Read Online Keeping it Real by Annie Dalton - Free Book Online

the hall, checking in all the rooms, one by one. Kitchen empty. Sitting room empty.
    The blind was up in Mrs Nolan’s room. Stark-white streetlight flooded in, showing an empty double bed made up with a pristine white quilt. Instead of a depressing clutter of pill bottles, the bedside table had a cute photo of Sky’s mum with Dan and two smiling little boys.
    The little boys’ room was empty too.
    They’d obviously all gone to Dan’s for the weekend, but I felt I should just check in Sky’s room, as I was here.
    The Nolan’s hall was like an L-shape. Sky’s room was around the bend. Her door had been left closed. A handwritten sign said KEEP OUT BRATS OR DIE!!
    I shimmered through to the other side and yelled with shock.
    My mate was in here all by herself!
    She was all huddled up on her bed in an old dressing gown, listening to music through some earphones. She’d got woolly bed socks on, pulled right up to her knees, but she still looked blue with cold. I thought she looked too thin.
    Even if I’d been human I don’t think I’d have tried to touch her. It was like she wasn’t really here - like she was just on hold, somehow, waiting. Even Sky’s room literally felt like a waiting room. Her pop posters and girly bric-a-brac, precious mementoes of the Pinks, heart-shaped cushions and mad photo booth pics - had all gone, leaving cold empty space.
    On the wardrobe door, which Sky once used as an overflow for her huge photo collection, just one pic was left. It showed Sky at the London Eye. Sky by herself.
    I felt numb. I remembered that cool hair-flick. Sky Nolan, the independent operator. Sky was always the most ruthless Pink, but I never had her down as a person who’d just cut you out of her life without a backward glance.
    “Look closer,” said my inner angel.
    Goose bumps came up on my arms.
    I’d forgotten a basic cosmic law which Mr Allbright made us learn in my first term. You can’t destroy energy. You can’t destroy anything which is real. And the hyperactive energy of four nutty twelve year olds on the loose - that’s real. Sky might look like she was totally alone, but the energies of those other laughing girls still fizzed and sparkled all around her.
    I loved those mischievous sparkles; I loved that you could still tell we had our arms around Sky.
    A tiny spark of hope lit inside my heart. If you couldn’t destroy energy, maybe you couldn’t delete a true friendship from the Universe?
    I sat down where I could see her face and tried to keep my voice steady. “Sky, don’t die of shock. It’s me! It’s Mel! I’ve come back.” I felt my voice go husky. “Babe, I’m so so sorry I didn’t get to say goodbye.”
    Sky ejected the CD and put in a new one.
    I told myself she wasn’t blanking me on purpose and ploughed on, explaining that I was going to be in town for a few days, so if Sky had any problems I’d be happy to help, but I could feel all this hot embarrassment building up inside.
    “I don’t know what to say,” I told Helix.
    “You’re fine,” she said warmly. “Just talk normally.”
    I wasn’t sure if there was a normal way to tell someone their dead friend had come back as an angel.
    Sky was busy skipping through tracks. I wondered what music she was into now and if I’d like it.
    Hitching closer to my unresponsive friend, I tried again. “This isn’t just a friendly visit, Sky. I’m here because the Agency - the guys who run the Universe basically - think you’re in trouble. They didn’t say what kind - they prefer us to figure stuff out for ourselves, but Jax is obviously spinning out of control. And what is going on with Karms? Why is she so fixated on this show—”
    My friend practically tore off her headphones.
    “I am so SICK of that girl and her poxy musical!” she burst out. “Does she think you’ll be watching them from the clouds?”
    My heart almost stopped. It was like she was actually answering me!
    Sky jumped off the bed in a rush and went to