Matt Whyman - The Savages

Sasha found herself nodding as he spoke. She wasn’t entirely sure how she might demonstrate her commitment. She figured it would just come to her in time.

‘I’ll give it my best shot,’ she said, before leaning across to kiss her grandfather on the cheek. His beard prickled madly, but it was a heartfelt gesture. ‘Thank you,’ she added. ‘It means a lot.’

Oleg pressed his fingers to where she had planted her lips.

‘Are you hungry now?’ he asked. ‘I’m hungry.’

‘Want something to eat?’ Sasha rose from the edge of the bed. ‘We’re all out of tofu, thanks to Kat, but I know there’s some hummus hiding at the back of the fridge. That’s if you’d like to try something different.’

‘Why not?’ said Oleg, who accepted Sasha’s hand as he struggled to rise. ‘I’ve done it once before, after all.’

Jack Greenway pulled up outside the Savage house. The engine cut out automatically. Ivan looked across at him, releasing his seatbelt at the same time.

‘So, you’re not going back to finish your pizza?’

‘Eh?’ Jack looked at him with one hand on the wheel still. Then he realised why the boy thought he hadn’t just pulled up to drop him off. ‘The car is still running,’ he told him. ‘It’s just being fuel efficient.’

‘Right,’ said Ivan, with complete disinterest. ‘Anyway, thanks for the ride.’

‘Is your sister home, do you think?’

Jack’s question caused Ivan to pause as he opened the passenger door.

‘Most likely.’

‘Then maybe I’ll come in with you,’ he said, and unplugged the car key. As much as he wanted to rush back to the pizza restaurant, Jack needed to check that Ivan wasn’t going to break their deal and tell Sasha about the young woman he hoped would still be waiting for him. ‘After what we’ve been through,’ he told the boy, ‘I could use a cup of that nice tea you made just to calm my nerves.’

The pair had driven around town for twenty minutes after losing their tail. Jack wanted to be absolutely sure they were no longer being followed. After a short time, turning at random at junctions and roundabouts, he had even questioned whether they were being followed at all. What would anyone want with a kid like Ivan? Even a creepy weirdo would find the boy unsettling, no matter what his intentions.

‘It doesn’t look like Mum and Dad are in,’ said Ivan, gesturing at the empty driveway.

Jack wasn’t disappointed to hear this. He found both Mr and Mrs Savage somewhat intense. That evening he had come round to collect Sasha, he discovered that every time he glanced at one of them they were already looking at him.

‘That’s a shame,’ he said all the same. ‘Your parents are sweet.’

Ivan glanced at Jack. He looked like he was going to say something, but then seemed to think better of it.

‘They look out for us,’ he said instead, and opened up the front door. ‘Are you sure you want the same tea as last time?’

‘Sure do.’ Jack followed him inside. ‘So, will you tell your parents about the van?’

‘Of course,’ said Ivan. ‘Whoever it is will be sorry. My dad will make sure of that.’

As the boy led the way through the hallway, voices could be heard from the kitchen. Jack recognised Sasha’s laugh, and a shriek from her younger sister. It was a surprise to find her grandfather in their company, looking like he’d travelled from the past to join them. Both he and Sasha were working on something at the kitchen counter. With their backs to the door, it was only Katya who registered that they were in company. She sat on the floor behind them, and gurgled as the two boys filed in.

‘Hey there,’ said Jack. ‘What’s cooking?’

‘ What? ’ Sasha spun around, followed by her grandfather. Seeing Ivan with him, they both spread their arms as if attempting to hide something behind them. ‘You startled us!’

‘Evidently,’ said Ivan, who calmly crossed the kitchen for a better look.

‘That’s close enough!’ cried Sasha. ‘Seriously, you don’t want to see this.’

Ivan stopped in his tracks. He tipped his head, straining to see what was on the counter.

‘Is this a feast?’ he asked, with just a glance over his shoulder at Jack.

‘Back off, my boy,’ his grandfather warned, jabbing a finger at the same time. ‘It isn’t what you think.’

Sasha stood with her eyes wide open. She glanced at Ivan, then Jack, before swinging round to the toddler on the floor.

‘Cheese!’ cried Kat. ‘ Cheese! ’

‘Did she say cheese?’ asked Ivan. ‘Mince is her only word.’

‘It’s a new one,’ said Sasha. ‘She’s expanded her vocabulary.’

‘Well, that’s great!’ declared Jack. ‘Good choice, Katya.’

‘Cheese!’

With everyone’s attention trained on the toddler, Sasha seized her moment. Without turning, and using one hand, she swept everything behind her into the waste disposal unit.

‘What is that?’ asked Ivan, who looked up smartly as Sasha hit the switch and the unit started grinding. ‘You’re hiding something. What is it?’

‘ Cheese! ’

This time, it was Oleg who attempted to regain control of the situation.

‘Kat just told you.’ Stepping forward, he looked his grandson in the eye. ‘It’s halloumi, to be precise. We were just about to grill some for a salad.’

‘With mint is good,’ suggested Jack, only to find himself ignored.

‘Halloumi,’ repeated Ivan, as if to be sure he’d heard it right. ‘And that is what?’

‘It’s quite salty,’ Jack persisted, hoping to be helpful. ‘Vegetarians love it, but it’s off the menu for me nowadays. I don’t do goat’s cheese or any other dairy product. It’s a vegan thing.’

Jack stopped there, anticipating some attention or even respect. Instead, Ivan continued to stare at the pair across the kitchen.

‘This salad,’ he said eventually. ‘Does it contain any meat? Some chicken, perhaps?’

Oleg held his gaze for a moment longer before shaking his head.

‘None at all,’ he said. ‘Sasha hasn’t eaten meat for the last month.’

‘You can thank me for that,’ said Jack, and touched his chest with one hand. ‘Didn’t I tell you there’d be no going back?’

‘Jack,’ said Sasha quietly, and flashed him a look of anger. ‘Not now.’

This wasn’t an expression he had seen in her before. There was something ferocious, even barbarian, behind her eyes. Jack’s first thought was that she couldn’t be serious.

‘That’s no way to talk to your boyfriend,’ he said. ‘Have some respect.’

In response, and without a blink, Sasha reached for the paring knife on the counter. Jack waited for her to go back to slicing the halloumi. Instead, and it took a second for him to comprehend this, she stepped right up to him. Even with the blade just resting casually at her side, Sasha looked completely different to him. She said nothing, didn’t even appear to be aware of what she was holding, and yet she possessed this purpose and intensity to her gaze that Jack didn’t like one bit.

All of a sudden, the girl he had regarded as a plaything and a project now faced him as a threat.

‘But you made it through the month,’ he insisted, hoping that by returning to the subject that started all this Sasha would come back to her senses. ‘You crossed over,’ he added, spreading his hands to reason with her. ‘Welcome to my world!’

‘No,’ said Ivan, in a way that drew Jack’s attention straight away. Despite the air of calm in his voice, the boy’s eyes were hardened just like Sasha’s, to the point where they looked like they could turn to flint. ‘Welcome to ours .’