stop pounding and opened her eyes. It was still there.
She had to keep calm. Julie could sense subterfuge. She did her best to smile. “Nothing. I’ve got Mother in the car.”
“She’s a liar!” The imp dug his claws into Julie’s shoulder and hissed. “She can see me.”
“You can see him?” Julie’s face creased. “All these years I’ve been stuck here hearing his voice, and only now do I discover I’m not mad?”
“That...thing is Wrack?” Felicia looked her sister in her dead eyes. “You’re not mad, Julie, or if you are then I am as well. My eyesight has come back but I can only see in black and white.”
“But you can see Wrack?” Julie gripped her arm. “What else do you see? How many of them are there?”
“Just people.” Felicia glanced around. “No more of these things.”
“I told you she was another one.” The creature leaned close to Julie’s ear. “She’s just evolved. I know what she is.”
“What do you mean, evolved?” Felicia glared at it. “Another one of what?”
“Another of the Changed.” Julie leaned forward to whisper. “Without Wrack I’d have been totally insane years ago, but even with him here they get through.”
“You told her my name! Names have power.”
“What does it matter?” Julie let go and leaned back. “She can see you. That counts for far more than my telling her your name. Besides, I told her your name yesterday. I’m not mad.” She looked at Felicia again, the flicker of a smile lifting the corners of her mouth. “I’m not mad!”
“ Shh !” Felicia lowered her voice to a whisper. “No, you’re not mad. I’m sorry I never knew before.”
“Why do you know now? How come you can see the things I’ve been hearing?”
“Oh.” Felicia stopped short. “Something happened to Mother. I can see scales under her makeup.”
“I know.” Julie stretched “I don’t want to see the old witch. She locked me up in here and forgot about me. She never once sent me so much as a card since Daddy died.”
“Why do you hate each other so much?”
“She’s one of us. One of the Changed.” Julie reached out for Felicia’s hand, hitting the bench twice until she found it. “When I lost my sight, I found that I could hear things. Ghosts, Felicia. Ghosts and creatures like Wrack.” She leaned forward and dropped her voice. “Angels too. And demons.”
“I don’t believe this.” Felicia held her head in her hands and closed her eyes.
“Sorry.” Julie gave a bark of laughter. “Welcome to my own personal hell. I’ll ask them to give us a twin room, shall I?”
“Why? I’m not mad, and neither are you.”
“Try to convince other people of that when they think you’re talking to yourself at the bus stop. If it wasn’t for Wrack...”
“Why? What does Wrack do for you?”
“He keeps me sane.” Julie reached up to stroke the imp under the chin. “He keeps all the others away from me so I can get some peace.”
The creature began to purr, but still kept an eye on Felicia.
“Where did you meet him? He seems quite...attached to you.”
“He came in with another patient, but they were always arguing. When... What was his name?”
“Terry.” The imp changed position, twisting his head. Felicia could hear the bones cracking. “He was such a tosser.”
“Terry, yes. When Terry came in, he was quite violent and a lot of the staff were frightened of him. They sedated him and gave him electro-convulsive therapy, pronounced him cured and sent him home.”
“I didn’t like the electrics.” Wrack’s tail curled and uncurled as he spoke. “They played havoc with my sleep patterns.”
“So there he was, wandering around the wards looking for someone to talk to, and he found me.”
“This would be about two years ago?”
Julie nodded. “That’s right. The World Cup was on television. How did you know that?”
“That was when the hospital wrote to me to say that you were ‘responding to treatment’ and
She had to keep calm. Julie could sense subterfuge. She did her best to smile. “Nothing. I’ve got Mother in the car.”
“She’s a liar!” The imp dug his claws into Julie’s shoulder and hissed. “She can see me.”
“You can see him?” Julie’s face creased. “All these years I’ve been stuck here hearing his voice, and only now do I discover I’m not mad?”
“That...thing is Wrack?” Felicia looked her sister in her dead eyes. “You’re not mad, Julie, or if you are then I am as well. My eyesight has come back but I can only see in black and white.”
“But you can see Wrack?” Julie gripped her arm. “What else do you see? How many of them are there?”
“Just people.” Felicia glanced around. “No more of these things.”
“I told you she was another one.” The creature leaned close to Julie’s ear. “She’s just evolved. I know what she is.”
“What do you mean, evolved?” Felicia glared at it. “Another one of what?”
“Another of the Changed.” Julie leaned forward to whisper. “Without Wrack I’d have been totally insane years ago, but even with him here they get through.”
“You told her my name! Names have power.”
“What does it matter?” Julie let go and leaned back. “She can see you. That counts for far more than my telling her your name. Besides, I told her your name yesterday. I’m not mad.” She looked at Felicia again, the flicker of a smile lifting the corners of her mouth. “I’m not mad!”
“ Shh !” Felicia lowered her voice to a whisper. “No, you’re not mad. I’m sorry I never knew before.”
“Why do you know now? How come you can see the things I’ve been hearing?”
“Oh.” Felicia stopped short. “Something happened to Mother. I can see scales under her makeup.”
“I know.” Julie stretched “I don’t want to see the old witch. She locked me up in here and forgot about me. She never once sent me so much as a card since Daddy died.”
“Why do you hate each other so much?”
“She’s one of us. One of the Changed.” Julie reached out for Felicia’s hand, hitting the bench twice until she found it. “When I lost my sight, I found that I could hear things. Ghosts, Felicia. Ghosts and creatures like Wrack.” She leaned forward and dropped her voice. “Angels too. And demons.”
“I don’t believe this.” Felicia held her head in her hands and closed her eyes.
“Sorry.” Julie gave a bark of laughter. “Welcome to my own personal hell. I’ll ask them to give us a twin room, shall I?”
“Why? I’m not mad, and neither are you.”
“Try to convince other people of that when they think you’re talking to yourself at the bus stop. If it wasn’t for Wrack...”
“Why? What does Wrack do for you?”
“He keeps me sane.” Julie reached up to stroke the imp under the chin. “He keeps all the others away from me so I can get some peace.”
The creature began to purr, but still kept an eye on Felicia.
“Where did you meet him? He seems quite...attached to you.”
“He came in with another patient, but they were always arguing. When... What was his name?”
“Terry.” The imp changed position, twisting his head. Felicia could hear the bones cracking. “He was such a tosser.”
“Terry, yes. When Terry came in, he was quite violent and a lot of the staff were frightened of him. They sedated him and gave him electro-convulsive therapy, pronounced him cured and sent him home.”
“I didn’t like the electrics.” Wrack’s tail curled and uncurled as he spoke. “They played havoc with my sleep patterns.”
“So there he was, wandering around the wards looking for someone to talk to, and he found me.”
“This would be about two years ago?”
Julie nodded. “That’s right. The World Cup was on television. How did you know that?”
“That was when the hospital wrote to me to say that you were ‘responding to treatment’ and
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