might make it across town, even past the police station. But visible? Looking the way they did? Not a chance.
He spoke carefully. “That’ll make it … harder. I’ll … I’ll have to think about it.”
“Think?” yelled Jack. “
More
thinking? I say we puts the thumbscrews to him. See how he likes a taste of—”
“Stow that talk!” interrupted Crawley. “If the lad says he must think, then that’s what he must do. We’ll just settle ourselves to wait.”
With a flourish of his coattails, he claimed the wicker chair, while the others found places around the room. Everyone fell silent.
Lewis stood it for twenty seconds.
“I can’t!” he said.
“Can’t what?” said Crawley.
“Can’t think with all of you watching me.”
Crawley looked surprised. “You wants us to leave?”
“Well,” said Lewis, “if you don’t mind. Just for a while. So I can think.”
Jack spat on the floor in disgust.
But Crawley just smiled. “Why didn’t you say so, lad? We can disappear. Nothing easier.”
“Really?” said Lewis. “Thank you.”
They began to fade immediately. Emboldened by success, Lewis called, “Wait!”
They paused, and Lewis was treated to the fascinating sight of seven transparent bodies.
“I don’t know if I can figure out a good plan right away,” he told them. “I might have to come here in the afternoons … to think! It might take a while.”
“Not to worry.” Crawley was now barely an outline. “We’s waited this long, hasn’t we, mates? We has lots of time, we has.”
“All the time in the world,” added Moyle’s voice from an empty spot near the desk.
Lewis covered his mouth to hide his delight. He could barely believe his luck. To think that he could come here tomorrow. And the next day. And the next. He had done it.
Libertalia was
his
again.
A t the end of the second week of school, a new girl turned up in Lewis’s class. Seeing her walk in, Lewis felt a wave of relief. The more the kids noticed her, the less they would notice
him
. She had a strange name, Abriella, and a mother who was, if possible, even more embarrassing than his own.
“Sorry we’re late,” puffed the mother, bending over Ms. Forsley’s desk so that her large blue-jeaned backside faced the class. “We’ve been on a bus for
five days
, can you believe it? All the way from the west coast.”
Hearing a giggle, the mother turned. There it was—the thing the kids had spotted as she entered. A bare midriff and, right in the middle, her
belly button
,hanging out for the whole world to see, between rolls of fat. And, worse, it was pierced with a bellybutton
ring
!
Off to one side stood Abriella in a long green dress. She was odd, too, but in a completely different way. Skinny and long-legged, she’d be easily the tallest kid in sixth grade. Big eyes, almost pop-eyed. Long nose. Mouth so wide, the corners had to turn up in a smile even though she had absolutely nothing to smile about. Not with
that
mother.
The mother was telling Ms. Forsley her life story—how she’d married “a real zero,” moved across the country, gotten a divorce, lost her “crappy job in a florist shop.” It seemed she’d never stop.
“We’re staying with my folks now, just till I get on my feet.”
The woman wasn’t Lewis’s mother, but even so, he felt like going la-la-la in his head. He peeked at Abriella again. Chin tilted up, she was meeting the eyes of each new classmate in turn. Suddenly she was looking at—him! Not just
at
him. Through him! With those giant eyes. It was like being x-rayed. He glanced down, mortified.
After the mother left, Ms. Forsley said the usual things about making the new girl feel welcome.
“You can sit here, Abriella.” She pointed to the desk in front of Lewis.
“Abbie,” said the girl firmly as she sat down. “With an ‘i-e.’ Abbie.”
At recess, everyone watched her. Lewis watched, too, uneasy, waiting for her to make mistakes. But she wandered the
He spoke carefully. “That’ll make it … harder. I’ll … I’ll have to think about it.”
“Think?” yelled Jack. “
More
thinking? I say we puts the thumbscrews to him. See how he likes a taste of—”
“Stow that talk!” interrupted Crawley. “If the lad says he must think, then that’s what he must do. We’ll just settle ourselves to wait.”
With a flourish of his coattails, he claimed the wicker chair, while the others found places around the room. Everyone fell silent.
Lewis stood it for twenty seconds.
“I can’t!” he said.
“Can’t what?” said Crawley.
“Can’t think with all of you watching me.”
Crawley looked surprised. “You wants us to leave?”
“Well,” said Lewis, “if you don’t mind. Just for a while. So I can think.”
Jack spat on the floor in disgust.
But Crawley just smiled. “Why didn’t you say so, lad? We can disappear. Nothing easier.”
“Really?” said Lewis. “Thank you.”
They began to fade immediately. Emboldened by success, Lewis called, “Wait!”
They paused, and Lewis was treated to the fascinating sight of seven transparent bodies.
“I don’t know if I can figure out a good plan right away,” he told them. “I might have to come here in the afternoons … to think! It might take a while.”
“Not to worry.” Crawley was now barely an outline. “We’s waited this long, hasn’t we, mates? We has lots of time, we has.”
“All the time in the world,” added Moyle’s voice from an empty spot near the desk.
Lewis covered his mouth to hide his delight. He could barely believe his luck. To think that he could come here tomorrow. And the next day. And the next. He had done it.
Libertalia was
his
again.
A t the end of the second week of school, a new girl turned up in Lewis’s class. Seeing her walk in, Lewis felt a wave of relief. The more the kids noticed her, the less they would notice
him
. She had a strange name, Abriella, and a mother who was, if possible, even more embarrassing than his own.
“Sorry we’re late,” puffed the mother, bending over Ms. Forsley’s desk so that her large blue-jeaned backside faced the class. “We’ve been on a bus for
five days
, can you believe it? All the way from the west coast.”
Hearing a giggle, the mother turned. There it was—the thing the kids had spotted as she entered. A bare midriff and, right in the middle, her
belly button
,hanging out for the whole world to see, between rolls of fat. And, worse, it was pierced with a bellybutton
ring
!
Off to one side stood Abriella in a long green dress. She was odd, too, but in a completely different way. Skinny and long-legged, she’d be easily the tallest kid in sixth grade. Big eyes, almost pop-eyed. Long nose. Mouth so wide, the corners had to turn up in a smile even though she had absolutely nothing to smile about. Not with
that
mother.
The mother was telling Ms. Forsley her life story—how she’d married “a real zero,” moved across the country, gotten a divorce, lost her “crappy job in a florist shop.” It seemed she’d never stop.
“We’re staying with my folks now, just till I get on my feet.”
The woman wasn’t Lewis’s mother, but even so, he felt like going la-la-la in his head. He peeked at Abriella again. Chin tilted up, she was meeting the eyes of each new classmate in turn. Suddenly she was looking at—him! Not just
at
him. Through him! With those giant eyes. It was like being x-rayed. He glanced down, mortified.
After the mother left, Ms. Forsley said the usual things about making the new girl feel welcome.
“You can sit here, Abriella.” She pointed to the desk in front of Lewis.
“Abbie,” said the girl firmly as she sat down. “With an ‘i-e.’ Abbie.”
At recess, everyone watched her. Lewis watched, too, uneasy, waiting for her to make mistakes. But she wandered the
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