Page 1 of Take My Place

Chapter One

“Time keeps escaping me,

Cos I keep sitting under this oak tree.

Thinking of you,

Dreaming us true.

But dreaming is sleeping.

And I will never really find you.”

Ising a newly made up song as I finish cleaning up the last of the mess left after one of the residents accidentally knocked over her tea. She is so apologetic, but it isn’t her fault–Ethel has Parkinson’s and has recently had a stroke. The poor woman is fiercely independent, but she doesn’t have the physical capability to do everything she wants. It is becoming a habit of having to clean up after her, but I don’t mind.

Ethel is such a sweetheart and has so many stories to tell about her time as a groupie during the Swinging Sixties. I’m not sure how much of what she told me is true–she claimed to have partied with Brian Jones and done LSD with David Bowie before he became famous. But if they weren’t, she has an incredible imagination, and I loves sitting with her to keep her company. She only has one son, and he lives on the other side of the country, so she rarely has any visitors.

Once I am done, I give the rest of the communal lounge another final check, making sure everything is clean and tidy, before taking the cleaning trolley and locking it up in the storeroom. Heading out to the back of the retirement home where I now live, I walk past Leticia, the night nurse.

“Everything all right, Beth?”

“Fine, thanks, Leticia. I’ve finished up cleaning the lounge, so I’m done for the day. I’m going out now, but if there’s anything you need me to do, text me and I’ll get straight on it first thing in the morning. I didn’t get time to put up that painting for Stan, but I’ll make sure I do it tomorrow.”

“Thanks, Beth. We got really lucky when you started work here. Not all our caretakers have been as diligent as you. You really care about the residents.”

“It’s no biggie.” I shrug. “They’re all really interesting people. I could listen to them talk for hours.”

“Keep this up and you could find yourself getting promoted,” Leticia tells me. “You’ve got a bright future here if you want it.”

“Thanks.” I couldn’t help but glow with pride. For the first time in my life, I really felt like I belonged somewhere. This might not be the life my father wanted for me, but it certainly suited me and most importantly, I am safe from him.

Even if it means running fromthem.

As I go into my room, I feel my phone vibrate with a text. Pulling it out, I smile sadly at the photo I am using for my home page. Taken at the first Bomber Derby, Archer is tinkering with his bike, Romy and Declan are standing nearby offering ‘help.’ The three of them are grinning, but you can see the competitive undertone between them. The photo makes my heart beat fast and long to be near them once again.

Leaving was the right thing to do, to get away from my father, but I miss them.

This photo sums up the dynamic between the three of them. In different circumstances, the three of them would probably have been best friends, but the politics between their families meant they would never be able to fully trust each other. They were always going to vie for dominance over King Town.

It is strange to think that I love each of them in my own way. I’m not quiteinlove with the boys, but if I hadn’t been forced to flee, who knew what could have happened?

The three of them couldn’t be more different. Take Romy Navarre. Short for Romeo, he is the school Lothario, fully living up to his name. But beneath the flirting lay a man who is fiercely loyal, with a strong sense of justice.

Declan Dauphin had been dating someone else when we first kissed. If I’d known he had a girlfriend, I’d never have gone there, but I was new to the school and he was just sexy as fuck, not to mention talented. We’d been partnered in music class and we’d been working on a song when I had to flee my father. It was the best song I have ever written, and I wished we’d been able to finish it before I left.

After our kiss, he split up with his girlfriend because he wanted to explore what we had together and I hated my father for denying me the chance of discovering what a relationship with Declan would have been like.

And last but not least, there is Archer Knight. The classic bad boy who stole my heart easier than I was willing to let it go. He was the one my father sent to kidnap me, but I soon forgave him for that. As I learned more about him, I found out what an impossible situation he’d been placed in. My father had some kind of hold over him that meant he had no choice but to do what he was told As I got to know him better, I learned that Archer is sweet, caring, and incredible in many ways.

Any one of them would be the perfect boyfriend, but I am going to have to forget about them. They are my past. I am building a new future, one which doesn’t include my father. Which meant I had to say goodbye to the boys too. As many times as I tell myself that, it never sinks in. My heart just says no and demands that I figure out a way to get back to them.

Without letting King Town destroy me.

The text notification shows it is from Katy, my foster mum who has been a rock to me. I know I shouldn’t be in contact with her, it’s the first place my father would look, but I need someone. Being alone is harder than it seems.

Just checking we’re still on for tonight K. x

Of course! Wouldn’t miss it for the world. x

---