She clasped them in front of her to keep her fingers still. ‘Can you remember Hallowe’en night?’
‘Yeah.’
‘You know Sadie’s dumb story about Bloody Mary?’
Lottie’s eyes widened. ‘Yeah.’
‘Well, can you remember when Sadie said she’d already done it? You said you were with her.’
The skinny girl now looked thoroughly confused. ‘Yeah, so what? She did it in front of the mirror inside her wardrobe.’
Bobbie’s pulse felt much too fast. ‘Did you do it too?’
‘No.’
‘When did she do it?’
Lottie thought about it, forehead creased. ‘It was Tues— no, Wednesday night. Yeah, it was after choir.’
Bobbie had to reach out and steady herself against the wall. Her feet felt disconnected from the floor. Just as she’d feared. This couldn’t be happening. ‘That was five days ago.’ The last word got caught in her throat and came out as a hoarse whisper.
The message on the mirror.
Five days
.
Chapter 8
Five Days
Bobbie burst into room E7, the door clattering against the back of a chair that had been left too close. ‘Can I help you?’ asked Mr Carlos with his trademark pout and an arch of his over-plucked brows.
Bobbie pushed her glasses back up her nose. ‘Yes. I’m sorry … but Dr Price needs to see Naya at once.’
Naya caught her eye and knew immediately this was a lie. Mr Carlos dismissed her with a flourish of his arm. ‘Okay. You’d better go and see what she wants.’
‘Yes, sir.’ Naya tucked her chair under and swung her bag onto her shoulder. Bobbie was steered back into the corridor – one of the sterile, plastic-smelling ones in the new annex. The Millar Wing had opened during her first year at Piper’s – it was all exposed brick and inspirational posters: YOU ARE EXCEPTIONAL .
‘What’s going on? You look like you survived something,’ Naya said with a swish of ebony hair.
‘Naya, I know what happened to Sadie.’
‘O and M and G. I knew you were hiding something!’
Bobbie dragged her away from the classroom, and any eavesdroppers, towards the stairwell. ‘I think … I think it was Bloody Mary.’
Naya waited for the punchline. ‘Say what? Is this what you were babbling about last night?’
Bobbie sighed, frustrated. ‘I’m serious. Five days ago Sadie said “Bloody Mary” five times into her bedroom mirror and now she’s gone. After we did it, I saw a message in the mirror that said “five days”. I wish I were kidding. I’m not.’ Naya’s face fell before she shook it off. The taller girl giggled under her breath. ‘What?’ Bobbie prompted.
‘No way. Just … no. This must be the final part of Sadie’s little joke. Girl, when I see her, I’m gonna … ’
Bobbie knew at once there was something more. Naya was many things, but an effective liar was not one of them. ‘Naya, what is it?’
‘It’s nothing.’
‘Naya … ’
Naya reached into her cotton tote bag. She pulled out her lesson planner. ‘Look. Some moron graffitied on it.’
Bobbie took the diary from her and turned to the current week. In small, scratchy ink letters were the words
five days
. It was written in the box for Sunday – the same day she’d got the mirror message. Bobbie inhaled as if winded. ‘Oh God.’
‘Oh come on – this could all be part of Sadie’s … ’
‘No!’ Bobbie snapped, louder than she meant to. Her cheeks flushed. ‘Can Sadie mess with my eyes too? And my dreams? I am
seeing things
, Naya.’
Naya rolled her eyes before taking hold of Bobbie’s tie and leading her down the first-floor corridor like a dog. When they reached the vending machine, Naya slotted in some coins before a can clattered into the dispenser. She handed Bobbie a Coke. ‘Here. Have this. Your eyes are doing a weird bulging thing and it’s wigging me out.’
Bobbie accepted the Coke and took a sip. She hadn’t realised how badly she needed the sugar. There were some padded chairs outside the careers office and Bobbie fell onto one, her
‘Yeah.’
‘You know Sadie’s dumb story about Bloody Mary?’
Lottie’s eyes widened. ‘Yeah.’
‘Well, can you remember when Sadie said she’d already done it? You said you were with her.’
The skinny girl now looked thoroughly confused. ‘Yeah, so what? She did it in front of the mirror inside her wardrobe.’
Bobbie’s pulse felt much too fast. ‘Did you do it too?’
‘No.’
‘When did she do it?’
Lottie thought about it, forehead creased. ‘It was Tues— no, Wednesday night. Yeah, it was after choir.’
Bobbie had to reach out and steady herself against the wall. Her feet felt disconnected from the floor. Just as she’d feared. This couldn’t be happening. ‘That was five days ago.’ The last word got caught in her throat and came out as a hoarse whisper.
The message on the mirror.
Five days
.
Chapter 8
Five Days
Bobbie burst into room E7, the door clattering against the back of a chair that had been left too close. ‘Can I help you?’ asked Mr Carlos with his trademark pout and an arch of his over-plucked brows.
Bobbie pushed her glasses back up her nose. ‘Yes. I’m sorry … but Dr Price needs to see Naya at once.’
Naya caught her eye and knew immediately this was a lie. Mr Carlos dismissed her with a flourish of his arm. ‘Okay. You’d better go and see what she wants.’
‘Yes, sir.’ Naya tucked her chair under and swung her bag onto her shoulder. Bobbie was steered back into the corridor – one of the sterile, plastic-smelling ones in the new annex. The Millar Wing had opened during her first year at Piper’s – it was all exposed brick and inspirational posters: YOU ARE EXCEPTIONAL .
‘What’s going on? You look like you survived something,’ Naya said with a swish of ebony hair.
‘Naya, I know what happened to Sadie.’
‘O and M and G. I knew you were hiding something!’
Bobbie dragged her away from the classroom, and any eavesdroppers, towards the stairwell. ‘I think … I think it was Bloody Mary.’
Naya waited for the punchline. ‘Say what? Is this what you were babbling about last night?’
Bobbie sighed, frustrated. ‘I’m serious. Five days ago Sadie said “Bloody Mary” five times into her bedroom mirror and now she’s gone. After we did it, I saw a message in the mirror that said “five days”. I wish I were kidding. I’m not.’ Naya’s face fell before she shook it off. The taller girl giggled under her breath. ‘What?’ Bobbie prompted.
‘No way. Just … no. This must be the final part of Sadie’s little joke. Girl, when I see her, I’m gonna … ’
Bobbie knew at once there was something more. Naya was many things, but an effective liar was not one of them. ‘Naya, what is it?’
‘It’s nothing.’
‘Naya … ’
Naya reached into her cotton tote bag. She pulled out her lesson planner. ‘Look. Some moron graffitied on it.’
Bobbie took the diary from her and turned to the current week. In small, scratchy ink letters were the words
five days
. It was written in the box for Sunday – the same day she’d got the mirror message. Bobbie inhaled as if winded. ‘Oh God.’
‘Oh come on – this could all be part of Sadie’s … ’
‘No!’ Bobbie snapped, louder than she meant to. Her cheeks flushed. ‘Can Sadie mess with my eyes too? And my dreams? I am
seeing things
, Naya.’
Naya rolled her eyes before taking hold of Bobbie’s tie and leading her down the first-floor corridor like a dog. When they reached the vending machine, Naya slotted in some coins before a can clattered into the dispenser. She handed Bobbie a Coke. ‘Here. Have this. Your eyes are doing a weird bulging thing and it’s wigging me out.’
Bobbie accepted the Coke and took a sip. She hadn’t realised how badly she needed the sugar. There were some padded chairs outside the careers office and Bobbie fell onto one, her
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