2. LAST TIME...
We saw Maddie travel the premade 'hoods – Strangetown, Pleasantview,
Riverblossom Hills, Belladonna Cove and Veronaville, before she finally arrived in
Desiderata Valley. With the help of a friendly jogger she met on the promenade –
John Mole – Maddie was able to get things set up in her new town, things like a
job and a place to live. Meanwhile, back home, Fiona – Robin and Austin's mute
daughter – made friends with a shy boy named Garrett Newson. Back in
Desiderata, Maddie discovered John was a workaholic, and Lee got in touch. He'd
been all over the map looking for Maddie, and he made plans to come to
Desiderata to find Maddie. John then wanted Maddie to meet his girlfriend,
Sharon Wirth, who took an immediate dislike to Maddie. While complaining about
it at the diner to Natasha Una, Maddie met Chester Gieke, who was travelling up
to Desiderata on business. The pair hit it off and arranging to go out one night.
Sound familiar? If not, I recommend reading the last chapter!
3. Lavender finished washing the dishes as Hex entered, sighing. She
raised an eyebrow and pondered what bad news Hex might have to
share.
“I just got off the phone from the uni,” Hex said, slowly, “there's never
been a pupil named Madeline Wrongway registered with them.”
Lavender paused for a moment, “So either she lied to Lee or Lee lied
to us?”
4. “Either of those,” Hex replied, distractedly, “I can't even ask Lee, now.
He's gone, trying to track down Ralph.”
“So they're both gone, the people with the answers,” Lavender
announced, voice on the verge of breaking into tears.
“I have Lee's number, we'll phone him,” Hex promised.
5. “She could be anywhere,” Lavender said, quietly, as she turned away from
the sink, “anything could be happening to her.”
“I'll phone the police,” Hex added, firmly, “we'll report her missing.”
Lavender looked at Hex, eyes filled with sadness. He pulled her close.
6. “We'll find her,” Hex promised, “we'll find her before Ralph does.”
Lavender hoped he was right, but said nothing, she just hugged him
back tighter, and tried to hold back the tears.
***
7. Maddie had settled in to her new life in Desiderata Valley – she
worked at the diner, she lived with John, and now she helped him run
his martial arts classes.
John had mentioned in passing that he ran the classes on a Saturday
afternoon when he was in town, and Maddie had admitted she was
skilled in that area.
After seeing what she could do, John had offered her a place as an
instructor at his classes.
8. They split the teaching fifty-fifty, and Maddie was thrilled to finally have
an excuse to use her skills.
She also picked up a new thing or two from watching John, though
she would never admit it.
9. The Saturday of Maddie's first session with the class was successful,
and that pleased her – she felt happier than she had in awhile.
That Saturday was also the night she had arranged to go out with
Chester and his friend, Gilbert.
***
10. The evening was just beginning to arrive when John leaned back in
his chair. Fading light poured through the windows, and John risked a
smile.
“I still don't get it,” he said, cheerfully.
11. “What's not to get?” Maddie questioned, twisting and turning as she
smiled at her reflection.
“Why women take so long to get ready,” John replied, calmly, “this is
the fourth dress you've tried on, and none of them have been awful so
far.”
“Just because men are lazy when it comes to trying on clothes,”
Maddie teased, before turning to face him, “honest opinion?”
12. “Maddie, I have no fashion sense whatsoever,” John pointed out,
grinning.
“I know, but you're guy,” Maddie retorted, “your thoughts?”
“I don't know...it's a dress...”
Maddie gave a dramatic sigh, “I give up, you're useless at this. I'm
wearing this dress tonight.”
13. “Well, I'm sorted,” Maddie laughed, “now you go and get ready.”
“I am ready,”
“John, you're not going out like that,” Maddie told him, firmly, “go and
put a shirt on.”
John rolled his eyes, but got up from his chair, “Fine.”
***
14. “What do you think girls talk about?” John asked, curious, as he
watched Maddie, Natasha and Sharon talking on the other side of the
room.
“Us,” Gilbert Jacquet laughed, “and if they're not, there's something
wrong with them.”
Both Gilbert and Chester laughed, while John continued watching
them. He was genuinely interested in the way his friends got on.
15. “Which one is the girl you met in the diner?” Gilbert asked, studying
the girls.
“Maddie, the one in green,” Chester explained.
“Leaves me with the red head,” Gilbert shrugged, “I'm not
complaining.”
John snapped out of his daze, and turned away from the girls to stare
at Gilbert, “What?!”
16. “What?” Gilbert shrugged. John crossed over to him, a scowl on his
face.
“They don't deserve to be talked about like that,” John said, steadily,
“And no one treats my friends like that, ever. Don't even think about
going near them.”
“You're a freak,” Gilbert retorted, “it was just banter.”
17. “Banter or not, it's disrespectful,” John replied. Gilbert turned his back
and stalked off.
“Talk to me again when you have a sense of humour,” Gilbert
snapped, and wandered away. Chester pulled a face, and went after
him, leaving John alone at the bar.
18. He wasn't alone for long. Maddie had crossed the room, and asked,
“John? Are you okay?”
“You didn't hear the way that Gilbert guy was talking about you and the
others,” John replied, steadily.
“I did,” Maddie admitted, “and I heard you stand up for us.”
19. “Then why are we still out with them?” John questioned, smiling a little.
“Because most of the guys I've met since leaving home have been like
that,” she explained, “not every guy can be nice like you.”
John looked at her, “I'm nice?”
“Yes,” Maddie rolled her eyes, “you didn't know?”
20. “I don't understand why that makes it okay for them to talk like that,”
John said, quietly.
“It's not okay,” Maddie answered, “but it happens. They're just the type
of guy you avoid in the long run. Sure, we'll have a laugh tonight, when
we're dancing or drinking or whatever, but we won't meet up later.”
“I think I get it,” John stated, “how did I not know that?”
Maddie shrugged, “Let's get some beers. That'll cheer you up.”
21. John agreed to just the one, and they returned to the others. Maddie
held her bottle up to John, and smiled.
“To a night we'll never remember,” she announced.
“To a night we'll never forget,” John responded, and clinked his bottle
against hers.
***
22. By the time the night was winding down, John wished it was a night he
could forget. But he'd had one beer, and he didn't plan to drink
another.
“Is that my beer?”
23. Maddie crouched down next to his table, waiting for his answer.
“You've already got a beer,” he pointed out.
“But I thought I ordered two,” Maddie furrowed her brow, “anyway, why
are you unhappy? Aren't you having fun?”
“Look who is over there, dancing,”
24. In the corner of the room, by the stairs, John's girlfriend had her arms
wrapped around a man he didn't like.
John gritted his teeth as he watched Maddie's expression change.
25. “Don't let it get to you,” Maddie advised, “just talk to her about it
tomorrow.”
“I am so hurt, Maddie...she's cheating on me, in a bar, with a guy she
met four hours ago!”
“Maybe they're just dancing,” Maddie replied, optimistically.
26. Gilbert and Sharon began passionately smooching in the corner.
Maddie sighed, “Okay, so they're not just dancing.”
John's frown deepened.
“Come on, get up,” Maddie commanded, putting her beer on the table,
“You're going to dance with me.”
“What?” John blinked.
“She already doesn't like me,” Maddie shrugged, “come on! Revenge!”
27. Moments later, John had taken Maddie's hand, and they were moving
slowly over the floor like the other couples.
“John, she's never going to get jealous if she sees a twenty inch gap
between us,” Maddie stated.
“Good point...” he hesitated. Maddie rolled her eyes, and took a step
closer to him, hand on his back.
28. John's hand hovered at the small of her back, “Are you sure?”
“We're just dancing, John,” Maddie reminded him, and he nodded.
With a smile, he gently rested his hand on her back, “I've never tried to
make a girl jealous before.”
“I can tell,” Maddie laughed.
29. Maddie noticed that Sharon was watching her and John with a cold
gaze, and Maddie smiled to herself.
To John, she asked, “Feeling better?”
“Feeling fantastic,” he corrected. Again, he hesitated.
Maddie raised an eyebrow, “What?”
30. John pulled Maddie closer, and went to kiss her. Maddie gave a
nervous laugh, “You didn't mention this part of the plan.”
“This isn't part of the plan,” John murmured.
31. “Improv. Nice. I don't mind that at all,” Maddie replied, and kissed him
back, enjoying the feeling of his lips on hers.
Sharon stopped paying them attention, frowning.
32. The kiss was more than a last minute addition to the plan. John knew
that. And somewhere in her juice-fogged mind, Maddie knew that too.
Once the kiss ended, they both smiled, and began their journey home.
***
33. Sharon Wirth had stormed out of the club the moment her boyfriend
had locked lips with that traveller woman. Natasha was the only one
who followed her.
“Where are you planning to go?” Natasha asked.
“I don't care. I can't stand it anymore,” Sharon snapped back.
34. “Sharon, are you not liking a taste of your own medicine?” Natasha
questioned, with an amused smile.
“What is that supposed to mean?” Sharon demanded, turning on her
heel.
“You're cheating on him,” Natasha replied, calmly, “and he's the only
one who doesn't know it.”
35. “Big deal!” Sharon cried, “John's a different matter! He's not a cheater
like everyone else in this valley.”
“Which is exactly why you don't deserve him,” Natasha said, simply,
“and you can't blame all of these problems on Maddie Wrongway.”
“Maddie Wrongway?” A new voice repeated. Both Natasha and
Sharon looked up, startled.
36. A man was walking down the promenade, a curious look on his face.
Sharon scowled, “Yes, Maddie Wrongway, what's it to you?”
37. “I've been looking for her,” Lee said, as he stepped into the light from
the lamp Sharon was standing by, “I'm from her hometown.”
“Great,” Sharon replied, sharply, “I don't care. I'm going home.”
Sharon stormed off down the promenade, her back turned to Lee and
Natasha.
38. “Is she here?” Lee asked, quietly, peering at the doors to the club.
Natasha shook her head, “John and her left about an hour ago. Do
you need somewhere to stay?”
“How did you...”
“Desiderata is so small,” Natasha pointed out, “I know if someone lives
here or not. Come on, I have a pretty comfy sofa.”
***
39. Maddie was a little drunk or very tipsy by the time she left the bar with
John, and this was clear because she hadn't stopped talking. It wasn't
annoying chatter – in fact, John found it quite amusing.
“So, you and me,” Maddie said, eventually, “how is this going to work?
Are we going to go back to the way things were tomorrow morning or
what?”
“Well, what do you want?” John asked, smiling.
40. “I have no problems with dating you,” Maddie told him, firmly,
“Especially not when you kiss like that.”
John chuckled, “Like what?”
“I don't know,” Maddie replied, grinning, “but for someone so awkward
you're a surprisingly good kisser.”
“I'm awkward?” John repeated, amused.
41. “A little,” Maddie said, honestly, “like that thing with Gilbert.”
“Come on, that was out of line,” John stated, “no one deserves that
treatment.”
“True,” Maddie yawned, “I guess I'm just used to hearing it.”
Maddie let go of his hand and went to sit on the wall.
42. “We are never going to get home if we keep stopping,” John said, with
a smile.
“Let's not bother going home, we should just wait here until morning.
We're only going to come back here for breakfast anyway.”
“Not tomorrow,” John replied, “Natasha doesn't open the diner on
Sundays.”
43. “What are we going to do for breakfast now?” Maddie asked, pouting a
little. John laughed again.
“If you want grilled cheese for breakfast, I will make grilled cheese,”
John promised, “but that'll only happen if we get home.”
“Carry me?” Maddie questioned, with a small smile.
44. John walked over to Maddie and wrapped his arms around her, lifting
her off the wall a little.
“While I could carry you home,” John began, with a smile, “I think I
should call us a cab, don't you? Walking just isn't working out.”
Maddie just grinned at him.
***
45. The morning brought with it a fresh set of complications for John Mole,
in the form of Sharon Wirth, who had shown up on his doorstep in
tears.
“I'm sorry, Sharon,” John continued, “but you betrayed me. This has
nothing to do with my career, or my lodger, or anything.”
“I'd had alcohol!” Sharon cried, “I wasn't in control of myself!”
“Sharon, you'd had one. I know you're not a lightweight. Come on, tell
me the truth.”
46. “So this is it, then?” Sharon asked, in a small voice, “you're leaving
me, for the Maddie girl, aren't you?”
“I think it would be for the best,” John stated, with a hint of a smile,
“you seem so comfortable with cheating on me that I can't understand
why I'm with you.”
“You're with me because you love me,” Sharon reminded him.
47. Maddie laid awake in the next room, listening to John and Sharon
talking, as their voices carried through the wall.
She held her breath.
48. “Do you love me?” John asked, leaving the coffee maker alone.
Sharon looked up at him, “What?”
“I don't know much about love,” John said, firmly, “but I know that it
can't be one-sided for a relationship to work,”
49. “If you don't love me,” John continued, “then this can't work out.”
Silence fell over the room, and John waited, his gaze locked on
Sharon as she thought for a moment.
50. “You don't care whether I love you or not,” Sharon replied, “you've
already made up your mind. It's not me you want.”
John went to speak but Sharon cut him off, stepping closer to him.
51. “Remember, she's left all of her previous boyfriends when she's moved
on,” Sharon murmured. With a smile, she added, “you'll be no
different, to her. I've always been here for you.”
John didn't say anything as Sharon let him go, and took a step back.
She offered him another smile.
52. “I'll see you around, John,” Sharon said, brightly, knowing she had
firmly settled doubt into his mind.
John didn't respond, wondering whether Sharon had a chance of
being right.
***
53. Maddie waited for a few minutes after Sharon left before she entered
the kitchen. John was stood against the counter, deep in thought.
“So are you getting back with Sharon?” Maddie asked, trying to sound
casual. The breaks in her voice gave her away.
John looked at her, “Is it true? Would you leave me just because you
were moving away?”
54. “It's never the reason for leaving any of my guys,” Maddie replied,
crossing to room to stand next to John, “Pascal broke up with me
because he didn't want to be waiting on me and my letters. I don't
blame him,”
John said nothing, so Maddie continued, “Don made me feel cheap. I
mean, he was good looking, we had a laugh, he was easy to talk
to...but the sneaking around and being the other woman...I couldn't
handle it. He's probably forgotten about me now, John.”
55. “The only other guy was Leod,” Maddie went on, “staying with him
meant getting married and living in Riverblossom Hills. He wouldn't
settle for anything but that.”
“So if, say, we were a couple, and you did get bored of Desiderata,
what then?” John asked, steadily.
“I'd ask you to come with me,” Maddie answered, “and if you said no,
we'd have a long-distance relationship. If you still said no...then we'd
fall apart.”
56. “Why are you travelling? What are you running from?” John asked,
turning to face her.
“It's...a long story,” Maddie replied, “one I would rather discuss when
I'm wearing more than your pyjama shirt. Speaking of which, why am I
wearing your shirt?”
“You couldn't find your pyjamas,” John answered, dismissively, “let's
talk about this over breakfast.”
***
57. When they were both dressed, Maddie sat back down in the kitchen,
with a smile, “Okay, how much do you want to know?”
“Everything,” John replied, firmly, “I don't care how long it takes.”
“Alright. But everything is quite a long story, and not always a pretty
one,”
John closed his eyes, “Maddie, I just want to understand.”
“Fine,” Maddie said, “I'll tell you everything.”
58. And so she did. That morning, John Mole discovered all about the
rivalry between the two Wrongway brothers that had caused trouble
and chaos for five generations.
Maddie told him all about her anger problems, her friends abandoning
her, the song her Dad wrote, Lee and his friendship, the guy she
punched at that party, meeting Ralph, getting heirship, and all of the
other things that had made her leave home.
John listened, patiently, nodding occasionally.
59. “So basically, John, I am a legacy heiress who is refusing to go home,”
Maddie concluded, and leaned back in her chair, breathing slowly.
“While I disagree with some of the stuff you've done,” John replied,
carefully, “I understand why you don't want to home.”
“I was warned that the legacy will catch up with me, at some point,”
Maddie shrugged, “but to succeed in my line, you just have to have a
family.”
60. There was a moment of silence, before John cleared his throat, “Do
you want to know what I do? What my job is?”
Maddie stared at him, stunned, “Not even Natasha knows what you
do.”
“It's only fair,” John mumbled, “you told me everything about you...”
61. “I was a spy,” John began, “and don't think James Bond style, there's
nothing glamorous about the job. The training was hard, the hours
were long, and the pay was dismal. I struggled to make ends meet,
most of the time.
“Then came the accident. You've seen the scars on my face...while I
was working undercover on a case about illegal elixir sales, someone
worked out exactly what I was. Do you know how?”
62. When Maddie shook her head, John continued, “The girl I'd been
seeing at the time. Dated her long enough to trust her with a key to my
flat. She was working for them, and she ransacked my things, looking
for everything I'd learnt about them.”
Maddie winced.
“Yeah. They tried to take me out after that, tried to stop me from
getting the info back to my bosses. I got away with two breaks in my
left leg, the two deep cuts on my face and a damaged wrist. It was
enough to make me quit the spying job.”
63. “But you were working in Belladonna only last month,” Maddie replied,
confused. John looked at her, intensely.
“Yeah, I got a new job,” John smiled a little, “Armand DeBateau
needed a bodyguard for awhile, that's why I was in Belladonna. I work
as a bodyguard now, I have been for a year or so.”
“That explains why the house is in boxes,”
“I'm never here for very long,” John replied, distracted.
64. A moment of silence passed, with both John and Maddie
contemplating the secrets just shared.
“This is probably a long shot,” Maddie said, breaking the silence, “but
seeing as you know me better than most people, and I know you
better than most people, how about we give this couple thing a go?”
John smiled, “Even though I'm awkward? As you keep calling it.”
“You have a reason to be awkward!” Maddie replied, enthusiastically.
John got off the table, and grinned.
65. “It sounds like neither of us really understand long-term
commitments,” John noted, “maybe we can change that, seeing as
we're on the same wavelength.”
“I'd like that,” Maddie admitted.
John pulled her close, just as the doorbell rang. Maddie rolled her
eyes, “Brilliant timing.”
66. Maddie went to get the door, and was surprised when she found a
familiar face behind it.
“Lee? How did you find me?”
“You told me Desiderata Valley,” Lee replied, “and luckily, Desiderata is
only small.”
67. “Right,” Maddie smiled, “I can't believe you're here!”
Lee didn't smile back. Instead, he said, “Maddie, we're in trouble. Hex
and Lavender know you're not at uni.”
68. Lee ignored the quizzical look on Maddie's face and continued, “And I
told Hex that I spiked his morning coffees with elixir.”
***
71. And this is where I'll leave you, this time! With an outtake from the
bar scenes – Maddie's bad dancing! John looks like he's enjoying
himself, though.
Thanks for reading!
