tell me anything, Danny. You know that, right?”
I nod and I can feel my eyes getting hot because I’m gonna cry again. I hate it! I wish that I was bigger and stronger and I could punch that breathing thing in the face!
“Danny?”
I decide to tell her anyway because she’ll tell me it was a dream and because then I can believe it was and it’ll make the scary feeling go away. So I tell her about the girl and the breathing thing. She listens and squeezes me tight and when I finish she doesn’t tell me that it was all my magination, she tells me she loves me and that everything will be better in the morning. She tells me that I can sleep in her room until the scary feeling goes away, no matter how many nights it takes. Then she tells me to go to sleep.
I close my eyes and try and sleep. I wish she told me that it was all my magination. I can’t forget that little girl’s scary face.
Next morning is the day before mine and Heather’s birthday. I go into her room and Jules is in there with her bottom sticking out the wardrobe. I know it’s Jules’s bottom because it is wearing tracksuit bottoms and mummy never wears those.
I hear her say a bad word and leave her to it.
I find Heather in the kitchen eating cereal.
“Morning.” I jump up onto a seat and grab a bowl.
Heather ignores me.
I am starting to get really angry with her. She keeps being nice then mean then nice to me and I’m sick of it!
“What’s the matter with you?” I ask.
“Nothing,” she says.
“Then why do you keep being mean to me?”
She rolls her eyes. “You’re such a baby. I don’t have time for babies.”
“I am not a baby!”
“Whatever.”
I sit there with my hands in fists and I want to hit her. I don’t. “Tell Elsa to tell her friends to leave me alone!”
Heather’s spoon stops halfway to her mouth. “What?”
“You heard me. Yesterday at the beach there was a little girl who wanted me to play, and then last night in my room I heard someone breathing.”
“You’re lying. They won’t want to play with you. You can’t be a princess.”
“I’m not lying!”
“Whatever.”
“Just tell them. I don’t want to play.”
She ignores me.
“Why do you want to play with them anyway? They’re horrible and scary with creepy monster voices.”
Heather frowns at me. “Now I know you’re lying because Elsa isn’t ugly, she’s beautiful!”
“Morning, punkins!”
Mum walks in, her arms full of clothes. She has a big smile on her face and it makes me feel better. She goes over to the washing machine and squishes the clothes inside.
Heather pushes her bowl away and slips off her chair.
I want to go after her to ask her more, but Mum comes over and taps my bowl.
“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day,” she says in a sing song voice.
I sigh and fill my bowl with cereal.
20
GEMMA
“Jules? You got a minute?”
Jules smoothes the duvet across her bed and smiles at me. “No mice that I could find if that’s what you’re asking. Not even a dropping. But I did find a bleedin’ mirror.”
“In the wardrobe?”
“Yeah. I don’t know what it is with this place, but mirrors seem to be the theme.”
The armoire pops into my head. “What are we going to do with the musty room?”
Jules shrugs. “That’s up to your mum. I think it’ll probably be turned into a guest room.”
“I wouldn’t want to be a guest staying in a room with that piece of furniture.” As soon as I say it, I realise how stupid I sound, but Jules simply nods.
“I know what you mean.”
We lock eyes and some kind of understanding passes between us.
Jules sits on the bed and pats the spot next to her. “Come sit. Tell me what you’re thinking.”
I take a pew. “It’s Danny. Did you hear him scream last night?”
Jules shakes her head. “But then you know me. I sleep like a log once I do manage to get to sleep.”
I nod. “He said there was someone in his room, breathing by his bed.
I nod and I can feel my eyes getting hot because I’m gonna cry again. I hate it! I wish that I was bigger and stronger and I could punch that breathing thing in the face!
“Danny?”
I decide to tell her anyway because she’ll tell me it was a dream and because then I can believe it was and it’ll make the scary feeling go away. So I tell her about the girl and the breathing thing. She listens and squeezes me tight and when I finish she doesn’t tell me that it was all my magination, she tells me she loves me and that everything will be better in the morning. She tells me that I can sleep in her room until the scary feeling goes away, no matter how many nights it takes. Then she tells me to go to sleep.
I close my eyes and try and sleep. I wish she told me that it was all my magination. I can’t forget that little girl’s scary face.
Next morning is the day before mine and Heather’s birthday. I go into her room and Jules is in there with her bottom sticking out the wardrobe. I know it’s Jules’s bottom because it is wearing tracksuit bottoms and mummy never wears those.
I hear her say a bad word and leave her to it.
I find Heather in the kitchen eating cereal.
“Morning.” I jump up onto a seat and grab a bowl.
Heather ignores me.
I am starting to get really angry with her. She keeps being nice then mean then nice to me and I’m sick of it!
“What’s the matter with you?” I ask.
“Nothing,” she says.
“Then why do you keep being mean to me?”
She rolls her eyes. “You’re such a baby. I don’t have time for babies.”
“I am not a baby!”
“Whatever.”
I sit there with my hands in fists and I want to hit her. I don’t. “Tell Elsa to tell her friends to leave me alone!”
Heather’s spoon stops halfway to her mouth. “What?”
“You heard me. Yesterday at the beach there was a little girl who wanted me to play, and then last night in my room I heard someone breathing.”
“You’re lying. They won’t want to play with you. You can’t be a princess.”
“I’m not lying!”
“Whatever.”
“Just tell them. I don’t want to play.”
She ignores me.
“Why do you want to play with them anyway? They’re horrible and scary with creepy monster voices.”
Heather frowns at me. “Now I know you’re lying because Elsa isn’t ugly, she’s beautiful!”
“Morning, punkins!”
Mum walks in, her arms full of clothes. She has a big smile on her face and it makes me feel better. She goes over to the washing machine and squishes the clothes inside.
Heather pushes her bowl away and slips off her chair.
I want to go after her to ask her more, but Mum comes over and taps my bowl.
“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day,” she says in a sing song voice.
I sigh and fill my bowl with cereal.
20
GEMMA
“Jules? You got a minute?”
Jules smoothes the duvet across her bed and smiles at me. “No mice that I could find if that’s what you’re asking. Not even a dropping. But I did find a bleedin’ mirror.”
“In the wardrobe?”
“Yeah. I don’t know what it is with this place, but mirrors seem to be the theme.”
The armoire pops into my head. “What are we going to do with the musty room?”
Jules shrugs. “That’s up to your mum. I think it’ll probably be turned into a guest room.”
“I wouldn’t want to be a guest staying in a room with that piece of furniture.” As soon as I say it, I realise how stupid I sound, but Jules simply nods.
“I know what you mean.”
We lock eyes and some kind of understanding passes between us.
Jules sits on the bed and pats the spot next to her. “Come sit. Tell me what you’re thinking.”
I take a pew. “It’s Danny. Did you hear him scream last night?”
Jules shakes her head. “But then you know me. I sleep like a log once I do manage to get to sleep.”
I nod. “He said there was someone in his room, breathing by his bed.
Similar Books
