Read Online Heartbeat Away by Laura Summers - Free Book Online

once,’ says the boy coldly, turning my mobile in his hand as he tries to switch it on. ‘Looks like you’ve killed it.’
    â€˜The battery’s just flat . . .’ I hear myself reply, desperate to disguise the fear in my voice but failing miserably. I keep my head down, only once daring to sneak a quick sideways glance from the corner of my eye. Is this really the boy from my visions? Close up, I’m not so sure. His dark curly hair falls untidily across his forehead, masking his eyes. Impatiently, he brushes it from his face, then stares back at me with coal-black eyes. Remembering that terrifying nightwhen I saw his angry face at the top of our stairs, I wait for the worst, wishing I was a million miles away and trying to calculate whether there’s the slightest possibility of out- running him if I make a dash for it.
    â€˜My sister dropped mine in my tea,’ he says with a shrug. His voice is warm and friendly.
    I stare up at him in complete surprise as a slightly lop- sided smile lights up his face, revealing white, even teeth. He holds out the phone and looks me straight in the eye.
    â€˜Accidentally . . .’ he adds, as he registers what must be the most stupid, dumbstruck expression my face has ever worn. ‘Offered to lend me hers. But it’s pink, so I gave it a miss.’
    I don’t move.
    â€˜Something wrong?’ he asks, obviously unnerved.
    I take my mobile and put it in my bag. ‘Sorry . . . I . . . I . . . thought I knew you . . . but . . .’ I must sound like a loony now, as well as look like one. If Jodie were a fly on a tree, she would be in stitches.
    â€˜Yeah, you look familiar too . . .’ he says slowly.
    I freeze. What does he know about me? He looks thoughtful, then shrugs, puzzled. ‘You’re at The Academy . . . yeah? It’s pretty massive.’
    â€˜No . . . don’t live round here . . . I just . . .’ I trail off.
    He stares at me curiously as I snatch up a packet of antiseptic wipes and shove them back in my bag.
    â€˜I’d better get home,’ I say.
    He starts helping me to pick up the rest of my stuff. My head’s spinning, I’m completely confused. If this is the same boy I saw in my visions, he can’t possibly be my donor. Thisboy is definitely alive. There’s nothing ghostly about him at all. So who is he? Here in the flesh, he’s a completely different person. There’s no anger. No fierce expression. No threat. His eyes have a faintly sad look to them. But I stay on my guard, I’ve screamed my way through far too many horror films not to know that the baddie always turns out to be the nice normal looking guy, the guy that no one ever suspects . . .
    With everything back in my bag, I get to my feet. Thanks,’ I say, summoning up a nervous chirpiness as I back away as speedily as I can. But three steps later I start to feel dizzy.
    â€˜You OK?’ The boy is at my side, his arm supporting mine, his face all concern.
    â€˜Yeah. I’m great. Fine . . . Thank you. Must have got up too quickly. Don’t worry . . . I’ll —’
    â€˜You better sit down for a minute,’ he says as he guides me back towards the bench. I do as he says then take a few deep breaths.
    â€˜Maybe I should come with you,’ he says, picking up and handing me a foil blister-pack of steroid tablets that I’ve some how missed. ‘You don’t look very well.’
    I tuck the tablets in my bag and glance sideways at him. Can I trust him or not?
    â€˜No. It’s OK, really,’ I tell him. ‘I’m fine. Honestly.’
    â€˜Yeah. Sure. But I’ll be coming with you, just in case.’

27
    His name’s Sam, he’s fifteen and he lives with his family in a flat on the other side of the park. I tell him where I live and he’s surprised.
    â€˜So why come here if you live miles away?’ he asks, looking at me curiously as we sit side