The Room Beyond by Stephanie Elmas

‘But everyone seems to have a theory about it. What do you
think?’
    It sounded like a test. And was that the hint of something bitter in
his voice? Whatever it was it didn’t suit him.
    ‘I don’t have a clue. I knew nothing about the Hartreves until this
job came up.’
    ‘What, you haven’t even read about them, they’re in the press
sometimes?’
    I shook my head.
    He looked thoughtful. ‘Well, I supposed it’s been awhile and it’s
only really Eva doing the whole society bit now.’
    ‘In that case I better start buying the right magazines!’
    His shoulders softened a bit and the corners of his mouth turned up.
    ‘So tell me about your family; where do your parents live?’ he
asked.
    ‘Hmm, do you really want to know?’
    ‘Yeah, why not?’
    ‘Let’s talk about it some other time.’
    ‘No,’ he said, as if suddenly spurred on by my reluctance. ‘I want
to know.’
    ‘OK. My parents both died when I was young.’
    ‘How?’
    ‘They were in an accident... their bus veered into a shop window. I
was brought up by my aunt instead.’
    He didn’t respond and the moment died. This time I reached for his
hand. ‘Look, let’s just change the subject. We’re bound to fall on a good one
if we try hard enough.’
    Seb squeezed my hand back gratefully and then a spark of light came
back into his eyes.
    ‘Do you want to come to the party this weekend? Raphael’s coming
home for a bit after a stint abroad and we thought we’d celebrate.’
    ‘I wouldn’t want to intrude. Where is it?’
    ‘Here in the house. And no you wouldn’t be intruding, you’d be my guest.’
    ‘Alright then.’
    ‘Hey, I better leave you to it.’ He pulled me up from the step with
both hands and we faced each other. ‘Thank you for letting me into your room
tonight.’
    ‘I didn’t have much choice!’
    He linked his arms around my body and gathered me close to him. In a
second my cheek was pressed against his chest and my eyes tightly shut.
    The last person who’d held me like that had been my father. I’d
forgotten all about it until that point but the memory suddenly came back so
powerfully that I could even smell the musty scent of his jumper as it had
scratched slightly at my face.
    I’d been playing in the garden and had fallen badly with a loud
scream. Dad had come running out of the house, his face etched with concern and
before I knew it I was in his arms, the safest place on earth.
    I felt Seb’s face smile above me.
    ‘What is it?’ I murmured.
    ‘We’re breathing at the same time, like soldiers falling into step.’
    He released me and a deep sigh unleashed itself from my chest. I
felt the brush of his lips against my mouth and before I even realized it, he’d
gone.
    For a moment I could barely tell where I was. Around me everything
seemed askew, as if I’d walked into a macabre crooked house in a fairground
somewhere.
    The curtains against my balcony door had been closed. I walked over
to the window and peered between them, half expecting, hoping, to see Seb
standing there again. But only the dark silhouettes of chimney pots and
branches remained.
    Before I fell into bed I snatched up a pencil and within minutes a near
perfect likeness of Seb’s face was laughing up at me from my sketchbook. His
eyes bubbled with good humour, just like they had done over dinner. Next time I
would try to catch their sober side, the serious part of him. Because it was
there, whether he liked it or not.
     
    I spent the night lost in a heavy dreamless sleep and, when my alarm
clock proceeded to yell at me the next morning, the journey to switching it off
was no worse than clawing my way out of a deep blackened pit. I rolled out of
bed and threw on some clothes. Beth wasn’t in her room, so I carried on
downstairs.
    ‘Hello,’ she said from behind a large bowl of cornflakes. She was
sitting at the kitchen table, legs tucked up under her on her chair. Gladys was
making tea.
    ‘Hello. How are you this morning?’