Page 57 of Out of the Blue
‘I do,’ I tell Calum. ‘I get it.’
We smile at each other. It’s still kind of awkward, but the bad vibe between us is starting to fade. And as we head inside to see Allie an idea comes to me – a way that Calum really could get some of the money he was promised.
‘Ready, Teacake? Action!’
Calum claps one hand against his leg and presses a button on his camera with the other. The sun has just set, and the sky is slowly melting from pink and orange into navy – Calum’s favourite time of day for filming or taking photos, and dark enough for Teacake to rise above the trees without attracting unwanted attention.
She soars into the air, somersaults over our heads, then spins in dainty pirouettes towards the clouds. Calum’s explanation of how the camera works confused her at first, but now she’s showing off for it: darting and dipping, rising in sweeping loops towards the stars, then zipping sparrow-quick towards the ground.
We’ve agreed we won’t share the footage until Teacake has left and we’re sure she’s got away safely. If it comes to that, this video is going to make the internet explode.
‘Awesome, Tea.’ Calum gives her a thumbs-up and tilts the camera towards her. ‘This looks amazing.’
The rest of us sit on the grass and watch her display. Allie leans against my arm, wrapped up in two of my hoodies. She spent most of the day sleeping to make up for yesterday’s overexertion. She still looks pale and tired, but her temperature has gone down and she’s less breathless than she was last night. It feels like a lucky escape.
Still levitating above us, Teacake starts to pose: she clasps her hands and bends her knee in prayer, a perfect imitation of the images in Rani’s art books. Dad laughs and shakes his head like he still can’t quite believe what he’s seeing. I don’t know if he’s fully forgiven me for lying to him about Teacake for so long. That might take a while. But hopefully this – this breathtaking sight that so few other people will ever get to see with their own eyes – hopefully this makes up for it.
As Teacake makes a smooth landing just beside the flowerbed, we all burst into applause. She beams and quotes three lines of a Dylan Thomas poem – there was a special on Radio 4 this afternoon. Rani tugs on Calum’s sleeve to watch the video.
‘How much do you think we could sell this for, Dad?’ she asks. ‘I heard the guy who filmed the first Fall is a millionaire now.’
‘You’d have to prove it’s genuine,’ Dad says. ‘You wouldn’t believe how much fake footage is out there.’
‘We’ll have one of Teacake’s feathers,’ Calum says. ‘That has to count for something, right?’
While we’re talking, Teacake turns to Allie and drops to her knees. She spins around, facing away from her, and bends her head towards the ground. Like an eagle soaring above the plains, her wings open wide.
Allie’s eyes light up. ‘Oh my god. Teacake!’
The blood drains from Dad’s face, but Allie’s already climbing on to Teacake’s back. Rani helps her sling her legs over Teacake’s hips, and then Allie loops her arms around Teacake’s neck. Calum abandons his camera and hurries towards her.
‘Al, wait! I don’t know if this is a good idea,’ he says. ‘Last thing I need is for you to break your neck.’
Allie gives a dry laugh. ‘Oh, yeah, that would really suck for you.’ She rests her chin on the curve of Teacake’s spine. ‘Come on, California. You can’t seriously ask me to miss this.’
Calum runs his hand through his hair and sighs. I can practically see all the terrible ways this could end flicking through his eyes. After a minute, he throws his hands up.
‘All right, fine. Just don’t tell Mum, OK? And don’t go too high, Teacake!’
Teacake quotes an M&S advert in response, which we take to mean agreement. She takes a short run-up, her legs buckling ever so slightly under the extra weight of Allie, and suddenly she’s in the air. Allie lets out a laugh that sounds a little like a scream as they swerve past the house, spinning over the lawn.
‘Oh my god! This is amazing!’
Calum picks up his camera and sprints after her, trying his best to hold it steady. After a minute, though, his steps begin to slow. He stops by the little brook on the edge of the garden and just watches, with his own eyes, as Teacake carries his sister into the air.
They move through the trees, birds flocking out of the branches. For a few seconds, they slip out of sight, leaving us in silence but for the hush of the breeze. Just at the point where I’m starting to worry, the leaves of two birch trees rustle and Teacake shoots towards us, looping around Dad and landing smoothly at the edge of the pond.
We all burst into applause. Allie slides down, slightly shaky on her feet, but beaming. She throws her arms around Teacake, who pats Allie’s head with a bemused expression, then stretches her hand out to Rani. Allie pushes her forward.
‘Go on, Ran, it’s the best!’
Dad’s eyes just about pop out of his head. After much cajoling, he eventually lets Teacake take my sister on a gentle trip over the lawn. As we watch them, Allie slides her hand into mine. We drift towards the other end of the garden and sit on the grass, sheltered beneath the drooping branches of the willow tree.
‘How are you feeling?’ I ask for the twentieth time that day. ‘What did your mum say when you called?’
If my fretting bugs her, she doesn’t show it. ‘I’m fine. She gave me the Muhammad Ali of bollockings – I’m lucky she and my dad both have work this week, or they’d have driven up here to deliver it in person. I suppose I deserve it, though. Believe it or not, I was pretty strict about taking my meds and doing my treatments until you showed up.’
My mouth drops open. ‘I never said you shouldn’t—’
