Carved in Stone: Monochrome Destiny (3 page)

“I
will not disappoint you, they will be carefully watched.  There will be no
mistakes this time.  I am aware that my decisions have been put into
question but as I said then, I had little choice.”

“It
is only the fact that I believe that to be true that I have given you this
opportunity.  We are very near the end of our quest.  It would not do
to destroy our chances now.”  He sat back down in his chair, his anger
abated.  “Go, begin your mission.”

Monday was
wet.  Rain had persistently fallen throughout the weekend making Kat restless,
as she would usually use her spare time to train for a triathlon that she was
thinking of running.  Robyn had felt like a zookeeper trying to cage a
lion as Kat had paced relentlessly up and down the living room of their shared
cottage.  Even she had felt the urge to get out of the four walls. 
There was only so much time a person could spend working on lesson plans before
they needed to do something else.  With winter settled contentedly over
the small town and looking like it had no intention of ever leaving, there was
little to do.

Uncharacteristically,
Kat had risen early and already left for school when Robyn threw her marking
onto the passenger seat of the MG and began the process of demisting the car
with a chamois sponge she kept in the glove box.  When she finally got the
engine running, her hands were already turning to ice.  There would be no
heating in the car, as by the time it warmed up she would already be at school,
so, gunning the engine, she drove with as much speed as she dared, intent on
getting to the warmth of the academy as quickly as possible.  Turning onto
the main road that was the only thoroughfare that led through the town, she
began the slow descent into
Porthmollek
as the engine
coughed.

A
flutter ached through Robyn’s chest, but the engine revved up again and she
continued down the road.  A second cough was more serious.  As the
engine cut, the few lights that were on the dash lit up in warning before
everything went dead.  Robyn coasted to the side of the road.

Cursing
herself for not bringing an umbrella, Robyn got out and pulled up the
bonnet.  She knew the basics and carefully checked the sparkplugs and HT
leads, but could see nothing amiss within the engine compartment.  With
ice cold rain stinging her face, she slammed the bonnet back down and returned
to the car.  This was going to need more than her limited
experience.  Luckily, the town mechanic had a passion for classic cars and
had already proven his worth a month ago when she had needed a new radiator. 
Grabbing her mobile she went to call, but to her dismay there was no signal.

Swearing
under her breath, Robyn got out, locked the dead car and proceeded to walk back
up the hill in the hope of finding a signal. 
Porthmollek
was riddled with blackspots no matter what service provider you chose and it
was just her luck that she’d broken down in one of them.

A
hundred yards up the lane she finally managed to put the call through. 
Ben would be there soon.  Her second call was to school.  She was
going to miss Monday morning briefing and registration at least.

Wet,
cold and more than a little frustrated, Robyn began to walk back to her car
when a sleek black Audi RS3 flew over the hill and bore down on her with
astonishing pace.  Pulling to her when the driver saw her standing in the
road, Robyn didn’t know whether to jump onto the bank for safety or sigh at the
potential of a saviour.  When the car stopped and the window dropped
however, she found herself unable to speak.

“That’s
not a good place to park.” His voice was
a deep
, rich
gravel and it chastised sharply.

Robyn
ducked down to peer into the car and defend herself but was struck dumb when
she saw who it was.

The
way he looked at her made her feel utterly exposed, as if his gaze saw
everything and he had no problem staring intensely, drinking in his fill. 
She found his pale eyes compelling, if not a little unnerving, but the face
that framed them was divine and didn’t that grate.  Sculpted to
perfection, he had a refined nose, a strong masculine jaw and high
cheekbones.  His skin was pale, almost as pale as hers, but his black hair
and stubble made it comparatively lighter.  This was a handsome man, but
his attitude shattered any attraction she felt and immediately Robyn’s hackles
rose.

“I’m
not exactly parked.” She managed through clenched teeth.

“Have
you called Ben?”  It was more a command than a question.  Did he
think she was stupid?

“No,
I made a hair appointment, what do you think?”  She couldn’t help herself,
his aloofness brought out her sarcasm as well as her anger.

The
pale eyes blinked slowly, his intelligence clear and fathomless.  “Then I
guess you have everything under control.”

With
that, he wound up the window and drove off.

Robyn
stood watching the taillights disappear from view, fuming with rage.  “Of
all the sanctimonious . . .” the rain began to pelt down even heavier and she
suppressed her mumblings in favour of running to get back into the car.

Ten
minutes later, Ben arrived in the tow truck.  He was middle
aged,
portly around the middle and the most honest mechanic
she’d ever met.  “Not the best day to break down.”

“I
didn’t do it on purpose.”

Standing
straight instead of leaning through her window as he had been, Ben looked
hurt.  “I guess I’d better get straight to it then.”

Feeling
more than a little guilty at firing her anger at an innocent bystander, Robyn
got out of the car.  “I’m sorry.  I’m just cold and wet and feeling
miserable.”

Ben
cocked his head to the tow truck.  “Go sit in the cab where it’s warm
while I hook her up.  Then I’ll get you to school before I take her in and
have a look.”

By
the time Ben dropped Robyn at school first lesson was already in session. 
Bedraggled and still cold, Robyn headed quickly to her classroom to relieve
whoever had been unfortunate enough to have to cover her class.  She fully
intended to get her day back on track until she saw just who had been given the
task.

Derek
Ellis stood slowly from behind her teaching bench and stalked towards
her.  His lips curved momentarily into a grin before his usual sneer
replaced it. 
“So good of you to finally join us.”
 
He stepped into her space and gave her a thorough inspection as he eyed her
down and then back up again.   “It appears that you have not been
spending your time at the beauty parlour.”

His
comment was accompanied by several snickers from the pupils who were no doubt
listening intently.  Robyn gave them a stern stare until all eyes dropped.

“I
was unaware that
Porthmollek
had one.  Perhaps
you could give me the details for it, as certainly you must be a regular on the
tanning beds.”  Robyn stood her ground despite the fear rising in her
gut.  She would not give in, even when Derek’s eyes turned obsidian with
fury.

“Be
very careful, Darrow.”  Derek leaned down to whisper in her ear. 
“I’ve only just begun to make your life hell.”

Derek
stormed out, slamming the classroom door behind him and leaving the year 10
class shell-shocked in his wake.

Robyn
took a moment to steady
herself
before turning to the
class.  At least one thing was for certain, this day could not get any
worse.

Six hours later,
standing in Ben’s garage with Kat, who had kindly given her a lift from school,
Robyn discovered that she had been wrong.  The day had gotten worse, much
worse.

“I’m
sorry Robyn, but if it had been on any other car the damage wouldn’t have been
so severe.”

Robyn,
rubbed her palm
over her face.  It was one thing to pick on her, but to tamper with her
precious car, that just made her beyond mad.

“Ben,
what damage are we talking?”

“Usually
any sugar would just sit in the sock at the end of the fuel filler line, but
your car doesn’t have one because of its age.  Even then, the sugar won’t
dissolve in petrol so it should be caught by the fuel filter.  In this
case, your filter looks like it hasn’t been changed in years and some sugar has
definitely gotten through.  Your car stalled because the filter was
clogged but there’s more sugar in the engine.  I need to clean the tank,
change the filter out and investigate the engine.  You don’t want sugar
crystals eroding your pistons.”

Robyn
sat down on one of the chairs for waiting customers.  At present, she and
Kat were the only ones there.  “I can’t afford a new engine, Ben.”

“It
won’t be as bad as that.  Besides, your insurance should cover it. 
It’ll just take time is
all.
  I’ll probably need
the week.”

“Take
as long as you need,” Kat stepped forwards, “I’ll give her lifts until then.”

Robyn
looked up and felt warmed.  Having someone put sugar in her petrol had
really upset her, more than even the dead animals or the weird wicker offerings
that had come before, but she would cope, she had to.

“Okay,
but I’ll owe you one.”  She forced a smile trying to hide her despair.

“Ah,
I hoped that you’d say that.”  Kat hooked an arm around Robyn’s and led
her out.

Robyn collected
her car on Sunday and had to admit that her MG was purring better than
ever.  Ben was a godsend.

To
thank Kat for all the driving she had been doing during the past week, Robyn
took her to Ellie’s, a small coffee shop at the top of the High Street that
never failed to be open.

With
only a handful of tables, Ellie’s was an intimate little home from home. 
All food was cooked on the premises and as Ellie would say, “Cooked with added
love.”

They
took their usual spot in the bay window so that they could look out across the
street as they talked.

“There’s
a guy on the back table checking you out.”  Kat whispered, cocked her head
and winked.

Robyn
turned on instinct and did indeed see a man looking their way.  She took
little notice of his features and turned back.

“I
doubt that it’s me he’s eyeing.”

Kat
scoffed.  “You really can’t see yourself can you?” She then paled. “Shit,
I didn’t mean it like that.”

Robyn
laughed.  Kat’s faux pas served to lighten her mood immediately. 
“Christ, you really have to stop worrying about that.  I have colour
impairment but I’m not blind and in answer to your original question, I see
myself perfectly fine, thank you.”

Kat
sat and pondered before continuing.  “Then what happened to you?  I
don’t mean the accident.  I mean, why don’t you want to date?”

Ellie
walked over with a pot of tea and an orange juice.  It showed how often
they came here that they didn’t need to order.  “What’s gotten you two in
on a Sunday?”

Ellie
looked older than she was.  Her face had a multitude of lines from a
lifetime of smiles and the half-moon glasses that sat on the tip of her nose
were a fashion that only women a good ten years older would wear. 
However, combined with the brightly beaded chain, they suited her. 
Overweight, extremely welcoming and the font of all knowledge in
Porthmollek
, Ellie was a charming woman that they both
liked immensely.

Ordering
simple sandwiches, they continued their conversation as Ellie walked back to
her kitchen.

“I
don’t talk about my past because it has nothing to do with my future, the one I
want to build anyway.  Does that make sense?”

Kat
contemplated the statement before smiling.  “Actually, it makes perfect
sense.”

It
had been a fortuitous piece of good luck that both of them had not only been
given the positions within the school but that David Rowe, Head Teacher, had
realised the difficulty in two single women finding accommodation within the
small rural community.  Only days after being offered the position, he had
telephoned both women with the idea of sharing the small cottage that had
recently become available and as both of them had hit if off on interview day,
both had immediately jumped at the idea.  David had been smarter than even
he realised when he had paired them, because within a few short months they had
become a strong partnership, each helping the other to strive for better.

“Okay,
changing the subject.  Did you know that it was Ben who last serviced
Chris’s car.” Kat sipped her juice as Robyn frowned.

“No,
I guess I never thought about it.”  She hadn’t really known Chris. 
He’d been killed in a serious car accident about a month ago.  The car had
gone up in flames after crashing.  Andrew
Obursen
was his replacement.

“The
police reckon that the fuel cut off was faulty, but Ben is certain that there
was nothing wrong with it.”  Kat’s voice had dropped conspiratorially low.

Robyn
swallowed.  Under the table her legs shook a little.  She hated fear
above all other emotions, but she couldn’t hide from the tragic accident that
had stolen so much from her.

“Hey,”
Kat reached over the table to place a hand on Robyn’s, “Hey, I didn’t mean to
frighten you.  Shit, I should have realised.  My mouth really is on
fine form today.”

Robyn
forced away horrific visions of the past and forced a smile on her face. 
“No, I’m good, really.”

“You
don’t look it.  You’ve gone even paler than normal.”  Kat picked up
Robyn’s tea and handed it to her.
“Drink.”

Robyn
took a tentative sip and felt the heat pouring back into her system.

“Shit,
I really am a dumb blonde aren’t I?”

Robyn
laughed and it was cathartic.  Kat’s lost expression was so profoundly
opposite to her usual confidence that it made the moment funny.  It was
just what Robyn needed.

“I’m
sorry.  We’d better talk about something else.  Like say Andrew?”

“I
wondered when you’d bring him up.”

Kat’s
lips pushed out in a huge pout.  “Ah, come on, you’d think you’d heard all
this before!”
 
The pout slowly transformed
into a sly grin.

When
Ellie appeared with their sandwiches, they were both laughing.

As
she drove home, Robyn couldn’t help but think Chris Maine’s unfortunate demise
and that led her to thoughts about her own car and the sugar in the petrol
tank.  Who would damage it so maliciously?  It was true that her
presence wasn’t the most welcome thing in the town, but it was Derek who was
the most openly hostile.  Surely if he’d had something to do with it he
would have said something to further upset her.  Stealth wasn’t his style.

Robyn
slept fitfully.
 
She couldn’t stop
thinking about Chris Maine’s horrific and fatal car accident and her mind
tangled the facts of his crash with her own.
 
She felt her body burning in the fire that had consumed Chris.

Robyn
woke with a sudden scream.  Her nightshirt was plastered to her skin and
it took a while to not only calm her breathing but to fight off the memory of
the nightmare that had shaken her so badly.  Finally having fallen asleep
in the early hours, her dream had nothing to do with Derek or Chris, but
everything to do with her own past.  It also left her with her usual
morning heart-wrench of reality.  Robyn dreamed in colour, having spent
most of her life with normal vision.  Every time she dreamed, it was like
a slap in the face when she woke and returned to reality.  Sighing, she
looked to the clock.

“Shit.”

The
alarm had not gone off and she was going to be late.

Panicked,
Robyn showered and dressed quickly.  It would not do to miss Monday
morning briefing two weeks in a row.

Porthmollek
flashed by the
windows as Robyn broke the speed limit in her haste to get to school, but still
her mind could not focus on the road.  She could not shake the feeling
that Derek had more in store for her, but there was little she could do about
her predicament.  She flew past the small Co-Operative and up towards the
school.

Kat
would already be at work, her little white hatchback had been gone from its
parking space when Robyn had left the cottage.

Carrying
her heavy bag of marking, without time to drop it off in her room, Robyn ran
through reception, around the hall and straight towards the stairs to the
staffroom.

The
parquet floor was smooth and easy to run on, but a figure, large and looming,
stepped in front of her.  She knew exactly who it was before she looked
up.

“Morning,
Darrow.  I see that you got your car back.”

Doing
his job of stopping the pupils from entering the library in the morning, Derek
Ellis spoke with a glint in his eye.  Robyn stared at him as her anger
boiled, making her body shake.  She sidestepped to avoid a public scene
but Derek mirrored her, a satisfied, smug expression blooming on his
face.  As seconds ticked by Robyn sidestepped again and again but Derek
always countered.  Her anger was becoming uncontrollable but as Derek
believed her quivers were caused by fear he didn’t desist.  Robyn took a
deep breath to yell at him before the urge to really do something about him
took over but Derek stepped aside to let her pass knowing that he’d done the
damage he needed to.

Robyn
swallowed her scream and walked away as slowly as she could manage, as the
sound of deep, conceited laughter echoed in her wake.  She didn’t have the
time to put him in his place, but she would.

Now
later than ever, Robyn flew down the stairs to the staffroom.  Without
touching the banister, she ran without restraint and that was a mistake.

The
combination of the heavy bag of marking she carried, her choice of shoes and
the speed that she sailed down the stairs accumulated to make stopping at the
bottom difficult.  Robyn hurtled forwards, out of control, hit the
doorframe to the staffroom, split the bag and dropped last night’s marking all
over the staffroom floor.

“Morning,
Miss Darrow.”  The sound of the Head Teacher’s voice filled her ears as
she stepped into the room.  The baritone came from in front of her and was
heavily accented with displeasure.  She looked up, red faced and
dishevelled, to see not only the Head Teacher staring at her, but the entire
staff.

Crouching
to pick up the books, which lay strewn across the carpeted staff room floor,
Robyn kept her concentration on the task at hand as the Head continued with the
meeting.  When she noticed black shoes stroll over to help, she didn’t
bother to look up.  She didn’t even bother to look when her saviour
dropped to a crouch next to her and proceeded to sweep up a large pile of books
and then hand them to her.  Grateful, and desperate to get off the floor
as quickly as possible, Robyn reached for the outstretched hand.

Their
skin touched as Robyn’s fingers curled around the offered pile and her reaction
was immediate.  Warmth flowed freely into her hand.  Tickling its way
up her digits, swirling and encompassing her tissues, she was drawn towards him
like a moth to a flame.  In an instant her self-possession melted away and
she was just a junkie trying to get a longer fix.  She was no longer in
control.

Shock,
desire, addiction, all had her look up.  She caught sight of those unusual
eyes and through the haze that settled over her brain she thought she saw the
luxurious eyes appear to self-illuminate.  Andrew
Obursen’s
deep set eyes were framed by thick lashes, black just like his hair. 
Robyn stilled as those eyes widened.  Her heart sped up.

Andrew
let go of the books abruptly, and the warmth started to disperse but she didn’t
tear her gaze away.

“
. .
and
I have asked for Heads of Department to take
in a sample of exercise books this week to check that the new assessment policy
is being adhered to.”  The Head’s voice broke through the spell and Robyn
blinked.

“Thank
you.”  Robyn managed as she clutched the books to her chest, a small
grateful smile curling her lips.

“You’re
welcome.”  His lips were set in a tight line as if he forced himself to
speak.  The deep gravitas of his voice sounded no friendlier than when he
had stopped next to her at the roadside.  Did he always have to sound so
displeased with her?

Andrew
stood from his crouch but remained at Robyn’s side as she gathered the
remaining books into a neat pile. Still her heart beat furiously and she hated
that his mere presence affected her so much.  She didn’t even like the
man.

When
Robyn eventually stood, pulling her jacket down at the hem, Andrew stood stiff
and emotionally apart beside her.  She glanced up, but only got a
distinctly aloof downwards glance in return.  His standoffishness should
have assured her, but even as she stood next to a man that she had no interest
in, especially after last week’s encounter in the rain, her body responded to
his proximity as if he was a river in the dessert.  And for all the action
she’d seen in the last few months, he may well have been.

Pulling
her eyes from Andrew in absolute disgust at her own traitorous body, Robyn
cautiously flicked a glance around the room and was amazed to find that
everyone was focused on the Head, who was now giving a review of last week’s
games fixtures against their rival schools.  Her heart began to regain its
normal rhythm, until she saw Kat.

Listening
to the girl’s netball team prowess, as the Head rattled off yet another victory
for the squad, Robyn would have expected Kat to be bathing somewhat in the
glory.  Instead, she stood in front of the pigeon holes glaring at Robyn
in anger.  At first, Robyn didn’t understand, but then she observed the
hurt in Kat’s eyes.

Robyn
stepped away from Andrew, knowing that Kat had misconstrued her physical
reaction to him.  Robyn was no more interested in Andrew than she was in
any other man, but Kat clearly didn’t believe that.  Her friend stared
Robyn down with narrowed eyes and squared shoulders, one hand clenching and
unclenching continually at her side.

“And
finally, I must inform you that Darren Pascoe will be out for the week. 
Because exams are getting nearer, I ask that all who teach him please leave
suitable work at the front desk to be sent home.  I wouldn’t want to
jeopardise his chances of achieving good grades, he is, after all, one of our
best.”