Hand in hand Luisa and Matthew barely noticed the sky darken, and as they begin the ascent to her grandmother’s house a flash of lightening suddenly lit up the sky, followed almost immediately by a loud crack of thunder. 

“Uh oh...” said Matthew.

They heard the rain before they felt it. A great crashing all around as the sky opened to douse the countryside with lashings of rain. They rushed up to the house standing outside, shoulders hunched in the rain outside.  The rain was hammering down, Luisa could feel it trickling down her back.

“God, Matthew, you can’t go back, this storm is crazy, you’ll get well lost.”

“I could probably make it… I mean, I might make it…maybe.”

Luisa giggled as the rain puddled around them, “Ahhhh crap…”

They looked at each other.  Luisa took a breath, “Let’s sneak you in.”

“Oh my god,” he whispered. “Well, I suppose it would be kind of dangerous to send me out into this storm by myself, I could get eaten, by a bear or a rabbit or something”

“Yeah or struck by lightening.”

Luisa touched his arm and looked at him seriously, “OK Matthew, wait here alright?”

“What outside? Luisa I feel like a criminal waiting about out here in the rain.”

Luisa stifled a laugh. “Just hide behind a tree and try and try not to look weird!”

Luisa had to take a few moments by the door to straighten her face and do her best drowned rat impression.

Luisa entered the house to see her grandmother reading a book by a crackling fire, the notes of classical music playing demurely in the background. Her grandmother looked over the top of her glasses at Luisa. She let the book flop down and sighed.

“Disappointed Luisa. Very disappointed.”

“I am sorry Grandmother, I just lost track of time, and I um, just…”

“Enough.” Her Grandmother waved her hand.  “Just go and dry yourself off Luisa. You will catch a cold and we need you healthy for Ruthin.  Go to bed immediately. It is passed your bedtime. You and your brother are coming to church with me first thing tomorrow.”

“I’m bloody not.” Luisa muttered to herself when she was out of ear shot.  She rushed up the stairs, and pushed open her window to the thunderstorm.

“Matthew!”

“Hey!” He appeared from behind a tree.

“My Grandmother is downstairs, you are going to have to climb up!”

“Oh what? Really?”

Luisa laughed, “You can do it!”

 “Bollocks!”

She watched as Matthew took a grip on the wet drainpipe and using footings from the ivy that adorned the front of the house managed to shimmy up to the ledge outside Luisa’s room.  Luisa helped him though the window.

“Good job but, shh, you have to be quiet!”

Matthew blinked in the room shivering; completely drenched through.

“Wow this is a sweet house!”

“OK Matthew, my Grandmother is an absolute nutcase, if she finds you in here she will go insane. Stay here I’ll get us some towels.”

A few moments later they wrapped up in warm towels and sat cross-legged on Luisa’s bed.

Another crack of thunder.

Luisa felt for her pendant. Could she tell Matthew about Cataindar?

“Matthew, if I could tell you an absolutely mental secret, something so, well, crazy…. could you swear on your life you can keep it?”

“Yeah of course, you could tell me anything.  Anyway Luisa… I really have no-one to tell.”

Luisa bit her lip, unsure.  Matthew would think she was totally out-her-tree crazy.

Just then the storm stopped, as quickly as it started. 

Suddenly the room was very quiet.

Matthew raised his eyebrows. “Weird”

Luisa heard the creak of floorboards. Her eyes grew wide.

“Matthew, quick! Hide!”

Matthew scrambled off the bed and in a second had slid under it.

The door handle turned, Luisa smoothed out her covers and tried to look innocent as possible.

The door opened to reveal Max rubbing his eyes.

“Oh its you! Hello Max!” Luisa breathed relief.

“Did you see the funder and stuff?” Max asked.

“I did”

“Yeah, I sawed it… I liked it. K…Goodnight”

“Goodnight Max” Luisa laughed.  He was such a strange boy.

Max rubbed his eyes and left.

Matthew shuffled out from under the bed.

“That was a bit close!” Luisa said.

“Its OK, I am actually really good at hiding under beds, I almost made the Olympic under-bed-hiding team.”

Luisa giggled and Matthew came and sat opposite her again, this time a little closer.

He had some dust in his wet hair from being under the bed, so Luisa reached over and gently pulled it out.

Matthew stayed still, but his demeanour changed. His breathing had quickened. He was looking deep into Luisa’s eyes, then from her eyes to her lips.

Luisa looked at his lips too.

A crazy electricity began to work through Luisa’s body, and she could no longer control her breathing either, in fact she didn’t feel entirely in control of anything right this second. 

They look at one another for what felt like an eternity.

God why am I biting my lip so hard?

A kind of courage that Luisa never knew she had was whispering into her ear. It told her exactly what she should do.

She took a short breath, then, very slowly Luisa leaned forward, and let her lips touch Matthew’s. She kissed his top lip, and felt his mouth open, she gently pulled him closer to her and their tongues touched one another; it felt absolutely fantastic.

Luisa pulled away with a little laugh. Matthew looked completely shell shocked, with a slightly crazed smile across his face.

“I love you,” he blurted out.

“Matthew!”  Luisa punched him on the arm. She was smiling a little crazily herself and couldn’t seem to organise her thoughts.  Her heart was having its own private dance party in her chest.

“Argh,” Matthew winced. “Sorry, sorry, please just erase the last ten seconds, I didn’t say that - sorry.”

“Oh, are you sure you want to erase the whole of the last ten seconds?”

“No! God, no… noooooaah. Just the last five… six.”

Luisa leaned in and they kissed again.

Luisa pulled away, but this time kept her face close to Matthew’s, “Well I haven’t done that before…” she whispered.

“Me neither…” Matthew whispered back.

Luisa sat back shaking her head.  “This has been crazy.”

“It is… this has been a crazy day,” said Matthew.  He couldn’t hold her gaze, and looked away. He breathed in, “This has, definitely, without a doubt, been the best day of my life.”

Luisa’s her face was aching from how much smiling she had done in the last few hours.

This is completely and utterly insane.

They heard a sound outside. A car was making its way up the drive.

What the dragons?

Luisa went to the window.    

“What is a car doing coming here at this time?”

Matthew carefully wrapped the entire duvet round his waist and shuffled over to the window.

“Oh crap – no! That’s my dad – with Claire! He must’ve flipping found me… Oh my god, Luisa I am so dead.”

Luisa watched as Matthew’s dad and a red-headed lady exited the car and banged on the front door of the house.

“Luisa I’m sorry, I didn’t actually tell my Dad I was coming here, I sort of just tracked you down a little bit, I just wanted to visit.”

Luisa covered her mouth with her hands.

“Oh my god Matthew, my grandmother is going to go absolutely mental.”

“OK.” Matthew blew out all the air from his lungs. “There is no avoiding it. I think I had better get down there and face the music.”

They walked downstairs to a scene by the door, Matthew’s dad and Claire’s faces were flushed and they were speaking animatedly with Luisa’s grandmother.

Luisa’s grandmother’s eyes were huge when she saw Matthew coming down the stairs.

“Oh my goodness.” Matthew’s dad said putting a hand to the side of his head.  “Oh good God. Mrs. Wynn I am SO sorry. I can’t apologize enough. Matthew, I was worried fucking sick, sorry excuse me Mrs. Wynn.  Matthew I was worried sick about you! And you stole from Claire.  I can’t believe this. I’ve raised you to be better than this! For christ’s sake, Matthew. Stealing? Sorry Mrs. Wynn. Matthew you are coming with me right now.” he strode forward and pulled Matthew by the wrist hard. 

Matthew was dragged stumbling forward by a firm tug from his father, but he wrenched his arm back and broke free.

“I don’t care!” He shouted, going red.

Luisa was behind him, and had a perfect view of every adults’ shocked expressions,

“I don’t care Dad, because today was the best day of my life, without you or your annoying sister, her gulag of a house, and bloody-boring Claire always around. Today was the best day of my life, so did I break some “rules”? Yes. But everything was worth it and I would do it again a million times over.

He turned and ran up the few stairs towards Luisa and embraced her with a firm kiss.  Luisa was as stiff as a board.  She heard her grandmother let out a small scream, and Matthew’s dad utter a loud, “Oh Christ.”

Matthew pulled back, and held Luisa by the shoulders, his look was completely sincere,  

“Your Mum will be OK, Luisa.”

 He turned away and proudly walked down the rest of the stairs to the group, “Mrs. Wynn, you have a beautiful home.  I am very sorry I broke in.  Your granddaughter is the greatest person I have ever met in my life.  Claire, I don’t really know you apart from as one of my aunt’s annoying friends, but I am sorry I stole your credit card, though really you shouldn’t go forgetting your bag everywhere.  Dad, you can take me back to my prison in Somerset now.  Nothing you can do to me in punishment will compare to the happiness I have now, so I’m immune to any kind of disciplinary measures that you may conceive. I am ready to leave.”

There was silence all round. Her grandmother was in complete shock, her mouth was opening and closing like a fish.  Matthew’s dad’s cheeks were bright red.  Claire looked furious, the whites of her eyes were wide; she was the first to speak.

“Oh you little self-righteous bastard. I am sorry Gareth but I didn’t have kids for a reason.  And I really, really don’t want a nasty little thug like this in my life.  Mrs. Wynn, if you would be so kind to allow me to stay a moment, I will call a taxi to Wrexham from here.”  She scowled at Matthew “Yes Matthew, I will I’ll arrange my own transport home, with my own credit card. The one that you stole, and also, Matthew, I did not forget my bag. I wasted the night with father, and you have no concept of boring, compared to the night that I just had.”

Matthew’s dad looked devastated. “Claire! Please!”

“Oh piss off Gareth.  Come back when you have grown a pair, and know how to use them.”

Luisa’s grandmother responded somewhat haughtily. 

“Miss Claire, may I ask you to please mind your language and topic of conversation in front of my granddaughter.  You may certainly stay here to order a cab but I think this is all quite enough. If I want theatre I go to the theatre. All of you stop this. Claire, go and sit in the lounge immediately.” She opened a door, Claire nodded, sighed irritably and stormed away.  Luisa’s Grandmother continued, “That is quite enough ridiculousness from everyone. This is precisely why Luisa is going to boarding school, to learn some discipline and common sense.  Mr. Gareth, Matthew, you may both leave.”

“I am very sorry Mrs. Wynn…” Began Matthew’s dad.  

“It is not entirely your fault, Mr. Gareth.  Goodnight.”

Matthew’s dad led out an unrepentant Matthew, who walked out with his chin held high.

Luisa’s grandmother turned her attention to the steps.

“Luisa, you may go to bed. I will deal you in the morning.  It seems I have an unexpected guest.”

Luisa ran up the stairs two at a time, burst into her room and flung opened the window.

“Matthew!”

Matthew looked up, “I think that could have gone a bit better… Sorry about that Luisa…”

“Matthew you are absolutely mental!”

“I know, I think I might be a bit –listen, don’t go to Ruthin!”

“Matthew!” Matthew’s dad was furious, rounding the car. “Enough of this, do you think you are bloody Romeo? Stop shouting. Get in the car right now. Jesus Christ Matthew.”

“Bye!” Matthew shouted before his Dad slammed the door.

Gareth looked up at Luisa, before getting in the driver’s side and slammed the door.

Luisa watched as Matthew gave Luisa the thumbs up as the car sped away.

Wow…

Luisa sat on the side of the bed. 

Well that was not what I was expecting. First kiss…

She smiled to herself, Matthew was strange, but in a good way.

She relaxed in her bed still smiling. 

What a day.

--

I have to admit to you guys... that scene is one of my faves - what did you think?

Back from When Words Collide conference in Calgary - wow - so inspired.  So worth going to guys - next year I hope to see some of you there! So awesome that Cataindar hit #9 in the Wattpad charts - all thanks to your votes and comments - those are what make it rank - so thank you!!!

As some of you know - I am going back to the beginning and currently re-writing this novel with Edward Willett as my editor. Ed has publsihed over 50 books and is currently got going an adventure-fantasy series with Masks & Shadows released with DAW (Penguin). He is a great guy and wow- the insight! It has been amazing to go 'back' to those earlier chapters and get some more work done on them.  40 changes in chapter one - but only one spelling mistake (thanks @_Ahna_) ;-)

I think I am doing speech beats and tags correctly now also... I think.

As aways, love reading your comments and seeing you read through votes! It means the world. I'm going to get the rest of the novel locked in to wattpad tonight if it kills me so I should be able to stick to a Monday - Weds - Fri through this finale last 1/3 of the book!!

Publishers look for a strong following - even if you just visit Cataindar.com, the website records your country - and that really helps when I am speaking with agents etc. Right now it has had 500 visitors from 19 different countries - which is pretty bloody amazing!

I would really love to know what you thought of this scene? :-) Thank you!