you bringing that milk with you?’
I tried to sound casual. ‘Yeah. We were doing nutrition in school last week, and Miss O’ Herlihy told us all about osteoporosis. It sounds awful. I don’t want to get that, so I’m going to drink two mugs of milk every day.’
Mum smiled. ‘Well, I’m glad she’s teaching you something useful. You know broccoli has lots of calcium too?’
I made a face. ‘Yeah Mum, but that’s going a bit too far, don’t you think?’
She laughed, and I escaped with the milk.
Alice finished the Weetabix in double-quick time. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. ‘Yum. I was so hungry, that was delicious.But I don’t think I can survive for the rest of the day on apples and biscuits.’
I sighed. That was going to be a bit of a problem. I’d read loads of stories where kids hide puppies, and hamsters in their bedrooms, and struggle to sneak crumbs and rasher rinds to them. I was discovering that sneaking food to a healthy twelve-year-old with a huge appetite was a bit more difficult. Already I was running out of ideas, and besides, Alice was never going to be happy with scraps.
I tried to sound positive.
‘Well, don’t worry. We can go out for a while this afternoon, and then we can buy you some nice stuff to eat.’
Alice sounded surprised. ‘Out? How will we manage that without being caught?’
I smiled and spoke airily. ‘Oh, don’t worry. I have a plan.’
I felt very pleased with myself. I was getting good at all this secret stuff. Maybe I’d give up onmy plans to become a vet and train to be a private investigator instead.
* * *
Al and I spent the next few hours in my room. I told Mum I was doing a big clear-out, so she wouldn’t be too suspicious. I even tidied a few bookshelves, just in case she came in to check. Then Al and I sat on the floor and chatted and laughed as quietly as we could. After a while we ate some of her biscuit stash. Then, at about twelve o’clock, there was a small rattle, and when I looked around, I could see the handle of my bedroom door turning slowly. Alice was standing by the window, and had no chance to hide. I held my breath as the door opened very slowly, and……Rosie toddled in. She beamed and held out her arms. ‘Alith,’ she lisped, as Alice and I stood still in panic. How could one small three-year-old spoil our great plan? It just wasn’t fair.
Then I had a brainwave. I shut the bedroom door, grabbed Rosie and pulled her towards mywardrobe. ‘Look, Rosie, sweeties. Lots of nice sweeties for Rosie,’ I said, as I rummaged frantically for the secret bag of marshmallows I’d hidden there the week before.
Rosie loves marshmallows, so she was completely distracted for the few seconds it took Alice to roll under the bed. When Rosie’s mouth was full, she turned around again. Her mouth opened in surprise, and two marshmallows popped out onto the floor.
‘Alith? Alith gone?’ she lisped.
I bent down and put my face near to hers, like I’d seen Mum do when she had something important to say.
‘Rosie, No Alice. No Alice here. Just me and you. OK?’
She looked a bit puzzled, but happily accepted another marshmallow, and toddled off to look for Mum. I closed the door behind her, and collapsed on to the bed. Then Alice rolled out from underneath and grinned up at me.
At lunch-time, I had another moment of panic when out of the blue Rosie said, nice and clearly: ‘Alith gone.’
Mum looked at her, surprised. ‘Aaah. Even Rosie misses Alice. Isn’t that so sweet? Yes dear, Alice has gone. But I’m sure we’ll see her in a few weeks, won’t we?’
I was really, really glad that Rosie was only three, and far too young to say something awful like, ‘But she was in Megan’s room this morning.’
As we tidied up the lunch things, I hid a few slices of bread in the pocket of my hoodie. Not very exciting food, I had to admit, but it was the best I could do under the circumstances. I could hardly bring Alice
I tried to sound casual. ‘Yeah. We were doing nutrition in school last week, and Miss O’ Herlihy told us all about osteoporosis. It sounds awful. I don’t want to get that, so I’m going to drink two mugs of milk every day.’
Mum smiled. ‘Well, I’m glad she’s teaching you something useful. You know broccoli has lots of calcium too?’
I made a face. ‘Yeah Mum, but that’s going a bit too far, don’t you think?’
She laughed, and I escaped with the milk.
Alice finished the Weetabix in double-quick time. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. ‘Yum. I was so hungry, that was delicious.But I don’t think I can survive for the rest of the day on apples and biscuits.’
I sighed. That was going to be a bit of a problem. I’d read loads of stories where kids hide puppies, and hamsters in their bedrooms, and struggle to sneak crumbs and rasher rinds to them. I was discovering that sneaking food to a healthy twelve-year-old with a huge appetite was a bit more difficult. Already I was running out of ideas, and besides, Alice was never going to be happy with scraps.
I tried to sound positive.
‘Well, don’t worry. We can go out for a while this afternoon, and then we can buy you some nice stuff to eat.’
Alice sounded surprised. ‘Out? How will we manage that without being caught?’
I smiled and spoke airily. ‘Oh, don’t worry. I have a plan.’
I felt very pleased with myself. I was getting good at all this secret stuff. Maybe I’d give up onmy plans to become a vet and train to be a private investigator instead.
* * *
Al and I spent the next few hours in my room. I told Mum I was doing a big clear-out, so she wouldn’t be too suspicious. I even tidied a few bookshelves, just in case she came in to check. Then Al and I sat on the floor and chatted and laughed as quietly as we could. After a while we ate some of her biscuit stash. Then, at about twelve o’clock, there was a small rattle, and when I looked around, I could see the handle of my bedroom door turning slowly. Alice was standing by the window, and had no chance to hide. I held my breath as the door opened very slowly, and……Rosie toddled in. She beamed and held out her arms. ‘Alith,’ she lisped, as Alice and I stood still in panic. How could one small three-year-old spoil our great plan? It just wasn’t fair.
Then I had a brainwave. I shut the bedroom door, grabbed Rosie and pulled her towards mywardrobe. ‘Look, Rosie, sweeties. Lots of nice sweeties for Rosie,’ I said, as I rummaged frantically for the secret bag of marshmallows I’d hidden there the week before.
Rosie loves marshmallows, so she was completely distracted for the few seconds it took Alice to roll under the bed. When Rosie’s mouth was full, she turned around again. Her mouth opened in surprise, and two marshmallows popped out onto the floor.
‘Alith? Alith gone?’ she lisped.
I bent down and put my face near to hers, like I’d seen Mum do when she had something important to say.
‘Rosie, No Alice. No Alice here. Just me and you. OK?’
She looked a bit puzzled, but happily accepted another marshmallow, and toddled off to look for Mum. I closed the door behind her, and collapsed on to the bed. Then Alice rolled out from underneath and grinned up at me.
At lunch-time, I had another moment of panic when out of the blue Rosie said, nice and clearly: ‘Alith gone.’
Mum looked at her, surprised. ‘Aaah. Even Rosie misses Alice. Isn’t that so sweet? Yes dear, Alice has gone. But I’m sure we’ll see her in a few weeks, won’t we?’
I was really, really glad that Rosie was only three, and far too young to say something awful like, ‘But she was in Megan’s room this morning.’
As we tidied up the lunch things, I hid a few slices of bread in the pocket of my hoodie. Not very exciting food, I had to admit, but it was the best I could do under the circumstances. I could hardly bring Alice
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