Read Online The Taming of Lilah May by Vanessa Curtis - Free Book Online Page B

‘I am absolutely fine. As fine as the finest person in Fineland.’
    Dad gives a knowing nod.
    â€˜So there’s nothing bothering you, then?’ he says. ‘That’s great. So you’re absolutely thrilled that your brother has gone missing, your school life is suffering, your best friend is fed up with you, and you hate being at home with your screwed-up parents, right?’
    â€˜Right,’ I say, but my voice has faltered just a tiny bit, and Dad pounces on this as if
he
were the lion and I’ve just thrown a tasty piece of dead deer into the enclosure.
    â€˜Life just couldn’t be better for you, could it?’ he continues. ‘In fact, I’m quite envious. You get all your meals here for free, your rent paid, while Mum andI have to go out and earn loads of money so that you can sit about doing nothing and moaning about silly little things. Wish I was you!’
    Damn. It’s starting to work. I’ve got an itchy feeling going up my legs, and they’re all hot and stuck together. Dad’s got a really irritating smarmy grin on his face, and just looking at him is starting to annoy me now.
    â€˜Don’t,’ I mutter. ‘I don’t want to play this any more. It was a stupid idea.’
    â€˜Pardon?’ says Dad. ‘Speak up. I can’t hear you.’
    I flip my chin up and glare at him.
    â€˜I SAID, I don’t want to play any more!’ I shout back at him.
    Dad’s eyes begin to glint and spark.
    â€˜That’s more like it!’ he says. ‘Feeling a bit angry, are we? Losing our temper a bit, are we?’
    I’m seeing great big sheets of red in front of my eyes.
    I swear that a
growl
escapes from my mouth! I hope I’m not actually turning into a lion.
    â€˜That’s it,’ says Dad. He’s enjoying himself. ‘Just let it out, Lilah. Scream if you want. Howl. Hit me. I don’t really care. I can take it.’
    I lunge towards him but I stop just at the lastmoment because there’s something deep and stern and kind in his eyes, and it reminds me that this is Dad and that he’s quite scary.
    Instead, I turn to the wall and start to kick it with my foot. Hard.
    Water rushes into my eyes and the bones in my ankle ache and throb, but I can’t seem to stop kicking.
    Dad comes over and pulls me away from the wall.
    â€˜OK,’ he says again. ‘Downstairs. Out of the front door. Run up and down the street three times, as fast as you can. I’ll race you, right?’
    I don’t know what he’s doing to me, but I find myself obeying and running downstairs and down the hall, straight out of the front door and along the pavement, with my trainers pounding on the ground and the night air rushing past me in cold draughts and my breath coming all jagged and short and painful as I run my anger away. Dad runs along next to me, super-fit and fast, and my body feels so cold and breathless and
alive
that for once I don’t think about Jay at all. I just focus on what I’m doing, and Dad keeps me going until I can’t run any longer, and I collapse in a heap over our front wall.
    â€˜Good girl,’ he says, handing me a bottle of water. ‘How do you feel?’
    I sit up, still panting, and pour the water over my head.
    We sit together on the wall, and it’s really weird, because I don’t feel so angry any more.
    A bit of me is still cross at the way he’s bossing me about and making me leg it up and down our street in full view of all the neighbours, but there’s all this buzzy adrenalin pumping around my head, and it feels clear and cool and good, and I don’t feel like I want to kick anything any more.
    Not that I’m going to tell Dad that.
    Not yet.
    â€˜I feel OK,’ I say in a small voice. ‘But I think I need to go to bed now. You’ve worn me out.’
    Dad gives a knowing smile and nudges me gently with his elbow. I very nearly turn