Darkside Read Online Free PDF Page B

indigestion.”
    Jonathan ignored her, and tore himself another mouthful of toast.
    â€œSo I phoned the school this morning, and explained the situation to them. I have to say, they weren’t very understanding. They asked a lot of questions, almost as if they didn’t believe me. Do you know why that would be?”
    He took a quick, guilty sip of tea. With his attendance record, he wasn’t surprised no one believed her. “Dunno. Teachers are like that.”
    â€œWell, eventually they listened to me, and they said that you don’t need to worry about coming in for the rest of the week. What are you going to do with yourself? You can’t sit with Alain all day long.”
    â€œNot sure yet. I want to go back to the house this morning. It’s a bit of a mess, and I kind of want to sort it out. You know, if he gets better quickly and everything is a state. . .”
    Mrs Elwood nodded. She hadn’t mentioned last night once, for which Jonathan was immensely grateful. “Of course. I’ve got to go into town later this morning, but I could come with you before then, if you wanted.”
    â€œNah. I’ll be all right.”
    She smiled, and left him alone to finish his breakfast.
    At ten o’clock Jonathan made the short trip home. He hadn’t been entirely honest with Mrs Elwood. He did want to tidy up the house, but the real prize was his dad’s study. After all these years, this was his chance to explore it properly. His heart rate pulsed faster just thinking about it. The house looked as decrepit as ever, but a little less foreboding than it had done during the night. There’s no way that an intruder would dare to return here in daylight , its windows seemed to wink at Jonathan, burglars are cowards like that . Still, he double-checked the road as he walked up the driveway. At this time of the morning, everything was quiet, and the only visible people were an elderly couple, presumably on their way to the shops, and an au pair pushing a baby along in a pram.
    Jonathan let himself in, and this time he made doubly sure the front door was locked behind him. He put one of his favourite CDs on in his bedroom to keep himself company, and turned the volume right up. Trying to keep calm, he busied himself with simple tasks: taking the rubbish out, doing the washing up. Then, before he knew it, Jonathan was standing in front of the study, trying to ignore the raking scars that still marked the door. He took a deep breath, unlocked the door, and went inside.
    It was dark in the study. The blinds had been pulled down over the window, so only the faintest chinks of light could shine through. There was a dank smell to the room, as if it hadn’t been aired for years. Jonathan walked across the room, pulled up the blinds and opened a window. Sunlight and biting fresh air streamed into the room. Immediately he felt better.
    To all intents and purposes, the study had been Alain’s world for the past few years. He worked here, ate his meals, often fell asleep here. While Alain sat quietly, leafing through books, Jonathan drifted through the rest of the house like a ghost. If he wanted to speak to his dad, he had to knock three times on the door. If Alain had to leave the room he would swiftly lock it behind him, to prevent his son from catching a glimpse of what was going on inside. If Alain left the room of his own accord – to go to the toilet or make himself a drink – and bumped into Jonathan, he would give him a brisk nod of recognition.
    â€œHello son. Everything all right?”
    â€œFine.”
    â€œGood. Keep it up.”
    And with that, he would slip back inside and lock the door.
    Jonathan had come to terms with his unusual family situation. He wasn’t a great talker himself, and if there were any practical problems, there was always Mrs Elwood. He would have been lying if he’d said that things were perfect, and that he didn’t wish that