A chance encounter

‘Do you think you could be a little less loud, you’re kinda distracting.’

The voice sounded so close to my ear I half jumped out of my skin. I quickly swivelled ‘round to find the girl with the olive skin right next to me. Despite the impatient look on her face, I couldn’t help but notice just how pretty she actually was. The same was true of the other girl once she’d turned the music off, and had come over to join us, even if I couldn’t quite get over the fact her irises were completely black. Seriously it was like her eyes were just large pupils surrounded by the whites or something.

‘He’s hungry, we should feed him,’ the black-eyed girl gave me this slow once over, as if doing so could tell her everything she needed to know about me.

‘No, I…’ my own sentence was cut off by a loud growl from my stomach.

‘Here,’ the olive-skinned girl moved quickly, grabbing a packet of crisps out of the bag next to the boom box, and offering it to me.

I went to protest, but my stomach really wouldn’t let me, since I’d been on the bread-and-butter punishment again for just over three weeks. That, along with the silent treatment, was my parents’ favourite way of keeping me in line. But it also meant I’d spent most of the last few weeks practically starving, and my body was clearly in no mood to let me forget it. Pulling myself out of what had been my hiding spot, I took the packet of crisps off her, then tried to figure out how to open them with just one hand.

‘Here,’ the olive-skinned girl took the packet back off me, opened it, then held onto the packet with the opening pointed in my direction.

‘Thanks,’ I shot her a weak but grateful smile.

‘I’m Xenia, by the way.’

‘As in the Warrior Princess?’ I cocked an amused eyebrow, as I shoved the first crisp into my mouth.

‘I was named after my great-grandmother, and daddy’s twin, actually,’ her voice was calm, like this wasn’t the first time she’d heard the joke.

‘Oh… okay,’ I tried not to comment on how weird it was to hear someone her age still using daddy.

Not that I knew exactly how old she was. But if I had to guess I’d have said she was pretty much the same age as me. That went for the other girl too, who had pulled a drink bottle out of the bag, unscrewed the lid, and was now offering it to me.

‘Thanks,’ I smiled, as I took the bottle off her, and down more of a mouthful than I’d intended.

‘Don’t worry about it,’ she took the bottle back from me once I was done, so that I could resume eating crisps.

‘So your name’s Toby, right?’ Xenia’s lips twitched into an amused smile.

‘What?’ I half choked in surprise.

She used her free hand to tap at something stuck to my hoody, before peeling it off, and turning it around to face me. It was the sticky name tag which read My name is Toby I’d gone home wearing yesterday evening. It was part of the reason I was out here now, with my right arm hurting like absolute hell. Part of the reason I was never ever going home again.

‘Um…’

‘You look like a Toby,’ the black-eyed girl cut me off before I could even think about explaining myself.

‘I do?’ I shot her a look; not entirely certain how serious she was being.

Neil had helped me cut my hair, and had let me borrow some of his clothes, so I knew exactly how I looked right now. But it still made me a lot happier than I had been when I’d arrived at his that evening, crying because I couldn’t take it anymore. It was moments like that… moments where he showed his unwavering loyalty and support, which made me remember exactly why I actually liked him more than I liked Ludo. He really was my best friend.

‘Of course silly,’ she giggled, ‘I wouldn’t say it if it wasn’t true.’

‘Um…’

‘My name is Silas,’ she cut me off again. ‘I was named after my grandfather.’

‘Seriously?’ I couldn’t help but blink at her.

‘Mmhmm,’ she nodded, then went to shove the drinks bottle back into the bag. ‘You should come back to ours for a bit.’

‘What?’

‘Your arm’s hurt, right?’ Xenia tilted the packet she was holding, so I could get at the last remaining crisps.

‘Uh… yeah… but I… I mean, I can’t… It’s… uh… it’ll be fine.’

‘Liar,’ Silas’s voice had an almost singsong quality to it.

‘But I… I mean, I can’t…’

‘Don’t worry, we’re not gonna do anything to get you sent home,’ Xenia’s voice had this calming edge to it. ‘I mean, you are out here coz you’re scared of going home, right?’

‘I… uh… mm,’ I felt more than exposed.

‘Well if we promise we can get you help without you having to go home, will you come back to ours with us?’ By this time Silas had the bag on her back, and the boombox in her hands.

‘Uh… yeah, but I mean… how…?’

‘You’ll see,’ Xenia grinned mysteriously. ‘Come on.’

***

About ten minutes after leaving the woods, we arrived in front of a nice-looking cottage. It was the kind of place I always wished I’d lived in, because I’d always imagined them being more of a family home than the suburban prison where I’d grown up.

‘What time did they say they’d be back again?’ Silas eyed up the empty driveway.

‘It shouldn’t be too much longer,’ Xenia checked her watch, before getting out her keys, and opening the cottage door. ‘They only wanted to drop off Aunt Vicky’s birthday present before they left for their trip.’

‘I still can’t believe Drew and Daisy get to go to America,’ Silas pouted. ‘I wish I had an old crone I had to impress for a great-grandma.’

‘No you don’t,’ Xenia laughed, as she closed the front door behind us and drew a curtain over it. ‘So should we make the phone call, or should we wait for them to get home?’ She led the three of us straight through to the kitchen, which also opened out into a dining room area.

‘We should probably wait,’ Silas pulled out one of the chairs from around the dining room table and sat down, whilst using one of her feet to push something on the floor just enough under the table to be completely out of sight from where I was standing. ‘It’ll be easier for him to time it if he knows dad’s ready to leave.’

‘That’s true,’ Xenia pressed her lips together thoughtfully.

‘Um…’ I shot them both a nervous look, not really sure what I was supposed to do now.

‘We can make you a sandwich or something to eat whilst you wait,’ Xenia offered.

‘I… um…’

Before I could really think about which way I wanted to respond, I heard the front door open, which caused the curtain which had been pulled across it to pull back too. A minute or so after that two men entered the kitchen. There was about a head’s difference in height between them, with the taller of the two being really thin, and pale, with the same black hair and black eyes as Silas. The shorter one’s skin was a darker shade of olive to Xenia’s, but his eyes were a similar blue, and his hair the same thick brown, even if his was more on the curly side, and starting to grey a little in places. Both men also had near identical bracelets on their left wrists, consisting of a bunch of stones strung together on a thick piece of black cord. They clearly had a similar taste in clothing too, and there was a glint of a wedding ring on each of their ring fingers.

I instantly found myself wondering just what kind of set up I’d walked into here. Was this like a Full House situation, where they’d both lost their wives and had moved in together to help raise the girls? Did things like that happen in real life? I wasn’t sure. But since you could so easily match a dad to a daughter, it felt like a pretty likely solution to me right now.

‘Hello?’ The one who had to be Xenia’s dad eyed me up curiously.

‘Um… hi,’ I shifted uncomfortably, suddenly all too aware of the dirt which had stuck to my clothing both times I’d attempted to get a little sleep.

‘His arm’s broken, and he can’t go home,’ Silas half bounced in her chair.

‘Okay, I’ll give my… uncle a call,’ Xenia’s dad nodded, before disappearing out of the room.

As he did both girls moved to give the other man a group hug. He absolutely beamed at them, squeezing them both back like they were the most precious thing in the world. But that was also when I noticed the way he was wheezing. It wasn’t a really loud noise, but it was so strangely consistent I couldn’t help but wonder exactly what was wrong with his lungs. Once their hug was over, Silas’s dad lifted his eyes towards me. He smiled in this genuine way, but there was this slight tightness around the edges which almost felt like fear. He said nothing, and a few seconds later Xenia’s dad returned.

‘Okay, my uncle can get… you in and out of the… hospital without any… fuss,’ he shot me this tight look, the weird pauses in his speech pattern becoming more noticeable the more he talked. ‘Then we’ll pick you up… some clean clothes or… something. I think my mum said… she was sorting through… Rowan’s stuff since he’s… just had another growth… spirt.’

‘You mean he’ll be staying here?’ Xenia was in with the question before I had a chance to think.

‘For now,’ he nodded. ‘Do you mind… giving up your room puppy?’

‘I don’t mind,’ she gave a serious nod. ‘Me and Si can get it sorted whilst you’re gone.’

‘Thank you,’ he shot her a warm, fatherly smile, before turning his attention back towards me. ‘Are you ready?’

‘Um… yeah… I… I guess,’ I shifted nervously. ‘But… I mean… aren’t you breaking a whole bunch of laws and stuff here? Aren’t you supposed to report me to someone?’

‘Do you want me… to report you to… someone?’ He cocked an eyebrow.

‘Not really,’ I squirmed.

‘Then… don’t worry about it. Let… us help you.’

I nodded, before following him out of the cottage and into the blue convertible sitting on the driveway. The roof was already down, like he’d been expecting to use it again right away or something. A part of me wanted to ask, but more of me felt stupid for even thinking about it. Instead I let him help me into the car and do up the seatbelt in a way which stopped it from catching on my right arm, whilst it remained in the pocket of my borrowed hoodie.

‘I’m Arian,’ he settled into the seat next to me, and adjusted the review mirror.

‘A-Ryan?’ I couldn’t help but frown.

‘It’s like Orion but… with an A,’ his lips twitched into a slight smirk.

‘Um… okay. I’m… um… I’m Toby,’ I tried to make the words sound as natural as possible.

He nodded, pulled the car out of the driveway, and set off in the direction of the hospital. It didn’t take us long to get there, like he knew this secret really fast route or something. Once we had arrived, he helped me out of the car, and towards the entrance. Outside there was this orderly waiting with a wheelchair. When he spotted Arian he waved us over.

‘You know I just love dealing with your uncle, right?’

‘Sorry Marc,’ Arian shot him an apologetic look.

‘Yeah, well can you at least tell me why the kid needs all the secrecy,’ as he spoke to Arian, he indicated to me I should sit in the wheelchair.

‘He has… a broken arm and… can’t go home,’ Arian sighed, ‘do the… maths.’

Marc’s features tensed more than a little, like he had this very definite idea about what that meant. It made my insides shift uncomfortably; just what kind of situation did they think I was in? And… more to the point… was I the first person in a situation like this they’d had to deal with?

‘Well if I’m going to sneak him through x-ray, I’m going to need a name and stuff,’ Marc pushed me inside, and Arian fell into step beside us.

‘Okay, put his name… down as Toby Aries.’

‘Wow you’re really not taking any chances on this one,’ we paused outside of the elevators, so Marc could make a quick note on the clipboard he had with him. ‘Is it really that bad?’

‘Vicky seems to… think so,’ he nodded.

‘Okay Toby,’ Marc’s gaze twisted towards me, ‘date of birth please.’

‘Um… the first of October 1988.’

‘Oh hey, you’re only a couple of months older than the twins,’ he laughed. ‘You a school friend of theirs then?’

‘Twins?’ I stared at him in confusion.

‘He means my… daughters,’ Arian enlightened me.

‘Wait, they’re twins?’

‘It’s called superfecundation,’ Marc grinned. ‘Same mum, different dads. But, trust me, they’re definitely twins.’

‘Um… okay,’ now I felt really confused about the situation going on back at the cottage.

So were the two men in some kind of threesome with the twins’ mother? Was she still around? Or had the two men only found out about each other after she died? Would two men in that situation choose to help out the daughters of a woman who’d been cheating on them? Or was I missing something really obvious here?

I tried not to think too hard about it, as we moved away from the lift area, down a series of corridors. Since we hadn’t used any of the lifts, clearly our stop there had just been to fill in my paperwork.

‘So… is the barbeque still happening tomorrow, or are you going to take a rain check on that now?’ Marc glanced towards Arian.

‘No reason it shouldn’t,’ Arian shrugged. ‘Besides… I’ve already got the… veggie burgers and sausages in for… your sister.’

‘Ugh, she didn’t badger you about all that too, did she?’ He rolled his eyes. ‘Seriously, I think she’s probably about ready to start throwing blood at me just for enjoying my meat.’

‘Yes, well, meat is meant… to be enjoyed,’ Arian smirked more than a little.

‘That’s what I keep telling her, and…’ he hesitated, then shot the older man a look. ‘Seriously Arian? There’s a kid present.’

‘I know.’

At this point we arrived at x-ray. The nurse at the desk’s eyes lit up when she spotted Marc, and she instantly started flirting with him, as he tried to give her the information she needed. The nurse herself was pretty hot, so it surprised me a little when Marc just seemed awkward and uncomfortable with her flirting, like he didn’t really know what to do with it. Once I was signed in, I was pushed into the waiting room.

‘Will you be okay waiting here?’ Marc shot Arian an anxious look.

‘Um… yeah,’ Arian took a seat in one of the chairs which faced towards the window and set his expression more than a little.

‘Okay, well I’ll see you tomorrow, tell Zel and the girls I said hey,’ he waved, before leaving, taking the chair I’d been using with him.

‘Are… are you okay?’ I studied Arian warily, realising just how little I knew about this man I was allowing to help me.

‘Um… yeah… it’s just… I have some… anxieties,’ he shot me a wary look of his own. ‘So hospitals are not… exactly my favourite places.’

‘I don’t think they’re mine either,’ I shifted edgily on my seat. ‘But I guess neither of us really have a choice about being here right now, huh?’

‘Mm,’ he nodded tensely.

‘So… um… is Aries your last name then?’

‘What?’ He looked confused for a moment. ‘Oh, yeah, kind of… I mean, it used to be… but now it’s Aries-Zendel.’

‘So the twins are… um… Silas and Xenia Aries-Zendel?’ I shifted a little, wanting to try and figure out the situation back at the cottage a little better. ‘And the… um…’

‘His name’s Zel,’ a smile pulled at Arian’s lips, as though thinking about him was the same as thinking about pure sunshine. ‘Zel… Aries-Zendel. He is… my everything.’

I let out this breath I felt like I’d been holding since the two men had entered the cottage. Then I screwed up every single ounce of courage I had, and…

‘You know I’m not…’

‘Maybe Toby wasn’t the… name you were born with,’ he cut me off. ‘But it… is who you really are… isn’t it?’

‘I…’

‘Being Toby is… why you can’t go… home, isn’t it?’ Arian shot me this serious look, like he already knew everything he needed to know about me.

‘Uh…?’ I blinked at him.

‘The signs knew… you were coming,’ he shot me this mysterious look, as he cut off my bewilderment. ‘And my… cousin can read the… signs.’

For a moment I found myself wondering whether or not he knew the exact reason I couldn’t go home. Something told me he probably didn’t. Something told me he was probably putting the pieces he had together and coming up with a story close enough to the truth to make sense. A story that probably would have been the whole truth for most people. That I’d just been rejected for being myself. In fact it was a story I would rather have been the whole truth, even if it was still a really shit truth, because at least then… at least then… at least then…

‘It will be okay,’ Arian cut off my quickly spiralling thoughts. ‘You’re… with friends now.’

Extract from Toby (What Makes Me Series), by Ila Golden