Chapter 55

“Who’s Chloe?” Kate whispered to Christian as she watched Paul climb out of the pool and join Ben on the side, both looking very sorry for themselves.

“Ben’s girlfriend.” Chris said.

“She’s right you know.” Mark said, getting up unstably and heading into the house after Rose.

“Paul! What happened?!” came a high-pitched shriek.

Natalie rushed over to him looking concerned, but Paul just ignored her.

“If Rose says anything to Chloe I’ll kick your fucking head in.” Ben said angrily.

“It’s not my fault!” Paul protested, taking a step back from Ben. “Didn’t make you say those things.” He muttered.

“You and your stupid questions. You had to know, didn’t you? Had to know every single detail about me and Chloe to make up for the fact that your love life is non-existent. Face it Paul, you’ve got no-one, and you know why that is? It’s because you’re a w-”

“Okay Ben, that’s enough.” Chris said, stepping in.

“If he’s cost me Chloe…” Ben said

“Just calm down, alright?”

“Look at my clothes, man.” Paul said, looking down at his dripping attire.

“Do you want to borrow something?” Natalie asked.

“I’m not wearing a dress.” Paul said sulkily.

“No, you can borrow something of my brother’s. He’s probably downstairs, he won’t mind.”

“Oh, um, alright then.” Paul agreed.

“Do you want to borrow some as well?” Natalie asked Ben.

“Whatever.” Ben said.

“You could try and be grateful.” Chris said. “What you gonna do? Walk around in wet clothes for the rest of the night?”

“Sorry, clothes would be good, thanks.” Ben said to Natalie.

“No problem. I’ll take you both down then.” Natalie said, walking back into the main hall.

Ben and Paul followed behind her, embarrassedly ignoring the curious looks from the people they passed, and each other. They’d just reached the study door when a short blond girl came running up to Natalie.

“Nat, Kieran and Max are fighting again.”

“Oh, shit, again?”

“Yeah, you better come. I told them I’d call the police, but they wouldn’t listen.

“Alright, um… get Kate or Dawn to show you to Ain’s lair.” She said to an expectant Paul and Ben, disappearing off towards the front door.

“Lair?” Paul repeated to Ben.

“Why couldn’t she just say, up the stairs, first on the right?” Ben said.

“Freak.”

“Yeah.”

“Look, sorry, man.” Paul said as they walked back to the patio.

“S’okay I guess.”

“What’s with Rose going all loony?”

“Too much of the fizzy stuff probably.” Ben said.

“She won’t say anything to Chloe, don’t worry about it. She won’t even remember in the morning. That’s what hangovers are for you know.”

“Really?”

“Oh yeah! You’re so busy concentrating on how crap you feel the next day that you forget the previous night ever happened. Natural defence mechanism, everyone does stupid things when they’re drunk.”

“Oh, useful.”

“I’ll say. Saved me many a time.” Paul said wisely as they reached the patio again.

“It’s uncanny how Natalie’s brother has exactly the same fashion sense as you.” Chris said, looking up from his conversation with Kate as they two sodden pop stars reached them.

“Ha. Ha. Ha. Where’s Ainsley’s room?” Ben asked.

Kate and Christian exchanged glances.

“Oh what is it with him?” Paul asked. “Why won’t anyone just tell us where his room is?”

“Where’s Natalie?” Kate asked.

“I dunno. She had to go somewhere. She said to get Dawn or you to take us to… well she actually used the words Ainsley’s Lair, but…”

“Is Dawn around?” Kate asked.

“I’ll come with you.” Chris said quietly to Kate, subtly linking his hand with hers.

“Okay, I’ll take you down.” Kate said. “Come with me.”

“Finally. Thank you.”

“They’re holding hands.” Paul said, nudging Ben as they followed Kate and Chris back over to the study.

“Someone’s got a new girlfriend!” Ben sang quietly, grinning at Paul.

“Er… where are we going?” Paul asked as Kate led them into the guest suite and closed the door.

“Care to do the honours, Chris?” Kate asked, finding the switch under a shelf of the bookcase.

“Certainly.” Chris said, turning to Ben and Paul. “Right – this is weird, okay? Basically, we’re going into the walls and then down underneath the house.”

“What?!”

“And it’s a secret, so no telling everyone.”

“Or anyone.” Kate corrected him.

“No, that’s right.

“Um, I have a question.” Paul said, raising his hand. “I have a lot of questions, actually.”

“Yes Paul.”

“How do we get in the walls?”

“Yeah, and why can’t we just use to stairs like normal people?” Ben asked.

“There aren’t any stairs.” Kate said.

“Why aren’t there any stairs?”

“Because there aren’t.”

“So how do we get underneath the house?”

“Underneath as in underground? Like, soil and worms?” Paul asked.

“It’s not like tunnels, is it?” Ben asked worriedly.

“Or caves. It’s not caves, is it? I don’t do caves.” Paul said.

“We’re not living in the stone age, guys.” Chris said. “It’s great down there!”

“How do you know?”

“Coz I’ve been down there.”

“Is that where you two were?”

“In the tunnels?”

“There are no tunnels, no caves, no soil and no worms.” Kate said. “Can you just be quiet for a minute? You’re making me nervous.”

“Is there something to be nervous about?” Ben asked.

“I just don’t like lifts, that’s all.” Kate said. “Let’s get on with it.”

“No no no, hang on a minute. There’s a lift?!” Ben said.

“Yeah.”

“Okay, no. I am not going in a lift. And definitely not underground!”

“Why not? You got a problem with lifts?” Paul asked,

“Is that why you always take the stairs at hotels?” Chris asked.

“I don’t have a problem with lifts.”

“So come on then!”

“No, I’m not going.”

“Why?”

“Don’t make me go in a lift, okay Paul?”

“You never used to have a problem with lifts.”

“I don’t have a problem!”

“It goes slowly.” Kate lied. “It’s a very nice lift.”

“So why are you scared then?” Ben asked.

“I’m not!”

“Yes you are.”

“Why are you?”

“I…” Ben smiled at Kate. “Let’s just get in the damn lift.”

“I have another question.” Paul said.

“What?”

“Where’s the lift?”

“In the walls.”

“Oh. So-”

“Ready then?” Kate asked, pressing the button and turning the bookcase round.

“Woah.” Ben said.

“There’s only room for two at a time, so Paul and Chris, you go first and I’ll bring Ben through. When you get to the other side, try and find the lights, but more importantly, stand as far away from the bookcase as you can get, and do not get in the lift.”

Chris nodded. “Come on Paul.”

“Where? What? Where are we going?”

Kate sighed. “Just get in the bookcase with Chris.”

“Okay then.” Paul said, joining Chris in the alcove.

“Hold on.”

Kate pressed the button again and Chris and Paul disappeared.

“Our turn next. You ready?”

“No.” Ben said.

“Really don’t wanna do it?”

“It’s okay, just had a bad lift experience.”

“I used to be terrified of them.” Kate said. “I had a really bad phobia. Think I’ve got over that now, but I still don’t like them very much. Especially not long journeys.”

“Yeah, same here. I’ll never hear the end of it from the guys now.” Ben said as the bookcase swung back round.

Kate got into the hollow and beckoned for Ben to join her.

“This isn’t the lift part, right?” Ben asked nervously, standing beside Kate.

“Nope, just the spinney around bit.”

“Okay.”

“Hold onto that handle thing.” Kate advised. “Here we go.”

The bookcase moved round with Kate and Ben as its passengers, and came to a stop in pitch darkness.

“Didn’t find the lights then?” Kate asked, feeling along the wall and pressing a switch.

“No, we didn’t” Chris said as the lights came on.

“That was so cool!” Paul said. “Can we do it again?”

“On the way back.” Kate said, activating the lift.

“Wow, wicked!” Paul said, getting in as the doors opened. “Come on mate, it’s cool in here! Perfectly safe!” he called to Ben, bouncing up and down.

Ben took a step back and looked at the lift anxiously.

“I’ll hold your hand the whole way?” Paul offered.

Ben grinned. “Alright then!” he said, joining Paul.

“Do I really have to hold your hand?”

“Yeah! I’ll be really scared otherwise,” Ben said, holding his hand out to Paul.

“You okay?” Chris asked Kate.

She nodded. “Uh-huh.”

Chris took her hand and smiled as he felt Kate grasp it hard.

“It’ll be fine.” He promised.

“So where are we going now?” Ben asked as Kate pressed a button and the lift started to move.

“Right down to the bottom.”

“Okay…” Ben said, sliding down the back wall into a sitting position.

They travelled the rest of the way in silence, Ben taking sporadic deep breaths and Kate holding Christian’s hand tightly until the lift stopped.

“This floor is code protected. Please enter the four-digit security code.” Came a disembodied robotic female voice.

Paul looked up. “Where’s that coming from?” he asked.

“Speakers in the ceiling.” Kate said. “5… 8… 3… 9.” She muttered, punching in the numbers.

“Code accepted.” The voice said, and the lift door slid open with a swoosh.

“Why the code?” Chris asked as they stepped out of the lift into a dimly lit corridor.

“He’s a private person, I guess. Doesn’t want just anybody wandering onto his floor.” Kate said, still holding onto Chris’s hand.

“He has a whole floor to himself?” Paul asked incredulously.

“Yep.”

“Cool.”

“Now I know why Natalie called it a lair.” Ben said, walking with the others cautiously down the corridor. “This place gives me the creeps.”

“How old’s Ainsley?” Paul asked.

“Not much older than me I don’t think.” Kate said, looking around at the weird framed pictures hung at an angle on the black walls.

“How old are you?” Chris asked, looking at Kate.

“I’m 20.” Kate said.

“You’re only 20?!” Chris exclaimed.

Kate smiled uneasily. “Yeah… 21 in November.”

“She’s one of my gang, man,” Ben said.

“Two things: one, you don’t have a gang, and two, you didn’t even know Kate before today.” Paul said.

“Ah shut up.” Ben said.

“Did you not think I was that age?” Kate asked Chris.

“No! I thought you were much older!”

“Oh! Well I’m not.”

“Oh.”

“So er, where is this Ainsley guy?” Ben whispered as they advanced down the corridor.

“Why are you whispering?” Paul asked.

“I don’t know.” Ben whispered again.

The group, including the still soggy Ben and Paul, followed the corridor round the corner and came to a stop in front of an imitation castle door complete with iron fretwork.

“Welcoming.” Paul said.

“Oww, I don’t think us being here is such a good idea.” Ben moaned.

“Do you want dry clothes, or not?” Chris asked.

“Not if we have to be down here.”

“Stop being such a baby.”

“What are you scared of, Ben? This is what I’d be like if I wasn’t in a kid-friendly pop band. Kinda hard to uphold a dark persona when I have to be bouncy all the time.” Paul said,

“You’d live in an underground lair with freaky pictures on the wall and a reinforced front door?” Ben asked. “Yeah right.”

“How do you know?” Paul asked. “Anyway, what now?”

“I guess we knock, do we?” Chris ventured.

“And say what? Hi, a slightly drunk and highly irrational teenage girl somehow managed to push us both in the swimming pool. Now, we don’t know you, and we think your sister’s a psycho freak, but can we borrow some clothes please?”

“Couldn’t have put it better myself.” Came a voice from behind them.

Everyone jumped and span round to see a skinny guy with scruffy brown hair and decidedly “alternative” clothes standing behind them with an amused smirk on his face.

“So I know why you’re here, but tell me again, purely for my own amusement, who are you?”

“Have you seen… someone you don’t know, never mind.” Mark muttered, half to himself, half to the person walking past him as he wandered around drunkenly, trying to find Rose.

As he made it through the opening from the dining hall to the entrance hall, Mark saw her sitting half way up the first flight of stairs. He carefully made his way up the half a dozen steps and sat down next to her.

“You alright?” he asked, putting his hand on Rose’s arm.

She shrugged.

“I know I’m nowhere near sober enough to be of any use, but… no, that was pretty much as far as I’d rehearsed in my head. I’m sorry for being so drunk.” Mark said.

Rose looked at him and smiled.

“I’m sorry for pushing your friends in the pool.” She said.

“It’s okay, they probably deserved it.”

“They did, actually.”

“Mind being groped by a drunken fool?”

“Grope away.”

Mark haphazardly put his arm around Rose, pulling her closer to him.

“It’s weird, isn’t it?”

“What?” Rose asked, resting her head on Mark’s shoulder.

“Seeing Ben and Paul acting like that. You’re not used to it.”

“No! They’re being total idiots!”

“But babe, that’s just how they are, all the time! I know you‘ve hung around with us quite a bit the past couple of weeks, but you’ve still only really seen a1 Ben and Paul, their public faces, and that’s what you’re expecting to see all the time.”

Great, way to make me feel like a kid, Rose thought sulkily.

“But they’re not like that in real life. Yeah, they are idiots, but they’re just normal blokes, like me…”

“But you’re not like that!” Rose protested.

God, she hoped Mark wasn’t like that!

“Well, no, but look at the state of me tonight! I’ve drunk more in 10 minutes than I’d drink in a year – I’m not in a fit state to do anything!”

“It’s not your fault though.” Rose said quietly.

“Anyway, what I’m saying is that I know you’re only trying to protect Chloe, but she’s spent a lot of time alone with Ben, and you can tell how close they are from just looking at them, so she knows what he’s really really like from a relationship point of view – past the showbiz, past even the laddish behaviour.” Mark said. “And you know her very well, you’re best friends, so you have to have faith that she’s a good judge of character and wouldn’t be in love with someone she didn’t trust or feel totally safe with. And I know Ben, I know that he adores Chloe and he would never do anything but treat her with the utmost love and respect.” Mark took a deep breath. “Have I just made an Oscars speech? I feel all light-headed!”

“I think you’ll find, my dear, that it’s the alcohol making you feel light-headed, not the stature of your speech.” Rose paused. “Did I just stay stature?”

Mark laughed. “How many times tonight have I told you you’re beautiful?”

“A good few.”

“Am I allowed to say it again?”

“I dunno about that.” Rose said with a grin.

Mark took her face in his hands and looked her in the eyes.

“Rose Stewart, I know I’m ridiculously drunk, but at this moment in time, I truly believe I have never seen you looking so beautiful.” He said, kissing her. “And of course, the fact you have two heads makes you even more attractive.” He said with a grin.

Rose giggled and smacked him on the arm before he kissed her again.

“And,” Mark said when they broke apart. “Even though I was even less sober than I am now, I was very proud of you when you pushed Ben and Paul in the pool. Even though now I’m slightly scared of your hidden strength,” he added. “It feels very good indeed to call you my girlfriend.”

“Er, you must be Ainsley, then?” Paul said, wondering where the hell this slightly unnerving guy had appeared from.

“Why must I?” Ainsley asked. “Nah, I’m only joking, and I know you.” He said, pointing at Kate. “You are called Kate.”

“Erm, yeah, that’s right.” Kate said.

“I have your book.”

“You have my book?” Kate asked incredulously.

“And why is there any need to say it in that tone of voice? Hopeless romantic me, can’t you tell?” Ainsley said, chuckling to himself. “And I do know who you three are, actually.” He said, pointing to Chris, Ben and Paul. “Deary me, what would the papers say?”

“Sod all probably.” Paul said. “They don’t even know who we are.”

“I know who you are.” Ainsley said.

“Are you a journalist?”

“No.” Ainsley said, smiling to himself. “Did you want to come in, or are we all going to stand in the corridor looking, ooh,” he looked at each individual in turn. “Nervous, quietly fascinated, preoccupied, actually, and terrified in the faced with a serial killer way.” He said, smiling at Kate. “Don’t worry, I’ve got no back garden; where would I hide the bodies? Come on then!” he said, walking past the stunned group, going to the front door and pushing it open. “And remember, even if you whisper, the walls have ears.”

As they hesitantly followed the strange guy into his “house”, Kate and Chris exchanged mutual ‘Oh my God’ glances.

“So who is this slightly drunk and highly irrational teenage girl, and why did she push you in the pool?” Ainsley asked, leading them down a brightly painted corridor that was in stark contrast to the doom and gloom of the corridor outside.

It was almost like stepping onto the set of Austin Powers – everything was brightly coloured, with bold shapes on the walls, carpets, furniture… it was actually a really cool-looking place

“You like the house, by the way?” Ainsley asked, studying their faces. “It’s like I always say – no point having black when you can have purple.”

There was a silence as everyone looked warily around them.

“You thought I ate babies, or something, didn’t you?” Ainsley asked with a smirk. “Come on, be honest.”

Still there was a silence as everyone just looked at him.

“Chill out guys! I’m not a psycho! Not before midnight anyway. Unlike my sister, eh?” he said, winking at Paul.

“Yeah, er, sorry about that, man.” Paul said.

“Oh don’t worry about it, I don’t like her. Now about this nameless faceless teenage girl. Can’t have a pool pusher on the loose, danger to the public. Who is she, and what’s she doing at a house party?”

“She’s a mate’s girlfriend.” Ben said.

“And why did she feel the need to push you in the pool?”

“I have no idea.” Ben said.

“Oh no come on, you’re telling me you don’t have even the slightest inkling why? You must have done something.”

“Oh, something about being disrespectful to my girlfriend.”

“And this teenage girl cares about that why?”

“She’s her friend.”

“Ahhh, two friends dating two friends, now that is interesting. Kate, how’s the writing going?”

“Um, good, thanks.” Kate said. “Is there any chance that Ben and Paul would borrow some clothes?” she asked.

“But of course! How rude of me not to offer you clothes! Take a seat, make yourselves at home, I’ll go and see what I’ve got. I presume you’ll be wanting something cool?”

“Er, well, it doesn’t really matter.” Ben said, resigned to the fact that he was going to come out of this looking like a freak.

“Don’t worry, I can do cool! Now you’re… a bit shorter than me,” Ainsley said, looking at Paul. “So you should be okay, I was cool when I was younger. You’re a bit bigger than me, but that should be alright.” He said to Ben. “I’ll try not to make you look too much like a freak.”

“Oh great idea, let’s go and visit Mr. Underworld, coz that’ll be fun.” Ben hissed when Ainsley had left the room.

“Shut up Ben, you wanna get out of here alive?” Paul said.

“He’s not that bad!” Kate said.

“Yeah, I think he’s kinda cool.” Chris added.

“He’s freaky.” Ben said.

“Good place, though.” Chris said, looking round at the living area they were sat in.

They were sitting on big comfy sofas made into slightly odd shapes, which were arranged around an irregular shaped glass block table in front of a funny little antique TV on a stand. Everything else about the “flat” was the utmost in technology, so the old TV really stood out. There was something a little bit weird about it, but Chris couldn’t put a finger on what it was. The windows were the strangest thing about the room, though. Because the floor was several feet underground, normal windows were not possible, so instead there were glass hatches hung along the back wall, and behind them led long dark tunnels, equipped at every turn with mirrors to reflect the light from outside down into the room. It was a clever system, and Chris made a mental note to go and find out where the tunnels opened out when they got above ground again.

“See the windows?” Chris asked, getting up from his seat and walking over to one of the sheets of glass. “Hey, look, it opens!” he said, lifting up the hatch and peering into the darkness with interest. “Do you reckon these tunnels are big enough to get into?”

“Clever, huh?” Ainsley asked, coming back into the room. “I use them to get in and out sometimes. Makes me feel like a mole.”

“Is it just dug out, or is it properly built?” Chris asked.

“Some of them are just earth.” Ainsley said, putting a pile of clothes onto one of the sofas and going over to Chris. “That one, and… that one, I think.” He said, pointing to a couple of windows. “The rest are reinforced with concrete, except that end one.”

Everyone looked to a window hatch on the far left, directly above a big pile of cushions and beanbags.

“That one doesn’t have mirrors, and it’s coated in metal, the kind they have on those big slides at theme parks.” Ainsley said.

“So it’s like a helter-skelter thing?” Ben asked.

“One and the same.”

“Wow! Cool!”

“Got your clothes.” Ainsley said, going over to the pile. “You can use my room to change if you want. Don’t touch anything though, or you’ll release the poisonous tarantulas. They have a fetish for boy band members.”

“Right, okay.” Paul said, giving Ben a look and picking up the heap of clothes.

They both went into the bedroom, and Ben closed the door firmly behind them.

“Oh my God.” Ben said. “I want to go home!”

“I’ll give him boy band. Let’s see what kind of taste Mr. Sometimes-I-Pretend-I’m-A-Mole has.” Paul said, ignoring Ben and starting to poke through Ainsley’s stuff.

“Paul, what are you doing?!” Ben asked, horrified. “He told us not to touch anything!”

“So?”

“So?! Paul, he’s a loony!”

“Oh and what’s he gonna do, smirk us to death?” Paul asked, nosing through a stack of books lined up on top of a desk. “Is this Kate’s book?”

Ben looked over as Paul picked up a paperback and started leafing through.

“Kate Garwood was born in Halifax, West Yorkshire in 1980. She moved to London in 1999 to study English at the University College of London (UCL) with the intention of becoming a teacher, but left the course to fulfil her dream of becoming a full time professional writer shortly after getting a publishing deal at the beginning of 2001. She now lives in North London with her husband, Finn and definitely no animals. The First Time is her first novel.” Paul read, going to close the book. “Exciting girl Chris has got there.” He said uninterestedly.

“Hang on,” Ben said. “Read that last bit again.”

“Which bit?” Paul asked, opening the book again. “Oh, I’ve lost the page now.”

“Give it here.” Ben said, snatching the book off Paul and turning to a page at the front. “She now lives in North London with her husband.” He read. “Paul, she’s married!”