Davina, Tess and Luke meet in
their once-special place, at the changing rooms of High Rock beach. They first
met when they were on the school diving team and are so close that they know
one another’s memories and they know how they got those memories. This is
comforting in the wobbly moments of life, when they need reminding of who they
are. But their in-depth knowledge of one another is a curse in the moments when
they are trying to break the mould, to become someone else with strangers and
new friends. Because no matter who they meet and become, or pretend to become,
they always come back to one another. They have to… they never realised that
their intensive diving training of leaping from a height and gracefully falling
into the unknown was the most important life lesson of all. Now, they all join
again, to take a leap together.
’Luke, what are we doing here?’
Tess demanded, as the three 18-year-olds stood by the red wooden hut, in the
dark, the sea’s almost deafening roars behind them.
‘Yeah Luke, the sea freaks me out
in the dark, why did you make us meet here?’ Davina whined, looking out to the
water which was a blanket of darkness at this time.
‘I thought it was a good place to
hatch a plan. Quiet and out the way. It used to be our little hideout.’ ‘God
forbid we have this conversation in the warmth and light of the pub…’ Davina
rolled her eyes.
‘Nope, too risky, can’t have
people overhearing in case someone tells my Dad.’ Luke glanced over his
shoulder to double check that they were alone.
‘Couldn’t have text us?’
‘Again, too risky in case any of
our parents happen to see our texts and figure out what we’re doing.’
‘Okay, we get it. So, what’s the
plan?’ Tess just wanted to get on with it so she could get back home. She
didn’t want to miss her curfew and her Mum thought she was at Mary’s, for a
film night.
‘Tomorrow, 5 a.m., I’ll meet you
both in the car park by the flower shop. Pack light.’ Luke looked at them both
and noticed Tess biting her fingernail. ‘Tess? That okay?’
‘I’m not sure I can do this.
Especially with me not telling Mum, what would she think of me?’ Tess looked
down at her shoes.
Davina scoffed ‘Tess, get a grip.
You said so yourself that you need to find out the truth. We’re taking this
leap together. You need us as much as we need you.’ Davina and Luke looked at
each other and then back at Tess.
‘Fine. You’re right. She’ll
understand it was something I needed to do.’ Her eyes left her shoes and
travelled up to meet Davina’s, and then Luke’s, and she gave a small nod.
‘Right, any questions ladies?’
‘Can I bring my straighteners?’
‘I said pack LIGHT, Davina.’
‘Yeah, they’re mini.’ Luke rolled
his eyes.
The three took one final look at
each other and then made their way back up to the promenade to go their
separate ways home. The plan was made and tomorrow it would be set in motion.
Each of them needed to do this for their own reasons, but they were doing it
together, as a team, as they would have done back in their diving days at
school.
LUKE
Luke hardly slept that night, too
nervous about what the next day would bring so when it was time for him to get
up, he was already wide awake. He’d already packed his bag and hidden it at the
bottom of his wardrobe in case his Dad had come in to check on him in the
night… not that he would have, he didn’t care enough, but Luke couldn’t take
that chance. He got changed, grabbed his bag, sneaked out his room and then
crept downstairs. He was grateful that his Dad had never given in to his
pleading about getting a puppy when his Mum left them, meaning that now he was
sneaking out the house, he could do so without being noticed by man or man’s
best friend. Luke unlocked the front door and then carefully closed it behind
him. The houses on the street didn’t have driveways so there was a little car
park around the corner for them, where Luke had parked up his little silver
Corsa. He got into the car and drove to the flower shop to park up and wait for
the girls.
DAVINA
Davina had told her parents that
she was going for a weekend getaway with her friend Beth and Beth’s older
sister, Rachel. Beth and Rachel were going for a weekend getaway, camping, and
they were both anti-social media so there was no chance of any photos being
questioned on Facebook as to why Davina wasn’t in them. She’d planned it all
out and pre-warned Beth about what the lie was for, in case any questions were
asked when Beth arrived back home on Sunday, but Davina didn’t. So, come 4
a.m., Davina had had a pretty good night’s sleep, not having to worry about
sneaking out the house unnoticed, and feeling hopeful and determined about the
day ahead. She got out of bed, went into the bathroom to do her morning
routine; hair and make-up were essential. Her family weren’t up yet but they
knew she would be leaving early so her Mum had left a note on the kitchen
surface to ‘Have a lovely time and eat these before you leave’, referring to a
cereal bar and banana that had been placed by the note. Davina decided to eat
them on the walk to the flower shop and off she went to meet Luke and Tess.
TESS
Tess had been back and forth to
the toilet all night, sick to her stomach with nerves. She knew she needed to
go on this trip, she needed to know the truth, but knowing the truth was going
to turn her world upside-down. Her Mum had met her on the landing about 2.30am,
asking if she was okay.
‘Acid reflux. Too many snacks at
Mary’s before coming home and going to bed.’ She hated lying.
‘Okay, darling, well there’s some
Gaviscon in the bathroom cabinet, have some of that and it should settle it.
Night sweetheart, I hope you feel better.’
‘Night Mum.’ Tess had gone back
into the bathroom and opened the cabinet, taking some of the Gaviscon. Even
though it wasn’t acid reflux, it might help settle her stomach anyway. It did
slightly, and she’d managed to get an hour’s sleep before her phone started
buzzing under her pillow to signal it was time for her to get up. She’d packed
her bag and hidden it under her bed, so she got down on her belly, reached
underneath and pulled out her baby pink holdall. Without realising, she’d
covered herself by going to the bathroom all night and now her Mum wouldn’t
suspect anything if she heard her up and about again. She made her way
downstairs, unlocked the back door and then with the key in her hand, reached
through the cat flap and placed the key on the other side of the door. Out
through the back gate, she made her way down the street, towards the flower
shop where she could see Luke’s car, waiting, and Davina coming down the street
in the opposite direction.
Tess got into the front, Davina in
the back, and the three teens set off on their journey, not knowing what the
day had in store for them.
LUKE
Luke got back in the car after
leaving the girls sat in it for the past hour.
‘So, how did it go?’ Davina asked
and leaned forward between Luke and Tess. Luke’s Dad wanted him to go into the
family business now that he’d left college, but Luke had other plans. He’d told
his Dad he’d been doing a college course in Construction but actually, he’d
been doing Hotel Management and had an interview at one of the biggest hotels
in Yorkshire. Just for the front desk position but he planned on working his
way up to the top. To achieve this, he needed to actually get the job, but he’d
also spoken to his Auntie Ness about moving in with her to be closer to the
hotel.
‘They said they’d let me know by
the end of the day but it looks promising. The manager was impressed that I’d
done the management course at college and said I had the confidence and skills
needed for the front desk so…’ Luke lifted his hand with his fingers crossed.
‘Okay, Davina, you’re next. What’s
the address?’
DAVINA
Davina and Tess got out of the car
and went into the building. Davina seemed very excited, but Tess was nervous,
being the more responsible and realistic of the two girls, but that was why she
was there in the first place; Davina needed her wise friend there for
protection and to judge the situation, making sure she was doing the right
thing. The meeting went well and Tess was happy for her friend, knowing this
was going to be the start of something big for her. The girls got back into the
car and found an anxious Luke, waiting to hear how they got on.
‘He likes me! He said to stay for
the week, and we’ll get a portfolio together. Luke, I’m going to be a model!’
Davina did a happy jiggle in her seat. ‘Now let’s go to the hotel and have a
drink and get a good night’s sleep before we tick our last task off our list.’
TESS
Tess knocked on the door of number
65 and was greeted by a young-looking woman, smiling nervously back at her.
‘Come in, we’ve got lots to talk
about.’
‘Tess? Are you okay? Was she not
very nice?’ Davina was concerned as Tess walked into the coffee shop and joined
her and Luke at the table. Tess looked between her two friends. They’d become
like siblings to her, but as it turned out, one of them was her biological
sibling.
‘No, she was lovely. She explained
that she’d had me too young and couldn’t support me and my brother, so she had
no choice but to put us up for adoption and hope for a better life for us.
‘You don’t have a brother? I
thought you were an only child?’ Davina was confused, as was Luke; he sat with
his eyebrows knitted together.
‘I thought so too. Apparently,
she’d written the same letter to him to be given on his 18th
birthday, but she’s not heard anything, so she assumes he either doesn’t know,
or doesn’t want to know her.’ ‘Does she know anything about him? You’ve got a
brother out there somewhere; you could try and find him?’ Luke could see that
his friend was still looking very uneasy about the situation and reached out
his hand to touch hers.
‘Well, I already have. She knew
the names of the couple that adopted the boy. Debbie and Jack Harrison.’ The
colour drained from Luke’s face and Davina’s mouth fell to the floor.
‘But… that’s your Mum and Dad,
Luke.’ Davina looked from Tess to Luke and back again, trying to see the family
resemblance. ‘You always did argue like brother and sister. And now you mention
it, you’ve got the same eyes!’
Tess couldn’t look at Luke. She
started to feel sick and grabbed Luke’s glass of water and took a sip.
‘Hey, I know we share DNA but come
on, don’t be spreading your germs too.’ Luke and Tess locked eyes in shock, but
then a smile started to spread on both faces and they stood and embraced.
‘I’ve always wanted a sister. I
can’t wait to start this new job and move in with my Auntie. My Dad has got a
lot of explaining to do and it’s going to take a while for me to forgive him
for not telling me! But first, I think I better go and meet our Mum…’
The three 18-year-olds that had
stood by their old beach hut two nights previously could never have imagined
their little rebellious trip for an interview, new career and to meet a
biological parent, would have turned into something that would change their
lives forever but they were grateful they’d jumped off their separate diving
boards, plunged into the water and emerged together, buoyant and enthusiastic
about their futures.
