Talisman Of El (Arcadia, Book 1)

Chapter Six - What Lies Beneath

ALEX DIDN'T GET ON the bus the following day. Charlie wondered if she had gone back to find Derkein. He thought about bunking off, but the last thing he wanted was Jacob on his case, so, after school, he got off the bus at Brick Lane, a narrow road leading to a white house with many colourful flowers in the front garden.

He rang the doorbell. Seconds later, the door opened, and a tiny woman stood before him. She was wearing a watermelon-print apron, holding a chocolate-covered spatula in her hand. Black strands of hair drooped from her brown mesh hairnet. Apart from being a tad darker than Alex – attributable to her Colombian heritage – the resemblance between mother and daughter was uncanny.

'Hello,' Mrs. Dench said with a smile.

'Hi,' Charlie said, cautiously eyeing the spatula. 'I'm Charlie –'

'Charlie! Well, this is a lovely surprise. I'm Alex's mum, Maria. Come in.'

He entered into a large foyer with a high ceiling and a curved wooden stairway on the left. The peach-painted walls gave the house a warm and cosy feel.

'We meet at last,' Mrs. Dench said, her English accented. 'Alex has told me so much about you.'

Charlie smiled, wondering why he hadn't heard much about her.

'Here, let me take this.' Mrs. Dench took his coat and bag, and as she hung them on the coat rack, the spatula fell from her hand and landed on the wooden floor. 'Oh bollocks,' she squealed, smacking herself across the head.

Charlie's eyes widened. After an awkward pause, he picked the spatula up and held on to it, unsure of what to do.

Mrs. Dench gave him a sheepish smile. 'Here.' She took the spatula from him. 'You don't want to get all messy like me – please don't tell Alex I said a bad word.'

'Er, o-okay.'

Mrs. Dench beckoned him down the hallway, past the living room on the right, and into a large modern kitchen fitted with walnut units and steel appliances.

Charlie paused in the doorway, his gaze drifting over what looked like the aftermath of a battle. It was as if a bomb had gone off in the room, but the warm, sweet smell made up for the mess. It reminded him of the way his kitchen used to look after his dad finished cooking.

'Sorry about the mess,' Mrs. Dench said. 'I'm always baking. Do you like chocolate cake?' Charlie nodded. 'It's your lucky day. I don't know why it's taken Alex so long to invite you around. She talks about you all the time. Maybe you can stay for dinner, that way you can meet my husband – he's a photographer so he travels a lot, but you probably already know that. He should be here soon. You know, you're the first friend of Alex's that has come around in a long time.'

Charlie smiled. He remembered the first time he met Alex. It was obvious from which parent she had inherited her long-windedness.

'Mum,' Alex called as she descended the stairs. 'Who was at the door ...?' She broke off when she saw Charlie standing in the kitchen doorway. Shock flooded her face.

'Look who stopped by, dear.' Mrs. Dench appeared behind Charlie. 'He came to check on you. Isn't that sweet?' She stroked Charlie's head.

Alex's eyes widened. 'Mamá, ¿qué estás haciendo?' she hissed. 'Él no es una mascota.'

It was the first time Charlie was hearing her speak Spanish. He chuckled at her disgruntled tone.

'Sólo estoy diciendo,' Mrs. Dench said as she retreated into the kitchen. 'Él la pena mantener,' she called out in a singsong voice.

Alex patted down her dishevelled hair as she approached Charlie. 'Hi.'

'Hey,' Charlie said.

They stood staring at each other for a moment.