Chapter Four
It’s hard to imagine growing up on a tidal island. I wasn’t massively familiar with the concept, until I looked it up briefly, while I was reviving my phone with the iPhone charger that thankfully lives in my boss’s bedroom – the one I’m ‘staying in’. Thankfully Chris has agreed to sleep in one of the other room. I did consider sleeping in a bed that didn’t belong to my boss but weirdly it’s the only part of this house that feels familiar to me. Well, that and the bathroom, with which I am even better acquainted. As guilty as I feel about ‘making the most of it’, I am thinking about having a nice, relaxing bath later. Come on, give me a break, I am trapped here.
As far as I could tell from my quick search, the people who live here are often stuck here, depending on the tide. When the tide is in the island is shut off from the rest of the country – pretty cool on face value but it must be a nightmare to live with.
I did look into the times the causeway would be open, meaning it would be safe to cross, but not only would I have to walk a few miles in the snow to get to civilisation on the mainland, but I’d be stuffed when I got there, given that most of the roads are closed.
Yep, I’m definitely stuck here. With Chris who, I have to say, is thoroughly rubbing me up the wrong way. I know that I’m a grown woman who makes her own choices – I’m pretty sure I was chanting it to myself, in my head, all the way here last night – but I do feel like he’s totally misled me. I’m sure he gave me the wrong name and I’m certain he let me believe he was my boss – not my boss’s assistant. I’m not sure how much plausible deniability I’d have, if we did get caught, because it’s pretty clear from all the family photos on the walls that this is my boss’s house, and I definitely don’t think Chris would be the kind of guy to clear my name and take all the blame himself.
If what they’re saying on the news is anything to go by then I’m definitely going to be stuck here with Chris tonight. I’m trying to make peace with it. These are difficult circumstances and there’s nothing I can do, so what’s the point being upset? I am upset though. I’m really upset.
I’m currently searching for a wine cellar – because don’t all big fancy houses have one? I’m not having much luck though. I suppose you can’t really have a wine cellar if you don’t have a cellar to begin with.
‘Hayley,’ I hear Chris call out. ‘Hayley!’
Well, at least he has my name right, although to be honest, I’d probably rather he didn’t. I don’t exactly want to keep in touch.
‘What?’ I call back.
I follow the sound of his voice until I find myself in a large dining room. On the other side of the table, there’s a large set of bi-folding doors. Walking through the open door in the centre is Chris.
‘Oh my God, it’s freezing out there,’ I say.
‘Tell me about it,’ Chris replies. ‘But I found something in the games room at the bottom of the garden.’
He closes the door behind him, almost instantly removing the cold chill from the room, and if I’m sure of anything now, it’s that I am not going to take my chances walking to safety in the snow. I would die.
Chris holds up a bottle of whiskey. Even I can tell it’s a cheap one from the label.
‘We just top it off with this,’ he says. ‘There was a few of these in the games room. No one will notice this one being low – or even missing, which means we can finish it tonight.’
‘The bleakest New Year’s Eve plans I have ever had in my life,’ I say with a sigh. ‘I’ll go find a funnel.’
I search the kitchen drawers until I eventually find a funnel. We carefully top off the expensive whiskey bottle with the cheap booze. Hopefully, no one notices or, by the time they do, they won’t suspect anyone was here when we were. I hate the idea of his poor kids getting the blame though.
‘Well, now that’s taken care of, the house is ours,’ Chris says excitedly. ‘We can do what we want.’
‘Oh, fantastic,’ I say sarcastically. Of course, I’ll go mad, if we don’t find something to do. I’ve seen The Shining and I think that sort of madness would kick in pretty quickly for me.
‘Well, I don’t know about you, but I saw an 85” TV and a PS5 in the lounge,’ he says. ‘Fancy a game?’
‘I’m not really into videogames,’ I admit. ‘Wait, didn’t you say the games room was at the bottom of the garden?’
‘Yeah, but boring games, like pool, Scrabble, Monopoly…’
‘Oh, I love Scrabble,’ I say excitedly. ‘That will pass some time – fancy a game?’
‘Not a chance,’ he replies. ‘I hate bored games.’
He says ‘board’ in such a way that makes me think it’s supposed to suggest that they’re boring.
‘I’m trapped here and it’s your fault – are you telling me you won’t even play Scrabble with me?’
‘You can watch me play Cyberpunk?’ he offers.
‘Yeah, I’ll pass,’ I reply. ‘You’re so selfish.’
‘It’s been said before,’ he replies.
‘I guess I’ll amuse myself then.’
‘I’ve heard that before too,’ he tells me with a snigger. ‘Well, I’ll be here until the countdown to midnight, while I neck this bottle of booze, so if you want to join me at any point…’
‘As tempting as that sounds,’ I say with a roll of my eyes.
I wander off, back into the hallway, and glance around. There are so many corridors, so many doors… there must be something here I can do to amuse myself – and it’s definitely not Chris.