Matt's different. Definitely different. I'm not sure what's changed but something has. As we stood and filed out into the crisp morning air I asked him "What do you fancy doing this afternoon?"
"Let's go down to the river." He replied. He sounded distant, like there was a blurred pane of glass between us and I could sort of see him, but not properly.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah."
We run home ahead of the others and dump our jackets, ties and trousers. We swap them for jeans and boots. The river bank will be muddy. We undo our shirts all the way down and wear our vests like a t-shirt underneath.
I can always hear the river before I see it. My father used to take me fishing before he joined the rebels in London. A year later Matts father was taken and mine covered in rubble. The river still holds memories for me. My father and I sitting on the banks, our feet washed clean by the rush of sunlight dappled water. The fish live on the end of the lines, sunlight dancing on their scales. The smell of cooking fish wafting through the forest. The embers of the wood still warm while we watched the sunset. The stars beautiful and unique, twinkling in their joy.
Matt stripped off down to his pants and waded in to the river. In the middle it is deep, up to his shoulders. "Come on in!" Matt shouted to the river bank where I still stood. This was the Matt I knew, fun and daring. It was the middle of November though, so I did think it was a little crazy. Slowly I slipped out of my clothes, also down to my underwear.
I sat down on the bank and tested a toe, it was freezing. Matt swam to meet me, splashing and frothing, the water only came up to his waist here. "Come on in!" he repeated, "It's easier if you get in fast!" Before I could complain he had hold of my ankle and a wicked grin on his face. He pulled me in and the water came up over my head.
I swam to the other side of the bank while Matt was still looking for me where he pulled me in. I came up for air and dived back in. If I swam low enough to the bottom of the river he wouldn't see me. I did and brushed my hair along the back of his legs. The reaction was brilliant! He shot up and screamed the most girly scream ever before collapsing back into the river spluttering. We wrestled and fought in the water awhile before collapsing exhausted on the river bank.
"So..."
"What?" Matt replied. We were lying on our backs, drying in the clean, sharp air.
"You seem different?"
"Are you telling me or asking me?" he joked back.
"Telling, I think."
"Yeah, I think there is something I need to tell you."
"Ohh?" he had my attention now.
"Yeah. Flo, why don't you come out from behind the tree? Don't pretend I can't see you!"
A girl, say the same age as myself, stepped out from behind a tree trunk on the opposite bank. I stared at her bewildered.
"Can you see her?" he questioned me.
"Uhhh... umm... yeah?" I replied back.
"Describe her to me."
"She has very pale skin with freckles across her nose. Her hair is sort of brown gold. Her eyes are... blue? Yes, her eyes are blue and she is wearing a hoodie, sort of... well... uhhh... flea-bitten grey?" Matt only nodded in encouragement. "She is wearing sort of sand coloured shorts and boots. Boots like the Snatchers!" I paused and slowly I came to the horrifying conclusion. "She's a Snatcher, isn't she? She is, isn't she? But we haven't done anything, have we?"
"Mark? I am going to have to ask you to think for a moment about your... conclusion."
Then it dawned on me.
"She's got brown hair. And she sort of shimmers a bit in the air, as if she is but not really sort there."
"Exactly. So you see, she couldn't possibly be a Snatcher. Flo, why don't you come over here?"
She stepped out onto the water and walked across it. She walked across water.
"Who/What is she?" I hissed into Matt's ear, not wanting to be overheard and sound rude.
She reached the bank and Matt offered her a hand and pulled her up. Where their skin touched it sort of shone, but it could have been a trick of the light.
"Yeah, so my name's Flo." She replied in answer to my question. "and..." she paused as if she was considering something she did normally without fuss. "Yeah, go on, why not?" Matt encouraged her on. "And Ive been dead 150 years." she finished.
"Well, that's one hell of a statement Flo." I said it jokingly and was relieved when I saw her smile. "So you must be Matts Match, right?"
"Yeah," she replied "You are taking this a lot better than Matt did!"
"Sorry, Matt doesnt shut up about it. He day dreams of finding his Match all the time." I explained, "But, dont get me wrong, I am really happy for you Matt. Youre happy and I get some peace and quiet!" I joked with him.
"Anyway, my name's Mark and Im sort of like Matt's brother. Sort of brother. My family's dead and Matt's took me in. But I'm sure you kind of know all about me, right?"
"How d'ya come to that conclusion? You are correct, but how d'ya know?"
"Well, I guess I have a talent for reading body language."
"Yeah, Flo remember how I told you about how Mark here," Matt inclined his head in my direction, "Worked with horses?"
"Of course, I would love to watch you sometime but my presence might freak the horses out a bit. I used to ride before I died."
"Ahh, I see. Well, body language is surprisingly similar between horses and humans, so I sometimes forget to turn it off, but it can be quite useful. I can tell if people are lying or what they really feel. For example, I know that Matt is bored out of hell right now. See how he is relaxed and resting a leg?"
Matt immediately straightened and punched me lightly on the arm.
"God, you know I hate it when you do that!"
"Well, Matt, maybe you should be more attentive." Flo chipped in. He faked a hurt look and started to back away from us, toward the river.
"Hey, Flo, I thought you were meant to be my friend?" he joked and wobbled on the unstable part of the bank.
"Mark, I think we are going to have to help him out here, I mean hes gone too far to be saved. We might as well finish off the process." She was casual but I could see the wicked grin in the laughter in her eyes and the tilt of her head.
I stretched out my hand, as if to steady his shoulder. Instead I pushed him in to the river. Thinking I was done I pulled my hand back and wasn't watching Matt closely enough. He had caught my hand and before I knew it, I was following him into the icy waters with a splash!
We tried to heave ourselves out onto the bank. It took as ages as we were weak with laughter. On the bank Flo was doubled over and our peals of laughter, hers high and light and musical, ours gruff but none less full of humour, mixed with the dull rush of water and swirled away down river.
Once finally out, we talked on the river bank until the stars came out.
