. The mugs on the tree were all odd; clearly the hands had brought their own cups from home.
"You want a cupper?" Dai offered as he walked over to the kettle and switched it on.
"Yes please." I replied, as Mal said, "No thank you."
I wondered if I'd made an error of protocol.
"Then I'll have a tea, milk, four sugars." Dai said as he lowered himself into the only chair that had cushions.
"I suppose I should have seen that one coming." I said, rising to my feet and moving over to the kettle. "I will remember to show you the same hospitality when you visit the farmhouse next week."
"Ooh, she's a feisty one." Dai chuckled.
"I wouldn't get on Liza's bad side if I was you." Mal warned.
"Why?"
"Because I am overbearingly nice to those who cross me." I said sweetly as I made up the tea as per his instructions in the 'I'm da Boss' mug he had placed ready.
I could find no mugs that seemed to be for visitors and so I opted to forgo the tea.
"I heard you're a doctor now." Dai stated as I placed the cup in front of him and sat back next to Mal.
"Yeah." Mal said, dropping his head as if in embarrassment.
"So when one of the boys hurts themselves we can just come on by the farmhouse now?" Dai asked, and I was certain from his expression he knew this not to be the case, he was merely fishing for information.
"I'm not that type of doctor." Mal stated rather tersely and I realised that this was the cause of his embarrassment. "I'm a psychiatrist."
"Oh aye, you got a lot of heads need shrinking around here do you?" Dai asked before taking a big gulp of his tea that must have still been scalding.
"No." Mal said. "I got a job at a practice in Cardiff."
"Good for you." Dai said, and he was sincere in that, although I was certain he wasn't sincere in most of his observations. "How come it took you so long to get your credentials?"
"Because I went travelling at first, then I reached thirty, realised I should probably do something more worthwhile with my life and checked into Riverside U in California. That's where I met Liza."
"California?" Dai said. "You don't look very tanned."
"It was three years ago the last time we were in California." I explained. "Since then we have been living in Seattle whilst visiting my parents during vacation time."
"You're American?" Dai asked, raising his eyebrows sceptically.
"Yes." I confirmed.
"You don't sound American." He observed. "You sound posh."
"By which you mean English?"
"No. Just posh." Dai said with a shrug.
"Father always speaks in a proper manner and I was influenced by him from an early age. My twin brother on the other hand has the thickest Pacific North West accent you would care to hear while my little sister tends to adjust her accent to suit her purpose. She does a very good impression of me when the mood takes her." I stated with a smile.
"She sounds like a right rascal." Dai remarked.
"She is." I said.
Dai nodded and took another big gulp of his tea.
"Was there anything specifically farm related you wanted to talk about?" Mal asked.
"Nothing that can't wait." Dai said with a shrug.
"Then we'll come by another time, we need to get back for the carpet fitters."
"Can't you fit your own?" Dai asked in amusement.
"Yes, but I'd rather it done quickly." I replied. "I'd be there days lining everything up to make sure it's absolutely perfect if I were to do it myself, or hovering over Mal instructing him if he were to do it."
"I see." Dai observed. "I'd better not keep you then."
We said our goodbyes and left. Just as we reached the bottom of the rise one of the hands called out to Mal. A woman of around forty jogged over to us, her eyes flashing over me for a moment before they came to rest on Mal.
"Julie, is that you?" Mal asked.
"Yeah." Julie said, blushing as Mal looked at her. "I guess I haven't aged as well as you."
"You look good." Mal assured her. "You married? Kids?"
"No. No. Just me on my own. Could never seem to find the right man." She murmured, watching Mal expectantly.
"That's a shame. I always thought you got on well with Iorwerth." Mal observed.
"Nah." Julie said shaking her head. "He wasn't right for me."
"You'll find someone." Mal said kindly, tapping her shoulder. "Just like I have. This is my wife Liza."
"Oh, yeah." Julie said, looking over me once more. "I heard." She took a deep steeling breath. "Pleased to meet you." She said, holding out her hand.
"It's a pleasure to meet you too." I replied, shaking her hand. "You are a hand here?"
"Yeah. I usually run the office side of things, but the dipping requires as many hands as possible." She said with a nervous laugh.
"Are all these people employed here?" I asked out of curiosity because there seemed too many for such a little farm.
"There's just five of us usually, that's more than enough for most of the year, but when we got the big things on then the others come over from the other farms and we go help them when it's their turn." Julie explained.
"Sounds like a good arrangement." I said.
Julie nodded.
"Anyway, we got to be off." Mal said. "We'll see you around. Maybe you could stop by the farmhouse at some point, show Liza around?"
Mal was merely being friendly; inviting Julie over, trying to gain me a friend, but it very near broke Julie's heart to be asked to show me about. It might not be clear to Mal, but in my mind there was no doubt that Julie had always hoped to be in my place one day. She carried a torch for Mal so high one could mistake it for a comet, hence the reason she hadn't settled down.
"I'm sure Julie is much too busy to baby sit me." I stated.
"If I get some free time I'll call over." Julie said. "I'll see you around."
Julie turned and headed back toward the employees' cabin. Mal and I continued on our journey up over the rise and down the other side to the farmhouse.
"You are quite unobservant at times." I stated and thumped his arm.
"What did I do?" Mal asked, this clearly having come out of the blue to him.
"Julie harbours an affection for you, possibly that is the reason she has never found someone worthy enough to replace you, and you invite her to show your wife around the farm? Can you imagine anything more painful than to play tour guide to the person who inhabits the place in life you think should be yours?"
"No." Mal said with a laugh as he shook his head. "I mean we went on one or two dates, but it didn't work out, she liked Iorwerth, not me."
"And it never occurred to you that she was over compensating her desire for Iorwerth to hide her disappointment that you didn't show more interest?" I asked.
Mal shrugged.
"I didn't really think about it to be honest. She was just one of the girls I dated as a cover. I had quite a few girlfriends back then." He admitted.
"Such as Anwen Jones?" I assumed.
"Yeah."
"Any others who are likely to crop up?" I asked.
"Well maybe one or two, but I don't see them waiting around twenty years for me, especially when I didn't give them good reason to want me beyond my looks." Mal said with a frown.
"You were rude to them?" I asked in shock.
"Not so much rude as inattentive. They were my cover, I had to have a girlfriend or two but it could never go anywhere because it would put them in danger." Mal stated.
"And informing them that it could go nowhere would also put them in danger." I realised. "Why date them in the first place?"
"Why did you date Simon and 'Sasha' and the other guys when you were growing up?" Mal asked.
"Simon was protection, a cover to give me an excuse to spurn the other boys. I only agreed because I thought the cover was mutual."
"You've never actually explained that mutual cover fully to me." Mal said as we entered the farmhouse and sat at the kitchen table. "Was he shy around girls?"
"He had a bad experience that knocked his confidence, I knew nothing of this when we made our arrangement. I felt safe to agree to his ruse for I was firm in my knowledge he would try nothing with me because I thought he…preferred boys." I admitted, feeling my cheeks burn due to my past mistake.
"You were young and I'm sure you had good evidence to think that." Mal said loyally. "Now how about I make you that cupper Dai Gob didn't."
"Is that why you refused his hospitality?" I asked.
"Yeah. It's an old joke." Mal said, rolling his eyes.
"I will remember it in future." I stated. "I will cut some fruit cake for us to have with the tea."
"Tea and cakes." Mal said with a grin. "And fourish, around the right time too."
"Yes." I said and kissed him before I went to fetch the fruitcake from the pantry.
It was only shop bought, but once I had the house exactly as I needed it I would start on with baking in this wonderful kitchen and make whatever I cared to, whatever took my fancy.
Mal and I discussed some local places that we might take Billie should she grow bored about the farm while we had our tea. At five the men arrived to lay the carpet and they were gone within half an hour, which meant it was time for hunting.
"I think we'll go up to Cwm Darran Park." Mal said as we changed into shorts and T-shirt. "We'll have to wear trainers, cause it will look weird if we don't. We can pretend we're going jogging, it's about a nice distance to do that if we're just going up around the pond, but we can go into the trees there. They're not extensive but they'll offer some cover. There's usually a rabbit or two and some foxes this time of year."
"It will be good to have some blood." I stated. "I can not believe how famished I feel now."
"We'll feed soon." Mal assured me as he gave me a concerned look.
"I will last." I stated. "Shall we go?"
"Yeah. Just let me grab my kit."
"Kit?" I asked.
"If we need to take down a lot we'll have to bury some. Although there are scavengers about, too many corpses will look suspicious." He explained.
"I see. Will somebody come across us when we feed?" I asked in concern as Mal took a backpack down from the hooks by the back door where all the coats were hung.
"No. We'll be really careful. And don't worry about blood, I got wipes and spare clothes just in case." He assured me.
"And I thought I was the one who was always prepared." I joked as we left the house, water bottles in hand. "Which way?"
"This way." Mal said and he led me toward the lane.
We ran along it on the left hand side, but instead of turning right toward the cattle grid and the mountain road we turned left into another lane. As we jogged along a group of farm buildings came into view.
"That's Hafod Isaf." He stated.
"Where the Joneses live?" I asked.
"Yes." He confirmed.
"Good to know." I said.
"We need to go this way." Mal said after a quarter of a mile and we crossed the lane and went through a gate on the right that had a pulley system that swung it back shut.
"To stop the animals escaping?" I asked.
"Yeah. It's the best way to do it because we can't actually stop people coming this way. It's a public footpath." He said, pointing up at the green arrow sign with a picture of a walking man.
"Foot path?" I asked. "It's more like a foot hill. This is practically vertical."
"Yeah, think of the challenge on the way back." Mal said with a grin before he began jogging lightly down the hill.
I followed him and felt thankful when the hill became shallower, although that didn't last for long. It became steep once more as another path met it from the right and we followed our path down to the left until we came to a bridge that crossed a narrow river.
Is this where we will hunt?" I asked, noting the trees about us.
"Nah. The trees here are really thin, there's not much cover at all from the path and there's usually someone walking it."
"Then where do we go now?" I asked, for it seemed as if Mal was leading us to a dead end.
"Up onto the old line." Mal said, and we came to a small dirt track that led up to the side of another bridge that crossed the river fifty feet above our heads.
"Old line?" I asked as we came out onto a fairly smooth track covered in tarmac.
"This used to be a railway line." Mal stated as he led me left, it was a very slight incline, almost unnoticeable.
"Interesting." I said as we jogged along and said good evening to a man walking a small Yorkshire terrier that nipped playfully at us as we passed.
We passed a few people taking advantage of the evening air; it was quite a popular walkway it seemed. Cycle rout too I amended when we passed a third group of cyclists.
"We will have to get a bike for Billie." I stated.
"Well if she wants to cycle I don't see why not." Mal observed.
The rout took us north, across a very busy road, until finally we arrived at a pond with an island in the middle that appeared to be a home for ducks. There was a path about the pond around which people were walking. We jogged about the pond then took a path that led off into the trees. There was more cover here and we were able to hunt unseen.
In all we had a fox and several rabbits. After a quick wipe over, we had not been overly messy so our clothes were not covered; I felt a tingling warmth in my hand. I removed the bandage and dressing and was happy to see my wound knitting back together and disappearing once more into smooth olive skin. Mal took the dirty dressings from me and stuffed them into the bag, it would be wrong to leave such evidence about.
Fed and energised we headed back home. It was late now, formally evening and the park and path were evidently less populated, although there was a handful of people in the play area, there was a campsite here too, Mal informed me. Not that I found it interesting, with the blood in my system I felt alive once more and I wanted to run as fast as I was permitted.
"We'll head this way." Mal said and he led me off the path, into some trees, across a road and up a bracken-lined hill until we were up near the mountain road.
There wasn't much traffic at this time of day and luckily there was a track that gave us some cover from the road. We began running fast, and it was fun after days at a human pace. By the time we returned to the farmhouse I was giddy with delight and in no mood to bathe, but merely drag Mal up to our room and make the most of the bed once more. What a grand idea that proved to be as we made the most of the night and our privacy with no interruptions and nobody to overhear.
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Gemma x