Sunday 11 May 2014

Above the Vaulted Sky - Page 129

                  Then I met Penny, and he distanced himself.
                  Graham needs to grow up and this is going to be a test for him.
                  'We'll find a way separate you,' I say. 'It won't be like this forever.'
                  'I wouldn't care,' Graham says. We all look at him. Truth or just trying to keep his friends. 'Thank you for saving me, Yates.'
                  'You're welcome,' he replies, wiping his nose with the back of his hand.
                  'My parents will kill me if they knew I'd got married without telling me.' He laughs.
                  We all smile, but that's all he's going to get.
                  'So I'm a ghost now,' he says. 'A proper ghost?'
                  'I think so,' I say. I feel like I'm breaking a rule for talking. Elle still snarls at him, he can't just get out of trouble with a few ill-conceived words.
                  'Close your eyes,' says Yates.
                  Graham obeys him. 'Now what?'
                  'Reach out,' Yates says. 'Think about us in the room.'
                  'Oh, wow,' Graham says. 'I can see you.'
                  'That's the Edge,' I say.
                  'See - ghosts - cool,' Graham says, opening his eyes again.
                  His eyes rest on Yates. Did he see what he'd done to him? I know how he must be feeling right now.
                  'What are we going to do now?' Graham asks.
                  I sigh. 'Whatever we want.'
                  'We could follow Teague?' Yates suggests.
                  'I don't know what we can do to him,' I say. 'I say we just find somewhere to think for a while, away from this room.'
                  Everyone nods. 'Where do you want to go?' Graham says.
                  'There's the best ice cream place downstairs,' Elle says.
                  'Sounds like a plan,' I say.
                  We exit the room one by one. Graham goes last. I close my eyes. He's the same old Graham,  happy but not shining too bright. He shines like a dimmed light. Is he guilty?
                  We're downstairs in a second and only just realise that it's still night time.
                  'Little bit of breaking and entering anyone?' Elle says. 'Their lemon flavour's to die for.'
                  Yates smiles and she takes his hand walking across the square. I follow, letting Graham bring up the rear.

                  We cross the square and pass through the closed shutters of the ice cream place.

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