Scattering Like Light (5 page)

Still coughing and spluttering, Max tried to drag the kite, but wasn’t able to help much. I was going to have to do it alone. I dug my heels into the sand and gathered up as much of the fabric as I could, slowly getting it moving towards the safety of the shore. I knew we were in trouble when a gust of wind lifted a large section. I could feel the power as it lifted me effortlessly up through the water, the folds of fabric coming alive as the air surged under it. If it took off with me hanging on I would be in real danger, but I couldn’t let it go as it was still tied to Max’s harness.

“I can’t hold it!” I gasped, realising that I was losing the battle. The kite was like a living thing, growing stronger as more air got underneath it. “I’ve got to let it go. Hit the release now!” I caught a brief glimpse of Max behind the billowing clouds of fabric, struggling with the mechanism. If I let go too soon he’d be dragged off, injured and unable to fly it. The slippery fabric started sliding through my hands. But if I tried to keep hold of it I would be dragged up and out of the water, dangling until I couldn’t hold on any more. Then I would fall…

With one last effort I tried to bring the kite under control, but I was in the wrong place and the wind was picking up. I couldn’t see Max.

“I have to let go NOW!” I bellowed. “Are you clear?”

The wet fabric made a loud cracking noise as the wind finally claimed it. The kite was suddenly pumped full of air and it rose up and off the water. I could see Max behind it, still wrestling with his harness. The ropes started to speed up through my hands.

“Cut it free!”

At last I saw the sunlight glint off a blade, and within seconds the tension holding the kite was gone. I let go just too late as the ropes ripped through the skin on my palms. The kite rose up and disappeared over the headland as I staggered backwards in the water. It was suddenly very quiet.

“Alex! Are you OK?” This time the panic was in Max’s voice.

I turned towards him, weak with relief. “That was way too close. What on earth were you doing out here on your own?”

He ignored my question and started making his way towards me, clearly in some pain. “Where did it get you?”

I brushed the wet hair out of my eyes and noticed my hand. “What on earth…?” I lifted the other: both palms were bleeding
profusely where the nylon cord had flayed them. I was covered in blood.

“It’s OK, just my hands. Come on, let’s get to the shore.”

I let him rest his weight on me as we staggered up on to the beach. As soon as we were clear of the waves we flopped down, exhausted.

Max was coughing as he struggled to get the clips of the harness undone. “How much of the sea did you try to inhale?” I asked, stopping briefly in my examination of my hands to thump him on the back.

He lifted his head and gave me a wan smile. “Ha ha. It feels like about half an ocean.” Finally he was free of the straps and he dropped back on the sand, wincing and holding his leg, which seemed to be causing him some pain.

“Are you all right, Max? What on earth were you doing?”

Max coughed again before answering. “I didn’t intend to go out. I was practising just flying the kite on the land and it was going well, so I thought that a little scoot up and down the beach in the shallows wouldn’t do any harm.” He paused for a second and looked at the water. “I guess I don’t know the beach as well as I thought.”

“What did you hit?”

“It was something hard under the waves – a rock, I guess. I saw it too late and was going too fast to jump over it. I managed to get the board up a bit, but not enough.” He looked around. “I should have looked at the flags. This bit of the beach isn’t safe for kites when the tide is out – too many rocks.” He turned and pointed at sign further up the beach.

A shiver ran down my spine. “I can’t believe that you came so close to killing yourself.”

Max didn’t turn, but just shrugged a little.

“You were very lucky. Where did you get the kite from?”

“It’s mine, or it was,” he said, looking miserably over towards the headland. “I bought it last night.” I looked at him in surprise. “Yes, really,” he continued before I could say anything, but he was starting to go pink under his tan. “It was going cheap, and I thought – why not? It would save spending all the money on lessons, and I could spend more time practising…” His voice petered out as he looked at my furious face.

“That’s ridiculous!” I exploded at him without thinking. “It’s far too dangerous and anyway, we’re only here for another week.”

A small smile appeared on Max’s salt-covered lips. “I didn’t know you cared.”

I could feel myself blushing to my roots. “Who – who was it who sold it to you, anyway?” I stammered quickly.

“It was a girl down at the beach party, last night. And as it was the first time I had used it, I hadn’t realised quite how fast it could go.”

“Oh, Max, that was dumb.” I couldn’t help butting in.

“I know,” he sighed. “I know it was stupid, dangerous and probably a complete waste of money if I’ve already trashed it.” He paused, brushing the unruly mop of dark hair out of his eyes, eyes that suddenly started to twinkle at me. “But before it went wrong it was really good fun!”

“Well, if it’s yours we’re going to have to arrange a search party for it. It will have landed somewhere. But, Max, your leg! We should get you to hospital.”

We both looked down at Max’s leg, where a huge bruise was visible around his knee. He had rather nice legs, I found myself thinking absently before I stopped myself. Max stood up and put
some weight on it experimentally, then took a few steps forward. I could see from his face as he turned that he was in some pain, but he covered it up before he turned back.

“Nah, I reckon I’ll be OK. I don’t think anything is broken, just a bit bruised.” He lowered himself carefully back down on to the sand. “I could do with just sitting for a bit though, before we start walking. It’s a long way back. Anyway, never mind my knee; how are your hands?”

I looked at my palms: both had raw streaks across them where the top layer of skin had been torn off, but the bleeding had mostly stopped. “I’ll live. They’ll smart for a while but no lasting damage, I reckon. They’ll just need a bit of time.” I glanced at my watch, then sat up with a start. “Crap! I’ve missed breakfast! We’ve been out here for ages. I’d better send Mum a text and let her know what we’re doing.”

Max looked uncomfortable for a moment. “What are you going to tell them?”

“What do you want me to say? That there was a problem with the kite?” I guessed.

He nodded, going pink again. “Nearly killing myself because I was showing off doesn’t sound too smart, does it?”

I laughed. “Fine, but I do need to explain where I’ve been all this time.” Then I glanced down, looking at the state I was in. “Especially given that I’m soaking wet and wounded. Any ideas?”

Max turned to face me, looking me up and down with pursed lips and a frown. He had rolled down the wetsuit and it was really hard not to let my gaze wander away from his face. “We could say that the kite escaped when I was checking it and you tried to help me save it. Would that work?”

“I suppose. Or you could just tell them the truth, that you
were testing the kite, hit something, twisted your knee and had to let the kite go. There’s nothing wrong with that, is there?”

“No, I guess not.” He was twiddling a piece of the severed rope through his long fingers and didn’t look up. I quickly sent my text and waited for him to speak. We both sat watching the sea for a while. It was still too early for most of the kite-surfers, but a couple were now out on the water and we watched in silence as one raced past us, leaping into the air as he turned his board into the waves.

“I was watching you,” I said eventually. “That jump you made just before you fell was awesome!”

“I know,” he said ruefully. “I was so pleased with myself. It felt as if I was really flying.”

“It was very high,” I agreed. “What happened?”

“I dunno really. I was going really well then I glimpsed you on the beach and I couldn’t resist showing off a bit. Then there was a huge crash and I was underwater.”

I sneaked a look at him: he was sitting with his head bowed, his long dark hair flopping over his face and obscuring his features. The long fingers were still playing nervously with the rope.

“I thought I was going to die, Alex, I really did. The fall winded me and I ended up with a couple of lungfuls of water. I didn’t know which way was up and I was panicking badly. I couldn’t believe it when I saw you turning me over.” He was silent for a moment. “Without you I’d be dead.”

What he was describing seemed oddly familiar, and as he finished talking I remembered why – Callum had described drowning to me, that feeling of your lungs burning, having no choice but to suck in the deadly water, losing all hope…

“You’re such a drama queen!” The last thing I wanted was
for him to feel that he owed me for something like that. “There were people around, just up here in the trees and not down on the beach. Don’t go giving yourself a funeral just yet.” I gave him a playful punch of the arm but before I could do anything about it he gently grasped my hand in his.

“I won’t forget this, Alex,” he said softly, his piercing dark-brown eyes finding mine.

I squeezed his hand briefly trying not to flinch at the pressure on my palm, then quickly released it, laughing as naturally as I could. “You
are
a soft lad,” I teased, trying to keep things light. I didn’t want things to go in the direction he seemed to be taking them. “How’s the leg now? Come on, were you lying about needing a hospital?”

Max stretched out his leg, wincing as he did so, and we both looked at his knee. I couldn’t help thinking that since we had arrived in Spain he had developed a really nice tan. “It’s not feeling at all good now. Not sure I’ll be out on the kite again today.”

“You probably need to get an icepack on that, or you’ll be stuck on the beach for the rest of the holiday.”

“I can think of worse places to be,” he murmured, giving me a half-smile. I gave him a brief smile back then returned to watching the waves. My attention was caught by the sun glinting off my bracelet, and I suddenly imagined Callum watching me – watching us – sitting together on the beach. I shivered briefly. This is ridiculous – Max is just a friend, I told myself sternly, and that’s how it’s going to stay. I was so convincing, I almost believed it.

Max had twisted his knee, but a lengthy visit to the local hospital pronounced him otherwise OK after the accident. I was given some enormous dressings for my hands and advised not to swim for a few days. News that I had actually rescued him had quickly got out: it seemed that there had been more people around than either of us had realised. His parents, after they had got over the shock, were furious that he had been so irresponsible. They were also embarrassingly grateful that I had been there to haul him out of the water.

“Really, Max, you need to stop them,” I complained to him on one of our twice daily walks. “If your mum buys me another bangle to thank me I won’t be able to lift my arm.” I glanced down at my wrist where the amulet was almost hidden with silver bracelets, bright plaited silk bands and glittery beads. She might have been overdoing it but at least she had good taste.

“Oh, let her get on with it. She’s enjoying giving me a hard time, as if all the exercises weren’t enough.”

The doctor had prescribed physiotherapy and walking every day to help his knee, and I had quickly fallen into the habit of keeping him company. We walked along the beautiful beach talking about anything and everything: Max was very easy company. He told me all about Kate, the girlfriend he had just split up with, and I told him a little about Callum. I had to be careful, but I wanted
Callum to seem real to other people too. Talking about him was exquisitely painful: I missed him so much, but every day I found myself looking forward to Max’s company, and hours and hours would pass where I didn’t give Callum a single thought. Talking about him made me feel slightly less guilty about that. I consoled myself by believing that he would understand, he would want me to be having a great time, and anyway, there was nothing between Max and me for me to be feeling guilty about.

So we walked, went to the bars in the evening, and generally hung out, but my favourite time was when we were alone in the morning on the beach. Every day we managed to get a little further as his knee got stronger.

“How are you feeling?” I asked as we approached the small headland that had been our turning point the day before. The tide was coming in so it was dangerous to walk around; to go on we were going to have to climb over the rocks.

“Yeah, not bad.”

“Are you up for it?” I asked dubiously, eyeing the tumble of massive stones.

Max flexed his knee a couple of times. “I’m sure it’ll be fine. Just pick an easy path for me and stay close.”

The least treacherous route was up reasonably high and then down again. As we scrambled to the top Max caught my hand. “Can we wait a moment? I’m embarrassingly short of breath.”

“Sure. Why don’t we just sit and admire the view?”