Free Staverton by Caidan Trubel Page B

walked into her. Caroline squinted into the distance at a figure further along the top of the cliff. She whistled and waved, and the figure waved back.
    “It’s Michael. He’s home from university,” Caroline said. “He’s painting so we better not disturb him. He wants to be an artist.”
    I felt a fluttering feeling in my stomach and put it down to embarrassment over my earlier crush.
    “Is he any good?”
    Caroline shrugged. “I think he’s brilliant, but I don’t think it will work out.”
    “Why not?” I asked, but Caroline just shrugged, then continued to walk along the cliff path.
    I looked back to Michael again. I couldn’t see him clearly from this distance, but I remembered he shared Jake’s dark colouring. He was broader than Jake, though. Jake reminded me of one of those olden day poets, lean with floppy hair and sculpted cheekbones.
    The beach was a mixture of sand and shingle. We laid out our towels on the sandy area and settled down in the sun. I felt my skin prickle beneath the glare of the sun and pushed my damp hair back from my face. “It’s so hot today.”
    “Let’s go for a swim then. I’ll race you,” Caroline said and leapt to her feet and ran towards the surf.
    I hesitated for a second before giving in to childish delight and racing after my friend. Caroline hit the water first and waded in until the water reached her thighs. I followed, gasping as the water lapped around my legs. “It’s freezing.”
    “We need to get in quickly. It’s the only way,” Caroline said, and she dove beneath the surface. It made me shiver to contemplate going in any deeper.
    Caroline emerged spluttering and laughing. “Come on, Lucy. It’s not so bad once you’ve dipped your shoulders under.”
    I inched forward, cringing each time a wave passed, sending freezing water higher up my body. Caroline floated on her back, toes wriggling in the air.
    “I’m going to swim out there,” Caroline said, pointing to a collection of flat grey rocks a few metres away. “It’s perfectly safe.”
    I watched Caroline swim away, using swift, sure strokes. She’d obviously done this a hundred times before, a life-time of summer swims. I tried to shake off the envious feeling that crept over me and just enjoy the moment. What was I envious of anyway? Caroline’s house or her family?
    Caroline reached the rocks, hauled herself out and waved. I waved back, then turned and headed back to the beach.
    As Caroline basked on the rocks, I squeezed my hair to release as much salt water as I could, then settled back to dry off in the sun. Some ten minutes later, I shivered as a shadow cast over me. Assuming it was Caroline, I kept my eyes closed, smiled lazily and said, “Was the sea cold enough for you?”
    A deep male voice answered, “I wouldn’t know. I haven’t been swimming today.”
    I sat bolt upright, and saw Caroline’s brother, Michael, standing beside me.
    I tried to run a hand through my messy hair, but my fingers got caught up in tangles and didn’t have the smoothing effect I’d hoped. I must look awful. I reached for my discarded sun dress, slipped it over my head, and pulled it down over my hips.
    “Nice to see you again, Michael,” I said.
    His dark hair was cut short and pushed back from his face. His eyes flickered over me, making my heart skip a beat. He had definitely improved with age.
    Michael looked out to sea, towards the rocks Caroline had used for sunbathing.
    “Where is she?” He shook his head. “She shouldn’t be swimming out there when the tide is going out.” His intense brown eyes regarded me angrily, as if it were my fault.
    It took a moment before my brain engaged enough to answer. “Oh, I didn’t realise. I’m sure she’s okay...” I swallowed my words as Michael scowled at me.
    I stared out at the rocks but couldn’t see Caroline. I felt a nervous fluttering in my chest. Maybe I should have kept watch, in case Caroline had gotten into trouble. I took a couple