Read Online Twin Tales by Jacqueline Wilson - Free Book Online Page A

swish.
    â€˜Don’t be silly – it’s only a couple of centimetres! You can’t wash in that,’ said Dad, reaching out to turn the bath taps back on.
    â€˜I don’t want it any deeper!’ Connie yelled.
    â€˜Oh, for goodness sake! You’re not scared of the
bath
now, are you? This is ridiculous, Connie. You’re not a
baby.
You’ve got to conquer this stupid fear or you’ll end up completely loopy – and you’ll drive us all daft as well. Aaaaah!’
    It was Dad who sounded daft, screeching like that. He’d concentrated too much on Connie and not enough on his shaving.
    Connie hunched up in her shallow bath, twisting her little plait and twiddling the blue beads for all she was worth.

    â€˜What’s going on? Are you all right?’ said Mum, putting her head round the door.
    â€˜No, I’m not! I’ve cut myself,’ said Dad, trying to staunch the wound with a little wad of toilet paper.
    â€˜Well, hurry up out the way and let Connie clean her teeth in the basin. I’ve just noticed a ring round the date on the calendar downstairs. Connie’s got to go to the dentist for her check-up. It’s a nine o’clock appointment – so you’ll have to step on it. You can both have breakfast afterwards,’ said Mum.
    â€˜What? What are you on about?
I
can’t take Connie to the dentist. I’ve got to go to work.’
    â€˜I’m sorry, you’ll just have to be late for work for once. I can’t possibly take Connie in time.’
    â€˜But you know I can’t . . .’ said Dad, looking strange.
    Mum sighed. ‘Look, I’d normally take Connie, you know that. But she simply can’t miss her appointment. Not like
some
people.’ Mum sounded a bit strange too.
    Dad still acted strange as he was driving Connie to the dentist. His hands were all shaky as he clutched the wheel of the car, as if he was very cold – and yet he had little beads of sweat on his forehead. His face twitched every now and then, and the little wad of toilet paper stuck to his shaving cut twitched too.

    â€˜Dad, are you all right?’ said Connie.
    â€˜Yes, of course I am,’ said Dad. But his voice was all high and wavery – almost as if he was
scared
.
    â€˜You’ve still got toilet paper stuck to your face, Dad,’ said Connie, as they drew up outside the dental surgery.
    Dad swatted it away from his chin. He switched off the ignition. He gave Connie a very weird wild smile.
    â€˜Off you go then, Connie. I’ll just wait for you in the car,’ he said.
    Connie stared at Dad. ‘But you have to come in too, Dad. You have to sign all the forms and stuff.’
    â€˜Oh dear. Right.’
    He seemed to have great difficulty getting out of the car. He wavered all over the place going up the pathway to the surgery door.
    â€˜I think you might have really hurt yourself shaving. Maybe you’vegot tetanus or something, from the cut?’
    â€˜Don’t be silly, Connie,’ Dad murmured, and then he staggered into the surgery.
    Connie followed him and looked round in astonishment. It seemed to have changed a great deal since she was last there six months ago. The waiting-room was terribly cold and all the pictures were missing from the walls. All the magazines and toys had been cleared away. There were just horrible leaflets with pictures of people with bleeding mouths and crumbling teeth.
    Connie was great friends with the pretty young receptionist – but she didn’t seem to be around today. There was a fierce frowny woman in her place in a crackly white uniform, wearing a mask and rubber gloves.
    She pointed straight at Dad.
    â€˜Aha! You’re the man who’s missed all his appointments!’
    â€˜I’m sorry,’ Dad said – and then a terrible, achingly loud drilling sound started up in the next room. It was so ear-splitting that the wall vibrated and Connie