Fractured Minds (Rebels of Sandland 3)

“Where are we going?” she asked, narrowing her eyes and giving me a questioning look.

“I have another surprise for you. Something that I think might help give us a little hope in this shitty nightmare we’ve all been stuck in lately.”

I didn’t elaborate further. I didn’t want to. I wanted to show rather than tell. We had a happily ever after we needed to start living, and right now, that’s all I wanted to focus on.

We pulled onto the forecourt of Ryan’s dad’s garage, and I directed Effy to drive down to the rear where Sean had a few workshops. Ryan used the main one for his kit car business. But once, when I was talking to Sean about my art, he offered me the use of one of his spaces. The light in there was amazing, and it gave me a quiet place that I could call my own to escape the world and create whatever the hell I wanted.

“Have you bought a car?” Effy asked as we parked up and got out.

“Not quite. But I did buy some car parts.” She frowned at me but I smiled, enjoying the fact that I could keep her on her toes.

I unlocked the padlock and pushed the doors open, stepping back to let Effy go first. When I heard her gasp, it made my whole body tingle with pride.

When I originally started working here, I thought I was going to create graffiti, maybe paint on canvas, but what happened surprised even me. I’d seen all the spare parts lying around the yard and most of what I’d used for my sculpture had been passed to me with no charge attached. They weren’t ever going to be used again, and Sean seemed bemused that I wanted all his old crap as he called it. But to me, they were materials that I could bend, mould, melt down and reshape to create whatever the hell I wanted. A little bit like my life right now. I took what was used up and gave it new life, new purpose. Renaissance meant rebirth, after all, so really I was fulfilling my duty as a true Renaissance man.

My wi

shing well wasn’t finished. I still had some areas of the roof that I needed to weld, and I had planned to inscribe something into the sheet metal that I’d used for the brick effect around the base. But after today, I felt that it was time to share it with Effy. Show her the lucky charm I was making for us both.

“Finn, this is stunning.” She gasped, running her hand over the edge.

“I’ve always been fascinated by wishing wells,” I told her. “When things got tough, back when Alice and I were growing up, I used to think to myself that maybe, if I could find a wishing well, I could make a wish and all the pain would go away. That’s what my dumb childish brain told me, anyway.”

“That’s not dumb.” She smiled her special smile meant only for me, and just like that, I didn’t feel like such a loser anymore. “It’s heart-breaking, Finn, but it’s not dumb.”

“I figured if I could throw a penny in, make that wish, it would all stop. But there are no wishing wells in Sandland. There was The Treacle Well in our Alice in Wonderland books, but nothing we could use in real life. So, I’ve made my own.”

“How is Alice?” Effy’s face was a picture of concern and my heart swelled looking at how genuine she was and how much she really cared.

“She’s staying where she is, up north with Danya. I said I’d take you there when everything dies down. Let you get to know her properly.”

“I’d like that.” Effy sighed.

“Me too.” I pulled a penny out of my pocket and went to stand next to her. “I know it’s not finished, but I thought we could do with a bit of good luck.” I handed her the penny, placing it into her palm and closing her hand, then I held it tightly with my own. “Go on. Make a wish.”

“Only if you make one too,” she said, staring at me from under her long lashes.

I found another penny in my pocket and then stood behind her, wrapping my arms around her and breathing her in as I whispered, “Together. On the count of three. One… two… three…”

I couldn’t help it. I watched her close her eyes and drop the coin in before I threw mine. The way she scrunched her nose up as she mouthed her wish was the cutest thing I’d ever seen.

“We were supposed to do it together.” She pretended to look offended as she peered back at me from over her shoulder, but the light in her eyes gave her away. “What did you wish for? I wished––”

I covered her mouth and laughed.

“You’re not supposed to tell me. It won’t come true if you do.”

Her eyes clouded over and seeing her face fall slightly made me pull her into me and hug her.

“I love you, Eff. And you don’t need to tell me what you wished for, I already know.” She leant back in my arms to look at me.

“You do?”

“Of course.” I ducked my head down to whisper into her ear. “It’s the same thing I wished for. And I’m going to enjoy making that wish come true every single day of our lives. You and me together. Always.”

“Promise?” she asked, with love beaming in her eyes.

“That is a forever promise.”