Changing Prudence (EDITING - ON HOLD)

Chapter 2

Rue was sat in the passenger seat of Cole’s car. They were on the way to the forest a few miles away from their home. Since they were little the forest was the place they would go to in order to get some quality brother-sister time together. Before Cole could drive, they would get the bus down there and spend hour upon hour wandering around the place, talking about anything and everything, before sitting at the edge of the lake for a bite to eat.

Rue had always loved spending time with her brother, it was a special time for her, and the pair had a bond that was not very easily broken. Even the amount of arguments they had between them could not separate them.

Cole came jogging back to the car with a bag full of their favourite snacks; she had no need to go into the service station with him because they bought the same thing every time they came: a sharing bag of cheesy Doritos, an orange and a summer fruits Oasis (they always brought along an empty bottle to mix the two flavours), and the biggest Dairy Milk bar the service station had (Rue’s personal favourite).

‘Ready to go?’ Cole packed the snacks into his backpack and started the engine.

Rue knew what he meant by this, considering she was almost there already ‘‘Course, it’s you that has the bladder the size of a bees bottom!’ Cole burst out laughing at her old remark; she had always said the same thing, since she knew what a bladder was.

‘That will be engraved on your gravestone.’

‘No, I’m pretty sure that will be ‘most amazing sister in the universe’.’ She added sarcastically.

‘Well... maybe not universe, more like ‘most amazing sister in the ‘Wood household’.’ She through a look of mock hurt at her brother and burst out in fits of laughter.

They spent the whole afternoon in the good parts of the woods, no one ever dared to venture into the other side, there was a high chance of coming out with a disease as a result of a bite from one of the wild animals. Besides, it wasn't very picturesque in the bad side. All of the trees had started to rot away, there was no colour and not even the nicer animals went into those parts. It hadn't been looked after for over a decade by the looks of it.

- - - - - -

Cole pulled into the driveway after their day out, ‘you know I don’t think... in fact I know for a fact that Mum has invited a lot more people to this birthday meal than you would prefer.’ Cole said, searching Rue’s face for any sign of him ruining their day, they had had a great day at the forest, they even raced around the lake like they used to when they were little.

Rue felt a tinge of annoyance that Cole had reminded her of her eighteenth birthday coming up in a few days. Her mum had bought her a cute dress, not too over-the-top, but enough to show Rue that this was going to be a bigger event than she wished.

She sighed, ‘I know I was just hanging on to the hope that Dad had managed to talk Mum out of this whole family invitation.’

‘It’s your eighteenth birthday; you have to have a big fuss to make you feel special. It’s a big birthday!’

She had to admit, he had a point. She just didn’t like the fact that she didn’t have any friends to invite and share her eighteenth birthday with, like normal people. If she had at least one good friend, she thought, she would probably spend her birthday in a club or at a ‘proper party’ as Cole would say. But the fact was she didn’t, so she just had the family meal and then she would be another year older.

Cole could see through her too easily through, ‘hey, think of all the presents you will get from all the people that have been invited though!’ she instantly perked up; Cole always knew how to lighten the mood. Rue wasn’t really that bothered about presents, but it made her realise that Cole will be there to lighten up the atmosphere. He always was.

- - - - - - -

When Harriet had put the phone down on the last person on her invite list, she heard Nicholas’ car pull into the driveway. She was so excited for Prudence’s big birthday meal; she couldn’t stop herself from bouncing down the porch steps to tell her daughter the good news, though she knew Prudence wouldn’t be over the moon with her extensive guest list. And she was proved right, by her daughters groan at the news, but she wouldn’t let that elate her good mood.

After hearing her mother’s news, Rue shrugged into her bedroom and slumped down onto her bed. She felt utterly deflated. She knew the only thing that could get her mind off her dreaded birthday now. She picked up her battered copy of The Selfish Gene and sat propped up against her headboard for the next three hours reading, until Cole came in to tell her tea was out on the table.

He didn’t say anything else, he knew better not to.