Changing Lives by Mabel Marsters

1 :: 2 :: 3 :: 4 :: 5 :: 6 :: 7 :: 8 :: 9 :: 10 :: 11 :: 12 :: 13 :: 14 :: 15 :: 16 :: 17 :: 18 :: 19 :: 20 :: 21 :: 22 :: 23 :: 24 :: 25 :: 26 :: 27 :: 28 :: 29 :: 30 :: 31 :: 32 :: 33 :: 34 :: 35 :: 36 :: 37 :: 38 :: 39 :: 40 :: 41 :: 42 :: 43 :: 44 :: 45 :: 46 :: 47 :: 48 :: 49 :: 50 :: 51 :: 52 :: 53 :: 54 :: 55 :: 56 :: 57 :: 58 :: 59 :: 60 ::

Chapter 15

It was the Saturday before William and Rupert were due to fly out to start their new lives in California on Wednesday. William was out with Rich, it was the final chance the pair would have to see each other as Rich had to go visiting some aunt or other with his family on Sunday.

The lads mooched along the streets heading towards London’s Oxford Street, both were quieter than normal. Rupert had given William some money to treat himself to something; clothes, cds, anything he wanted, but he couldn’t get in the mood for shopping, remembering how he’d gone with his mom before coming to England. It seemed so long ago. Eventually it was time for them to go home, as they parted they hugged each other.

“Keep in touch, mate,” said Rich, his voice breaking.

“I will, Rich, I promise,” said William, wishing he had the courage to tell him the truth. Perhaps he would when he was in the US, he couldn’t bear to see Rich’s face when he learned his friend was really dead and that he’d taken his identity.

Rich walked away in the direction of his home, but William couldn’t face going home himself so he walked back the way they’d just come and hopped on the Tube. He got off at the stop he and James had when they’d had their tattoos done. He paused in front of the barber’s shop where he’d had his haircut; he smiled as he opened the door almost able to hear James joking like last time as he went in. He sat in the chair and the same man came to attend to him.

“Hi, what can I do for you today?” he asked.

“I want to look different,” said William.

“How different?”

“As different as I can,” replied William.

“Okay, lets see what I can do.”

William sat looking at his reflection, eyes drawn as always to the scar around his left eye.

“Sorry?” he said realising the barber had said something.

“Just asking why the need for a radical new look? Fed up of looking like your twin?”

“Wot?” said William.

“Oh? Have I got the wrong person? I don’t usually forget a face. Mind you, I don’t remember the scar, but didn’t you come in here with your twin not that long ago?”

“Er…yeah…I did.”

“So do you reckon I’ll be doing his hair, too?” joked the barber.

“No, no yer won’t be doin’ his ‘air, because he’s dead,” said William bluntly, knowing it was mean of him but he couldn’t help it.

“Christ, I’m sorry, mate,” said the barber, glancing at William’s scar and suddenly remembering the story in the local newspaper about a family wiped out in a car crash. He was sure it had said cousins but since when did the local ‘rag’ ever get anything right.

“Yeah, me too,” said William quietly.

When the barber had finished he asked William if he liked it. William looked at his hair; it was now bleached as white as snow and slicked back from his forehead. Now when he looked in the mirror he didn’t see William or James, he saw ‘Spike’.

“Yeah, it’s cool, thanks.” He got up and pulled out his wallet to pay. “’Ow much do I owe yer?”

“No mate, you can have this on me,” he said, still feeling awful about mentioning his brother earlier.

“Don’t want yer bleedin’ charity,” snapped William. He threw £40 on the counter and stormed out of the shop.

When he’d gone a few hundred yards he leant against a wall and closed his eyes.

“Christ, I’m losing it,” he muttered.

Then a thought struck him - he’d get lost. Just go away, anywhere, it didn’t matter. Rupert could get back to his own life. He pulled out his wallet and counted the money, he had £160 in it. That should get him somewhere nice and far away. Buses were cheaper than trains so he asked in a shop for directions to the bus depot. When he got there he realised he didn’t have a clue where to go, so he went to the ticket office.

“Wot bus goes the furthest away from ‘ere?” he asked.

“What do you mean?” asked the clerk.

“Wot I said,” said William crossly. He took a deep breath and tried again. “Which of the buses runnin’ tonight goes the furthest from ‘ere?” he added as an afterthought, “Please.”

“But don’t you have a destination you want to get to?” insisted the clerk.

“Yes I ‘ave.” said William, “I want to get as far from this soddin’ place as possible - tonight.”

“Oh, all right then, let me have a look. We’ve got one that goes up to Edinburgh. It travels through the night and leaves here in about two hours,” she said.

“That’ll do. ‘Ow much is it?” he paid her and took his ticket.

There was a snack bar in the corner of the depot so he went and bought a couple of sandwiches and a can of Coke. He took them outside and found a bench near to where he had to get onto the bus. He sat there and ate one of the sandwiches, it was pretty soggy but it did its job. He leant his head back and closed his eyes. He didn’t realise that he’d fallen asleep until he was woken by a gentle push on his shoulder.

“Huh?” he said blearily looking up, “Is the bus ‘ere?”

“Not yet, no.”

He was suddenly totally awake. There were two police officers standing in front of him, an incredibly tall man over six foot five and a rather slight woman about a foot shorter. It was the female officer who had spoken. He sat up straight.

“Are you James Norman?” she asked.

“No.” he replied honestly.

“Come on, James, don’t mess us about. Description given; slim white youth, seventeen years, crescent shaped scar around left eye, probably wearing a long black leather jacket,” she said sternly. “Didn’t have the bleached hair down though, it’s supposed to be sandy brown.”

“It was,” said William.

“So what are you doing, James? Your uncle is frantic.”

“I ‘aven’t been gone that long,” said William, “’Ow come yer lookin’ for me already?” He’d figured the police wouldn’t even begin looking for him for twenty-four hours.

“James, you’re less than a month out of the hospital after suffering a major head injury so you got prioritised,” she said with a smile.

“Great, just my luck,” he said, “So wot now?”

“We take you home.”

“Wot if I don’t want to go?”

“Not your decision.” The male officer spoke for the first time.

William stood up and glanced around. Would he make it if he ran for it? He took half a step away from the officers but got no further as a huge hand gripped his left arm firmly above the elbow. He looked at the hand then the face of the man it belonged to.

The policeman smiled at him. It was a smile that said ‘just try running for it and see what happens’.

William sighed, “Okay.”

He expected the hand to be removed but it wasn’t, the grip stayed just as firm.

“This way then, sir,” said the policeman with sarcasm that earned him a ‘look’ from his partner. He hated dealing with these little middle class brats, got everything handed them on a plate and still weren’t happy. The jacket this one was wearing must have cost over £1000.

“George,” warned the woman. She knew what he was thinking but he hadn’t heard the bit over the radio about the lad losing his parents recently like she had.

George led William somewhat roughly back to the patrol car. William’s face was burning by the time he got in after all the disgusted looks he’d earned by being escorted by the police. He was put in the back seat and the policewoman sat next to him.

“Are you okay?” she asked kindly.

“Better if I’d been on that bus.” He kept his head down and fiddled with his hands.

“Running away is never the answer, James.”

He didn’t reply.

She gave his hand a brief squeeze. William felt tears prick his eyes; he blinked them away. Shortly afterwards they pulled up outside of the house. George got out of the driver’s seat and let William and the policewoman out of the back seat - the doors couldn’t be opened from the inside.

As soon as his foot was on the path the door to the house was flung open and Rupert came outside.

“James! Oh, thank God!” he cried, rushing towards him, “Christ, I thought I’d lost you, too.” He threw his arms around William, “Come on, let’s get you inside.”

“We’ll leave you to it then, sir,” said the woman before George could speak. The two officers got back into their car.

“Why did you do that? Never got to give my ‘perils of running away’ lecture.”

“George, the kid’s parents were killed in the crash he was hurt in. Give him a break.”

“Oh,” said George.

“Yes, ‘oh’. They’re not all spoilt brats, you know, just because the address is trendy,” she admonished.

“Whatever,” said George, sounding a lot like a spoilt brat himself.

Ooooooo

Rupert led William to the sitting room, where they both sat down on the couch.

“Look, James, I know you don’t want to leave here but I can’t stay, I have to take the job. You’ve barely said three words a day to me since you came out of the hospital, but please, please promise me you’ll not run away again. Lord knows; if I lost you I don’t know what I’d do.” Rupert wearily rubbed his hand over his face, “I know I’m not your parents, James, but I’m trying. We’ve just got to try our best together. I wish you didn’t hate me so much.”

“I don’t ‘ate you,” murmured William, “I ‘ate me.”

Giles couldn’t make out what he’d said.

“Sorry?”

William repeated what he said.

“Don’t say that, James,” said Rupert, putting his arms around William who hugged him back for the first time as his tears began to fall.

Rupert held onto his nephew until the boy’s sobs had died down. William sniffed a couple of times and pulled away. He looked at Rupert.

“I’m sorry.”

He realised that Rupert wasn’t there just because he had to be; but that he was trying to make up for not seeing as much of his sisters and their families over the years as perhaps he should have.

“That’s okay, just don’t do it again, all right?” said Rupert. “And what in the world have you done to your hair?

“Wanted a change,” said William, feeling a touch embarrassed.

“Well, it’s certainly that!” exclaimed Rupert.

Their eyes met and they both started to laugh.

“Perhaps things will get better from now on?” thought Rupert.

Little did he know…

Submit a Review!