better that way for them, and for you. Do not, repeat do not, suggest that you are going anywhere. We will come for you tonight
.’
‘What do you mean you’ll come for me? When . . .?’
But the voice was gone.
A noise outside the room. It was somebody coming into the house. Zak guiltily dropped the phone back onto the coffee table just as Aunt Vivian walked in. ‘Who were you talking to?’ she demanded, her eyebrows furrowed in irritation.
‘Nobody.’
‘Don’t lie to me, Zachary. I saw you put the phone down. Who were you talking to?’
‘The speaking clock.’ He raised his watch. ‘It’s running slow.’
His aunt narrowed her eyes. ‘That’s expensive,’ she said. ‘I’ll deduct it from your allowance.’
Zak felt himself flaring up, but he mastered it. ‘All right,’ he said. ‘Sorry.’ He left the room and trudged up the stairs. On the landing he realized that his hands were shaking and it took several deep breaths to get control of himself.
Ellie’s door, which had been closed, was slightly ajar. He knocked lightly.
‘Come in,’ his cousin called.
Ellie was sitting up in bed reading a book. ‘Hi.’
Zak nodded in return. ‘How you feeling?’ he asked, and his voice cracked slightly.
‘So so,’ Ellie replied. She narrowed her eyes. ‘How about you?’
‘Er . . . fine,’ he said. ‘I think.’
‘What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.’
He gave her a weak smile, then sat on the edge of her bed and took one of her hands in his. ‘Look, Ellie, I just wanted to say thanks. You know, for everything. For looking after me.’
She looked at him strangely, but didn’t say anything.
‘I just wanted to tell you, I’m going to be OK.’
‘I know you are, Zak. Are you sure you’re feeling all right?’
Zak frowned. He wasn’t sure at all. He felt like he was in a fast-moving river and he couldn’t do anythingexcept go with the current. Getting out of the water was impossible.
‘Can I trust you?’ he asked.
‘Of course you can. Zak, you’re scaring me. What’s wrong?’
‘Something’s about to happen,’ he heard himself saying. ‘Don’t ask me what. I want you to know I’ll be safe.’
‘What are you talking about?’
‘I don’t know,’ Zak said. ‘Not yet. But we never had this conversation, all right? Don’t tell your parents, don’t tell anyone. It’s for your own safety, and theirs.’
He saw tears in Ellie’s eyes. ‘Zak, you’re scaring me. What’s happening?’
But he couldn’t tell her. He bent down, put one hand on her shoulder then kissed her lightly on the cheek. Then he returned to his bedroom.
There was only one thing he could do now, and that was wait . . .
4
A THIEF IN THE NIGHT
The house was silent.
Zak had waited until he’d heard the sound of his uncle and aunt going to bed. They had checked on Ellie, but not him, switched off the landing light and retired to their room. He lay quietly for another ten minutes, before slipping out of bed and changing from his pyjamas into some warm clothes. Once he was dressed, he climbed back under his duvet and lay on his side, watching the glow of his bedside alarm clock.
Watching and waiting, with butterflies in his stomach.
Midnight came and went. The house creaked and groaned, just like it always did. Zak remembered the time when he was much smaller and used to be scared of those sounds in the house where he’d grown up, until his dad had explained that it was just the beams contracting as the temperature dropped.
One o’clock. He was so wide awake it might as well have been midday. His mouth was dry with anticipation.
But then two o’clock arrived. The night was ebbing away and nothing was happening. Zak began to feel slightly foolish. Perhaps he should go to sleep and forget all about it . . .
It was eight minutes to three when he heard it.
At first he assumed it was just the house creaking again and he went back to his clock-watching. But when he heard the
.’
‘What do you mean you’ll come for me? When . . .?’
But the voice was gone.
A noise outside the room. It was somebody coming into the house. Zak guiltily dropped the phone back onto the coffee table just as Aunt Vivian walked in. ‘Who were you talking to?’ she demanded, her eyebrows furrowed in irritation.
‘Nobody.’
‘Don’t lie to me, Zachary. I saw you put the phone down. Who were you talking to?’
‘The speaking clock.’ He raised his watch. ‘It’s running slow.’
His aunt narrowed her eyes. ‘That’s expensive,’ she said. ‘I’ll deduct it from your allowance.’
Zak felt himself flaring up, but he mastered it. ‘All right,’ he said. ‘Sorry.’ He left the room and trudged up the stairs. On the landing he realized that his hands were shaking and it took several deep breaths to get control of himself.
Ellie’s door, which had been closed, was slightly ajar. He knocked lightly.
‘Come in,’ his cousin called.
Ellie was sitting up in bed reading a book. ‘Hi.’
Zak nodded in return. ‘How you feeling?’ he asked, and his voice cracked slightly.
‘So so,’ Ellie replied. She narrowed her eyes. ‘How about you?’
‘Er . . . fine,’ he said. ‘I think.’
‘What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.’
He gave her a weak smile, then sat on the edge of her bed and took one of her hands in his. ‘Look, Ellie, I just wanted to say thanks. You know, for everything. For looking after me.’
She looked at him strangely, but didn’t say anything.
‘I just wanted to tell you, I’m going to be OK.’
‘I know you are, Zak. Are you sure you’re feeling all right?’
Zak frowned. He wasn’t sure at all. He felt like he was in a fast-moving river and he couldn’t do anythingexcept go with the current. Getting out of the water was impossible.
‘Can I trust you?’ he asked.
‘Of course you can. Zak, you’re scaring me. What’s wrong?’
‘Something’s about to happen,’ he heard himself saying. ‘Don’t ask me what. I want you to know I’ll be safe.’
‘What are you talking about?’
‘I don’t know,’ Zak said. ‘Not yet. But we never had this conversation, all right? Don’t tell your parents, don’t tell anyone. It’s for your own safety, and theirs.’
He saw tears in Ellie’s eyes. ‘Zak, you’re scaring me. What’s happening?’
But he couldn’t tell her. He bent down, put one hand on her shoulder then kissed her lightly on the cheek. Then he returned to his bedroom.
There was only one thing he could do now, and that was wait . . .
4
A THIEF IN THE NIGHT
The house was silent.
Zak had waited until he’d heard the sound of his uncle and aunt going to bed. They had checked on Ellie, but not him, switched off the landing light and retired to their room. He lay quietly for another ten minutes, before slipping out of bed and changing from his pyjamas into some warm clothes. Once he was dressed, he climbed back under his duvet and lay on his side, watching the glow of his bedside alarm clock.
Watching and waiting, with butterflies in his stomach.
Midnight came and went. The house creaked and groaned, just like it always did. Zak remembered the time when he was much smaller and used to be scared of those sounds in the house where he’d grown up, until his dad had explained that it was just the beams contracting as the temperature dropped.
One o’clock. He was so wide awake it might as well have been midday. His mouth was dry with anticipation.
But then two o’clock arrived. The night was ebbing away and nothing was happening. Zak began to feel slightly foolish. Perhaps he should go to sleep and forget all about it . . .
It was eight minutes to three when he heard it.
At first he assumed it was just the house creaking again and he went back to his clock-watching. But when he heard the
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