TAKE ME HOME

Take Me Home.indd 1

22/11/2013 11:42:31

Also by Daniela Sacerdoti

WATCH OVER ME
DREAMS: SARAH MIDNIGHT TRILOGY (BOOK 1)
TIDE: SARAH MIDNIGHT TRILOGY (BOOK 2)
REALLYWEIRDREMOVALS.COM

Take Me Home.indd 2

22/11/2013 11:42:32

TAKE ME HOME
Daniela Sacerdoti

Take Me Home.indd 3

22/11/2013 11:42:32

First published 2014

by Black & White Publishing Ltd
29 Ocean Drive, Edinburgh EH6 6JL
1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2 13 14 15 16
ISBN: 978 1 84502 746 9
Copyright Daniela Sacerdoti 2014
The right of Daniela Sacerdoti to be identified as the author
of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any
means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise,
without permission in writing from the publisher.
This novel is a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents
portrayed in it are of the authors imagination. Any resemblance to actual
persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Typeset by Iolaire Typesetting, Newtonmore
Printed and bound by Grafica Veneta, S. p. A. Italy

Take Me Home.indd 4

22/11/2013 11:42:32

To my mother, Ivana Fornera Sacerdoti, who, as a child, saw.

To Claudio Corduas: the blood is strong, but friendship is stronger.

Take Me Home.indd 5

22/11/2013 11:42:32

ACK NOWLE DG E MENTS

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to Ross, who puts up
with having a writer for a wife with remarkable good humour,
and to my sons, Sorley and Luca, who are, simply, my whole
life. Sorry for all the many times my body was there with you
and my head was in Glen Avich.
Thanks to both my families, the Sacerdoti and the Walkers,
for always rooting for me especially my mother-in-law, Beth.
Thank you, Beth, for a million reasons, and you know them all!
Thank you to Irene, my sister in everything but blood. Ti
voglio bene, amica mia!
My endless gratitude goes to Sorley McLean because his
poems were the seeds of this book. Mary and Roberts story is
based on Sorleys poem The Choice, while Glen Avich itself
sparked to life after I read the achingly beautiful Hallaig. In
this book, I quoted Sorley three times: The dead have been
seen alive and Every generation gone in Inarys epilogue
are homage to Hallaig, while Emilys songs final line is
inspired by another poem of Sorleys, Dont Forget My
Love. Sorleys poetry breathes inside me and will never cease
to inspire my stories.
My heartfelt thanks to Kristen Susienka, the main editor of
this book, for making it bloom. You know the story inside out
and you felt it nearly as much as me for this Im eternally
grateful and for the crazy schedule you and I kept, the phone
calls and endless daily emails, thank you! Many thanks also to
Janne Moller and Lindsey Fraser for helping me shape the
story, and to everyone at Black & White for believing in me.
vii

Take Me Home.indd 7

22/11/2013 11:42:32

 Many thanks to my agent, Charlotte Robertson. We just

started this road together, so heres to a happy future and
many triumphs!
A million thank yous to my writerly friends. You feed my
mind and warm my heart, you make me laugh and youre there
for me when the sun shines and when the rain pours. Roy Gill,
Phil Miller and Gillian Philip, every success of mine is yours
too. And thank you to the Twitter community for providing
writers with a staffroom where we can chat and catch up with
each other on days when youve only spoken to the postman
and yourself! In particular Id like to mention Alice Peterson, an
inspiration in life and books and whose lovely book Monday
to Friday Man made me want to write a nightly skating scene
under glittering lights. You know the one, Alice!
Those of you who know me, personally or virtually, know
that Im more than a bit obsessed with music. Here are the
artists who soundtracked Inarys story: Mire Brennan,
Julie Fowlis, Norrie McIver, Manran, and The Treacherous
Orchestra among many. Thank you guys.
Thank you, thank you, thank you to the many thousands
of readers who read and reviewed my first Glen Avich story,
Watch Over Me. It makes me so happy to know that Eilidh is in
many hearts now. I wouldnt be here if it wasnt for your trust
in me, so thanks for listening to my stories and for making
them yours.
And finally, thank you Scotland for making me yours.
Theres nowhere else Id rather be.
Daniela

viii

Take Me Home.indd 8

22/11/2013 11:42:32

Emilys Song
From the depth of winter
Comes new life
Little birds I see from my window
And I wish I could fly
Spring is for the living
I will not let go of this heartbeat
Faltering inside me
Like a fading sun
Im part of it until my heart stops beating
Mine is the sky and mine are these hills
Until my heart stops beating
I am like a snowdrop
Shivering and still
I raise my head to the sky
This beautiful land
Hold my hand, dont cry
I shall not be afraid
And when I have to go
Dont forget my love
Im part of it until my heart stops beating
Mine is the sky and mine are these hills
Until my heart stops beating.

ix

Take Me Home.indd 9

22/11/2013 11:42:32

PROLOG U E

Across the worlds

Morag Kennedy waved at me from across the worlds, on a
clear, sunny day in Glen Avich. She was standing in front of
her whitewashed cottage, and the summer sun was shining
behind her like a golden halo, making the fields gleam just as
golden. I waved back and began walking towards her, hoping
she would have some of those lovely sugared jellies she always
gave me, but I hesitated. I knew she was ill and I didnt want
to trouble her. All of a sudden I realised I was feeling strange
my arms and legs were tingling and there was a low noise
in my ears. It was a sensation alien to me, one Id never felt
before.
Just at that moment a cluster of clouds covered the sun,
and without its glare I could see Mrs Kennedy properly: she
wore the flowery cotton dress she usually put on to work in
her garden, her hair in a tidy bob, a cardigan held close by
a simple brooch. I did a double take Mrs Kennedys face
seemed different. She had been ill for so long, her features
becoming more and more drawn, her frame getting thinner
every day. Even at my young age I must have been about
eight years old Id been aware of the pain and fear slowly
taking over her mind and spreading over her face, in her eyes,
just like the illness was spreading through her body. But that
early summer evening she looked herself again. Her smile was
1

Take Me Home.indd 1

22/11/2013 11:42:32

serene, her light-blue eyes as bright as theyd been before she

got sick.
All of a sudden I heard footsteps behind me, and I turned
around to see my brother stepping out of our cottage across
the road. I guessed hed been sent to call me in for dinner,
and I wondered why my mum hadnt just called me from the
kitchen window like she usually did. Maybe she wanted to
make sure I would come in at once; Id been known to run
off into the fields instead, trying to steal an extra hour of play.
Mum wants you inside, Inary, Logan said in a quiet
voice. He was always quite serious, but at that moment he
looked nearly solemn. I turned around to say goodbye to Mrs
Kennedy, but she was gone.
Is dinner ready? I asked my brother.
I dont think so.
Then why do I have to come in?
Shush, Inary, come inside now! My mum had appeared
on our doorstep; she was slipping her apron off and smoothing
her hair. When we reached her, she continued: I want the two
of you to keep an eye on Emily while Granny and I walk across
the road. I wont be gone long; time to give my condolences to
Karen and Isabel.
I had no idea what she meant. Condolences was too
difficult a word for an eight-year-old. Where are you going?
She stopped and looked at me tenderly. Mrs Kennedy has
gone to heaven, darling ... Im going to tell her children how
sorry I am.
Shes not gone to heaven. Shes here. I saw her.
Many years have passed, but I still remember the look in my
mothers eyes when I spoke those words. Surprise, and at the
same time, a sense of recognition.
2

Take Me Home.indd 2

22/11/2013 11:42:32

 Where did you see her, Inary? Did you go into the house?
No. She was outside, in the garden. She waved hello to
me.
My mum kneeled down and held me very tight. She stroked
my face, and her fingers smelled of the raspberries shed
picked earlier in our garden. Youre just like your granny
Margaret, arent you? In every way, she whispered.
I smiled. I loved my granny, and to be told I was just like her
felt like the best compliment.
Lets go, Anne, came Grannys voice from the doorway.
Whats wrong? she added, having seen my mothers face.
An da Shealladh, my mum whispered. They always used
Gaelic between them when they didnt want me to understand
what they were saying. She saw Mrs Kennedy, Mum.
My grannys eyes widened. She took my hand and led me
to her, gently.
Oh, Inary...
Suddenly I was confused. I didnt understand if Id been
very good or very bad, and why my mum and my granny were
showing such emotion. I had seen Mrs Kennedy just before
she died. That was all. I didnt really understand the concept
of death, anyway.
Before I could stop myself, my eyes brimmed with tears.
What did I do?
Aw, Inary, dont be upset now, pet, my granny said.
Youre so little, still. I was much older when it started. All
you need to know for now is that you have a gift. She cupped
my face and kissed my forehead. Her eyes were shining too.
On you go and keep your sister company, dearie. We wont
be long.
They walked across the street to go and see Mrs Kennedys
3

Take Me Home.indd 3

22/11/2013 11:42:32

daughters, and Logan and I were left in charge of Emily. I

went up to her room to sit with her. She was only five at the
time, and shed already gone through two heart operations.
She was having a nap; her lips were slightly blue even when
she was sleeping.
I usually struggled to sit still for long, but after what had
happened I felt strange and somehow disquieted, like all the
energy had gone out of me.
It took me a long time to realise that I had seen Mrs Kennedy
after shed died, that her body was lying empty in her house
but her soul had gone free. It took me a long time to realise
that she wasnt waving hello to me: she was waving goodbye.

Take Me Home.indd 4

22/11/2013 11:42:32

The night I fell

Inary
Cassandra kept running, so fast that she felt like her lungs were
about to burst. She could sense the change coming. Her muscles
were cramping and her bones were aching, about to stretch and
extend nearly to the point of breaking. If she didnt find a place
to change soon, her secret would be out. What would they do to
someone like her? Experiment on her? Lock her in a zoo?
Lock her in a zoo? I read aloud in dismay. I took my glasses
off, and for the umpteenth time that afternoon I held my face
in my hands. It was the weekend and I was supposed to get on
with my writing. Except my head wasnt cooperating. I had
worked on Cassandras story for months, but it just wasnt
going anywhere. Several thousand wasted words, several
months of wasted work. Cassandra was never going to see the
light of day. She was going to join the pile of the Manuscripts
That Were Never Sent. And I would spend the rest of my
life sorting out other peoples books and dreaming of the
novel I would never write. I was an editor in a small London
publisher, and I enjoyed my job but recently, it had grown
tight on me, like unshed skin.
I sighed and folded my legs against my chest, gazing at
the photograph of the hills around Glen Avich on the wall
5

Take Me Home.indd 5

22/11/2013 11:42:32

above my desk: the wild, windswept Scottish sky and the black
silhouette of the pinewoods, a hint of mist resting on the land
and a white, ghostly moon peering from behind a peak. It was
such a beautiful picture that I could almost smell the woods
and the peat fires, and feel the breeze on my skin. Looking
at it usually uplifted me, but this time a sudden, inexplicable
sense of dread filled me instead ...
Im home! My flatmates voice resounded in the hall.
Trying to shake off the gloomy feeling that had taken
hold of me, I ran out into the hall and squeezed her tight.
Lesley!
Inary! She laughed, returning my hug. Whats up with
you?
Save my life and come out for a drink with Alex and me,
I begged. Ive had a hard day.
Oh honey, I cant. Im working tonight. Lesley was a
music promoter, which often meant working weekends. It also
meant a lot of free tickets to gigs, which was a bonus.
A quick one, I pleaded.
I cant! She glared at me, or tried to. Its difficult to glare
and smile at the same time. Free all next weekend, though.
Thats great, I replied, and I meant it. I was looking
forward to a weekend together. Lesley and I had been flatmates
since Id moved to London; shed introduced me to one of her
closest friends, Alex, and the three of us had been pretty much
inseparable for the last three years.
Living with Lesley was just perfect. I had a habit of forgetting
to take care of myself, and so she fussed over me, made sure
I ate regular meals, bought me Lemsip when I was ill and put
up with my constant chaos. In exchange, I entertained her, or
so she always said. I made her laugh and kept things cheerful.
6

Take Me Home.indd 6

22/11/2013 11:42:32

Ive always been good at doing that, even when I dont feel
cheerful at all.
I met Lesley the summer before moving to Aberdeen to
study English at Uni, one of those seemingly unimportant
encounters that end up being of huge consequence. Id gone
to visit my Aunt Mhairi in her cottage on the loch shore. It
was pouring, but of course, me being me, I had forgotten my
umbrella. Actually I hadnt seen my umbrella in months.
While I stood at my aunts door, getting soaked and
calling her name to no avail, I saw a group of people walking
towards the neighbouring cottage, a holiday let. They were
clearly tourists. If a six-foot-tall man with skin the colour of
black coffee and a full head of dreadlocks Lesleys brother
Kamau, I was to learn had been living in the village, I would
have known. The impossibly tall man was accompanied by
a group of young men and women, and among them there
was a startlingly beautiful girl with her hair in cornrows. The
group stopped in front of the cottage, occasionally looking at
me, but too polite to stare. They exchanged a few words that I
couldnt hear over the noise of the rain, and then the girl with
braided hair walked towards me.
Hello, we are just ... um ... We are staying at Heather
Lodge there, and youre getting soaked, so we were wondering if you wanted to wait inside, you know, out of the rain.
For whoever youre waiting for. She had a pleasant London
accent, with a touch of something else I thought it was
French, but it turned out to be the West Indies, not an easy
mistake, but one I would make. I was touched by their concern. Thank you, its okay. Ill just walk back to my house.
Its not far.
Oh ... Then take this, she said, offering me her bright-red
7

Take Me Home.indd 7

22/11/2013 11:42:32

umbrella and lifting her hood up, negotiating the mass of

braids.
Dont worry, Im used to getting soaked! You need it
anyway, I said, and put my hands up.
Not really. Look, she said with a smile, rummaging in her
backpack. Ive got another one! She produced a tiny polka
dot umbrella and handed it to me.
I laughed. Why do you have two umbrellas?
Just to be on the safe side. She shrugged. That was Lesley
in a nutshell.
I took the polka dot one and walked away under the pouring
rain. I remember turning back and seeing Lesley standing
there, framed by her scarlet umbrella like a shiny exotic flower,
still looking at me she waved with a smile and turned back,
following her friends inside. Little did I know then that she
was to become my best friend, in spite of the distance and the
fact that we came from two different worlds.
The next day I returned to the cottage to give back her
umbrella, and we ended up chatting for hours. When she went
back to London we kept in touch and emailed nearly every week.
Slowly our friendship deepened, and after ... after my life in
Scotland fell apart, I moved in with her. She saved my sanity.
So why the hard day? she asked now, hanging her coat up
and taking off her shoes, lining them side by side as she always
did. Beside her things, on a wicker chair, was a messy pile of
jackets, hats, mismatched gloves and the odd sock, mixed with
various rubble: that was my corner.
Im stressed! I sighed.
Its hard to be a writer! she teased, walking on the wooden
floor to the kitchen in her bare feet, her braids bouncing on
her back.
8

Take Me Home.indd 8

22/11/2013 11:42:32

 Its hard not to be one, I replied, truthfully. I was fast

losing hope of ever writing for a living. And writing had been
my ambition since ... since forever.
Right. The werewolf thing not going as planned? she
asked, switching the kettle on. Want some coffee?
No thanks. The werewolf thing ... not good. I dont know
why this kind of story works in other peoples books, but when
I try to write it...
Lesley took her sip of her milky coffee. Maybe its not your
story. I mean, the story youre supposed to tell.
Maybe. Was there a story for me to tell at all? Id always
thought so, but I was beginning to wonder if that was the case,
or if I was just deluded. If my saying one day Ill be a writer
was the equivalent of a five-year-old girl declaring, When I
grow up, I want to be a ballerina.
I sighed. Anyway. Better go get ready...
Do you have time for a curry? Lesley asked me.
A takeaway curry or a Lesley curry? I enquired hopefully.
Lesleys family was Jamaican, and her curries were out of
this world ... while I barely managed spag bol. Lesley had
renamed my signature dish spag bog, which I suppose says
it all.
A Lesley one, my dear!
I was sorely tempted, but I didnt want to be late for Alex.
Can you leave some for me? For when I come home?
Maybe...
Oh, go on!
All right. But you must eat something. To line your
stomach.
Yes, Mum! I laughed.
I went back into my room and saved the Cassandra file,
9

Take Me Home.indd 9

22/11/2013 11:42:33

though I was tempted to just delete all I had written that

afternoon and start again later.
I slipped on a pair of jeans and a jumper I wasnt going
to dress up. It was Alex, after all, not a date. But then casual
didnt feel right, and I decided on a black dress and a pair
of bright-purple tights. I tried my best to brush my hair into
submission there was so much of it and then looked at
my reflection in the mirror. Its the weirdest thing, when you
dont really recognise the person looking back at you. A girl
who looks like you the same mass of wavy hair and Scottish
snowy skin and still, who is she?
I sighed and started hunting for my handbag among the
mounds of discarded clothes. I had no idea how it happened
or why, but pretty much everything in my life seemed to
have become difficult all of a sudden, and a strange, subtle
restlessness had crept into my days and nights. It was like I
had lost something very important, something I was desperate
to recover. Something I used to have, someone I used to be
... someone who went by the name of Inary, and who wasnt
the girl sorting out other peoples books and writing about
werewolves. Who wasnt the girl I just saw in the mirror.
I looked around me, at my little London room messy, tiny,
but mine: the wardrobe Id painted light blue and silver, rows
of dresses peeking from its doors, one haphazardly hanging
from its left handle; the pile of books on my bedside table; the
corkboard covered in tickets from gigs and plays; the desk
overflowing with paper and magazines and books ... The
debris of my life, a happy life a life Id built from nothing
after everything I had, everything I knew, crumpled.
So why the restlessness?
Maybe because everything looked and felt so mundane. I
10

Take Me Home.indd 10

22/11/2013 11:42:33

used to be able to see beyond all this, beyond the little things
of everyday life, beyond our reality. I used to be someone
with six senses, and not five. But not any more. And still, the
thought that my life was somehow meant to be different was
rising inside me and would not let me be.
I spotted my handbags strap hanging from underneath a
pile of manuscripts on my desk. I walked through the room
to retrieve it, and my eyes fell on the Glen Avich picture once
more. There it was again, the chill running down my spine.
I slipped the bag around my neck and rested my hand on
the framed photograph of my sister sitting just beside the
computer. Even when my room was at its messiest, Emilys
photograph was never hidden, its silver frame shiny and
polished.
I was due to visit in a few weeks, and I was conflicted about
it, as always I couldnt wait to see Emily, but I dreaded seeing
Logan, and I dreaded his silences and recriminations ... As I
was thinking of them, the silver frame of Emilys picture grew
icy under my touch I shivered and took my hand away. I
looked at my watch was there enough time to give her a call?
But I was already late. Id call her from the pub, I thought, and
ran out with a quick goodbye to Lesley.
The London night was full of noise and people, as it always
was, its sky lit with orange so different from the still, black
nights back home.
Why did I keep thinking of home? I often did, but not as
much as tonight. I tried to focus on the here and now and
stepped into the pub, dribbling clusters of men and women
clutching their drinks and chatting loudly over the music.
Alex was there already. I wish I could say my heart didnt
jump at the sight of him, but it did another of the things
11

Take Me Home.indd 11

22/11/2013 11:42:33

that have been unsettling me recently. I was beginning to

look forward to seeing Alex a bit too much; I was starting
to notice how solid his hands looked, and how good it felt
when they somehow ended up on me on my shoulder,
casually, or grabbing my fingers as he led me through a busy
club ... I spotted the top of his head a mop of black hair
and there it was again, that little oh I felt inside whenever
I saw him.
Not good.
Hey! He was waving at me, his fingers stained with ink
from a Pantone marker, as they always were. Alex has had
Pantone-stained hands since he was old enough to hold a pen.
He was a graphic designer, and fanatical about his job. It was
his livelihood and his passion, and he certainly was a lot more
successful at it than I was at my writing.
Hiya, hows things? I said, sitting beside him. It was a
miracle we got a table the place was so crowded.
Aye, good. Busy. You? Alex had lived in London for
years, but he still used aye instead of yes. It always made me
smile. I suspected that keeping his Scottishness was a point of
principle for him.
All right, I suppose.
Whats wrong? Wait, Ill get you a drink, then youll tell
me. The usual?
I nodded, and I watched as he glided through the crowd he
was a lot taller than most people there, and far from making
him awkward, it seemed to command attention wherever
he went. Female attention, especially, I thought as I spotted
some pretty girl eyeing him approvingly. I rolled my eyes. I
didnt want to admit to myself that it annoyed me. The good
thing was that Alex never seemed to notice, or to act on the
12

Take Me Home.indd 12

22/11/2013 11:42:33

attention anyway. How someone like him could be single, I

had no idea. Hed broken up with his long-term girlfriend
three years before, and there had been no one else since.
So. Tell me all, he said on his return, sliding my drink
towards me.
Well ... Oh, nothing. How could I put into words how
strange Id been feeling recently? How my skin felt tight on
me, how nothing felt quite right?
Come on, tell me. Im listening.
Its my writing, I blurted out. Well, that was part of the
problem, at least. Its not really working out. I took a sip of
my drink. Lesley says that maybe what Im writing now is
not my story to tell...
The Cassandra one? I just cant believe you wont allow
me or Lesley to read anything of yours. Im sure its great...
I felt myself blushing and shook my head. No it isnt.
Believe me.
Youd say that. I find everything I do complete rubbish, as
a rule. When things fall into place at the end of a project Im
always kind of surprised.
I laughed. Anything Alex did seemed quite wonderful to
me, but I knew what he meant. I worked with writers and I
knew how they were usually full of every kind of insecurity.
But there was more to my dismay than insecurity. My work
just didnt feel right any more.
You seem to be doing pretty well, for someone whose work
is regularly rubbish... I said.
He laughed. Well, maybe it isnt, but often it feels that way.
Thats what Im trying to say. You feel down on your work,
but everyone else thinks its good. It happens a lot. Thing is,
you wont know if you dont let anyone read it ... Hint, hint.
13

Take Me Home.indd 13

22/11/2013 11:42:33

 I will give you something of mine to read, I promise! Just

not yet.
Has anyone ever read your stuff?
Only my sister. Nobody else.
Emily? How is she?
Shes been doing okay... As I mentioned my sister, my
mind wandered to Glen Avich again. A sudden longing nearly
made me gasp I needed to hear her voice. I needed to hear
her voice so badly it hurt.
I shook myself. Alex was still talking. ... maybe its just a
dry spell. You know, no inspiration, feel depleted ... that kind
of thing. It happens.
Oh ... yes. Yes. I hope so, I replied, and took a sip of
my vodka orange. Sorry Alex, I just need to make a quick
call...
Sure. Is everything okay? he asked. I probably looked
worried. I certainly felt it.
Yeah, all fine, I said, and jumped up without bothering
with my jacket. I negotiated my way out of the pub, squeezing
myself between warm bodies. I stepped outside between two
wings of smokers freezing and puffing, and the cold air took
my breath away. No reply on my siblings home phone. I tried
Emilys mobile, and then Logans they were both switched
off. They were probably out somewhere, maybe at the cinema
in Aberdeen. I made my way back inside, elbowing through
the Saturday night crowd.
All okay?
No reply. I was phoning my sister.
Its Saturday night. Theyre probably out painting the
town red. Painting the village red, as it were.
Ha ha.
14

Take Me Home.indd 14

22/11/2013 11:42:33

 By the way, did I log that? he asked, pointing at my purple

tights.
My legs? I smirked, but I knew what he meant. Just like
I collected owls, Alex collected colours he took pictures of
things, and logged his findings in a special database he was
building, called Chromatica. It was some sort of colour bible
or something that would change the graphic-designing world
as we knew it, or so he said.Yes, that was Alex. At the moment,
he was working on the endless shades of the colour purple.
Not sure, did you?
Dont think so. Wait, he said, and slipped his phone out of
his pocket. He took a picture of my knee under the bewildered
gaze of our next-table neighbours. Thank you. Oh, before I
forget...
A blast of loud music exploded from the speakers just above
us, drowning out the last of his words. We went to that pub all
the time, but recently they seemed to have upped the noise to
an unbearable level.
Has it always been this noisy? I said, massaging my ear.
He laughed. That, or maybe were just growing old! Do
you want to go to mine?
My stomach tightened a little. Now, after three years of
spending evenings together on the sofa watching DVDs,
and crashing in each others spare rooms, and dropping by
uninvited at the weekend for an unscheduled lunch thrown
together using anything we could find in the cupboards ...
after all this, an invitation to go to his house shouldnt have
disquieted me. Or thrilled me. Or disquieted and thrilled me
all at the same time. But it did.
Nonsense. It was just nonsense. We were just friends.
Werent we? Okay, sometimes things got a bit ambiguous
15

Take Me Home.indd 15

22/11/2013 11:42:33

between us. But wed never crossed the line, and I was sure
itd stay that way. If I tried hard enough. I had my reasons not
to get involved with Alex, or anyone else. I just wasnt ready.
And still, recently Id felt so confused ... No point in
agonising over it now, though. It was just another night
between friends, like many before.
Sure, I said, and gathered up my handbag and my jacket.
We walked into the freezing February night, and twenty
minutes later I was sitting on the rug in front of Alexs
fireplace, a whisky in my hand. A Talisker in my hand, to be
precise. Not many places in London have a real fire, and for
me, raised on peat fires, it was wonderful to have found one. I
lost myself in the dancing flames.
Inary Monteith, youre the only woman I know who
appreciates a good whisky. My sisters hate it.
Oh no, there are a lot of us. You just dont know many
women, Alex, I teased.
Yes, its probably that! He smiled and sat down in front
of me, crossing his long legs. The fire made his blue-grey eyes
shine and played on his features he looked so familiar, like
Id known him forever, and not just three years.
So, I tried to tell you in the pub, but I happen to have
something that will cheer you up, he said, and slipped a little
box out of his pocket. I could guess what it was, and I smiled
in anticipation.
I opened the silver ribbon and lifted the lid it was, like Id
guessed, an owl statuette iridescent blue and no bigger than
a marble. Its beautiful! Thank you...
Years ago, my mum and dad went to a pilgrimage to Lourdes
together, and they brought me back a terracotta owl instead
of the usual religious statuettes, I suppose. I loved it for some
16

Take Me Home.indd 16

22/11/2013 11:42:33

reason, I always felt an affinity with owls and thats how my

collection started. Once I mentioned my collection to Alex,
and ever since hed taken to bringing me owls from wherever
he went. He was a graphic designer who worked on large campaigns for companies all over the world, and because of this
he travelled a lot. He got me owls from Oslo, San Francisco,
Beijing, Kuala Lumpur ... and the best one, my favourite: a
little one made of whalebone, from St Petersburg.
Youre welcome. I got it in Madrid in this amazing covered
market ... Ill take you there one day, he said and looked
away, into the fire.
That would be nice, I scrambled, trying to ignore the
implications.
But seriously, Inary ... whats up? Youve been strange
recently. I dont know ... not yourself. Is everything all right
at home? He started playing with the metal tongs, avoiding
my gaze.
Yes. I dont know ... Just... I shrugged. I dont know.
I took another sip of my whisky. I couldnt explain the way Id
been feeling. I could never tell Alex the way I used to be, the
things I used to see, and how it stopped when I was twelve.
And how I just didnt feel whole.
Whatever it is ... you know Im always here for you, dont
you? he said, and looked straight at me. At that moment a
little Catherine wheel started spinning in my heart. It was a
physical effort not to kiss him there and then I was used to
it, I was used to stopping my arms from wrapping themselves
around him, stopping my mouth from looking for his. I could
do that once more. But something betrayed me.
Maybe it was the warmth from the whisky, maybe it was
the fire reflected on his face, or maybe the strange feelings Id
17

Take Me Home.indd 17

22/11/2013 11:42:33

had recently of not knowing who I was any more. Because

another me, another Inary, reached over and kissed him. And
then it was like gravity, the way we were pulled towards each
other again. He put one hand on the nape of my neck, and
entwined his other hand with mine. I was still for a moment,
my face against his I freed my hand and wrapped my arms
around his neck, drawing him closer.
His lips tasted of whisky and honey and home and it felt
right, like it should have happened a long time ago. But all too
soon his mouth left mine and I felt suddenly dizzy at the loss
of him.
His breath brushed close to my ear. Im not sure how
to say this, but ... I think Ive fallen for you, he whispered
into my hair, and immediately a cold knot of fear twisted my
insides, snapping me momentarily back to reality.
What was I doing? What were we doing?
I had sworn ...
But it was too late. It was done. Those words were said; they
couldnt be unsaid. They hung between us and echoed in both
our minds. Inary, he whispered, and he said it right. Like we
say it at home. My heart was winning the silent battle with my
head. It usually did.
He stood up and took my hand, and led me into the
bedroom, into another world.
I remember every minute of that night. I remember the
way he locked his eyes onto mine and the way he said youre
so precious to me. I remember how I could think of nothing,
wanted nothing, needed nothing but him and me together, at
that moment.
*
18

Take Me Home.indd 18

22/11/2013 11:42:33

The morning came and I found myself in his bed, naked and
defenceless, and I felt afraid as the reality of our previous
night hit me.
Alex was sleeping, his long, black eyelashes casting soft
shadows on his skin, one arm around my waist. I didnt know
what beauty was, but I knew he looked perfect in my eyes.
Like Id known him forever, even when I was a little girl, as
if the features of my soulmate were encoded in my blood, in
my genes.
Still, I looked at him and I imagined the moment hed wake
up. I imagined the moment after, and the one after, and the
one after that. Hundreds and thousands of moments that
would add up into days and weeks and months where I loved
him, and trusted him, and made him the centre of my life.
Until that moment when he opens his mouth to speak and
I think its something harmless, something or other about our
life, about our family or the weather or some new book hes
read, and instead he tells me were not going to be together
any more.
I imagined all that and it was easy, because it had happened
to me before.
And I couldnt let it happen again.
I got up as quickly as I could, wrapping a sheet around me,
and started gathering my clothes scattered all over the floor. I
heard him call my name from the bed, his voice sleepy, full of
warmth. Full of contentment.
Inary...
It was a mistake, I said without turning around, before
he could say it, now or next week or in six months, because I
knew that sooner or later he would. Im sorry, Alex, I began,
each word a drop of blood dripping on his plush cream carpet.
19

Take Me Home.indd 19

22/11/2013 11:42:33

I rummaged in my bag looking for new contact lenses my

eyes stung. We shouldnt have...
What do you mean? He sat up, shock painted all over his
face. I felt a spasm of guilt. Those words could never be taken
back ...
I emptied the contents of my purse onto the floor, looking
for the lenses blister, when I caught a glimpse of my phone.
Again, that sinking feeling from the day before, the same
sensation Id felt when I looked at the picture of Glen Avich,
invaded me. There was a little red icon in the corner of the
screen I lifted it up to check what it was, and all my words
died in my throat. Fourteen missed calls. All from Logan.
Oh...
Inary? I heard Alex calling, from somewhere far away.
The room was spinning and I felt like I could double over
with pain I didnt know why, I didnt know what this searing
ache in my heart could be. And then the phone rang, and I
saw my brothers name flashing on the screen, and at once I
knew.
I could barely tap the green button, my hands were shaking
so much. I listened to Logan say that our sisters time was
nearing its end, that the new heart she was waiting for, if it
ever came, would be too late. I had to hurry back, or I might
not see her alive.

20

Take Me Home.indd 20

22/11/2013 11:42:33

I loved her since forever

Alex
Shes gone. The wall doesnt protest as I pound it over and
over again.
A mistake.
Thats what she called our night together, and then her
mobile rang. There were broken words and tears, and I didnt
know if I was too furious to even look at her or if I wanted
to hold her in my arms and comfort her and tell her itd be
okay, that I was sure her sister would be fine, that whatever
happened I would always, always be in her corner. Always be
there for her.
But I said nothing. I stood there, too conflicted to speak or
move.
And then she finished getting dressed. Her face was strewn
with tears she was about to step out the door and, I feared,
out of my life and I grabbed her hand and turned her to face
me. Whatever last night was, Inary, dont call it a mistake.
Dont call my feelings for you a mistake.
She said nothing. The door closed behind her, and she
was gone.
*

21

Take Me Home.indd 21

22/11/2013 11:42:33

Ive loved Inary since forever, or at least it feels that way.

The first time I saw her she had paint all over her. Even
her lovely auburn hair somewhere between red and brown,
a warm, coppery hue that Id only seen in paintings had
strands of purple in it. Im obsessed with colours, and to see
that girl crowned in purple and red and blue, like shed just
walked out of a Chagall masterpiece, took my breath away.
I was helping Lesley move into her new home. Shed hit me
with a van full of stuff, and another few bin bags and boxes
to pack my car with she owned enough to fill two houses.
She had also given me a set of keys, and I was about to try
and extract them from my pocket while keeping hold of the
box when I realised the door was ajar. I made my way in, and
there she was. Inary. Id heard so much about her, Lesleys
best friend from up north, but somehow wed always missed
each other.
You must be Alex, she said, smiling that sunny smile she
has.
You must be Hilary, I replied.
Inary, she corrected me with a smile. No H or L. N in
the middle.
Oh, sorry...
Dont worry, she smiled again. It happens all the time.
My mum found the name in a book of Scottish fairy tales,
never heard it anywhere else. Is that Lesleys? she asked,
gesturing to the big box I was carrying.
Yes. Yes. Not long to go. There are only another twentyseven of these. Well be done in a week or so.
She laughed. Thats good, I thought. I made her laugh.
Theres a few bin bags as well. Oh, and Lesley is on her
way with the van.
22

Take Me Home.indd 22

22/11/2013 11:42:33

 Oh no! Inary swept a lock of hair behind her ear. She

kept talking, and I could hear her words, but I couldnt quite
make them out. I was somewhere else, somewhere windy and
beautiful, somewhere I had been as a child and long forgotten.
I knew Lesley was a bit of a hoarder, but I didnt realise she
had so much stuff! Come, Ill show you her room. At the end
of the hall, there. Alex?
I shook myself. Yes. Yes, sorry.
Youre a man in need of a cup of tea! She laughed again.
She was so ... alive. Beside her I felt grey, like she had all the
colours Id ever need.
That would be great. Thank you. I put down the box in
Lesleys room and followed her into the kitchen, desperately
thinking of something else to say. So, Lesley said youre
Scottish too... I said.
Not that I have an accent or anything...
I smiled. She had a soft, musical Highland lilt. Where
abouts?
Glen Avich, not far from Aberdeen. You probably wont
have heard of it, its tiny. You?
I was brought up in Edinburgh...
Hello! Lesley entered, carrying another box. She dumped
her burden on the floor with a sigh, her mane of tiny braids
falling over her face.
Hello! I already started painting! Inary said.
I can see that! Lesley replied, taking in Inarys paintsprayed clothes. So you met Alex. At last! Ive wanted you
two to meet for ages...
I went to University with Lesleys brother, Kamau thats
how Lesley and I met. There was never anything more than a
friendship between Lesley and me, though I often wondered
23

Take Me Home.indd 23

22/11/2013 11:42:33

why. We got on so well. Still, it never happened. Once it was

clear to everyone involved, including us, that we would only
be friends, we became very close. It didnt stop Kamau trying
to set us up though, even if by then Id had a girlfriend for a
while, Gaby.
And then I met Inary, covered in colours like a little earthed
rainbow. Everything about her her small body, the sound of
her voice, the way she smiled was so full of life, she made
me come alive too.
I could sense Lesley looking at me looking at Inary, and I
knew she would guess what I was thinking. She knew me too
well. I almost ran out of the room, mumbling something about
twenty-seven boxes and a van to unload.
The rest of the day was a blur. Lesleys insane amount of
stuff made its way from the van to her flat, bit by bit, while
I caught glimpses of Inary painting, making tea and singing
along to the music Lesley put on. We finished the day with fish
and chips, our plates balanced on boxes there were no sofas
or chairs yet and then we walked to a pub in Battersea, not
far from my house. It was dark already, and we hurried on to
get out of the cold. I went to order a round of drinks while the
girls sat at a table.
As I was leaning on the counter, waiting my turn, I felt a
presence beside me. I turned to see that Inary had followed
me; she was standing very, very close, our arms touching.
Its okay, I said. Ill get the drinks.
I know. I just thought Id keep you company.
Tenderness came to her as easily as breathing. She was
unafraid, unashamed, wearing her emotions like a crown.
A few weeks later I broke up with Gaby.
Now three years on, after an endless will we/wont we, shed
24

Take Me Home.indd 24

22/11/2013 11:42:33

finally spent the night with me. And then shed called it a
mistake, and it hurt like hell.
Shed gone back to Glen Avich, swept away from London by
the horrific news about her sister. I couldnt believe that Emily
was dying Emily, as vivid and cheerful as a little windmill, one
of those brightly coloured ones that people put in their gardens.
Emily, five feet of spark and cheekiness and love of life.
The first time she came down she only visited twice; the
journey to London was exhausting for her she and Inary
didnt stop chatting for a week solid. They were like sparrows,
chirping and twittering to each other, so happy to be together.
I couldnt quite believe it.
I wanted to be there for Inary I had to be there for her.
But the question was, could I keep doing this to myself? Was
I some sort of crutch she used and then discarded? I didnt
deserve to be treated like that. Her fears and doubts didnt
give her the right to use me that way.
*
I went to work feeling like a zombie and waded through it
as though through a field of mud. No word from Inary. The
stupid phone went all day with messages and emails and stuff
I didnt care about, but none of them were from Inary. She
clearly meant what she said.
As soon as I got home, I drowned all my thoughts in a glass
of whisky, and before I knew it, it was dawn. She was in Glen
Avich by now. She might as well have been on another planet.
Why, why did she say it was a mistake? Why, as she said
those terrible words, did she look frightened? Frightened of
me, of us?
25

Take Me Home.indd 25

22/11/2013 11:42:33

 My fingers, clumsy with alcohol and sleeplessness, started

composing a text. And then I deleted it. I lay on my bed,
studying a crack on the ceiling. It was then that I spotted
something on the floor near the window. It was an enamel
daisy chain the necklace Inary was wearing last night.
I sat on the window seat and stayed there for a long time,
weaving the necklace between my fingers, looking out to the
London skyline and thinking of home.

26

Take Me Home.indd 26

22/11/2013 11:42:33

The last word before silence

Inary
I went back to my flat and stuffed a bag with random clothes
and my laptop, the taxi still waiting downstairs to take me to
Heathrow. As soon as I got to the airport I called Rowan, my
boss at Rosewood Publishing, to say I wouldnt make it to
work on Monday and that I needed extended leave. And then
I called Lesley. I was falling somewhere deep, bottomless a
dark well and I needed her to drag me back to the surface.
Oh, Inary, Im so sorry...
Yes. Yes. Well... I was struggling not to cry. We sort of
knew it could happen, but we always thought shed get the
operation and shed be fine...
She might be okay in a few days. It might just be a false
alarm...
I hope so, I said, and I did, against all the evidence, in
spite of what Logan had told me. I did hope so, with all my
heart. Miracles, after all, do happen. And that was what we
needed: a miracle.
If you need anything, just call me. Any time, day or
night, she said, and she sounded so kind, so Lesley, that I
couldnt hold the tears in any longer, and I had to finish the
conversation quickly. After I put the phone down, a text from
her came through the image of a little green clover for good
27

Take Me Home.indd 27

22/11/2013 11:42:33

luck. I realised she hadnt asked me why I hadnt come home

last night. Just as well. I just couldnt discuss that now, anyway.
It was like a nightmare, one I couldnt wake up from. All
of a sudden, my life had been turned upside down. Again.
Things were pretty messed up before losing my mum and
dad in the accident, and the Lewis thing, and now this: my
Emily ...
Maybe Id known for a while that something wasnt quite
right with Emily, Id just refused to see it. In the last few weeks
there had been a brittle, forced cheerfulness in Emilys voice.
Id meant to ask Logan if something was up, but I was due to
visit the following week for a few days anyway, so I thought Id
see with my own eyes. It would save me from having to speak
to Logan more than was strictly necessary. My brother had
never forgiven me for having moved to London, and he didnt
make a secret of it.
And he was right. I left Emily, and now she was dying, and
Id been away for three years. Away from her, away from Glen
Avich, away from Logan, who was left shouldering it all.
Tears started streaming down my face again. Thankfully
from where I was sitting nobody could see me. I slipped on
my iPod, trying to get a grip of myself.
I wanted to speak to Alex so badly. I craved his voice.
But it was all too much; I just couldnt deal with all that too.
Spending the night with him had been a bad decision on so
many levels. As if I could let myself be in that situation again.
Let myself be broken into pieces again.
Three years ago I was engaged to be married. Although
Lewis came from Kilronan, a village down the road from
mine, our orbits had never collided until we both enrolled on
the same course at Aberdeen University. I bumped into him
28

Take Me Home.indd 28

22/11/2013 11:42:33

 literally in the cafeteria, and his scalding coffee burnt my

arm. I still have the scar, a white, discoloured patch on the
inside of my arm, where the skin is softer, more fragile. How
symbolic.
So yes, we ended up in A&E, with him even more upset
than I was and apologising over and over again. A few months
later we were living together. Id never felt that way about
anyone before it was like stepping into a new world, a new
solar system where he was the sun. We moved to a house in
Kilronan and he insisted we get engaged. It was like his life
depended on it. Soon after, the venue was booked and the
wedding dress was hanging in my wardrobe, cocooned in thin
white fabric. I wore his grandmothers wedding ring.
Then one day, eighty-nine days before our wedding yes, I
counted he changed his mind.
Just like that.
Maybe it was cold feet, maybe he realised he had fallen
out of love, maybe hed never actually been in love. But I
suspected he was scared. Scared because in a moment when
the intimacy was complete, in a moment when I wanted him
to know everything about me, I told him about my gift and
since then things had never been the same. He probably
thought I was some kind of freak.
I moved back home with Logan and Emily, but I couldnt
bear to walk the streets of Glen Avich any more. People kept
looking at me that way you know, the poor thing look. I kept
bumping into his mum and brothers everywhere. I had to
drive past our former house to get to the bloody supermarket.
It was torture. Everywhere spoke of him and the life I was
supposed to have, everywhere I looked there were memories
of us.
29

Take Me Home.indd 29

22/11/2013 11:42:33

 Not long after, in a haze of grief, I went to see Lesley in

London while I figured out what to do next. I had introduced her to Lewis once when she was up in Glen Avich
for a visit. Id sensed she didnt like him much, although she
never said. I wish I had paid more attention to her moods
around him.
In one of those weird moments of serendipity, Lesley
told me that her housemate was going to teach English in
Singapore and that she was looking for someone else to
share a new flat; and an old University friend emailed me to
say that Rosewood Publishing was looking for an editorial
assistant. It was the perfect opportunity, a new life laid out
for me to seize. I had the chance to leave Lewis and what he
did to me behind.
I was moving to London without plans to ever live in
Scotland again.
A few days before I left, Emily came into my room as I was
finishing my packing. We were just back from a farewell meal
in the Green Hat with Aunt Mhairi and our cousins. It had
been bittersweet, the end of an era for me, for us all Kilronan
was twenty minutes away from Glen Avich, but London was
another planet.
Take this, Emily said, offering me something sheer
and weightless, the colour of Loch Avich in the summer
something between aqua, turquoise and blue. Shed made it
as part of her project in college theyd even had a small
fashion show with all the graduates work showcased. Emilys
collection was the best, of course. I was so proud of her.
Hey, no ... Thats yours, I cant take it.
Youre going to need dressy clothes a lot more than me,
Inary! With all those glamorous gigs Lesley will take you to!
30

Take Me Home.indd 30

22/11/2013 11:42:34

She smiled her breezy smile. Emily and I had this in common:
we tended to be cheerful most of the time.
Youll have nights out too. You dont plan to always be
stuck in the house with Logan, do you?
She sighed, and I remember that for a second her face had
looked nearly other-worldly, translucent as if she were there
with me, in my room, but at the same time she was far away
already. Like her presence in this world was only transient.
I want you to have it, and I want you to go and be happy
and not look back. I want you to live for me. To do all the
things I want to do but cant.
Live for me. Her words cut too deep. I couldnt speak for a
moment. It was as if she had given up on life, and that wasnt
the plan. We were supposed to prove the doctors wrong. Emily
would outlive us all, I was convinced of that.
And there I was, my bags packed, abandoning her.
Maybe this is a mistake... I agonised.
Its not a mistake. Dont let Logan convince you of that.
You must go, Inary! You must build a life for yourself, and you
will. I cant just now, but you can and you will. Away from ...
everything that happened. She didnt mention Lewis, but his
name hung between us, unspoken.
Logan is furious. Hes barely said a word to me.
Emily rolled her eyes. He doesnt want you to go because
hes worried Ill get mortally ill on him, but I wont. Besides,
theres a good chance Ill be on the heart transplant list soon.
Well be fine, she said, and laughed. Logans just forever
looking for a reason to sulk!
He has a point.
Yeah, well. She shrugged. Youll be the London branch
of our family. Youll do us proud. Look... She smiled again,
31

Take Me Home.indd 31

22/11/2013 11:42:34

resting her hand on the pile of manuscripts sitting on my

desk ready to be packed, all lovingly tied with ribbons to keep
the sheets together. Youve been working on your books for
forever. Giving up sleep, spending all weekends in your room,
typing away...
Because Im a geek, really... I laughed.
Yes, you are! She laughed too. But also because you
are so dedicated. You have never wanted anything else, have
you? I shook my head in response. She was right. Ever since
I was a little girl I had never really wanted much else but to
write. Youve got to go and make your dream come true.
Its not that simple...
It is really, Inary. She twisted a lock of my hair around her
finger, in one of those little affectionate gestures of hers. All
you need is determination...
And talent... I said, my voice dripping with self-doubt.
Yes, talent, and you have it. I know you have it and I know
youll make it. Whether Im here to see it or not...
Dont say that, Emily. Youll get on the list and youll get a
new heart and everything will get better. To hear her talk this
way was like a stab to my heart.
Oh, dont worry, she laughed. I still have a bit of life left
in me! Ill come and see you in London and go for nights out
with Lesleys crazy friends...
Exactly! Which is why you need your top...
Tell you what. Hold on to it for me, Ill wear it when I
come and see you.
Deal.
She didnt really keep her part of the deal, though. She
could only come to see me twice, and a night out with Lesleys
friends would have been too much for her. Soon even the car
32

Take Me Home.indd 32

22/11/2013 11:42:34

journey with Logan was out of the question it would have

been too tiring. And I didnt keep our deal either; I still didnt
have a book to my name, and I didnt even know what I was
supposed to write any more.
I fell into a fitful, restless sleep, and I only woke up when we
were about to land. I saw from the window that while I slept,
England had turned into Scotlands soft hills and moors at
last, a million shades of brown and purple shining in the light
of dawn.
My head and my eyes hurt as I waited at the station for
the first train to Glen Avich, drinking a double espresso that
managed to wake me up and bore a hole in my empty stomach.
I couldnt phone Logan to come and get me it was nearly
two hours round trip from Glen Avich to Aberdeen, and I
didnt want him to be away from Emily for so long. Finally I
boarded the train, a tiny two-carriage. It was just a couple of
pensioners, the conductor and me. From the train window
I could see the landscape Ive known forever, the place Id
called home for the first twenty-odd years of my life.
As I stepped onto the platform in Glen Avich, my heart
soared for a moment, in spite of the exhaustion and worry.
I took a deep breath, inhaling the sweet smells of pine trees
and peat fires. I could see a cluster of pink clouds over the
hills where the earth was kissing the sky, the air was chilly and
pure, and there was a sense of peace, of calm all around. I
was home. Funny that I should still call our Glen Avich house
home, even after a few years of living away ...
I nearly ran from the station to our house, a few hundred
yards away, keeping my head down in the hope of not having
to stop and chat with anyone. I just wasnt ready to talk about
Emily. My feet were heavy as I walked through the back alleys,
33

Take Me Home.indd 33

22/11/2013 11:42:34

avoiding the faster route through Main Street. I stopped across

the road from our house, a whitewashed cottage that stood at
the foot of St Colman Way. I took a deep breath, clutching my
overnight bag. The lights were on in the windows upstairs, in
the cold, grey gloom of early morning.
I crossed the road, each step agony. I didnt know what I
would find; I didnt know what I would see once I stepped into
Emilys room.
I stood in front of the heavy wooden door and knocked
lightly, my hands shaking. A woman I didnt know, in a nurses
uniform, let me in.
You must be Inary, she said.
I nodded, too anxious to speak, and I stepped in.
My brother was standing on the landing, conferring with
Aunt Mhairi in a low voice, their heads bent towards each
other, with Logan towering over her. My heart broke, because
as soon as I saw my brothers face I knew all was lost. I knew
for sure that the doctors werent wrong like Id always thought
they would be. I knew for sure that Emilys days were really
coming to an end.
Despair is a weird thing, the way it can come over you in
a scarlet wave, making you scream and sob and curse the
world; or it can just freeze you on the spot, deprive you of all
the energy and purpose, tear your soul away from you and
leave an empty shell behind. That is how I felt when I saw
my brothers stricken face and I realised death was in our
house, waiting for the right time, and that time would come
soon.
Oh, Inary! Thank goodness youre here! Aunt Mhairi
smiled at me, her face lined and exhausted. She hurried down
the stairs and enveloped me in a warm hug. Logan followed
34

Take Me Home.indd 34

22/11/2013 11:42:34

her, but he didnt throw his arms around me, like I hoped.
He stood in front of me and fixed his eyes on mine, as if he
were pleading, as if he were drowning and only I could save
him but how could I save him when I was drowning too?
Youre here, he said, as if he were surprised. There was
an accusation in his voice, and guilt clawed at me once more.
Emily... I whispered.
Shes sleeping. Best not disturb her now.
For a moment the air hung heavy between us, full of all the
words we werent saying. Then Aunt Mhairi said she would put
the kettle on and make some breakfast, and to come and warm
myself by the fire, and those simple, everyday words about tea
and toast and what a cold morning it was, and how lovely it was
for all three of us to be back home together, broke the spell I
was under and forced me back to the land of the living.
Emily was dying upstairs, and still, time would not stop,
and we would keep going. But nothing, nothing would ever be
the same again.
*
While Aunt Mhairi was making breakfast, I stepped into
Emilys room as quietly as I could and sat by her bed. She
was ashen, and her lips had a blue tinge. There were dozens of
medicine bottles carefully lined on her bedside table, and her
sewing machine sat unused on its table in the corner, together
with samples of fabric piled on top of one another. Shed been
working on something, I noticed, before she was forced to stop;
it was still under the needle in the sewing machine. Something
in a deep plum colour, with tiny flowers all over ...
My eyes returned to Emily, and I froze. That broken doll
35

Take Me Home.indd 35

22/11/2013 11:42:34

couldnt be my sister. My sister was full of life and shining

from the inside, happy and rebellious and strong. I noticed
that her nails were painted bright green; it was such an Emily
touch ...
I was grateful that she was sleeping, because I had to step
out and escape to my room. I screamed silent screams into my
pillow, with Logan hovering on the doorstep, heartbroken and
awkward. And then I dried my tears, I shaped my mouth into
a smile, and I decided I would not cry again until ... Until it
was time. I decided I would be strong and never, never show
upset in front of Emily. I decided I would bring her joy until
her last moment. In a way, my parents death being so sudden
was a blessing I know it sounds strange, but at least they
didnt have time to be afraid, to suffer. But for Emily, it was
going to be a long agony, a tunnel with only more darkness at
the end of it.
I went back into her room, and she was waking, her eyelids
fluttering, like she was still wandering in a dream. I took her
in my arms shed lost weight, she was like a little bird and
instead of breathing in her lovely, sweet Emily scent, I breathed
in illness and medication, and my heart sank once more. But
I kept my resolution.
Hey, sweetheart...
Youre back... she murmured.
Of course. Im here to drive Logan mad.
You always do that, she said, and laughed a small ghost
of a laugh.
She does that all right, said Logan from the door. He
looked at me, and there was a weird mixture of bitterness and
relief in his eyes.
Yes, I was back, and I would not go anywhere.
36

Take Me Home.indd 36

22/11/2013 11:42:34