Author note: Reviews are more than welcomed! Tell me what you think, let me know of any ideas or criticisms and I'll bare them in mind when I write my next chapters.
Chapter Twelve
Hudson Farm
The day after the fire for the most part was a crazy hectic blur; fire fighters, police, the odd tabloid reporter, everybody and his mother had been round. After all the statements and interviews everyone was exhausted, no one more than my dad. Usaly a active vibrant 40 year old he aged ten years over night, now walking with a third leg (thanks to last nights fall) dad was miserable, the doctors had told him to go easy on his leg and give it time to heal which was bad news given the circumstances, the farm was a mess it would take a lot of time money and energy to fix it up, unfortunately my dad didn't have any of these.
So that's how I ended up spending my afternoon helping to put the farm to rights.
"You should have been there kids." Said dad, loving the attention he was getting after 'Robin Hood' saved his farm. "It was unbelievable."
"I'll bet it was Mr Hudson." Said Will with a smile at the rest of us, Will, Jhon and Jack had offered to help me dad and Joey with the work, Mark (who wasn't so handy with building) was at Sherwood working on our next job.
"It was Will it was. You know you kids could learn a lot from those guys." Dad said.
"Excuse me!" I said raising my eye brows at dad "We don't have to be here you know."
"Arr I know you don't, I was just messing with ya." He said swinging an arm round my shoulder and squeezing me tight "I appreciate what your all doing for me."
"Its no problem Mr Hudson." Said Jack who was a metal sheet for the barn roof.
"Yeah no problem." Said Jhon struggling as he carried a heavy couple of bags of cement.
My dad grinned at them all, he put on a smile but I knew it was killing him. A man who had done labour all his life found it hard to sit back and watch others do his work. But he loved this farm and couldn't stand to see it fall to disrepair.
Getting back to work sweeping up ash and hey I let my mind wander, I thought of yesterday, and how bizarre it had been, I thought of the thugs, the fall and the fire but there was one place I wouldn't let my mind wander. Baxter. Well needless to say I wasn't doing a very good job at that, it was so out of character of me, I always said the whole blond hair, blue eyes and arrogant charm thing he had going didn't effect me. And it didn't, well not normally, I had hated the guy for the full five years I had known him and yet I did what I did. It goes without saying that im not about to mention any of it to the others.
I had moved towards the chicken coop to sweep up broken egg shells when I heard Granddads voice.
"I see he's got you all working then, idle get." He said laughing.
"Its nothing granddad." I said.
" They volunteered dad." Said my dad.
"Oh I bet they did." Granddad replied, he had always been critical of dad, especially when it came to the farm it being a family heirloom and all. Granddad had worked the farm until he had become too old to do so, but it didn't come lightly he too had a deep love for the place (something neither me nor Alice shared) and had worked here most of his life after he left the pits to take over from his farther.
"Oh give over Harry" said grandma walking down the lane with a tray of tea and biscuits (as it was customary for her to do) "Leave our son alone." Scolding her husband.
"Alright you lot you can take a brake now." Said dad smiling at them and then glancing at his dad "That is if im not working you too hard."
I dropped the broom and took in the scene before me, it was picture perfect, a snap shot moment with all the little things that make you smile. The midday sun shone brightly above the farm yard, a cool breeze swept through the valley bringing with it the sent of next doors freshly cut grass, the chickens clucked away wondering around the yard not minding the state of there home, Dad and Granddad were assessing the job of the barn using their sticks to point out spots that needed work ( Granddads cane, dads crutches), Grandma was telling Jhon (who adored her cooking) all about the cake she had baked the other, Jhon was nodding politely trying to ignore the way his stomach rubbed at the thought, Jack was attempting to show Will (who was still a little embarrassed) how she had managed to floor him yesterday. Ok maybe it wasn't perfect, but it was my world.
"Come on Robin your tea'll be cold." Said my Grandma.
Picking up the mug I nearly scolded myself with the heat.
"Where's everyone else?" Asked Joey jumping the last few steps on the ladder ( he had been fixing the barn roof) and grabbed a mug.
"Mum's taken Alice into town for school uniform" I said "And Marks at the office."
"You kids take on too much" Said my Grandma " Two jobs, one of them your own business, and you'll be starting collage in September, you'll tire yourselves out."
"Arr but they have to now Vera, if they want to live in this town." Said Granddad.
"Baxter'll be bleeding them dry in a few years they'll need a good saving account just to get by." added my dad knowledgably, all the adults and Joey nodded in agreement. We didn't think it would be wise to point out we weren't that young, and we were actually doing something about our town's unfortunate state.
Soon after everyone returned their mugs to my Grandma and got back to work. Will, who was helping Jack put together a new ramp for the chicken coop, was making excuses about Jack beating him.
"… if I'd have known you were there you wouldn't have taken me so much by surprise." He said.
"Of course not." Replied Jack sarcastically.
"And you're a girl I wouldn't want to hurt you." He carried on.
"Sure Will whatever you say, I know it must be awful for you, knowing you got beaten by a girl." Said Jack.
"I… err…" Stuttered Will, he wasn't used to being spoken to like that from anyone but me, all the girls at Locksdale south secondary school (the school Will and Jhon went to) had thought of him as the fit silent guy who worked on a builders yard, which they had found very attractive Will being my best friend I couldn't see him in that way, but he assured me that's what they thought.
"And you'd think, after knowing Robin all these years, you'd know not to underestimate a girl, especially if you're not prepared to lose to one." Jack said grinning at me.
"She's got you there mate." Said Jhon, walking past with some more boards for Joey.
"Oh yeah?" said Will grabbing his paint brush, Jack guessing what was coming next legged it.
Even though it had only been a day Jack fitted in perfectly, it was as if she had always been here. As I watched Will chase her around the yard with a paint brush everything felt right, who cared what had happened? We'd got through it and the farm would be back to normal in no time. Who cared if I kissed Baxter Jr? It wasn't like it was going to happen again. Everything was working out fine.
"Robin!" I turned as I heard my name spoken by a familiar voice.
"Hey Robin, isn't that Mark?" Shouted Joey from the roof. I looked up the lane, yep that was Mark.
Mark approached us breathless and carrying a news paper.
"Alex, Phone!" Shouted Grandma from the house , with dad answering the phone and Granddad having gone up earlier we were alone.
"What's up Mark?" I asked watching Will who had lost sight of Jack and was searching for her in the barn.
"I (gasp) came (gasp) as fast I could (gasp)." He said.
Jack jumped out at Will brandishing a paint brush of her own, he jumped a mile.
"Ok Mark, any luck with what I asked you to do?" I asked.
"No." He said his voice normal again "I haven't found a single listed building in the Southside so far. But that's not why im here I was walking over here to give you a hand, I was getting nowhere back at Sherwood" My mind was wondering watching as Jack spattered brown paint all up Will's back. "When I saw this."
He held up a tabloid news paper I recognised it as the Locksdale Inquirer, Baxter's newspaper filled with propaganda.
" I dunno why you bother reading that, that paper never prints the truth." I said.
"I dunno, its made a pretty lucky guess then." He said unfolding the paper and revealing the front page, in big bold letter the headline read.
"ROBIN HOOD, HERO OR HEROINE?"
"WHAT!?" I screeched. The other three dropped what they were doing and ran over. I snatched the paper from Marks hands and read.
"Robin Hood our diminutive town's most famous celebrity, an inspiration to all of us with his charitable acts and renowned good will, a true hero. But is this the case? A reliable source, who wishes to remain anonymous, tells this reporter that Robin Hood is not who she clams to be. That's right; our beloved Robin Hood is in fact a woman. And in light of this information the people of this town who trust and believe in Robin Hood should perhaps consider what else our 'saviour' has been dishonest about…" I trailed off I couldn't bear to read any more "Arrrrr!" I screamed and balled up the news paper.
"Who did this?" I asked throwing the paper into the skip.
"I dunno" said Mark "that's why I came here, I thought you might."
Everyone looked as confused and angry and worried as I felt, this was bad. Who would have gone to the paper? Baxter's paper as well, it just wasn't on. And then it hit me, Baxter Jr.
"George Baxter you are so dead!" I muttered, I don't care what happened last night, it was time to pay another visit to the mayors son.