Alice in Time Read Online Free PDF

trouble,’ he says, giving me a sly grin so I feel like hitting him. Unfortunately he’s got me on that one. Mum will be cross with me for not getting him into bed and he knows it, which makes my job all the more difficult.
    ‘You said you’d read me a story,’ he whines. ‘I’ll go if you read me a story.’
    ‘Don’t be bloody ridiculous, it’s far too late,’ I say. There is nothing I hate more than reading Rory a story. And I’m certainly not going to read him one after what he wrote about me.
    ‘But you promised!’ He’s folded his arms now and stuck out his bottom lip. The next stage is a full-blown tantrum.
    ‘I never promised,’ I yell back at him.
    ‘You did, too.’
    ‘Didn’t.’
    ‘Did.’
    This could go on for hours, and sometimes does, because I want to see who is the first to crack, even though it’s usually me; Rory can go on all day. I decide I’ve had enough already so I grab him by the arm and drag him into the hall and of course he starts screaming so I don’t hear the key in the lock as Mum lets herself in.
    ‘For God’s sake, Alice. Why isn’t he in bed? It’s ten o’clock! He’s not even in his pyjamas.’
    Great. Here we go.
    ‘Is it really too much to ask? I’ve just done a twelve-hour shift and I have to come home to this.’
    I let go of Rory’s arm and he runs, blubbering, to Mum who gives him a big hug.
    ‘She hurt me,’ he wails and Mum gives me that awful disappointed look.
    ‘You’re lucky I didn’t kill you,’ I yell.
    ‘She promised she’d read me a story and now she won’t.
And
she swore at me.’
    ‘Enough,’ says Mum. She looks at Rory. ‘You go upstairs and get into your pyjamas and clean your teeth and then Alice will come up and read you a story.’
    ‘Mum!’ I yell, as Rory gives me a triumphant smile and scurries upstairs. ‘That is
so
unfair.’
    ‘Don’t start,’ says Mum, firmly. ‘If you made a promise, you must keep it.’
    ‘But I didn’t.’ My voice is getting more shrill, but I can’t help it. She hasn’t even asked about the wedding.
    ‘Stop arguing and just do as you’re told for once.’
    ‘Why is it always me that has to do as I’m told? Why can’t Rory do as he’s told?’ I scream back. I can’t remember the last time I had a normal conversation with my mother where one or the other of us wasn’t shouting. Then I remember that I’m not even meant to be speaking to her.
    Just then Rory, now in his pyjamas, comes shooting down the stairs.
    ‘Mum, look what Dad gave me.’ He retrieves the monster truck from behind the umbrella stand and shoves it at Mum.
    ‘Very nice,’ she says, but I can see her lips pursing and I know exactly what she’s thinking, even though she’d never say it to Rory. She’s calculating what it will cost to buy new batteries when these run out, and thinking how thoughtless Dad is to buy him such a present.
    ‘He bought Alice a mobile phone,’ pipes up Rory. Mum’s mouth goes so thin at this news that her lips practically disappear. She glares at me.
    ‘What?’ I say as nonchalantly as possible.
    ‘Is that true?’ she asks.
    She looks really upset. I know exactly what she’s thinking. She’s thinking, if Dad can afford to give me such an expensive present, how come he can’t afford to pay her more maintenance and why does he keep missing payments? Of course she’ll never say this out loud because she never badmouths Dad in front of us. Not that that makes any difference when I can tell what she’s thinking. She should give Dad a break. After all, he spent the money on us, which is more than she ever does. Hence our long-running argument about the mobile phone.
    ‘Yes, he did,’ I reply. ‘And it’s just as well, because I could really have used it this morning.’ Damn, too late I realise what I’ve said. I wasn’t going to tell Mum about going to the wrong place and missing the wedding.
    Mum is busy taking her coat off and getting her slippers on and I think I