Page 32 of Van Cort
For the first time, a strange feeling had started to build in Rhett. He didn’t know where it came from, what it was, or whatto do with it, but he moved across the room to put himself in front of West. His fists balled up at his side. He thought maybe that he could protect West from another hit if he shouted ‘please’ enough. Or that maybe he could hit back. It was anger.
That day, Rhett found anger.
He did protect his brother.
But he took the pain that West would have instead.
Their father, in his rage, stumbled and fell. That was their chance, and Rhett grabbed hold of his broken brother, and they ran.
“We’ll forget about him,” Rhett said, staring at the island as it came into view. “Just us from now on. You and me. I don’t care about anyone else.”
“But he’s our father.”
“Not anymore. We’re running away.”
West looked up at Rhett, confused. “Where?”
“The island.” West turned his head, weakly, to look across the water towards it in the distance. “We’ll live there.”
“But what about the music room?”
“What about it?”
“I haven’t learned yet. We said we’d…”
Rhett ignored that. He didn’t care about the music room. He was getting them to the island, and nothing else mattered. He didn’t know what they were going to do when they got there, or if they’d stay, but it was getting dark and Father was always worse when it got dark.
He looked at West’s face, which was bulging on one side. It seemed strange, like they didn’t look like each other anymore. But they were like each other. They were exactly like each other in every way. That’s what twins were. And no one was going to make them look any less like each other again.
“It’s not like anyone cares about us anyway,” Rhett said, scowling. “They just get paid to like us.”
“They don’t?”
“No. Cook said one day that we were spoiled.”
West sagged further down, leaning sideways. “She did not. She’s nice to me and-”
“She did. She said it when she thought no one could hear. She was talking to Nanny Juliette. She thinks we’re bad and rotten.” West winced as he moved his leg, and a sob of tears followed. “Must mean they don’t like us. We’ll be better on our own.”
“Nanny stuck up for us, though?”
“No. She doesn’t like us either.” No one did. They were alone, and no one cared.
They both went quiet again and watched the island getting closer, whilst Rhett kept checking behind them. It didn’t look like anyone was coming, but he wasn’t sure how long that would last. Maybe they should go further than the island? He didn’t know what was further than the island, though. Charles said they shouldn’t ever go out on their own. It was dangerous, he said.
It was dangerous at home.
“I feel funny. And I’m cold,” West said. Rhett was cold, too, but as he looked at West, he realised that his brother was almost blue and the bulge on his face was getting bigger. He looked around the small boat, hoping to see a blanket or coat. There wasn’t anything.
“We’ll be there soon.” Last time they went over to the island, there was food and warm clothes waiting for them, a fire too. Cook had done a big picnic for all of them after the fishing trip. She said it was nice for her and Charles to have a day off and enjoy the scenery. She probably wished the boys weren’t there that day to spoil it. Rhett hated her, and Charles, and his father. That day, Rhett decided he hated everyone but West. “We’ll be okay when we get there. Safe.”
By the time they reached the island, West was so blue Rhett didn’t know what to do. He steered into the small dock and tried to pull up alongside the jetty, but now West was talking strangely, and he wobbled and fell when he tried to stand.
Rhett tied the boat off as best he could and tried helping West out of it. They’d only got off the wooden deck and as far as the first path before Rhett heard the sound of an engine coming in the distance. He looked back into the murky light and tried to keep dragging his brother.
“Quickly,” he said. But West wasn’t listening. He fell and stumbled again, this time into some wet dirt, and it didn’t matter how much Rhett tried, he couldn’t lift his brother to get them away.
He looked back to their boat.
