(#Fifteen: Shadows) Wuthering Nights: Inspired by Wuthering Heights

Chapter Fifteen

Shadows

     And here I sat, the daughter of such a woman. I was quite surprised, I admit, at the evident depth of affection between her and Heath and quite annoyed at how meanly Heath had spoken of my loyal, kind and loving father.  It was hard to get over the disloyalty in my mother’s letters, but I tried to justify my reading of them in the name of “research”.

     Greta walked into the kitchen light and she relayed to me the story of Kate and Heath’s parting. As we sipped tea and I waited for my cousin Hinton to emerge so we could go and work at the studio like we planned...

     This is what Greta told me:

    ‘When Heath arrived home he was ignored by Harrison who had brought his new girlfriend with him. Heath was just counting down the days until he and Kate could go back to school. Harrison had other plans. He’d withdrawn the fees for both children for their final semester of school. They had no say in the matter.

      Heath couldn’t have cared less about boarding without Kate close by and Kate had never been academic. When we arrived back at The Hall, Heath discovered Kate in a heap, on the couch, crying over her father’s old photographs. When I went in to take them some tea, they were huddled together so close; I thought no one would ever tear them apart. Heath was also distraught. Your grandfather had been the only adult (apart from me) to love him and take care of him.

   When the news had arrived, the worst, Kate and Heath were left alone. Heath hugged Kate in the child’s playroom while she wept and he unsuccessfully tried to hold back tears for the only man who had ever been a parent to him.

    After, we all sat in the old playroom as the news from a television blared on in the background giving us all a good excuse not to talk. Repeat images of political unrest in other parts of the world were on replay in a documentary. It was an irony not lost on any of us, for it was obvious, our world within Hareton Hall was crumbling.

     I agreed to stay on to try to protect the youngster Hinton and Harrison was seemingly civil to Kate throughout that week. He had more important plans to occupy his mind. We were stunned to discover he intended to install his new girlfriend Frances, as his wife, (they married at a registry office the following Saturday). 

     At first, Franny was warm towards Kate and barely civil to Heath, (taking her cue from Harrison). Once she’d married Harrison, she lost interest in everyone else in the house, including her younger brother, and took to going on long walks across the heath. Hareton Hall has that strange effect on people or maybe it was the revelation that her new husband wasn’t all he seemed. Sometimes I’d hear him yelling at her in the night and would place my hands over young Hinton’s ears. I thought it a blessing that Kate was to be sent away but it was mean of Harrison to cancel their fees for the final term.

     Kate’s older brother had made plans to conquer and divide the two younger “shareholders” as he thought of them. He’d never really been able to control Kate. Although there had been a vast inheritance left to both the younger Spencers, Harrison made sure that Heath’s share was written off to various expenses. Heath and Kate were still minors, after all. The shares that remained were left to be invested in the family trust and managed by Harrison on behalf of the two teenagers.

     Harrison insisted that Heath make his room in the basement and groom the horses every morning. Heath did so, happily in fact, preferring to be outside rather than anywhere near Harrison. I asked when Heath would be enrolled back in school but Harrison seemed to think that was nothing to be concerned about. I feared the worst; that he intended to throw Heath on the street the moment he turned eighteen the following week.

    Both Heath and Kate were not unaware of the plot against them as they took the horses to be exercised on the heath that last cold, autumn day when Heath was still in my care. Kate was in a near dreamlike state with her grief having marked a serious return to study as nearly pointless. ‘After all, how many artists need an academic education, Greta?’ she asked me. Really, Kate was delusional.

     Instinctively, Heath, who had never trusted Harrison, knew there would be changes at Hareton Hall and he suspected his plans for university would be delayed in some way without access to the necessary funds. He needed money to hire a lawyer and by the time he had that he knew the funds would be siphoned off. He just hung on, taking his medication as scheduled, accessing his secret supplies to normalize his blood, and all the time wanting to rip Harrison to shreds. He hung on for Kate, waiting for her to turn eighteen so they could run away and never be under the control of Harrison again. If they ran off too soon, Harrison would inform the authorities that he suspected Heath was a vampire. Though not illegal, it would officially be a mark against him for life. There was so much discrimination. For example, vampires had to get permission to hold certain jobs and human-vampire marriage was discouraged.      

    Meanwhile, Harrison had cancelled the cheques Heath had sent to apply for university and it was too late for him to enrol to finish the school term at the local comprehensive. A scholarship was out of the question until the following year. Heath turned eighteen in a matter of days and Harrison would no longer be his court appointed guardian. Kate and Heath tried not to think about the family tensions as they rode together that day. 

    Kate had started eating again, having lost her appetite for a week and I had wisely packed the picnic basket with a lunch of their favourite things. Kate had put in a bottle of apple cider for after and her favourite mohair red checked blanket. Harrison was busy planning his next party for his new wife and to impress future investors in the various businesses he had purchased. He’d also taken to drinking in the afternoons (not a good sign). Kate’s older brother was only too happy not to be bothered with the younger members of the household as long as they were out of his sight.

    Hampstead Heath was dotted with people on that autumnal Saturday; mother’s pushing babies in prams, small children running and playing games with kites, picnicking groups. These appeared to be fully functioning families, Kate was thinking, unlike hers. The pergola offered beautiful views across Hampstead and there were artists sketching near The Hill Garden as Kate and Heath strolled. They walked with their horses for about thirty minutes to reach the hidden garden and Glass House. Near the fish pond at the far end of a small alcove, there was a lovers’ bench with panoramic views of North London.

     They placed a blanket on the ground after they’d found water for the animals. Kate placed the food in the centre, while they talked and enjoyed the spread of chicken, potato salad, coleslaw, tea and crusty French bread that lay before them. Well, Kate did. Heath only ate the chicken – all of it.   It was to be their last carefree day. As if to recognize that fact the sun hid in shadows behind the clouds as they talked, finally spitting down in tiny drops of rain. They had to quickly pack up all their belongings and head for the hidden, glass arboretum. As children, escorted to a night fair, they had once seen the stars in the evening sky from the same spot.

    ‘Do you forgive me for what I said, the night of the dance?’ Kate asked. ‘You should have stayed to hear the rest.’

  ‘Of course, Kate, tell me again,’ Heath said as he brushed her hair with his fingers.

  ‘Well,’ Kate said, sitting up. ‘I added, after you left, that actually, you are rather…strange looking and maybe not quite my type…’

    Heath laughed, looked irritated, then despondent but as he got up Kate pleaded with him, ‘I’m joking. Look, I found our initials that we marked into the tree when we were children. Here they are, bigger than before, clear as if they were carved yesterday.’

    Sure enough, the initials of the pair were hidden at the base of the tree in a place only they knew to look. The letters were a legacy of their youth.

   ‘You see, I knew even then. There is no one else for me…and it is true. In this world or any other, I have known we were meant for each other…forever.’

     Kate placed her finger to his lips.

    ‘We don’t know what will happen, yet. We’ll find out tomorrow.’

     Tomorrow was Heath’s eighteenth birthday. Kate’s was three months later. After that, they planned to run away together and get married. They thought by making it all official, it would be difficult for Harrison to separate them. As the rain spat down upon the glass roof, Heath leant over the seat they shared and kissed Kate, pulling her closer. 

     ‘Kate Spencer, will you marry me?’

     ‘Yes,’ she said, confidently, after they kissed.

     ‘I don’t have the ring with me. It’s being made…so this is the informal proposal part…’    They’d been whispering about getting married for weeks. Once they were of age, they could sever all ties with Harrison and make their own decisions. Kate had already spoken to the vicar who had known her since childhood.

     Heath and Kate had been planning to elope for weeks but recent family events had hastened the proceedings. Kate put her arms around him and they hugged. Together, they fell onto the ground, laughing. The girl rolled on top of him; she was very strong and athletic and had him in a gridlock, on his back as he tried to shake her off, all the time trying to kiss her beautiful neck.

     Later that night, Kate wrote in her diary that her wedding to Heath would be a triumph of love and hope over reality.

    ‘I need to hear you say it, Heath. What I’m about to do - run away with you - means my family will disown me and we can’t ever behave like we did at the dance. There can never be…misunderstandings that we can’t fix.’

    ‘How can you doubt me for a second, Kate? You are my family now and I am yours. I have never loved nor will I love anyone the way I love you. You are everything to me. You are my world…and the only reason I’m here. I would have bolted a million miles away from Harrison by now if it didn’t mean I’d miss you so much…’ Suddenly the blood in Heath’s veins surged. His mouth felt dry. He recognized the taste of venom in his mouth.

     ‘Of course, I’m worried. Dr Vincent has told me that it’s unlikely I will revert but I may evolve. On my birthday, the day I reach ‘full maturity’ as he put it, we don’t know what will happen.’

    ‘Whatever happens,’ Kate said, ‘I promise to be there.’

    ‘Kate, I could start off mild…and then if I transition, I may become… uncontrollable.’

    ‘I love you, Heath.’

    ‘I love you too, Kate.’

    ‘That’s all I need to know.’

     Heath covered Kate in kisses as she laughed and brushed the ground off their clothes. 

    ‘I’m glad we’re making it official,’ Heath said.

     Kate smiled.

   ‘We only have to wait until three months after your birthday, it’s all arranged.’ Kate said.

     Heath hesitated, ‘Remember, neither of us knows what…my condition will mean…’ Just now, he’d nearly lost control and kissed her a little too close, too deep.

    ‘I accept you, no matter what. But,’ she joked, ‘if you think we’re too young…’

     Heath’s face dropped. ‘You mean you’re not sure?’

    ‘Yes, of course I’m sure. I just want to try to smooth things over with Harrison. It will be easier on us.’

    ‘Listen to me Kate, there is no “smoothing things over” with Harrison. He means to make our lives as difficult as possible. Harrison cannot be trusted. He will not help us and he will not help you if you try to make it up with him. You remember how he used to treat us as children? The hours where he would lock me in the basement and put you in a cupboard before father came home and discovered him? Don’t you remember his callous behaviour, the cruel beatings?’

  ‘Yes, of course I do. He was always jealous of how much father doted on us. He was jealous of how much you and I loved each other. He called our desires…unnatural. I often wondered what he meant since he was never told about your…condition.’  

   ‘I assumed he meant because we were raised together, but that hardly applies now.’

   ‘Harrison is practically my only family… apart from you. I always thought once he got over his teenage phase… you know he really went off the rails at boarding school, going to wild parties, indulging in bad behaviour. He brought all of that home with him. I just thought he might change.’

   ‘It’s his nature, Kate. Some people don’t change.’

    ‘It would be easier… if he did.’

    ‘You mean, it would be easier for us… financially.’

   ‘Well, yes. I am used to having nice things and a comfortable house…’

   ‘Those things aren’t important…’

    ‘I know but…’

    ‘You’re not listening to me, Kate. I will give you all of those things… and more…just not yet.’

    ‘We’re so young, Heath.’

    ‘Do you doubt me Kate?’

    ‘No, no I could never… I love you Heath. I would run away to the moon with you, but just give me these few days to try to smooth things over…then we’ll leave the moment I turn eighteen, either way. I promise.’

   Heath looked down at his shoes as Kate stood up and shook the blanket. She reached over and kissed him softly then ruffled his hair like she used to when they were children. He took her wrist and kissed it as if he would never release her from his touch.

   ‘I am yours, forever,’ Kate whispered. ‘Sometimes it scares me how much I love you. It is as if I have left my own self and you and I are complete, only when we are together.’

    They merged under the fading clouds as the shadows of two lovers became one in the dark. 

(#Sixteen: Escape) Wuthering Nights: Inspired by Wuthering Heights

Chapter Sixteen

Escape – Present Day

   ‘Breakfast!’ Greta called to the inhabitant upstairs. Heath was hurriedly dressing and came bounding down the stairs looking like a much younger man with his riding boots in hand, ready to go out.

   ‘Not going to the office this morning?’ Greta asked as she handed Heath his coffee which he hurriedly gulped down.

   ‘I’m going riding, if the stables are still standing.’

   ‘Well, the storm stopped about a week ago, but it’s been raining ever since so I’m not sure it’s the best weather for riding. Mud everywhere.’

   ‘It’ll be fine,’ Heath assured her. ‘Oh, I see we have a visitor.’

   ‘Yes…your, er… niece, Katarina. She seems to have become quite fond of her cousins.’

   Heath looked at Greta blankly. ‘Where are they?’

   ‘They’ve left already. Katarina and Linus went out to find props and attend a dress rehearsal for the play. What are you getting yourself into Heath?’

   ‘Nothing I can’t get out of. She has a right to know her cousins. They have a right to know her.’

   Greta raised an eyebrow. ‘This isn’t more…vengeance, is it Heath? Because, you know, you already fought that war.’

    ‘Did I Greta? I’m not so sure.’ Heath, in a rare show of affection (he was in a surprisingly good mood this morning), leant over and pecked Greta on the cheek.

   ‘Don’t worry so much Greta. It’s time I had some more young people about me. The place seems a lot sunnier this morning.’

   ‘Oh, you and your “young people”, Greta smiled. ‘You don’t look a day over twenty-six. I wish you could give me the secret to your eternal youth.’

   ‘You don’t know the half,’ It was a strange comment, Greta thought, since Heath had shared his secret with her long ago.

   The wind had flattened the heather outside. A slight trick of sunlight shone across the park turning the other side of the field gold.

   Greta shrugged. ‘Trying to stop Heath getting involved in something he wanted had been almost pointless, from the time he was a little boy.’ She wrote in her journal. ‘I knew I could do nothing to persuade him against his plan…’   

   

    Twenty Years Ago

    Kate crept into Hareton Hall when it was way past dinner the night Heath had proposed to her. There was lightness in her step as she moved upstairs to pack her things. In the dark, she heard breathing. At first she thought it was just Frances, who had fallen asleep soundly on the couch but it was also her older brother, Harrison. He flicked the switch on above the couch and all of the chandeliers shone at once, creating a halo above Kate’s head. Her brother stared at her menacingly from the corner of the drawing room.

     Meanwhile, Heath was delayed. He’d taken the horses to the stables to wash them down.   Kate dodged Harrison and wandered over to pat Hinton’s head and carry him to his room. He was curled up asleep in a lounge chair with his puppy and she hesitated to wake him. Hinton was always content to play with his animals. Today it was a new pet, but as often he picked up a lost kitten outside in the garden and took it inside to feed. There were always small creatures that found their way into Hareton Hall and Hinton’s menagerie.

     Hinton stirred awake just as Franny, snuggled into Harrison’s shoulder, opened her eyes. Kate realised her sister-in-law must still be delusional about Harrison’s true nature.

     Harrison had, these past few days, mostly ignored Heath and tried to curry favour with Kate. Greta wrote in her diary that she wondered what new scheme he was planning. 

   ‘Kate,’ he said out of the blue. ‘Welcome home. You’ve returned.’ He nudged Frances. ‘Franny wondered if you’d like to go on a shopping trip with her…to Paris.’

    Kate tried to ignore Harrison’s bribe. 

   ‘Dearest Kate, I want you and Frances to be friends. Paris is close to Switzerland where Franny and I will be skiing. The trip is on me.’ Harrison had decided it would help to have Kate on side, less hassle when he needed her to sign legal documents.

    ‘When?’  

    ‘Next week.’

     Kate nodded, although she and Heath would be far away by then.

      Since Oxford, Harrison had worked at the family firm and in the weeks since her father had died, Harrison had taken over not just her finances, but control of the entire estate. Until she was eighteen, he had all the power. 

    ‘I’ve been thinking, Kate… and your mother agrees, it’s time for you to go back to school.  Father would have wanted you to complete your education.’

   ‘And Heath?’ Kate added.

  ‘Oh, well, that’s up to him.’

    Harrison basically ignored the question. ‘That boarding school in Scotland was always useless. It’s where I went after all and I doubt things have improved and…I’m concerned that you spend too much time doing nothing meaningful there. You can finish your studies in Switzerland, visit your mother and also learn something useful at the same time.’ Harrison looked at the kitchen disdainfully, ‘like how to cook for your future husband.’

     Frances smiled as Harrison sniggered.

     Kate knew without asking that he did not factor Heath into his statement and their plan would have to go into full swing. Kate was angry, however, and she couldn’t resist a retort.

    ‘You went to university. Why shouldn’t I have that opportunity?’

    ‘Dear Kate, you will be rich. What do you need university for? You’ll only marry and have children like all the women before you. Oh, and let me give you some advice, no man wants a wife who… talks back.’

    Kate couldn’t believe Harrison’s disturbing psychological argument. It was the 1990s after all. Harrison had always been poison; she should never have even bothered trying to reason with him.

    ‘And to be honest, Kate, father’s contacts helped me achieve, not my marks at school. We don’t have him to help us anymore,’ Harrison said, just to rub it in.    

    Meanwhile, Greta stirred the pot in the kitchen, going over her written instructions to the cook regarding the lunch for the meeting of twelve Board members that Harrison had called. Heath was still in the stables grooming the horses. Greta raised an eyebrow.

     Harrison continued. ‘As you know, you are not yet eighteen, so you are still legally under my care. The truth is Kate, unless you want to be out on the street, you have no choice but to comply with my wishes or…’

     ‘Or?’

     ‘If you run off with Heath, I’ll call the police and have you both brought back and the “charity case” arrested.’

   ‘On what grounds?’

   ‘Oh, I’ll make something up. I’m far more creative than you realize. I have friends in high places. I’m sure we can accuse him of something…freakish or financial. Dipping into charitable funds? Being a vampire? That could keep him detained… for a while.’  

   ‘You have no proof.’

    ‘My suspicions are enough to make an awful lot of trouble for you both…besides, you are under age…’

      ‘By three months…’

       Harrison’s wife, who had been curled up in the corner of the couch, stretched and went upstairs. Before she left she kissed her husband’s cheek, oblivious to the shouting or his true nature. After all, she had a family fortune to protect as well and the merging of both family companies could only be profitable for both families. As Frances left, she smiled at Kate with an almost pitying look. In that moment, Kate realised she was all but alone. If she ran to the stables where Heath was washing the horses and they went away somewhere with what little funds they had, they would be running forever if Harrison had his way.

    Well, they’d just have to take that risk.

   ‘I don’t want to go to Switzerland, Harrison.’

   ‘It’s all arranged Kate. The driver will take you to the airport in about ten minutes. Don’t worry, Franny will meet you in Paris the first weekend. Mmm…I sense your hesitation. I feel Heath has brought you quite low in the world. You are to leave this afternoon. Go upstairs and pack your things. Oh, and don’t fret. The Hunts have a chalet for the holidays. You are invited to stay for the season. You should be happy. Six months will go in six weeks. Then, when you’ve finished school, if you want to throw your life away on the charity case, who am I to stop you?’

  ‘No. Father would have wanted us to stay together.’

  ‘Father isn’t here now. I’m the head of this household and you have nothing unless I give it to you. Learn to obey me Kate, at least until you can earn your own living.’ Harrison looked around him and added as an afterthought, ‘although the women in this household have never been very good at doing that.’

   ‘Maybe that’s because the men in the family refuse to educate them.’

   ‘Excuse me?’ Harrison said.

   ‘And Heath?’

   ‘Heath is eighteen at midnight Kate. What he does is no business of ours. I have sent a messenger to encourage him to leave the property at once. I shall send him packing with plenty of cash, Kate. No need to worry.’

   ‘That’s a lie! You’ve always been jealous of him!’ Kate yelled at her older brother from the top of the stairs.

   ‘Even so,’ Harrison said coolly. ‘We’ll see who has the last laugh now.’

   ‘Where is he?’

   ‘I have a police officer outside in the stables waiting to explain his rights to him. I expect he will choose to leave sooner rather than…later. He should have turned eighteen by the time he…chooses to go.’

 

   ‘Another lie…he’d never leave without telling me…’

   ‘Well, after he’s been told about your decision, he’s sure to want to leave. It’s almost midnight after all. What were you both doing out in the park so late? Never mind, don’t answer that.’ Harrison said smugly. 

   ‘Heath knows it would not be my decision…that I didn’t have a choice.’

    ‘Mmm…’ Harrison said with a smile. ‘Well, we didn’t really explain it to him like that.’

    ‘I will not leave without seeing him.’

     ‘Heath took his bags and left a few minutes ago. He’d be half way down the road by now.’    Kate moved to the front door but Harrison warned her with his words. ‘If he wants you, I’m sure he’ll write. I must tell you Kate, this teenage passion you have for him seems to me to be very one-sided.’

    ‘What do you mean?’

    ‘Well, I have it on good authority…’

    ‘Whose?’

    ‘Edmund Hunt’s since you’re so interested.’

   ‘What has he been telling you?’

   ‘Well, he happened to mention to the son of a colleague of mine, that Heath and his sister had been quite close…’

   ‘Another lie.’

   ‘Is it?’

   ‘You know Heath can’t stand her.’

   ‘Really? Well in my experience where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Go and pack your bags and stop behaving like a moron. A few months in Switzerland will do you the world of good. You can leave in the morning. And I’m warning you, Kate, you don’t actually have a choice.’

   Kate turned to go up the stairs, holding back tears.

  ‘Haven’t you forgotten something?’

   ‘What?’

   ‘Say thank you.’

   Kate ignored him. She ran up the staircase. When she reached her bedroom Kate looked through the windows. The stables were quiet, the horses almost silently eating hay. Heath was nowhere to be seen. He must have been dragged off the property. Kate moved through the connecting door to the playroom, the place in which she once gained many hours of solace. The door slammed shut and Harrison locked it behind her.

    Screaming was useless. Instead, she leaned against the door, slumped to the carpet and cried.

    After a few minutes, Kate sighed. Harrison had not barred the windows. She was wrong to try to reason with her brother. This was all her fault for not running away sooner.

    The girl picked herself up, went to her secret hiding place under the floorboards and found the documents she needed. Quickly, she threw her passport and some belongings into a bag and crawled out of the window like she used to when she was a child. She scraped her arm sliding down the scaffolding outside the building, flung her things into the car (she’d hidden a spare set of keys in the stables), and sped down the road towards the intersection. She was sure Heath could not have gone too far; then she remembered how fast he could run. The car shuddered and ground to a halt. The petrol gauge came up empty. Harrison must have emptied most of the tank, suspecting she’d try to escape. She would have to go by foot across the heath.

(#Seventeen) Wuthering Nights by Summer Day: Inspired by Wuthering Heights

Chapter Seventeen

 Midnight

    The boy was walking quickly. He had a backpack slung over his shoulder full of supplies and the fruits of his gambling stuffed into the back pocket of his black jeans. Kate caught up with him and flung her arms around him.

     He kissed and hugged her in return.

    ‘I was going to wait for you, here,’ he said. Kate looked closely at his face. The skin around his right eye was turning black…

    ‘The police officer did that?’

    ‘He wasn’t a policeman. Just a thug Harrison hired,’ Heath said bitterly.

   ‘I’m so sorry. We should have left sooner,’ Kate said, kissing him. His lips were still warm. ‘It was foolish of me to try to find the good in Harrison where there is so little.’ Kate added regretfully.

      They hid behind the shelter of the bus shed as the weather turned and rain spat from the dark sky. Soon it would be midnight and they’d have to hide until morning. They were together now and immune to the outside world. 

    ‘This is all that matters,’ Kate said as she hugged Heath for warmth.

    ‘C’mon,’ the boy said, releasing her. ‘There won’t be any buses until morning. We must find warmer shelter. Harrison is probably in an alcoholic stupor by now so there’s no need for us to freeze to death.’

     They trudged across the ground in the dark.

     It was almost midnight when Heath began to feel a stirring in his arms. Exhausted, they rested at the base of an oak tree. The muscles in Heath’s legs tightened and he was woken by the strong and sweet scent of human blood. Kate was bundled up in her coat next to him. She had scratched her arm, climbing down the side of Hareton Hall and Heath had a strong desire to lick the scratch. He stretched, resisting the almost irresistible. He knew he had to get to his vampire specialist in London, today if possible. He felt sure Kate would understand. The muscles in his body thumped and tightened. The need to drink blood overwhelmed him.

    He quickly grabbed a packet of Magenta from his backpack. It was the new product his specialist had urged him to take a sample of during his last visit. This liquid sated him, momentarily, and he fell asleep again next to Kate as the snow began to fall on the glass roof above them.

      They’d had no choice but to wait out the storm in the glass house, the place where he and Kate had once loved to visit, loved to be together, just seated side by side, barely bold enough to touch. Heath remembered best those moments of wonder and they only added to his love for her. Meanwhile, his desire to plunge his fangs into her neck was becoming more intense by the minute.

   ‘Heath?’ the girl asked sleepily.

   ‘Kate?’

    He nudged her awake. The blue coat she hid under was long and heavy, made for stronger weather and travel.

    Kate opened her red eyes. He could see she had cried herself to sleep. ‘We can never go back,’ she whispered. ‘He threatened to tell everyone about you or worse… have you framed for some fake financial crime… and he’d be capable of doing it, you know. He can forge your signature on documents…’

   Heath looked away.

  ‘I doubt he’d go through with it. He doesn’t want to publicly besmirch the family name. Wipe away your tears, Kate. We have each other.’

   Kate put her arms around him, but for the first time, he pushed her back.

   ‘Don’t Kate,’

   ‘Why not?’

   ‘I can feel a change tonight. I need to go to Harley Street…’

    ‘We’ll go together,’ Kate said.

     They huddled on the bench as Heath started to sweat. The girl spread her coat over the boy. 

     ‘You should leave me Kate; I don’t know what is going to happen next. I want you to be safe. Safe… from me.’

    ‘You can’t be serious. You can’t seriously… I could never love anyone as I have loved you… all my life you are the only one for me.’

   ‘And you for me.’

   ‘What has happened? What did Harrison say to you?’

    Heath looked away.

    ‘He told me I’m a…freak. That he didn’t want my blood tainting this family…’

   ‘That’s not true! I love you. If you are a freak then I’m one too and I don’t care what the world says…’

    ‘Kate, listen to me. On the street, being pursued, we are nothing. Give me time. I shall get my antidotes, supplies, a job, make some money and…come for you.’

   ‘No. Don’t…’

    Heath got up.

   ‘No. I will come to you. I’m writing down this address, in London. It’s a little café where I once visited with father in Covent Garden when I was small, before he brought me home that night to meet you. I went there once a few months ago with Greta. I kept the business card. Here, I’ve written all the details. Meet me there, eight am in three months on the twenty-eighth. The day you turn eighteen, you will be free of him. We will meet there and be together, forever.’

    ‘Promise me…’

    ‘I promise…to find you again, if we are ever parted. But we are not going to be parted.’

     The lovers embraced.

     Heath’s hearing had sharpened. ‘I sense they are near…’

    ‘No… I cannot let you go,’ Kate said. ‘I cannot live without you.’

     ‘Kate!’ He whispered, his desire to fang her was stronger than ever. Heath whispered softly as his knees fell to the ground ‘I love you.’

     A shout could be heard in the distance, then a whistle and a voice, ‘She’s in there!’ Headlights shone in through the glass.

    ‘Careful officer, he’s got a gun,’ Harrison said. ‘He took it from the stables. He tried to kill me and he’s abducted my sister…’

     Momentarily, Heath slumped from the light which imitated the sun. Heath had his arm around what looked like Kate’s neck and the police officer must have misconstrued what he saw.

      ‘Don’t shoot…’ Kate yelled.

       It was too late.

       The shot ran out in the cold night air and went right through Heath’s chest, barely missing his heart.

       He shuddered and writhed in pain. It was a shot no human being could survive.

       Kate was stunned. Motionless, she barely made a sound.

       The police officer stared in horror at the lifeless young male. He was speechless as he bent over Heath’s ashen body.  The policeman checked the packet in the boy’s lifeless fingers. His fist contained nothing but a water bottle inside a brown paper bag. No weapon existed on his body. 

       Kate screamed hysterically and placed her head upon her loved one’s chest as she sobbed.

      ‘Heath, Heath!’

       Moments passed.

     Harrison took Kate’s arm and dragged her to her feet. She fought him all the way to the car and finally broke free of him, turning and running back to Heath’s body.

     The police officer, chilled from the night air and the shock of what he’d done, began dialling emergency from his car radio.

      Kate screamed again as Harrison took a swipe at her. He forcibly dragged her back to the car but she punched Harrison and kicked him twice as hard. She ran back to Heath and flung herself upon him. In that moment, he was cold and still as she sobbed in the shadows. There was not another human in sight of the distraught girl.

     ‘And then,’ Greta added casually, ‘the bullet holes started to heal. The flesh grew upon itself until not a mark could be seen through the holes in his shirt. Heath’s chest began to rise and fall, his fingers moved, his warm, brown eyes opened.’ Greta looked at me as she finished her tea. ‘The last words from Heath before he got up and fled were, ‘I will pay Harrison back for what he’s done.’

      Greta sighed. ‘And sure enough, he did.’

(#Eighteen) Wuthering Nights by Summer Day: Inspired by Wuthering Heights

Chapter Eighteen

London

     Kate whispered in his ear, before he’d disappeared into the night, ‘I’ll pretend to go along with his plan - three months from now. The twenty-eighth like we planned.’

     He kissed her forehead and fled.

      Heath’s disappearance was a mystery. Where a body had lain in the dark only mist seeped through the glass house as the solitary, crying girl was dragged forcibly back to Hareton Hall and then packed off to Switzerland.

     The streets of Soho had been very cold at one am - summer, winter or any other season. It had been two days since he had been shot during his transition (and revived). When he fled Hampstead, after Kate was dragged from him, after she’d whispered the time and date of their wedding, he was speechless. Intent on survival, he disappeared into the Hampstead mist. Heath gorged himself on squirrels and hoped it would tide him over until he could get in to see his specialist, Dr Vincent.

     Driving back to The Hall, Harrison was sure he’d seen the last of Heath. Although he suspected a vampire variation, he was sure he’d imagined, in his near drunken stupor, the events that had occurred in the early hours of that morning. It was, of course, Heath’s eighteenth birthday. As midnight bells rang out, Heath was becoming immortal, shy of sunlight, wary of mirrors and gradually non-existent in photographs. Fearful of dawn and what he might do, the rest would evolve instinctively, over time. He would forge his own path.

     After Kate was sent kicking and screaming to Switzerland, Heath’s fees were withdrawn as Harrison had promised and the school was notified that Heath would not be returning.

      Meanwhile, Heath’s friends from Scotland were in school and he had no local acquaintances in Hampstead or the surrounding boroughs and even if he did, he wanted to get as far away from what he remembered of his childhood, as he could. He had the small amount of money he’d saved from running his school fixtures racket (and winning), as well as the cash Kate had placed in her letter.

     ‘I do remember that,’ Greta laughed and then let the story continue as if telling itself…

     Heath had a small amount of cash plus the money Harrison had given him “what remained of his father’s wish”, as a “do not return gift” - one hundred pounds – an insult. It was a great deal less than he’d actually been owed; and none of the legacy left to him by his adopted father.

    Heath used the money for supplies. He then spent the second night after riding the tube and sleeping rough in St James Park, in a backpacker’s hostel near the West End. He now had real empathy for the homeless and resolved that when he became rich and powerful he would help those less fortunate.

    As Heath was transitioning, his body was changing inside, but he never gave up hope that he would land on his feet. He was almost glad to be free of Harrison and The Hall but it was Kate’s promise of love that kept him going through those cold, desperate nights.

    On the third morning he emptied his pockets and realised just how short of cash he would be, once he’d put down a payment on a room for the week.  He went to stay with the older brother of one of his school team mates but it soon became clear after a few nights that he couldn’t hide his needs from that family and he’d outstayed his welcome.  He slept in the park again but it was freezing. The humanity left in him ensured he still felt very cold.

     By now, he’d managed to see his specialist, who’d commiserated with him and congratulated him on his eighteenth birthday. The tests showed a major change in his chemical make-up and it would take a few days for his medication to settle his imbalance. Heath still saw his own reflection in the mirror, still ate food and continued to try to live as normal a life as possible. He slept in more than he used to, the craving for human blood was stronger. The promise of Kate was enough, and all he survived for.

     Heath was sufficiently recovered from the first step in his transformation. He’d experienced all of the symptoms: major light sensitivity, pain raging through his veins so badly that he curled up under a tree in St James Park and whimpered in daylight, cravings, chills and sweats. He found a tiny bedsit room in Soho. It wasn’t long before he discovered, along with the bad side-effects of transition, that he’d developed the power to move quicker and think faster. He could literally see a massive series of complex numbers and add them up to get the correct result. His mathematics skills had always been excellent but now they were computer-like in their accuracy.

     Heath resolved to find a job, perhaps two. He could always work in a restaurant, and then look for something else that would utilize his other skills. 

     He’d always been good at mathematics at school but now his mind worked like a computer. He thought working in a bank might be a good direction to take. He would apply for an entry level job that required no formal qualifications. First, he needed some fast cash since he’d nearly used up all he had. London was a huge place and although young and now partially a vampire, he did not allow this to deter him. Heath went to a hotel and merged so quickly through the lobby that they didn’t notice his trip to the men’s room. He used the shower and towels and cleaned himself up. He went outside and walked towards Piccadilly via Regent Street and into Soho, leaving his name at various cafes and pubs along the way.

    Although he had no experience, someone was sure to need a kitchen hand. As long as the fumes from the cooking didn’t get the best of him, he thought he might actually enjoy working with food.  He realised, at least for the moment, night work would be best.

     The first time he’d walked out in broad daylight (and London was mostly overcast, even in summer), his skin crackled, far worse than it had when he was a child. Then, he realised he’d forgotten to wear his medallion. He placed it around his neck after that, never taking it off, realising it contained the power to help him live a relatively normal life.

      After he’d secured a job in a café, he applied for a job as office cleaner in one of the huge banks in the City. It wasn’t much but both jobs gave Heath hope.

     Meanwhile, he studied the stock market, hoping to one day make enough money to put a deposit on a flat. In those weeks, applying to finish school by correspondence, (something Heath once planned to do), went by the wayside.

     It was during this transition phase in his life that he turned a corner one day and walked straight into Annabelle Hunt, rugged up in a cherry red overcoat exiting the building where her Soho art class was held. Displaying a previously unrecognised knack for rebellion, Annabelle had insisted on attending day school in London so she could go to Art classes at college in the evening. Her family had relented because Annabelle had so rarely been passionate about anything (apart from Heath) in her young life. As the girl had turned eighteen she had some say in the matter.

    ‘Anyway,’ Annabelle said, ‘school was so lame once you and Kate were gone. There was no one interesting to talk to at all, except my brother, and he’s hardly exciting.’ Annabelle added in a rare display of personality as they sat together in the student coffee shop where Annabelle had insisted on dragging Heath.

     Heath nodded. ‘Ah, something we both agree on,’ he added sarcastically.

     Annabelle smiled self-consciously.

    Heath had been resistant to sit with her at first, but strangely, seeing Annabelle reminded him of Kate, and talking to her was like old times.

    ‘You look so different,’ Annabelle said, peering into his eyes. Heath looked away.

     ‘I have her address, you know,’ Annabelle added as she stuffed her contact details into Heath’s palm and kissed him on both cheeks in her European way. Heath agreed to stay in touch and that is how Annabelle became Heath’s unlikely ally.

      In his spare moments, Heath studied the stock markets. He learned a lot from the discarded ledgers thrown in the waste paper baskets he emptied at the firm where he worked on week nights.

      After working in a pub during the day, he managed to put a deposit on a tiny bedsit. The plan was to save enough money to finish school at a Sixth Form College the following term then fill out his university entrance forms for the next year.

     Annabelle had contact with Kate through mutual school friends and reconnected with Heath to let him know she would be delivering the cards and letters Kate posted to him, care of her. These postcards would have gone “missing” if they’d been posted from Switzerland because Kate was not allowed to send mail to anyone that Harrison, her guardian, hadn’t agreed to. The “society” Hunts, were on his list.

     Surprisingly, Annabelle had agreed to act as a go-between for the lovers. Heath hoped Kate would go to university with him. Although he knew she had her heart set on Art School in Florence, London was ‘a better option’ she had written, ‘considering their finances.’    Heath smiled when he read her note, as Annabelle looked on pensively. She quite liked playing the go-between. It suited her surprisingly humble nature, Heath thought, underestimating her, not for the first time.  He knew Kate would be making the best of a presumably bad situation in Switzerland and he worked away the days before he’d get the chance to see her again. They re-confirmed the date of their rendezvous in their letters.

      Sleeping rough in St James, hunting squirrels for food - those days were a distant memory -  yet hard living had almost suited him.

     He was young, verging on immortal. He could easily stay out all night and work all day but he rarely spoke to other people nor was he interested in other girls. He’d taken Kate’s red scarf; she’d left it in the stables in a rush, and now Heath kept it in his pocket.  The wool was warm and smelt of her perfume.

    His own bedsit, although grungy, was like a palace to Heath after the turmoil of Hareton Hall. In preparation for Kate’s visit, Annabelle had insisted on buying lengths of material and decorating the windows. Occasionally, she wondered what it would have been like had Heath returned her infatuation at school but her new boyfriend, Toby, was good for her. He was also studying Art History. She knew she was in a better place with a man who could reciprocate her feelings. It was enough, she thought, just to be near Heath but Annabelle did not underestimate how important his new friendship was to her.

    Heath was excited as the day drew nearer. He walked past the place Kate had arranged to meet him many times that week. On the second occasion he was sure he’d seen her, but then the girl turned around and her eyes were nothing like those of the woman he loved. Kate had promised him. Kate would be there. Promises were everything. A promise was all they had.  The walls of his room were pasted with the old-fashioned post cards Kate had sent him every day for a week.

     Through all of this, Annabelle had been the conduit. A secretive message relayed from a secret meeting in St James Park. She had even tried to stuff money in Heath’s pocket while he waited for his first pay cheque. It was enough to give Heath and Kate hope since neither of them had telephones and the internet was barely in use.

     The sun shone in London as Heath waited for Kate and their reunion drew near. He’d been holding down two jobs and with a roof over his head, was filled with hope for the future.