Page 14 of Scapegoat

“Well, look at you.”

It was the evening now and Jenny and I stood in her bedroom staring into her full-length mirror at what appeared to be a stranger, because I had been transformed. The big party over at Granville was on. When I’d said I couldn’t go because I didn’t have anything to wear, she’d pulled me out from where I was nestled between her sons and then started looking through the back of her wardrobe.

“I haven’t worn this since… well, I think I was about the same age as you.” She plucked at the pretty white sundress, running a thumb over the delicate broderie anglaise fabric with a fond smile. As Jenny looked me up and down, I stiffened, because if she was anything like my mother, this would be when she launched into me, telling me my hair was as coarse as horse hair, that I was thin and gawky, that I looked as morose as a wet week, that I was—

“You’re beautiful.” Jenny nodded in satisfaction, then went over to her dresser, grabbing a hair clip before pulling part of mine back and then clipping it in place. “There. You might have to wear your tennis shoes tonight. My shoes are too big for you to wear, but…” She straightened the dress tie on one shoulder. “We can take you to the shops tomorrow, maybe over at Warrick? We can get you a whole bunch of clothes to tide you over.”

“Oh, I can’t—” I started to say.

“Nonsense.” She smiled broadly. “I always wanted a daughter to dress up.” Her arms went around my shoulders. “Now I’ve got one.” Her hug was there and gone again, before she used her grip to steer me out the door and into the lounge room.

The dads were circumspectly hanging around, apparently having urgent tasks that required them being in the lounge room. On the other hand, the boys were sitting down, their normal demeanour a little subdued. When they saw me, they jumped to their feet. Each one was freshly showered, hair combed back neatly, fresh jeans and shirts replacing the worn clothes they’d been in when they hung out with me all day. They didn’t look anything like they normally did, and neither did I.

“I…” Atlas stepped forward and held out a small posy of flowers. Not just a clutch of random whatever’s-in-season from the garden either. These were white roses. “I got you these.”

“When the hell did you pick them up?” I caught Jayden’s whispered hiss before he smiled brightly as he met my eye. “They’re from all of us.”

“No, they’re not. They’re—”

“Beautiful.” I finished for Atlas.

I took them from him with shaking hands, unable to believe what I was seeing. I touched the white petals, then jerked my hand back, not wanting to damage them. But as my fingers brushed against the petals, I caught the rich, sweet perfume. Not as intense as red roses, but still alluring. I looked up at him, and saw that all three of them were staring down at me with eyes of pure silver.

“No one’s ever brought me flowers before.”

“They tried.” Jayden said frankly as he crossed his arms. “Steve Bailey at school.”

“What?” I frowned as I looked at him.

“Jimmy, Kaleb, Macca…” Jayden listed them one by one, then looked at Xavier. “Who else?”

“Doesn’t matter who else,” Xavier replied, stepping forward and grazing his fingers along mine that clasped the flowers. “We made clear who you belonged to, Kai. Us.”

I blinked, despite my lashes feeling unusual, a bit weird and clumpy. Jenny had helped me put on a full face of makeup and, while I liked the look of it, it felt strange. I thought that might be why I could barely feel my face, my heart pounding, my palms sweaty and my cheeks numb.

“Take the girl out first,” Jackson said with a smile. “Show her a good time. Make clear what you’ve got to offer her, before you try and nail her down.”

“Definitely no nailing,” Greg said with a meaningful look. “But if you’re going to this party, who’s gonna be Sober Bob?”

Sober Bob was a program the Australian government had set up to try and popularise one person staying sober when the others were getting drunk, so no one was tempted to drink and drive.

“Me!” Jayden said, holding out his hand for the car keys.

“Xavier, then?” Greg asked.

“I will,” Atlas said, holding out an arm for me to take. We’d walked hand in hand more times than I could count, but right now? It felt different, like there was a ceremonial import to the whole thing. I could imagine doing the same, similarly dressed in white, but in a much fancier dress, looking down the aisle at the local chapel before— “I don’t need to drink tonight, not when I’m with Kaia.”

“Drunk on lurve…” Jayden cackled then made exaggerated kissing noises and at his stupidity it felt like we all let out a sigh. Things were reverting back to normal. Xavier was expected to be responsible, Jayden was acting like a dick and Atlas…? I wanted to meet his gaze, but I could only manage it for a second, the intensity in his eyes part alpha dominance, and part him.

Mine.

That’s what I felt as they escorted me out, the parents seeing us off, making us promise not to drink too much and to ring them if we got in trouble. Sliding into the seat with full parental permission, with no sign of Anna being pushed our way? That was weird, real weird. But as Atlas turned the engine over and eased us out onto the road, I decided I could get used to it.

Night had fallen by the time we arrived at the party. It was being held in a paddock on someone’s farm, so the endless horizon, all the stars in the sky, it made the expanse look so big. And when Atlas grabbed me around the waist and swung me out of the car? There was something magical about it all.

“The fairy lights…” I said, not able to finish that sentence as I stared at the strings of them hung up everywhere. “The fire pit… It’s…”

“Perfect?” Atlas completed my sentence, but he wasn’t looking at any of that, just at me. “Yeah, it is. The most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

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