Jordy shouted, ‘You’re not a damn bortrekker, you’re an engine nerd. I should be the bortrekker, if anyone. I was in the army cadets, not you.’
Alex sighed and shook his head. ‘You haven’t the right kind of mind for the attic, Jordy. I belong here. I can feel it.’
Chloe said, ‘Don’t I get a thought, Alex? What about me? I’m your sister. What shall I tell Ben and our mother? Don’t you think you’re being just a bit selfish, deciding this on your own?’
Alex hung his head for a second, then replied quietly, ‘I’m sorry, Clo. But it has to be my decision. We’ll be grown up soon. Adults. Then you’ll get work as a newspaper reporter or something, maybe eventually go off with some bloke you’ve fallen in love with. And me? I’ll have a career somewhere in a town I don’t like but have to be there because that’s where the job is. Don’t you see, we’ll have to part company sooner or later. It’s just going to be sooner, that’s all.’
‘It’s not the same. That’s natural. That’s a natural thing to happen. This isn’t.’ She grew angry. ‘And we’ll never see each other again. If it was some old town I’d come and see you. But I can’t come back here. You know that. I might not be able to. The attic might not let me.’ She stared into his face, realising her words were making no difference. ‘Oh, go on then. Do it. I can’t force you to come back. I’ll never speak to you again, you pig. I hate you. I really hate you. Get out of my sight.’
She burst into tears and turned away from him.
‘I really am sorry, Clo. I’ll help with the hang-glider. And I’ll find Mr Grantham’s watch. I’ve looked on the chart. The watches are on the other side of the lake. I’m going to sail over there and get it and I’ll bring it to the trapdoor to our – to your house. You can take it to Mr Grantham.’
Her shoulders stopped shuddering. She stood there for a few seconds without replying, then she turned. ‘You will?’
‘Yes, I will, honest.’
‘All right. Perhaps you’ll have changed your mind by then. It’s a lonely life, being a bortrekker, I’m sure. You could change your mind.’
‘It’s possible,’ said Alex, but he had seen the crafty look in his sister’s eyes and knew her plan. She was, he was certain, going to try to kidnap him as he handed over the watch. She would be there with Ben and Jordy, and maybe his mother, and they would first try to persuade him to come home, then – if he refused – they would grab him and bundle him down the attic steps and hold him until he promised never to go up into the attic again. Oh, he knew his sister all right, but he played along with her. ‘It’s quite possible. As you say, it’s a lonely existence. I might change my mind.’
‘Good. Help with this then.’ She bent down and began ripping open the cover to the hang-glider, her sharp nails put to use on plastic instead of her brother. ‘Let’s see how we put it together.’
Jordy sat back, instructing them.
The hang-glider was not of a type he was thoroughly familiar with, but he had at least seen the design before. It was not one of the new paragliders, but one of the older gliders with an aluminium-tube frame over which was stretched the fabric, forming a sort of triangle shape with points on the trailing edge. They made a few mistakes, but there was an instruction book, and with Alex’s engineering skills and Jordy’s actual knowledge, they managed to put it all together in two hours. The harness was a little tricky but they worked that out in the end. Finally it was ready. They strapped Chloe in, adjusting the buckles until she looked right.
‘You look like Batman,’ said Jordy, grinning. ‘Very swish.’
‘Do you think I should try a solo flight first?’ she asked her step-brother. ‘Just to get used to it?’
‘Not a chance. You heard what the bortrekker said. The warm air draughts go one way. You haven’t got the skill to manoeuvre the glider, even if you manage to stay up there. You’ll get carried away and crash into rafters or something. I need to be with you.’ He looked up. ‘We’ve